Must admit I hadn't followed results too closely, but looking at stats for these two sides, they aren't a lot better than the first team. Why are we languishing near the bottom of both leagues? One of the teams had a 10-game losing streak, the other a 6 gamer. Are we in the wrong divisions? I agree that results aren't the be all and end all, but consistent defeats do not boost confidence or aid development do they? I have never really seen the point of putting a team in the U-21 league - it seems an unnecessary drain on the club's meagre resources. (I know that we have a couple of gems, but they'll undoubtedly be picked off by more progressive clubs at a higher level before long, and good luck to them). Perhaps I'm wrong (again!!).
Personally imo I agree that the need for the U21's is certainly debatable. Better in my opinion to Dual Reg players to County 1 or 2 local regular competitive football and let them play in a proper league. Obviously players up to 18 can still play youth football in the U18 leagues and then progress to mens football ( either dial reg or if more than capable like Kyle Holden directly into the squad ) from there.
Also hopefully by only having the U18's it would free up more opportunitys to train on the pitch by further reducing wear & tear on it.
At last some commonsense talk regarding the number of teams and reluctance to train on the pitch for the first team! Any club lives and dies by the success of the first team. It is nonsense for a club to carry more teams than we can afford especially when the superb pitch is so carefully protected. Let's drop one team and free up the pitch for what must be essential training sessions to get our boys playing as a team once more. Maybe then we will see the home wins that have eluded us all season and save our team from mediocrity!
A team is being dropped I'm told at the end of the season with the under 18s becoming a conference alliance team in the u19 league, being run as an academy at william Parker school using the running track as the pitch as the games are Wednesday afternoons with ben white I charge of the academy. So school work and football in one big package, like eastbourne etc do.
The u21s continue as normal but trials etc will all take place in the summer to have two successful teams and the u21s being used correctly to get players back up to speed and also have the best young talent around playing for them. I don't think that the u21s have been used properly over the last couple of years, struggling for players etc, but I know the management team this time have a set plan for it and it will be profitable for the front side next season. Also a solid manager will help in Norman Kane so their is constant chat between management of both sides.
Cheers Pett, Sounds like a good plan has been worked out and the correct direction if the U18's are based at Parker and freeing the pitch up a bit. also does allow as you say for and players coming back to be given a run out. Will the U21's still be in the same league as this year then?
I'm still struggling with this U-21 idea. The notion that we will attract the best local 18-20 year olds, or progress promising U-18s is laudable. However, if I'm 19 and half decent, do I not want to play in the first team, which given the standard of football we are in, isn't impossible. If such players aren't good enough at 19, why would we want to retain them and play them in a poor midweek league? Furthermore, our reputation at the moment amongst the football fraternity in the South East can't be very high, and this hasn't been helped by constant change and the recruitment of countless journeymen footballers of late. If I was at a rival club, I would have plenty of ammunition to tempt the best teenagers away. IMO, we need to have a right go at culture change from top to bottom for any new innovation to work. We somehow need to get back to making the PF a place where good young local footballers want to perform.
I'm still struggling with this U-21 idea. The notion that we will attract the best local 18-20 year olds, or progress promising U-18s is laudable. However, if I'm 19 and half decent, do I not want to play in the first team, which given the standard of football we are in, isn't impossible. If such players aren't good enough at 19, why would we want to retain them and play them in a poor midweek league? Furthermore, our reputation at the moment amongst the football fraternity in the South East can't be very high, and this hasn't been helped by constant change and the recruitment of countless journeymen footballers of late. If I was at a rival club, I would have plenty of ammunition to tempt the best teenagers away. IMO, we need to have a right go at culture change from top to bottom for any new innovation to work. We somehow need to get back to making the PF a place where good young local footballers want to perform.
I disagree with that notion about the u21, the idea of having that team is that as a club the best u21 players from around the area come into the clin and progress through the ranks, you only have to look over the past few years. Sam crutwell, Kyle Holden, Tyrell richardson brown, Harvey hainfant, Alex hause have all come through the u21 you may say their not good enough etc but without them we would be in a much worse position than we currently are. The position of the u21 is to get a couple of players through to the front side each season, and then there are players their that are playing competitive football if needed to fill benches etc, the problem with loaning good young players out is that you can't keep an eye on weather they are progressing, Atleast with the u21 you can see if they are developing into a player worthy of playing first team football and the standard of the league is as good as county 1, many teams play their fringe players in the games and sometimes for example ramsgate away they had 8 of their current first team playing. It introduces you to the quickness and style of the ryman league without getting kick up in the air every 5 minutes.
Youth team last 8 results - P8 W0 D0 L8 GF 4 GA 27. That's embarrassing - can't see many of those players progressing into our U-21s? What's going on? Who's running that team?
Youth team last 8 results - P8 W0 D0 L8 GF 4 GA 27. That's embarrassing - can't see many of those players progressing into our U-21s? What's going on? Who's running that team?
Most of the players have progressed into the u21 already, and the u18s bringing through younger lads to get the team already set up for the u19 next season. Don't read to much into the results in the u18 and u21 leagues. go to the game tonight and make your own mind up about the u18s
