Young Blues find West Brom a Youth Cup tie too far

Not that it matters to us remote viewers but I just hope they go to the right venue!

In true lockdown style, if they do end up at the wrong location, maybe they can Zoom in on the big screen and virtually play the match!

There is a nice interview with the lad on the club site here:

Zan-Luk Leban Interview

Slovenian, signed from a Polish club in 2019, yet his English accent is a delicious mix of Scouse and Lancastrian I was impressed!

Here’s hoping the lads chosen tonight put in another sterling display and get us further to capturing some silverware, and point to future success right through the club, come on lads, we won’t be in person but willing you on from all parts of the world,just give your all and that will be enough for most of us, What’s Our Name? Starts with an “E”

People have seen the games and have their own opinions on the different players, as a team what has been particularly impressive is their work ethic, how they keep their shape when defending but spring forward in numbers when attacking. Looking forward to this against what appears to be a good WBA team.

Then there are individuals who just have innate skills, capable of picking up almost any language.

I knew an ex-forces lad whose girlfriend was one such. She even worked for MI5 (or 6...) because of it. She could listen to a new language for 15 minutes and somehow grasp its grammar, add new vocabulary and within hours she was reasonably fluent.

Back end of the 70s-early 80s I was living and working in Holland, along with the great diaspora of the disenfranchised and unemployed from every corner of Margaret Thatcher's UK.

There was a lovely Dutch lass who worked at Schiphol's International Airport Hotel who shacked up with a Scouser. She developed the most distinctive Irish-Scouse accent you could possibly imagine when speaking English. You would never guess her as being a cloggie!

Young Zan-Luk Leban (isn't that a great name?) seems to display the same innate language skills. It's said to be a sure sign of intelligence. Whatever. He's a damn fine keeper and one to keep an eye on.

I speak German to an understandable level. I probably have the grammar skills of a 6 year old, but I can get by. That is the most important thing.

The Dutch in particular have always amazed me. They speak English more fluent than many native speakers. And likewise with their German. The Scandinavians also. But then they start foreign languages in school from the age of 6.

I think living in a country above all helps. I wasn't educated in German per say, but playing football with German kids and having to communicate makes you communicate if that makes sense. I knew an "Ecke" was a corner, an "Elf Meter" was a penalty. The universal language of football I guess!

'she’d be hopeless at working out what’s needed to get a CL place on goal difference.'

She wouldn't be in the minority, Phil!

Can't wait for this Youth Cup game to KO. Been anticipating it all day. Didn't we go out of this competition a couple of seasons ago to the Baggies, having tanked them by ten goals earlier in the season..? Harry Tyrer had been the hero in the previous round away to Stoke in the penalty shoot out, if my memory serves me well.

Leban
Mallon, Welch, Campbell, Small
Warrington, Butterfield,
Mills, Whitaker, McAllister
Canon

That is my take on how we’ll line up, but they’ll switch about at times.

Passing is awful, sorry lads. I know you're very young but you'll have to pick it up quite a lot in the second half. Garcia when he comes on should liven them up.

It's a really good game between two well-matched teams.

We started well. WBA got a foothold and employ a high press. As a result, yes, the ball gets turned over sometimes, but where has it got them so far? A 6-yard box header from the single telling cross they played, easily gobbled up by Zan-Luk.

When we do get it right under the high press - and we've done it tellingly on 3-4 occasions - we've seriously exposed their back line, leaving their midfield floundering.

Only poor decision making in not playing in supporting players or going too early to be offside (Tom Canon), or not getting good contact when put in the clear (McAllister) not taking full advantage of those opportunities.

We've also created two lovely corner routines that could both have produced a goal.

Yes, some passes have been misplaced, but there has also been excellent play from both Warrington and Whittaker in midfield.

We look tighter and better organized at the back than WBA and the chasing and harrowing the Baggies are doing will catch up with them as the game goes on, whereas we have plenty in reserve.

All changes with a goal for either side, but IMO on real opportunities created in the first half, we are doing better than them.

Still a tremendous effort our boys put in, and some pretty entertaining football. But at bottom, it's the same old stuff: care of the ball, precision in passing, avoiding stupid lunges and kicks, being sloppy.

I know I focus on the mistakes but this is what kills us in the end.

I thought Welch was our best player tonight, which sums us up a bit. Missing Onyango, Price, Kouyate and a fit Dobbin was too much in the end. Still they’ve had a decent run.

Just needed a tight 10 minutes after taking the lead. Instead, the 16-year-old Campbell got caught on the wrong side in the lead up to the first goal within 5 minutes. Luk-Van probably could have done better in saving the first shot rather than palm it straight out giving their man the chance to score on the follow up.

Good shot on the winning goal. The only time all night Everton didn't have players around the ball close to our penalty area.

We still had chances for an equaliser but there was just a wee lack of composure at key times. Could we have had two penalties? Was it McAllister's shot blocked with his arm by the diving defender? And then Garcia taken down just inside the penalty area with the Baggie's man getting nothing on the ball.

Matt Mallon or the more heralded Thierry Small as the most solid full-back? Discuss.

The wait for Youth Cup glory goes on.

Jay, a little bit harsh on Leban it was a stinging shot from close range. Thierry Small has got something about him, a confidence and a desire to be direct, strong and good with the ball at his feet. A tad unlucky not to score tonight. Of all the boys, Leban and Small, to me, look like they will be first-teamers. Very early days though for all of them.

Remember they are kids.

Football is a game of mistakes as much as is it a game of vision and perfection. Let the kids make mistakes. It helps them develop as they learn from it.

Two evenly matched teams. The result says that. West Brom edged it physically; you could see that when they walked on the pitch. That won't matter in 5 years time. Within reason obviously but you won't simply win because you are physically stronger and bigger.

Unlucky young blues.

I kind of thought we shouldn't have worn amber in a cup match against West Brom. As much as I love that kit, it made me think of 1968 even though I wasn't alive then!

I did German in school and was so crap I wasn't even put in for the GCE. It rankled a bit so in my 20s I had another go and it clicked and I did 'O' and 'A' level and post 'A' level.

Best moment was when I was staying with friends in East Berlin and was asked by a lost E German family for directions to the main line railway station. I directed them (it was a fair way away) and the guy asked me which town in Switzerland I was from! lol

It was a good win because there were quite a few very young lads in the team including two fifteen and two or three sixteen year olds, Emilio is a two footed player well rated by people who have seen him, I’m not one of them, as I haven’t seen him but hope to in the future.