Re: New Signing Confirmed : Thu Oct 18, 2012 8:38 am  

bren2k wrote:

Are we though? Maybe we've retained the very best juniors from the current crop and the ones departing are the ones who RA has decided don't have what it takes?

Out of interest, how many of the junior players we've let go this time around have been picked up by the big guns of SL?

I don't have the time to follow them in great detail, but I do talk to people about it and I know we have missed at least a couple of ones we targetted, plus there is the Gledhill / Grayston issue to resuolve.

We have added Walshaw / Cowling / Wildie / Trout / Slater and now Fletcher over the past couple of years - so not a bad return, but I'm led to believe that the pickings are now 'slimmer' until we reach the 16's. It's a tough world out there!

Re: New Signing Confirmed : Thu Oct 18, 2012 8:45 am  

TRB wrote:

I don't have the time to follow them in great detail, but I do talk to people about it and I know we have missed at least a couple of ones we targetted, plus there is the Gledhill / Grayston issue to resuolve.

We have added Walshaw / Cowling / Wildie / Trout / Slater and now Fletcher over the past couple of years - so not a bad return, but I'm led to believe that the pickings are now 'slimmer' until we reach the 16's. It's a tough world out there!

There you go then - your depression of yesterday has today turned into realistic optimism!

Re: New Signing Confirmed : Thu Oct 18, 2012 8:52 am  

Other clubs will be in the same boat, so there will be a steady flow of youths switching from one club to another in the future, plus the ones getting experience elsewhere, ok they wont be red, white and blue at heart but how many actually are when the money gets thrown about.
Maybe in a few years if we get the club right, we will be in a position like wigan where their youngster bleed cherry and white and would play for nothing to get a shot.
I know we have all heard all this before be really are only at year 2 in a 10 year buiilding plan, and we need to keep paying for the bricks while the footings are being put in (a week analogy i know!!!).

[PopTart]

Re: New Signing Confirmed : Thu Oct 18, 2012 10:21 am  

TRB wrote:

That's very niaive IMO. I'm pretty sure that's another RL rule that many clubs don't abide by - in one way or another. Value can be judged in more ways than straight cash, but yes, we need to have the facilities and the structure - I can't do much more myself, but I reckon I may have played my part in helping the former along a little!

I don't understand. Do you mean they are naive for wanting to go for best prospects rather than money or that I am naive for believing it?

Clearly money is important but the amount they'll be getting isn't so great that the extra money will sway them in my opinion. There is obviously a break point where you have to make a living but for a young kid that is a lot less than for an adult.

Re: New Signing Confirmed : Thu Oct 18, 2012 11:55 am  

where's this talk of Isaac John being released come from? I thought he might want to prove himself this season, given the chance

Re: New Signing Confirmed : Thu Oct 18, 2012 12:06 pm  

Jizzer wrote:

where's this talk of Isaac John being released come from? I thought he might want to prove himself this season, given the chance

I guess it's people putting 2 and 2 together.
We need quota spaces to bolster front row, John and Southern barely played last year therefore if you were going to release players these 2 are the obvious candidates.
I would guess that Southern's salary is substantially more than John's so Southern is probably top of the list to be released, but if we need more than one spot available John is next on the list.

Re: New Signing Confirmed : Thu Oct 18, 2012 12:13 pm  

Fordy wrote:

I guess it's people putting 2 and 2 together.
We need quota spaces to bolster front row, John and Southern barely played last year therefore if you were going to release players these 2 are the obvious candidates.
I would guess that Southern's salary is substantially more than John's so Southern is probably top of the list to be released, but if we need more than one spot available John is next on the list.

Your probably right, especially if the rumours of Southern and his family troubles earlier in the year are to believed. Id like to see John given another chance (and Southern aswell for that matter), but we will see

Re: New Signing Confirmed : Thu Oct 18, 2012 1:27 pm  

On the topic of young players through our academy: Cowling, Trout, Wood, Walshaw, Wildie. All five will probably have a role to play in the team next year (as they have this year), and maybe Fletcher/Grayston/Gledhill/An other (not sure on their situation atm) can emerge like Trout has emerged this season. I was gutted to see Davey leave, but it was always going to be him or Wildie, and I rate Lyne ahead of Morton so thats fine by me.

I'd have Cowling ahead of Mellars, both Trout and Walshw ahead of Southern, and I'm sure Wood OR Wildie will be on the bench with Aiton starting at 9.

Look on the bright side, I'd rather have 5 quality youngsters in the first team squad than 15 below par ones.

Re: New Signing Confirmed : Thu Oct 18, 2012 1:37 pm  

WakeyManDan8 wrote:

On the topic of young players through our academy: Cowling, Trout, Wood, Walshaw, Wildie. All five will probably have a role to play in the team next year (as they have this year), and maybe Fletcher/Grayston/Gledhill/An other (not sure on their situation atm) can emerge like Trout has emerged this season. I was gutted to see Davey leave, but it was always going to be him or Wildie, and I rate Lyne ahead of Morton so thats fine by me.

I'd have Cowling ahead of Mellars, both Trout and Walshw ahead of Southern, and I'm sure Wood OR Wildie will be on the bench with Aiton starting at 9.

Look on the bright side, I'd rather have 5 quality youngsters in the first team squad than 15 below par ones.

I think we did pretty well last season in giving some of our younger squad members a run out in the first team and it was done in the propper way, ie bdropping them in gently.
The difficulty that all clube have, is that with 20+ players in our 19's squad next season, if they all progressed into full time SL quality players, there are just too many to cope with.
So what we need is to develop all of them to the best of their ability and then retain the very best of the group and then keep the production line rolling.

Re: New Signing Confirmed : Thu Oct 18, 2012 2:23 pm  

WakeyManDan8 wrote:

Look on the bright side, I'd rather have 5 quality youngsters in the first team squad than 15 below par ones.

I think that's the key - there's no point being misty-eyed about a lad because he's from Wakey; if they're not developing at the right pace and the coaching staff believe they won't make it, the new system means they'll have to be moved on quicker. 'Moved on' is likely to mean playing for a semi-pro side, which if it's done properly, could increase the quality of both competitions.