Everton U23s undone by Leicester City in Southport

Harry has a lot of supporters on TW, but I wonder if Billy will get a run out tonight? Good interview with the lad on the club site:

Billy Crellin Interview

Like Pickford's projectory, he has had non- and lower-league experience. He speaks very maturely about his loan experiences playing men's football, rather than junior football. Where in junior football he played for the love of the game, he quickly realised in men's football the three points and the bonus money it earnt the players was very important to help pay the bills. That it's a job, not just a hobby or passion.

Born in Blackpool, but from a family of Evertonians, even though he wasn't born when the Binman played for us, unsurprisingly Neville Southall is his all-time favourite Everton player.

One to keep an eye on.

Thank you for flagging up the signing of Billy Crellin; it had certainly flown under my radar.

Just watched the interview; if he keeps goal as gracefully as he handled the questions he could become as good as his great hero.

Why doesn't the club bring in Big Nev on a part-time basis to work with our keepers both young and established?

Okoronkwo and Cannon start up front in a 352 formation.

Tyrer
Welch, Astley, Campbell
Quirk Mills Price. Hughes Anderson
Okoronkwo Cannon

Edit looks like Campbell is left wing back

Phill, The midfield three will be good to watch, all good prospects Mills was a bit inconsistent last week, but Price I thought played well. Rhys Hughes is always involved. Will they miss Warrington?

Everton v Leicester U-23s

Tony, Warrington has gone out on loan to Tranmere for the rest of the season. Didn't feature at all in their 1-0 home win over Stevenage on Tuesday, not even on the bench. Understable as the game was played just 24 hours after his move.

Charlie Whitaker has not been involved in any games since before Christmas, which must mean he is out injured, sadly.

Good move a few min ago, great connection from Mills, thought it was an excellent save by the Leicester keeper.

Don't know who took the free kick?

Looks like it is blowing a gale, so always difficult to play good football in those conditions.

Sorry to see Mills go off. He is usually good to come up with an assist or goal.

Great delivery by Hughes and good finish by Anderson for the goal.

Yes, Rhys Hughes with the free kick, he also started the move where Mills had a good effort well saved by the Leicester ‘keeper.

Hughes has played well, always trying to use the ball, but it's not a night for football with the wind spoiling many attempts.

The Leicester Number 4 looks decent – always looking for the ball and using it well when he gets it.

I did catch the footage of training. Very interesting. Unlike Benitez who was very in the mix (stop -stand still), Lampard stands back and observes. He let's his coaches do the coaching.

Also, even though I can only go off the footage, it all looked about ball work. Playing the ball in tight places and pressing off the ball to get it back. Brazilian grids; one of the best sessions there is both in terms of teaching players to keep the ball and move it quickly as well as getting them to press and work hard to get it back quickly.

Commentators course. We've just won a corner!

Getting back into the game now.

Leicester better team this half.

No real plan, even for allowing the wind spoiling the game to a degree it didn’t stop Leicester from producing some good moves and using the ball much better than the Blues who I found embarrassing to watch for most of that second half, hopefully this new regime will sort the U23’s coaching out better than Friar Tuck.

Good point about the wind Dave. Maybe it was that rather than losing Mills.

Genuine question.

Is he the Director of the Academy or the U23s Manager?

I only saw the 2nd half and appreciate we have lost a few players for different reasons, but we didn't have enough players comfortable on the ball.

At this level, I'm not necessarily looking at the result, just the potential and the ability.

You can't keep ripping the side apart and expect them to carry on doing well, especially as the lads drafted in are relatively new faces.

Unsworth's job is to take best in class under 18s (Simms, Warrington, Dowell and Co, Walsh) and stifle their progress before shipping them off to low-level teams. Or at least I assume that's his job based on outcomes.

Sammy Braybrooke

He definitely caught my eye, only 17, he has been training with the first team and had some interest from abroad before signing on with Leicester. Reminded me a little bit of Conor Gallagher, but a long way to go yet.

There's a lot of irony in your comment Kieran! I'm hopeful for Warrington.

James Flynn: possibly the legacy of what the much constrained and maligned Marcel Brands was trying to implement and achieve?

Whether they make it depends on talent and coaching much further down the conveyor belt. The U23s is just the final moment before first team, loan or departure.

If you haven't made your first team debut by 18 you are already behind the vast majority of genuinely top class talents. That's not to say others won't make it – but the stats are against you.

The thing that bothers me most about Unsworth's U23s is the lack of any style.

It is, essentially, lower division football – with goals generally coming from set pieces, forcing errors or counter attacks.

You could see Leicester were approaching the game in a different way. They had midfielders receiving the ball, probing, asking questions etc – and they played like the younger version of a stylish Premier League side. We play like the younger version of Burnley.

This is a disservice to a few players of genuine quality – and not a good place to kick on from U18s in readiness for the first team.