Ah thanks. I just assumed he had replaced someone off the back of that site report. In other news Jordan Slew is apparently in the squad now. Lateef Elford-Alliyu from West Brom (On loan at Tranmere) and Matt Harriott from Sheffield United are on standby too. http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk...-tomorrow-s-transfer-deadline-92534-28384896/ http://www.thestar.co.uk/sport/foot...effield_united_players_is_cancelled_1_3205254
Lateef Elford-Alliyu was not very impressive when he played for the U17s a while back. I haven't seen his recent form but I am a bit underwhelmed by his presence in this squad. I suppose if fit Will Keane would have taken his place. Slew played quite well in the FA Youth Cup game between Sheffield United and Aston Villa. He setup the goal, but unfortunatly lost his head at the end and got sent off: http://www.thefa.com/TheFACup/FACom...up/NewsAndFeatures/2011/villa-sheffutd-160311
Blake's standby players are always random. He should really have a core of players by now but whenever you see his standby list it's always completely different players. Then you think of the talented players he's completely ignored He was picking the lad Ngoo from Liverpool and then dropped him and now the standby strikers change again and again. Berahino only got 30 mins against Germany and Slew gets ahead of him now after being a very late call up to that Germany game. I can't get my head round his way of thinking. I'm fine with experimentation but can't see the logic in too many of his picks.
Blake did the same with this TBA stuff when Oxlade-Chamberlain was promoted to the U21's during the last squad announcements. Why does he not already have a standby list and just select one of them? Baxter has injured his hamstring so will be out of this game too - http://www.evertonfc.com/news/archive/2011/03/25/baxter-faces-injury-lay-off
I'm surprised Jack Robinson and Conor Coady aren't in the latest squad. I know Benik Afobe wasn't chosen as an agreement between Blake and the Huddersfield manager. Also quite surprised there is no Louis Laing again. Glad to see Gary Gardner in the squad after injury. Shelvey also just coming back from injury. This lot really have good depth as well thanks to last years u17 bunch. To think that McEachran (u21), Barkley and Keane aren't here and others like Pilatos, Aneke, L.Williams and Hall.
I think Freeman should get a chance imo. He scored two really well taken goals against Liverpool's reserves, especially his first. He then evaded his markers right at the end to score a nice glancing header that no one seemed to be expecting. Wisdom and Ince were both playing in that game too so i'm not sure if Blake might have made the journey there or not. Freeman has recently been given a contract extention by Arsenal. Also Ngoo is back from injury. He came off the bench and scored a screamer to win Liverpool's U18 match against Newcastle 2-1. My guess about Coady's omission is because of his stupid and reckless red card against Man U in the FA Youth Cup. Of course Morrison picked up a red card in a reserve game recently, but that was after the squad was named and I can't see Blake dropping him.
I see there has been a few drop outs from the original squad. Baxter, Morrison and Tunnicliffe have now all dropped out through injury. Slew has come in to replace Oxlade-Chamberlain and Thorne, Jeffers and Lascelles (who Garibaldi has mentioned may be a decent prospect) have come in for them
He always screws up like this with replacements. Morrison and Oxlade-Chamberlain are completely different to Slew and Jeffers in style. Someone like Larnell Cole is playing well and would have been a better like for like change for Oxlade-Chamberlain. If he's going to bring in a defender for a forward he can't pick both of those forwards imo. That is before even getting into whether they are even deserving options. I really can't see the point of bringing in Thorne continuously when a player pulls out. If he's not good enough to make the squad at first opportunity then why not give someone else a chance in a game like this when someone needs replacing? Blake's selections are just bizarre.
His replacements once again are wasteful considering the talent we have at our disposal at this level. I can't believe someone like Shaun Jeffers has got into this level considering our options. Ridiculous. It's also stupid to allow his players to play in games yesterday. The U19 squad should already be training with each other. Blake is just risking further injuries right before the game.
Glad too Lascelles get a call-up, should have been in the original squads. With the forward call-ups...where are the likes of Robert Hall of West Ham? Surely he is better than Jeffers.
Jeffers couldn't get a regular game at Cambridge United. Not saying he should be judged entirely on that obviously but his selection makes no sense to me for numerous reasons. From what I have seen of Slew I think Blake likes him for the same reasons he liked Nouble in the last campaign.
Nouble is just one of the classic examples of a player that did well at youth levels due to his physique. He will never turn into a senior international, he doesn't have the potential. Swindon kept him out of their team when they were making their promotion push last season, his appearances for them were mainly off the bench.
I wouldn't have a problem with him in the squad but picking both Slew and Jeffers I can't get at all personally. I'm just reminded of when Blake blatantly told Nouble to target a certain side of the Austria defence and use his presence and pace. We won the game but it's pointless in the long run because it will never work at higher levels or teach anyone anything. Maybe I'm over analysing and being harsh on Slew.
Afobe is starting today for Huddersfield and the game is live on Skysports 1. Good chance to watch him.
Well Blake was plucked from the Stoke City Academy, so it doesn't surprise me that he uses those type of tactics. A better coach should have been selected. I'm not too annoyed at Slew's inclusion, it's Jeffers' inclusion that boggles me, considering the talent we have.
That's interesting, I remember watching an interview with Blake where he talked about how he was taught throughout his football career as a player to hoof it whenever you have a chance, "better to be safe than sorry", "get it into the box asap" etc, the same old pre-historic mettle and whatnot. But then he went on and said that he has a "deep appreciation" of how Barcelona play and wants his teams emulating it yet. Like Pearce, I really do not know what Blake's actual philosophy in coaching and his tactics is at all, well actually, we know what Pearce's is, he just doesn't have a clue
There's no u18 thread but its a similar age group basically as the u19's. Quite a few of these players will be involved with the u19's. They play Italy on April 12. Here is the squad GK Jak Alnwick (Newcastle) George Long (Sheff Utd) DF Jamaal Lascelles (Forest) Louis Laing (Sunderland) Bruno Pilatos (M'Brough) Jack Robinson (Liverpool) Curtis Nelson (Plymouth) MF Chuks Aneke (Arsenal) Conor Coady (Liverpool) George Moncur (West Ham) Jordan Obita (Reading) Conor Thomas (Coventry on loan to Liverpool) George Thorne (WBA) STR Patrick Bamford (Forest) Saido Berahino (WBA) Jake Fowler (M'Borugh) Rob Hall (West Ham)
Not a bad squad that. Why is Blake picking players in the U18 and U19 squad though? We could be looking at more players. Nice to see Aneke in the squad. Why Blake never gives him a chance at U19 level is a mystery. I would have preferred an extra wide option considering he's only really picked Obita that is genuinely that.
I put Bamford in the strikers position but he actually isn't an out-and-out striker. He is left-footed and at Forest he likes to tug the right touch-line and cut in a lot (so he could count as a winger). I agree, mate...I like the look of this squad and I think it could give the u19's a run.
Good to see that Blake hasn't forgotten about Aneke. It is also nice to see Hall getting his first U18 call up. There should really be more U18 games though tbh, considering the pool of players we have. I really don't see why he is picking Obita though, he is practically an U19 squad member now. Zeli Ismail should be in this squad without a doubt, unless he is injured.