Blooding Youngsters - When is the right time?

[Cobi]

When would you blood a promising youngster into the first team?

I'm looking at the side and we're clearing lacking in attacking midfield. Jake Taylor has something about him and is impressing now he getting games on loan at Exeter. Would we slot him in when he comes back or keep him out all season with a view to next season, yet struggle through with the lack of imagination in the side that we currently lack?

Lawson D'Ath is another attacking midfielder with a keener eye for goal still impressing this season after a superb season for the res' last year. I'm really surprised we haven't seen him on the bench yet.

Young striker Dominic Samuel made his debut for the England U19's last week and scored. Is it too soon to blood him?

I ask only because with Reading we rarely see anyone of a really young age get a chance in the side. I think Peter Castle was the last time I can recall us giving a young lad a game (youngest ever debutant still?).

For me if you're impressing at international under 19 level then you shouldn't be too far off the first team at club level.

It doesn't help when we can only have 5 subs again.

Also throw in Jordan Obita. The star of pre-season. Showing up McAnuff and Kebe for consistancy and repeatedly beating his man (haha) and putting some delicious crosses into the box. There isn't another winger at the club who can cross as well as he can as consistantly as he does.

Of course we can't go throwing all of these young players into the side, but one or two should be giving Brian a selection headache now. Or is a lot more reluctant than Rodgers was when it comes to giving youth a chance at this level?

Interested to hear what you think about the youngsters getting a chance here (in the present, not based on the past).

[Scarface]

Reserve team games and pre-season friendlies are not the right place to judge a young player. I think in general Reading get it right, the policy of sending them out on-loan first definately seems to be the right way forward.

For you to even suggest playing Samual, probably based soley on reading online that he played for England U19's, is laughable and highlights how young players are often over hyped by fans.

[Svlad Cjelli]

I think it depends on the player - and their temperament and maturity.

Playing them is always a gamble - if it goes wrong you can set their development back a long time (especially with fickle, over-critical supporters) - but leave it too late and you waste a lot of their development time. Alan Pardew says he wishes he'd brought Nicky Shorey into the team a good year before he did, but that he was too over-cautious.

[Tony Le Mesmer]

I heard D'ath was utter cack, not that ive seen him myself.

Ive always thought that if you are good enough you are old enough.

[Svlad Cjelli]

As long as you get given a chance - when too many supporters expect the player to be the finished product, and aren't prepared to reset their expectations for younger players then a manager will be less likely to take the risk for fear of what the crowd might to to a young player's confidence.

[PistolPete]

Yes, we seem to do well in loaning players out and monitoring their progress. even in a poor team in a worse league, you get to learn out a lot about a player. Gylfi shone in a Crew team that was relegated and subsequently got picked for the Reading forst team and went on to become the player he is (by the way, he was Hoffenheim fans player of the year last year despite only starting 13 games!)

With the goalkeepers, we seem to be holding one or two's progress back, I'm sure that by now Andersen and McCarthy need more first team action than they are currently getting.

I'd love to see Obita and D'Ath getting games for us, however, if Brenden Rodgers is to be belived, it was his long term approach that got him sacked. Whether he's right or wrong, McDermott would prefer to see short term gains be made by signing players like Harte and Leigertwood who are 'ready for the job' than risk points by training youngsters 'on the job'

[roadrunner]

I'd love to see some of the young'uns given a go in the side but last season we stumbled into a run of good fortune and couldn't risk changing the side, and this season we're sailing too close to the wind in the bottom third of the league, so now is also the wrong time to give anyone a go - unless injuries force McDermott's hand.

If we're mid-table with several games to go and nothing to lose then I would hope we would see a few get a chance.

I'd certainly rather see us give someone like Samual a chance rather than take a punt on a non-league striker who we wont play for a year and then loan him out to the basement division for work experience.

It does sound promising when you have the likes of:

Anderson
McCarthy
Taylor
D'Ath
Obita
Samual
Ugwu (SP?)

coming through the academy and impressing for the reserves.

I heard D'ath was utter cack, not that ive seen him myself.

Ive always thought that if you are good enough you are old enough.

Why did you think he was "utter cack"?

He scored something like 25 goals for reserves last season from midfield. Sounds promising.

[ZacNaloen]

As people don't seem to realise, Obita stopped being on the bench around about the time he started complaining on twitter about being injured.

he's still injured now, which is why he wasn't with the Un19's

I don't think it's because Mcdermott stopped rating him

[ZacNaloen]

Also, has to be said, this Under 18's side we've got at the moment seems to be the dogs bollocks.

brushing everyone aside.

Beat Aston villa 4-0, and they've been pretty good with their production line in recent years.

[Tilehurst End]

I heard D'ath was utter cack, not that ive seen him myself.

Ive always thought that if you are good enough you are old enough.

I believe the enough/old enough theory still holds true.

Neil Webb and Steve Wood both broke into the first team around the same time as teenagers and looked comfortable pretty much straight away ( especially as there were a few old pros around then who liked to give young upstarts a kick ).

Gylfi aside I've not seen that confidence in the recent crop.

[melonhead]

cos they arent good enough, or old enough yet.

once theyve had first team experience in lower divisions they might be. we get it pretty spot on in that respect

[rhroyal]

Over pre-season we were jizzing ourselves over Obita. He's been nowhere near the team this season, possibly because of the 5 subs rule. It makes you ask why he's not on loan anywhere; if he's not getting into our team it would benefit him greatly getting some experience aged 17.

[Maguire]

I'm not so fussed about getting youngsters in the team tbh. They'll make it when they're good enough - never understand why people clamour for the "blooding of youngsters" when they're prolly 10 stones wet through and clearly not cut out for it yet.

[Bandini]

16

[Archie's penalty]

I read this as 'Bloody youngsters -when's the right time?'

[Tony Le Mesmer]

"You'll never win anything with kids"

[bagman]

Under 18's beat Villa 4-0 without 4 regular first choices and with Villa playing 3 over age players ( max allowed) as they always want to beat Reading who they regard as a yardstick.

Just as significantly the under 16's also won 4-0

But don't rush them. Our youngest ever players were Peter Castle and Jinky and where are they now. Gylfi went out on loan to Crewe and was 19 before he made his debut. £7m later !!

[who are ya?]

[mambo3]

Reserve team games and pre-season friendlies are not the right place to judge a young player. I think in general Reading get it right, the policy of sending them out on-loan first definately seems to be the right way forward.

For you to even suggest playing Samual, probably based soley on reading online that he played for England U19's, is laughable and highlights how young players are often over hyped by fans.

In response to Scarfaces response, you should actually see Samual as well as some of the other U18s play before you make a judgement about whether they are ready or not reading for first team football.

You obviously have not watched an U18s Game and suggest you do and then make your own mind up.

[Woodcote Royal]

When most of our fans say they aren't good enough.