Funnily enough there's an interview in The Athletic today done in conversation form between Elliot and his former youth coach at Fulham, this is the coach on Elliot playing deeper It’s been interesting watching you now on the right side of midfield. We always saw you as a multi-functional attacker who could play off either wing, as a No 10 or a false No 9. We tried to give you that variety. Your best position was always coming in off the right onto your left foot. We never really played you in that deeper position. How have you found that adaptation? Harvey gives a generic media trained response and then the coach asks Should we have played you there when you were 13? I feel like we failed you! Harvey gives a generic media trained response on how he's happy to play anywhere
Arsenal's terrible start to the season means that Arteta is using a really strong team tonight. No sight of Patino or Azeez.
If they don’t manage to win this one tonight against an very young and inexperienced WBA side then they are in deep trouble.
Azeez really needs to be looking at getting out on a loan, with Arsenal not in Europe and not even in the squad for a second round league cup game he's clearly not going to be in the first team plans any time soon. One of our problems with producing these deeper lying midfielders is precisely they rarely get trusted to ever play in their position and end up making their first forays into senior football well after their European contemporaries.
On the new coach appointments - John McDermott, FA technical director, said: “It's been a challenging period for those working with our development teams across the England pathway. "Due to the cancellation of youth tournaments and large periods of inactivity across the various age groups, it has made it difficult to plan too far ahead which is why we are only initially looking at the autumn period with this coaching structure. “I’d like to thank colleagues for their patience and hard work across our development teams and let’s hope we can all look forward to our younger players gaining invaluable international tournament experience within a safe environment from 2022 onwards.” MU20s Head coach: Andy Edwards Assistant coach: Jason Euell Goalkeeper coach: Danny Alcock MU19s Head coach: Ian Foster Assistant coach: Marcus Bignot Goalkeeper coach: Anthony White MU18s Head coach: Paul Williams (September camp only) Assistant coach: Michael Johnson Goalkeeper coach: Adrian Tucker MU17s Head coach: Tom Curtis Assistant coach: Omer Riza Assistant coach: Paul Davis Goalkeeper coach: Sam Meek
All the head coaches have been in the set up for a good while, apart from Williams who left a few years ago. So it’s not like we have been rudderless after all.
I honestly have no idea of the new appointments but is it going back to the old days? Doesn’t sound to promising if true! They have moved back to the old system of Head Coach and Assistant.Don’t expect the levels as it was with Dan Ashworth and Matt Crocker Back to the old way https://t.co/AztvRduogt— TheSecretScout (@TheSecretScout_) August 26, 2021
Me neither to be honest but from reading some of the thread, it’s the same system as when we had Blake and Peacock as head coaches…..whatever that really means I’m not sure as these new guys I doubt have the same philosophies as those old coaches.
Weren't these teams previously always head coach and assistant? Don't really see what's different about that. Perhaps he is referring to the fact there are no out of possession, in possession coaches in the set up now. Although I believe that change was made in the budget cuts last year.
Maybe that the set up was coach and more of a team behind the coach for more specific things. Rather than a specific assistant coach selection. The likes of Cochrane and Betsy that are being praised in that timeline were pretty much assistants anyway when they entered the FA set up? That’s my perception but the tweet is quite vague so I’m not sure.
Can’t remember which thread this was talked about recently but Luke Matheson has join Hamilton on a season long loan from Wolves. I’m not sure why any young players would go there to be honest. There’s no clear pathway to there first team so not really sure what the point is. He would have been better off playing for Rochdale and letting his stock rise there.
Same with Leeds too. They've picked up a number of young English talents but Bielsa uses a small squad and hasn't shown any desire to start promoting these kids. In Lewis Bates's case he has Leed's most important player in front of him! If these kids sign for a Championship or lower club then they're much more likely to get game time and have agency over a big move if they make the grade. Some people have criticised Cirkin going to Sunderland but he's played in every game so far.
Yeah, it’s hard to understand what their plan is for someone like Gelhardt for example. I mean when they bought him two years ago, he played 18 times for Wigan but since then he’s been relegated to playing just U23 football. This is surely just going to stagnate a player rather than help his development. Surely a loan move away would have been more beneficial. It will be interesting to see what the plan is for Lewis Bate going forward and just hope he’s not left to play U23 football for the next couple of years.
Bate plays as a no.8 at Leeds, so he's not behind Phillips. And every player in this position is over 30 at Leeds (Dallas, Klich, Forshaw), so his time will come. I think the best Leeds u23 players will get their chances, this is not Wolves we talk about.
Look at it this way then. Sam Greenwood and Joe Gelhardt are the same age as Mason Greenwood yet have one senior appearance for Leeds between them! Mason Greenwood has 108 appearances for United. Manchester United are one of the best clubs about for developing young talent. This version of Leeds have shown nothing to suggest that they are good for young talent so far. Don't forget that Gelhardt was playing senior football in The Championship before joining Leeds and now isn't getting a sniff.
Leeds bought them on the basis of a two-year plan to integrate them into the first team. I believe Bate will possibly make an appearance this year due to the lack of depth in midfield.
We talk about Bielsa who made England regular of a mediocre Championship player, and now another Leeds player got his call-up who had been ridiculed for years . Maybe you're right but I would wait with this kind of judgments. If there is no major breakthrough this season for some of these youngsters then it's a different story.
I hoped Bielsa would of give game time to Gelhardt , S Greenwood and Drameh. Leeds have a small squad.. so I think they will get chance aswell as Bate.
TBF Ronnie Edwards hasn’t had much FL league experience either. It is pretty significant though that no options have been picked because of football league experience/displays.
Is anyone else getting Aidy Boothroyd flashbacks from this start to the season from Arteta’s Arsenal? What stood out to me was the start of the cup game in midweek when West Brown’s reserves looked like a much more better coached team off the ball. Pressing as a team etc. I can’t see Arteta surviving the year.