The Academy/Development squads watch thread 2015//16

[Stranded]

Isn't this the equivalent of Premier League clubs having "B teams" in the Championship? Or the much maligned Checkatrade cup changes?

No, it would be the same as the Premier League clubs having a B Team in the Hellenic.

You know what I mean. People objected to the Checkatrade cup format because including PL academy sides undermined the integrity of the competition.

What if a U23 team wins it - do they get promoted?

That would need to be decided of course, I'm not 100% on what the siutation with Plymouth is but they play in the South West Penninsula League and lead it, so could well go up to the Western League if they win it. If a club is happy to enter that low then yes, they should be allowed to get promoted to an agreed level - say below the National Leagues South/North.

[Sutekh]

Isn't this the equivalent of Premier League clubs having "B teams" in the Championship? Or the much maligned Checkatrade cup changes?

No, it would be the same as the Premier League clubs having a B Team in the Hellenic.

You know what I mean. People objected to the Checkatrade cup format because including PL academy sides undermined the integrity of the competition.

What if a U23 team wins it - do they get promoted?

No. You want proper reserve sides in a proper reserve league alongside teams of the same standard (give or take a division or two).

[muirinho]

No, it would be the same as the Premier League clubs having a B Team in the Hellenic.

You know what I mean. People objected to the Checkatrade cup format because including PL academy sides undermined the integrity of the competition.

What if a U23 team wins it - do they get promoted?

No. You want proper reserve sides in a proper reserve league alongside teams of the same standard (give or take a division or two).

Agreed.

[Royals and Racers]

Really looking forward to tomorrow night`s game at the Mad Stad against Sparta Prague in the International cup KO 7 pm. After winning at leicester in the 1st group game, can they make it 2 out of 2 ?
There are 6 groups of 4 in this comp with only the 6 group winners and the 2 best runners up going forward to the next stage.
Other team in the Royals group is Feyenoord who we play, also at the Mad Stad on December 19th

Tonight’s team
Legg
Howe
Medford-Smith
East
Burley
Mcintyre
Rollinson
Frost
House
Loader
Barrett

[Hound]

Not on FB live or anything is it?

[windermereROYAL]

Not on FB live or anything is it?

https://www.facebook.com/ReadingFC/vide ... o_explicit

[Mid Sussex Royal]

Not local so obviously don't see the U23's, but just interested to know how good Ben House is, seems to be scoring goals for fun this season.

[Hound]

Not on FB live or anything is it?

https://www.facebook.com/ReadingFC/vide ... o_explicit

Good man

[windermereROYAL]

Did Clement do that HT talk?

[Hound]

Quite possibly

Like watching last night. Dominate possession against a poor side and concede due to woeful defending

[Hound]

Finished 2-2. Loader with a last min equaliser after earlier scoring the rebound from his own missed pen (he won the pen as well)

Loader looks decent tbf. Class above the rest, even though a lot didn’t come off for him. The two FB’s Howe and Medford-Smith looked impressive (though M-S went to sleep on their first goal). Other than that Barrett and House did some good stuff and I liked the sub Olise

Everyone else tidy but not really ready for a move up

[SCIAG]

Good game tonight. Prague were a very clinical side who made the most of the chances they had. We were a bit less composed and wasted too many chances. Good games for Loader and subs Nolan and Olise, while Howe is still coming along nicely.

Now in my opinion U21/3 teams should be scrapped and replaced with proper old fashioned reserve teams (where perhaps there would have to be, say, at least 5 U21/3s starting) so that youngsters could get a good amount of regular game time playing with and against experienced pros and really start to see how they stacked up. I know you can add a couple of pros to an U21/3 team currently but usually that’s only when that pro is recovering from injury which is not necessarily much of a gauge.

By the 2000s reserve teams were de facto U23 teams anyway. Reading were the last PL side to use a "traditional" reserve side and even then we made heavy use of Karacan, Julian Kelly, Henry, etc. But we won the Reserve league because we were the only team who filled it up with senior pros.

If you wanted teams to use senior pros then instead of a quota for youngsters, you'd need a quota for older players. Obviously that would lead to some perverse incentives. So basically it might make it into the Labour manifesto.

[Stranded]

Good game tonight. Prague were a very clinical side who made the most of the chances they had. We were a bit less composed and wasted too many chances. Good games for Loader and subs Nolan and Olise, while Howe is still coming along nicely.

Now in my opinion U21/3 teams should be scrapped and replaced with proper old fashioned reserve teams (where perhaps there would have to be, say, at least 5 U21/3s starting) so that youngsters could get a good amount of regular game time playing with and against experienced pros and really start to see how they stacked up. I know you can add a couple of pros to an U21/3 team currently but usually that’s only when that pro is recovering from injury which is not necessarily much of a gauge.

By the 2000s reserve teams were de facto U23 teams anyway. Reading were the last PL side to use a "traditional" reserve side and even then we made heavy use of Karacan, Julian Kelly, Henry, etc. But we won the Reserve league because we were the only team who filled it up with senior pros.

If you wanted teams to use senior pros then instead of a quota for youngsters, you'd need a quota for older players. Obviously that would lead to some perverse incentives. So basically it might make it into the Labour manifesto.

Yep reserve football as it was is dead. Players are too valuable to clubs now, can you imagine any PL clubs playing a fringe player in a reserve league. Imagine Liverpool had played Fabinho in a reserve league game and he does his ACL before he breaks into the first team, 40m and tons of wages down the pan.

[Hoop Blah]

If you wanted teams to use senior pros then instead of a quota for youngsters, you'd need a quota for older players. Obviously that would lead to some perverse incentives. So basically it might make it into the Labour manifesto.

Yep reserve football as it was is dead. Players are too valuable to clubs now, can you imagine any PL clubs playing a fringe player in a reserve league. Imagine Liverpool had played Fabinho in a reserve league game and he does his ACL before he breaks into the first team, 40m and tons of wages down the pan.

IMO it's partly about the value of players, partly about their attitude and that of the club, and partly the sheer size of the modern day squads.

Back when Reserve sides were proper Reserve sides clubs would often have to get semi-pro/park players to come and make up the numbers because they'd only have 18/20 contracted players plus a bunch of kids on YTS. These days many clubs have 25/30 professionals plus 15/20 18 to 21 year olds and have to find ways to give them games.

As for a club like Reading having their u21/23s or Reserves in something like the Hellenic...I just don't see the point. Yes it's proper mens football in many regards but it's far too attritional a level to be used as a finishing school for professional players as a team. It would need to be 2 or 3 leagues higher to really make it worthwhile. The odd young player could learn a lot by going on loan to the Southern League but a whole team, with all the games they have to play and the standard of the football? Nah, can't see it myself.

[Royals and Racers]

U23`s at home(Hogwood) to Stoke today KO 2pm - team
Driscoll
Olise
Lawless
Balogun
Barrett
Green
Liddle
McIntyre
Nolan
Odimayo
Sidoel

Latest score 0-1

[Hound]

Is this just a friendly? Looks like the u23 second team

[Royals and Racers]

Is this just a friendly? Looks like the u23 second team

Div 2 league match- now 1-1 Olise

[Hound]

Hmm weird. Where are Loader, House, Howe and co?

[windermereROYAL]

2-1

[Royals and Racers]

2-1

Barrett