Everton U18s dumped out of the FA Youth Cup by Chelsea

Former Everton starlet helps end FA Youth Cup hopes on return to Merseyside

I was wondering about Ishe, Odin's twin brother who departed windswept Finch Farm for the bright lights with Chelsea.

I guess that little vignette for the first goal gives the answer…

Looks like, since leaving us, Ishe got on the senior Chelsea bench as an unused sub for just one game: a 2nd Round Carabao Cup tie against Wimbledon back in August.

In the squad for less than half the Chelsea U21 games so far, he has started just 2 and come on as a sub in 2. He's also played a league game for Chelsea U18s, plus 2 games now in the FA Youth Cup.

So… still developing: he's only 17½.

I'm certain it would have had something to do with his decision to leave Everton and go to a club without any real pathway into the first-team squad unless a player has got genuine international class.

I looked on Spotrac where they list the wages of 38 Chelsea squad players, but none younger than 19.

No idea what they pay their kids but it seems like he still has a ways to go. Or was it simply a strategy to curtail his development with us into a competitive threat?

Ishe Samuels-Smith decided to leave Everton and sign for Chelsea, along with the lad who went to Man City last season and Price who went abroad. Three talented players who preferred to take their chances elsewhere.

Money obviously made a difference to their choice but they have seen what is happening at Finch Farm on a daily basis with the Academy and that maybe made their decisions easier to make.

I was talking to an Everton supporter at a game v Wolves last season; he told me his son was at the Academy and there was nothing coming through, the club was an empty shell.

This was before Dyche and Thelwell arrived, I think they have a big job making the Academy a place good enough to bring promising players to and sign… starting with the coaches.

Paul Tait has never impressed and what qualifications did Leighton Baines have as a coach to be offered a top job there? Many top players, which Leighton was, never succeed as coaches.

I guess these things take time to bear fruit but it seems an especially lean harvest at the moment. A shame given our financial limitations.

Price is not in the same league. I'm not sure about Emilio Lawrence.

Anyway, I caught the last 20 minutes of this match and we were very poor. The Chelsea players looked so much better drilled at progressing the ball up the pitch (and they were a player down).

Individually, the players were okay, but struggled to string a few passes together despite the player advantage.

He had a massive network of recruitment scouts, and slowly but surely they will have probably become disillusioned working for someone with whom they had no real working relationship. I think it's fair to say that Waldron ended up being a much bigger loss to the club than anyone envisaged, and this is possibly still affecting the club, even after all these years.

I honestly think that, because of our financial limitations, we should be concentrating a lot more on bringing our own young players through, Sam (even though it's very tough nowadays because clubs recruit all over the world). I think clubs like Chelsea try and Hoover up as much potential as possible, Michael, and seem to run that side of their club as a separate but successful business.

I remember everyone moaning about mates at the club but at least David Unsworth’s sides won stuff.

I saw the final of one competition against Newcastle, we won 1-0 and like most fans in the ground I was terrified Newcastle were going to equalise and keep us there for extra time, we were terrible, I got little satisfaction from that trophy win.

The same thing applies to FFP be very careful don’t let your right hand know what your left hand is doing and don’t ever plead guilty before you are questioned, when in doubt say nout is what most “ Business Men?” abide by.

The more critical age groups are presumably 14 to 18 ish.

That's why it particularly bothers me that the U18s looked so poorly drilled. It doesn't speak well of their Everton education.

In fairness, I thought the early Unsworth years also turned out teams that were well drilled in a style of play, albeit not a very sophisticated one.

Against 10 men in a cup game with a strong wind behind he had them playing it out from the back, everyone back for corners instead of one on the half-way line. We had a man advantage, for god's sake – a cup game should not be tippy tappy… go for the kill and on to the next round. Tactically a bad game.

Not a lot stood out for me, but I don't tend to get too carried away with the youth team results. It's not about results, it's about development.

As well as scouting and coaching at grass roots level to benefit what is on our own doorstep. And that doesn't mean locking them behind the gates of Finch Farm. We pride ourselves on Everton in the community. Well, be Everton in the football community. Get out there and support local football, because I guarantee the talent is out there. Just let them grow naturally in their natural environment. But help the local grassroots football and let the players develop in their natural environment with their mates before bringing them in. Sponsor teams and clubs. This probably needs another thread.

On your point Tony, Watford were terrible for that behaviour when I was coaching Hayes & Yeading. They hoovered up any decent player just to surround the one they thought would make it then spit the rest out.

I've said this before, but as my wife and sister worked for the other side, they got taken to the 1996 Liverpool v Manchester United FA Cup Final and were part of the travelling club party.

They told me that it was heartbreaking on the return journey on the train home as the youth team players who were also present were informed of their future. Some told they were going to Oldham, some to Rochdale. Others that they were simply being released.

I know football, like other walks of life, is a cut throat business, but what an inappropriate way to do it in front of an audience.

Three of our youth team already had pro contracts, two of them were nailed on, and another was told he was also getting a pro contract early, after the death of his mother, although, after scoring over 40 goals that season, he was in all our opinions, another who was nailed on.

Me and two lads from Nottingham were all told we were getting 1-year contracts on the morning of a Midland Youth Cup Semi-final against Stoke City at the City Ground. We were better than Stoke, and had already beaten them three times that season, but with us being a close-knit team, with most of us living in the same digs, I think the lads were made-up for us three, and we went out and murdered Stoke 5-0.

I'd just come out the shower after the game, and Clough and Ron Fenton, the first team assistant manager, were both in the changing room and seemed to be in a very happy mood. "Tell him,what I've just told the other two, Ron," said the manager, before continuing to speak himself.

"You're not getting a 1-year contract, son, I've decided to give you @ years instead!"

And the only other thing I remember is that he then turned around to Fenton and said, "Perhaps I might even get young Abrahams to go to my house now, Ron." Because he knew I was the only apprentice who didn't like going to his house. (Something he used to do from time to time when he needed his garden doing…)

Anyway, Danny, I thought it might be an interesting story but, if I'm being very honest, I genuinely wish I'd have only been given a 1-year contract that night because it was obvious that certain people didn't really want me and I'd have been better going somewhere else whilst I was still very driven. That's life, and the way my life went; I'm actually glad I never ended up being a footballer… Honestly.