Reserves v. Wolverhampton Wanderers 5/9/07

[Neil Ravenscroft]

Please don't take my comments as pro-Merson. I would say however that from the LCFC and NFFC website, Bennett had made 1 substitute appearance to the end of the 03/04 season and Fryatt 4 full and 7 sub appearances (1 goal) plus his time with Carlisle. Williams and Taylor had not played

I added the last bit of my post in case anyone thought I was accusing you of being pro-Merson. I would never dream of accusing any Saddler of such a terrible crime!! :D

Some other young team players Merson selected in his 18 month stint in charge: Atieno, Bradley, Coleman, Harkness, McDermott, Willetts, Sztybel, Nicholls, Tilt.

That's virtually the entire youth team (once you include Dann and Demontagnac it probably was) - and none of them (with the excpetion of Bradley and Nicholls) are close to the first team now. In fact, many of them have moved on. On the other hand, Scott Dann, picked up only one appearance as sub under Merson. Basically Merson just picked whoever he happened to spot wandering round at the end of training on Friday afternoon - and even then he managed to almost totally miss the most talented of the lot in Dann. He doesn't deserve any credit for haphazardly throwing young kids into the side at random.

Exactly. I got sick of hearing "at least he's giving the kids a chance" when Merscum was in charge - he did, they didn't measure up and, who knows, he might have ruined a couple of careers in the process, by throwing them in too early. Remember, people are talking about Bradley not being ready yet after Tuesday night, yet Merson gave him his debut in the last game of the season - not the season before last, but the one before that - as long ago as May 2005!

[latviancheese]

Please don't take my comments as pro-Merson. I would say however that from the LCFC and NFFC website, Bennett had made 1 substitute appearance to the end of the 03/04 season and Fryatt 4 full and 7 sub appearances (1 goal) plus his time with Carlisle. Williams and Taylor had not played

I added the last bit of my post in case anyone thought I was accusing you of being pro-Merson. I would never dream of accusing any Saddler of such a terrible crime!! :D

Some other young team players Merson selected in his 18 month stint in charge: Atieno, Bradley, Coleman, Harkness, McDermott, Willetts, Sztybel, Nicholls, Tilt.

That's virtually the entire youth team (once you include Dann and Demontagnac it probably was) - and none of them (with the excpetion of Bradley and Nicholls) are close to the first team now. In fact, many of them have moved on. On the other hand, Scott Dann, picked up only one appearance as sub under Merson. Basically Merson just picked whoever he happened to spot wandering round at the end of training on Friday afternoon - and even then he managed to almost totally miss the most talented of the lot in Dann. He doesn't deserve any credit for haphazardly throwing young kids into the side at random.

Exactly. I got sick of hearing "at least he's giving the kids a chance" when Merscum was in charge - he did, they didn't measure up and, who knows, he might have ruined a couple of careers in the process, by throwing them in too early. Remember, people are talking about Bradley not being ready yet after Tuesday night, yet Merson gave him his debut in the last game of the season - not the season before last, but the one before that - as long ago as May 2005!

didnt he bring him on at half time, then took him off 20 mins later? :roll:

[big baz 1]

I can go to reserve games now i have my new job.

[Plastic Hawk]

Please don't take my comments as pro-Merson. I would say however that from the LCFC and NFFC website, Bennett had made 1 substitute appearance to the end of the 03/04 season and Fryatt 4 full and 7 sub appearances (1 goal) plus his time with Carlisle. Williams and Taylor had not played

I added the last bit of my post in case anyone thought I was accusing you of being pro-Merson. I would never dream of accusing any Saddler of such a terrible crime!! :D

Some other young team players Merson selected in his 18 month stint in charge: Atieno, Bradley, Coleman, Harkness, McDermott, Willetts, Sztybel, Nicholls, Tilt.

That's virtually the entire youth team (once you include Dann and Demontagnac it probably was) - and none of them (with the excpetion of Bradley and Nicholls) are close to the first team now. In fact, many of them have moved on. On the other hand, Scott Dann, picked up only one appearance as sub under Merson. Basically Merson just picked whoever he happened to spot wandering round at the end of training on Friday afternoon - and even then he managed to almost totally miss the most talented of the lot in Dann. He doesn't deserve any credit for haphazardly throwing young kids into the side at random.

