09 Jan 2015 11:06:17
My God what happened to giving players from the academy a chance? I'm disappointed my favourite player Suso is gone without being given a decent run of games.

Add to that the fact that there was no plan to loan out the players that were loaned, and very little follow up and plan for their development.

In the summer after we sold Kris Petersen i was surprised as he was consistently one of the best players in the academy, we loaned out Ibe when this would have been his break out season, 20 year old Teixeira was also loaned out in a move i don't think makes much sense.

I follow the academy and think we have a good bunch of youngsters but after seeing Pertersen and now Suso sold i really can't see the likes of Kent, Wilson, Dunn, Teixeira, Canos being given a chance either. Youngsters like Ward have also not been given a chance in the cups when it has seemed logical to do so

This to me is evidence of the mismanagement that will continue to hold this club back. Hopefully it changes but i just don't see it

Cheers

1.) 09 Jan 2015
Best post this year mate.

2.) 09 Jan 2015
09 Jan 2015 12:28:01
Good post. This is a debate I really enjoy partaking in, as I've had experience within a pro academy as a coach.

Firstly, I'll admit I was surprised Peterson got shipped out after a decent pre season. Suso, an obvious talent but without knowing the ins and outs, I can only assume he lacks application in some form.

The other thing with Suso, considering our squad is full with attacking midfield players, where does he really fit? He's not better than Coutinho who still has potential to fulfil! Many see sterling as best in the 10? So we end up playing him out of his favoured position, again something fans disagree with. Unfortunately, this for me is a lose-lose. It's just a shame we couldn't get a fee.

Let us not forget the age of the likes of Wilson etc too, there is still plenty of time. They're still developing in every aspect of their game. But the likes of; Wilson, Sinclair, Kent, Chirivella, Rossiter, Brannagan. Just a few, definitely all have the potential to be able to make it here.

And one final note, and I realise this shouldn't necessarily matter, but it does.

Squad size, there is just no way we can bring up 5 or so players and give them adequate game time. Personally I agree with loans for developing players, I just wish in future, unlike with Ibe and Texeira, that it is with other prem sides.

The only disappointment from this side of things and giving youngsters a chance, is that Sinclair or Yesil (am I right in thinking he's fit again?) haven't at least been making the bench if we have been so desperately short of a striking option.

I know many want to see our young uns coming through, I'm the same. I just don't think it's so cut and dry as throwing them in, particularly as we aren't exactly flying at the moment.

3.) 09 Jan 2015
09 Jan 2015 13:44:55
Best time to chuck youngsters in, is when the side is confident and playing well and you can't really say that atm, can you? I worry about the young ones too, as at times all we seem to want to do is buy yet more players for said positions, when we have them in the club already, thus making our wage bill even higher and ending up with frustrated kids!

4.) 09 Jan 2015
Very good post kawabanga. The Kristoff Peterson sale left me shocked as well. The same kid that score in nearly every pre season game he played was dumped out for a small compensation. The management really needs to buck up, we cannot have more talented players being flogged for meagre sums and buying big money replacements who are no better.

5.) 09 Jan 2015
Lads I;m not being funny, I think the youth aren't being given a chance, but at the same time we have every 1 on here saying These players are class and will bring Liverpool forward:
Ojo
Wisdom
Kelly
peterson
Flanno
Robbo(when he was younger)
sterling
Ibe
Yesil
Dunne
Rossiter
Lloyd Jones
wilson
trickett smith
Mclaughlin
texeira
suso

I'm sorry but not all of these players constantly bandied about are going to make the grade, do they deserve chances in cups, sure then again you want trophies, and playing the youth in these cups might get you knocked out.

That's 14 players I have listed that people want to be itnegrated through the academy within the next 3 years or so. I'm sorry but not all are going to make it, and the way we talk about them, it has to be said surely there's a chance we are overstating some if not a lot of their potentials

I cite Robbo in this case who, 3/4 years ago every 1 was raving about after his appearance vs arsenal etc.

you are looking at us having a 100% successful 1st team rate with our 14 or so academy players I've mentioned, I'm sorry, but it's just not going to happen.

6.) 09 Jan 2015
I agree with Bobatron completely. Posters wax lyrical about our youth squad but if 2 maybe 3 got regular first team football then that would be tremendous success. As i have said before, let's see where they are in 5 years time even if not at Lfc. My guess is Championship maybe lower PL football if they are lucky. I will put my hat on Suso not having a great carrer at AC Milan before moving to a lesser team in Spain and McLaughlin carving out a career in League 1.

