by SCIAG »
05 Nov 2018 18:11
NewCorkSeth Coppells Lost Coat NewCorkSeth
I still have to watch the second half of the game against Bristol but the feedback on Rinomhota seems really positive. Hopefully he's the real deal and not just another Kuhl or Tshibola.
It comes down to attitude at this stage of their careers as they clearly have ability. I liked the look of Kuhl, just after a few apps he decided that he was footballing god that had everything already. Tshibola was a strange one, had decent spells everywhere till his move to Villa ruined him. Hopefully House and Loader just knuckle down and continue to progress
I have no doubt Nova will have a decent career at Championship level.
I miss all this being a fan from afar. Football manager loved Kuhl. Hopefully the youth staff know how to keep them grounded.
Out of interest was anyone positive about Rinomhota when he was playing for our academy or is he a welcome surprise?
To be fair to Kuhl that was the opposite of his problem - went up to Scotland on loan and had a crisis of confidence which he never recovered from. After that loan he went from always being on his toes and looking for the next pass, to hiding away with his head down. He was a very grounded young man who if anything lacked the necessary self-belief and resilience. Generally the club do well at keeping players grounded (usually, though not always, with the support of the family).
Rinomhota doesn't have half the talent of Kuhl or Kelly and is only a year younger than them. He was behind Sammi Fridjohnsson and Conor Shaughnessy in the pecking order in the academy but they're both centre backs playing at a decent standard now. We signed him quite late (just before he turned 17 iirc). I don't think he's the sort of player who stands out at youth level but his skills might suit the first team better. I've seen him play about twenty times and Saturday was the best I've seen him play by a distance, really rose to the occasion.
Vision NewCorkSeth Coppells Lost Coat
It comes down to attitude at this stage of their careers as they clearly have ability. I liked the look of Kuhl, just after a few apps he decided that he was footballing god that had everything already. Tshibola was a strange one, had decent spells everywhere till his move to Villa ruined him. Hopefully House and Loader just knuckle down and continue to progress
I have no doubt Nova will have a decent career at Championship level.
I miss all this being a fan from afar. Football manager loved Kuhl. Hopefully the youth staff know how to keep them grounded.
Out of interest was anyone positive about Rinomhota when he was playing for our academy or is he a welcome surprise?
If I recall, much like Novakovich he was 17/18 when we signed him so I always feel it's a little disingenuous when they're described as Academy Products. He certainly didn't come through the ranks in the same way as the likes of Loader and House so obviously he wouldn't have had the same buzz surrounding him.
I'm not entirely sure how many games he actually played for the U-18's before progressing to the U-23's (others on here are far more clued up on the Academy than me) but my perception is that it can't have been many, if any at all.
You're right about Novakovich and Rinomhota being relatively late signings, both signed when they were more or less 17. House was only a little earlier, we signed him when he was 16 (iirc it was in September or October time but I might be making that up), same with Smith and I'm a bit hazy on whether Richards actually played for the U16s. Loader is a "proper" academy graduate.
Nova was a key player in what would have been the second year of his scholarship. Rinomhota a bit less so but iirc that was partially because he was shuttling between the U18s and U21s without getting a run of games in either. Then Kelly started to get involved in the first team and that created a spot for him in the U23s (as it had become).
KC Royal
I'm guessing some of those u18s/u23s were part of the u14 side that were so successful in 2014 and 2015? Dolan's pride at how well they were doing, in 2015 IIRC when they were beating top European sides, was the last thing I remember reading him say before he got ill, so for me they are his lasting legacy, if that makes sense.
Most of that side are now first-year pros. Tom Holmes and Danny Loader are the names people will know, but imo Jordan Holsgrove is the best of the lot, although he seems to have had a serious injury this season.