Exactly. I got sick of hearing "at least he's giving the kids a chance" when Merscum was in charge - he did, they didn't measure up and, who knows, he might have ruined a couple of careers in the process, by throwing them in too early. Remember, people are talking about Bradley not being ready yet after Tuesday night, yet Merson gave him his debut in the last game of the season - not the season before last, but the one before that - as long ago as May 2005!

didnt he bring him on at half time, then took him off 20 mins later? :roll:

Bradley? No, he started. Didn't he start in midfield but get moved to centre back at half time, then go off about 20 minutes after half time? He actually looked useful that day as I remember - although it was against a truly dire Stockport side.

[Buckos Boys]

Anyway afetr chewing the cud on the youngsters of this club may I say what a good report it was - very accurate. By the way who crossed the ball from the right for Scott Dann's goal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Bernie]

While in no way wanting to defend Paul Merson's selection policies - I can claim that I was one of the very few who opposed the appointment of Merson from the day he was first given the job - the summary of his attempts to introduce young players is incomplete if one misses out the two most successful such introductions - Gerrard and Fox.

While they were not products of our youth system, they were both only 19 when they played pretty much a full season at this level after being given their debuts by Merson. They were often used last year in a rather odd attempt to support the theory that Richard Money was keen at bringing in young players.

Also does being introduced too soon really have a long term negative effect on some players? How does that work? Obviously it is not good for the team on the day if a young player starts before he is ready - I remember McDermott at Stoke in the cup - but I do not see why the player himself should suffer harm as a result.

[Plastic Hawk]

While in no way wanting to defend Paul Merson's selection policies - I can claim that I was one of the very few who opposed the appointment of Merson from the day he was first given the job - the summary of his attempts to introduce young players is incomplete if one misses out the two most successful such introductions - Gerrard and Fox.

While they were not products of our youth system, they were both only 19 when they played pretty much a full season at this level after being given their debuts by Merson. They were often used last year in a rather odd attempt to support the theory that Richard Money was keen at bringing in young players.

Also does being introduced too soon really have a long term negative effect on some players? How does that work? Obviously it is not good for the team on the day if a young player starts before he is ready - I remember McDermott at Stoke in the cup - but I do not see why the player himself should suffer harm as a result.

Gerrard and Fox don't really count as "giving the kids a chance" as they were signed (on reasonable wages) by Merson before the start of the season with the explicit intention of being played. The people who used that phrase to defend Merson were trying to imply that he was bringing through unknown local talent that we could then sell on for a profit at a later date.

The argument as far as Money went last year was quite different in that it was centred almost entirely around one player: Ishmel Demontagnac, who was being used as a stick to beat an otherwise successful manager with. That this argument centred around "young players" in the first place was bizarre seeing as the player who generally replaced Ishmel in the side was Dan Fox, who is only a couple of years older than him anyway (and Gerrard had pretty much been replaced by the even younger Scott Dann by the time it got going). I wouldn't really want to use Gerrard and Fox to support any theory about our managers "bringing through" young players.

I think playing too early can affect a youngster, either by hitting his self-belief at an important stage of his professional development or by making him over-confident and so closed off to listening to any further suggestions for improved performance. An especially level-headed 16-year-old probably wouldn't suffer - and indeed people like Tom Huddlestone have started regularly at a decent level from that age, but they're few and far between.

[Pedagogue]

Anyway after chewing the cud on the youngsters of this club may I say what a good report it was - very accurate. By the way who crossed the ball from the right for Scott Dann's goal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Alex Nicholls - bet you thought you'd catch me out there, didn't you, BB?

Good to meet you, last night, by the way! :D

[Mike T.]

Mike T - what are you doing on line at 7.28am???????????????????????????????

Couldn't sleep, lots going on at work plus at home, never mind worrying about no win in six games :roll: :wink:

[The Buck]

Got there late and only managed to catch the last half-hour.

Although we were in front by then, we were on the back foot for most of the last 30 minutes.
Wolves looked stronger, sharper and fitter, and seemed to control midfield comfortably. But then again, they were a far more experienced outfit, and that was to be expected.
The defense, however coped pretty well, and Bertrand pulled out a couple of cracking saves.

All in all a good night's work for the youngsters, and I bet they're feeling pretty chuffed with themselves today, and rightly so.

Would be wonderful to see a couple establish themselves in the first team a bit later on this season.

[Pedagogue]

I'm not a lurking Dingle :wink:

No-one ever said you were, Big Baz - methinks he doth protest too much! 8) :D