7.) 09 Jan 2015
Think i am 50/50 with Bobatron, sure we can't play too many of our youngsters, as itb would upset the balance of the team, but, there are games, say this season, that we are never going to win, let's say nearly all against the top six, we could give game time to one of the young players on that list,
this could save us millions if it worked out, we have wasted millions and more millions this last few years,
just hoping that Sturridge will be the one to spark us back were we belong, we have lacked a proper striker since he got injured,
Sterling is much better coming in behind the striker, at speed .

8.) 09 Jan 2015
After Robbo's game against Arsenal did he get a run of games? No.
I want the shirt to go to a player who comes into the side and grabs the opportunity with both hands.
Robbo did that against Arsenal a few years back and then he was discarded and then loaned out.
Suso, the same.
Even Williams and Rossiter this year have not been seen since coming in and playing well.
I understand that not every player will make it but we don't really give them an opportunity to make it and that is the whole point in the academy.
There are loads of posts relating to how we have messed up in the transfer market wasting millions of pounds.
We are also wasting millions by not utilizing the academy in the right way.
We should be sponsored by a waste management company.

9.) 10 Jan 2015
If we've learnt anything recently it's that Robbo isn't anywhere enar the level required we found that out when we loaned him.

10.) 10 Jan 2015
It takes courage and resolve to play youth and believe in them. See Southampton. Courage is what BR lacks and only plays youth (Sterling, Ibe, Flanno, Wisdom) because he had no choice and not because he really wanted to as he is quick to take the credit when they succeed and looks to dump them and buy players from other academies to take their place. Also, the fact that they all won`t ake it is NO reason not to play them at all and stick with them even if they fail in their first game(s). That is a lame excuse and a complete cop-out. If that was the case, Barca, Ajax, Bayern, and even Real Marid would not have given us Raul, Cassillas, Mata, Negredo, Jesse Iniesta, Messi, Pujol, Pep, Van Basten, the De Boer twins, Davids, Kluivert, Lahm, Alaba, Hummels and. Emre Can just off the top of my head. You have to be commited to playing youth and it is either you are or you aren`t and BR is NOT.

11.) 10 Jan 2015
But how many players didn't make the grade? The point still stands, NOT every player currently being touted as our fans as ''good enough''is igoing to actually be good enough

12.) 10 Jan 2015
AGAIN, wrong argument! You must not have read the whole post because you missed the part where I said "You have to have the resolve to play them and take a chance on them" and let the chips fall where they may. The fact is you have to give them a decent shot to know if they are or are not good enuff to make the grade. AGAIN, not playing them because they all might not make it is a lame excuse and a weak argument for not giving them any shot of actually making it. That is the attitude BR has. They are all not going to make it at LFC so why bother trying? PATHETIC attitude, IMO! Those who make it, make it and those who don`t? Well, dont. Really don`t care how much you are touted as a youth player because even veterans are highly-rated and still couldn`t make the grade regardless of how many chances they were given. In our position, playing the kids and giving them a chance is our best shot at getting good players for peanuts like Sterling (who is proven already), Wisdom (very experienced in the PL already) as well as Tex and IBE who are VERY promising) to add to Dunn, Jones, Wilson and Ojo who are very highly-rated by those who have seen them play countless times. We will never know who will make it IF they are not given a fair shot.

{Ed007's Note - If they don't make it at Liverpool just sell them on, you'll always get 3/4 million for any player with a bit of EPL expereience from teams like Stoke, WBA or Crystal Palace.}

13.) 10 Jan 2015
I agree with REDOHIO here. Obviously we are not going to bring 10 players through at the same time. There has to be a balance! There are too many apologists among us. Always putting out the same old rubbish, they are to young, they need more time, blah, blah, blah. IMHO that is a load of B*ll*x. I am sick and tired of hearing it. Southampton would be a non-league club by now without their commitment to youth. Even with Money to spend they are still actively promoting youth players.We have some serious talent available to us. Unfortunately they will not develope any further without Prem/top league game time. Robo against Arsenal was mentioned above. Someone said "look how he did on loan". EXACTLY. instead of building on his momentum and developing him next to Agger and with a world class Captain in Gerrard, we dropped him then loaned him to a lower league! Maybe he would not have made it, but we will never know because we mis-managed him. The biggest crime BR can commit this window will be if he let's Lucas go and does not use Rossiter! Yes he is a kid and will make a few mistakes (Gerrard has made more than a few this season), BUT he is ready NOW! Our loans of IBE and TEXEIRA were useless. They will not really develop at the clubs they were sent too. They need to return to us asap and get first team games. They too are ready IMO. The constant mis-management of our youth system and the tired old excuses (management and fans) used to justify NOT playing youth, are p*ssing me off. If BR the self proclaimed messiah of youth football doesn't change then he needs to take a walk and allow us to bring in someone who is am ore experienced and all rounded coach, and will work with youth. Rant over

14.) 10 Jan 2015
So we should play every single youth player in the first team at some point is what you're saying?