The Academy/Development squads watch thread 2015//16

[morganb]

Reading U 18’s league season went from bad to worse this morning when they lost to Southampton 9-0 at Bearwood. Only the FA Youth Cup run the highlight of an extremely poor season.

Out of interest why do you think it has been so poor? Is it the manager/coaching, the ability of our players or the quality of the opposition?

[Sutekh]

Reading U 18’s league season went from bad to worse this morning when they lost to Southampton 9-0 at Bearwood. Only the FA Youth Cup run the highlight of an extremely poor season.

Out of interest why do you think it has been so poor? Is it the manager/coaching, the ability of our players or the quality of the opposition?

Probably anyone any good gets used in the u21s.

[WestYorksRoyal]

Reading U 18’s league season went from bad to worse this morning when they lost to Southampton 9-0 at Bearwood. Only the FA Youth Cup run the highlight of an extremely poor season.

Out of interest why do you think it has been so poor? Is it the manager/coaching, the ability of our players or the quality of the opposition?

Probably anyone any good gets used in the u21s.

Same will apply with our opponents.

[Royals and Racers]

Reading U 18’s league season went from bad to worse this morning when they lost to Southampton 9-0 at Bearwood. Only the FA Youth Cup run the highlight of an extremely poor season.

Out of interest why do you think it has been so poor? Is it the manager/coaching, the ability of our players or the quality of the opposition?

I have only been able to watch the FA Youth cup matches, and thought we had a few decent players. Obviously against the other 12 Pl 18 Cat 1 South academies we just have not been good enough, especially the defence.

[Snowflake Royal]

Out of interest why do you think it has been so poor? Is it the manager/coaching, the ability of our players or the quality of the opposition?

Probably anyone any good gets used in the u21s.

Same will apply with our opponents.

Seems unlikely for, for example, Southampton, who are top 4 Championship.

[The Cube]

The important point here is the loss of Category 1 status last year. The U18 squad is a mixture of U18s and U17s. So this years U18s are the ones who signed a two-year deal when we were Category 2. Our best U16s at that time would have looked elsewhere first (obvious example is Princewill Ehibationham, who was playing for Southampton yesterday). Also there is usually quite a large intake of first year scholars, and we wouldn't have been able to get the best U16s from other clubs.

This season we got Category 1 back, but we would already have missed out on some U17s who weren't sure that would happen. Again this means either losing our own players, or failing to take others from elsewhere. Let's face it, would any scholar sign have signed for Reading unless there was a very good reason?

So roughly speaking our current U18s are mostly at a Category 2 level, and our current U17s are a bit below the normal standard.

Finally, our best U18 this season was Taylan Harris, who is now at Luton.

So just to be clear, it's all Dai's fault.

[Royals and Racers]

After last night’s matches the Royals drop a place to 8th.
Next match is the penultimate regular season match on Monday 22nd April when we travel to play Nottingham Forest at the Nigel Doughty Academy training centre in West Bridgford Nottingham KO 7pm

Change of venue tonight for the U 21’s. The match now takes place at the Loughborough University stadium LE 113QF

[SCIAG]

Reading U 18’s league season went from bad to worse this morning when they lost to Southampton 9-0 at Bearwood. Only the FA Youth Cup run the highlight of an extremely poor season.

Out of interest why do you think it has been so poor? Is it the manager/coaching, the ability of our players or the quality of the opposition?

Uncertainty will have had a huge impact. Not being able to use the facilities to their fullest, too.

It’s a high-scoring league. Our defence isn’t good, but it’s around the same level as Villa and Norwich. Our attack has really let us down. Some of that is Harris and CMS often not being available (especially, in Harris’ case, since January), some of it is losing Princewell and not having a player of his quality to replace him, in any case it’s not good enough.

While it’s true that every team uses their best U18s in the U21s, suspect our tiny squad & the low level of our senior team meaning lots of our U21s have stepped up, and we’re having to shuffle more players up at all age groups.

[Stranded]

Probably anyone any good gets used in the u21s.

Same will apply with our opponents.

Seems unlikely for, for example, Southampton, who are top 4 Championship.

Also, the relatively large number of u21 players who are in our first team squad means more opportunity in the u21s for the better u18s than usual, meaning those left playing u18 are probably doing so a year earlier that usual or starting when they would be on the fringes.

[Snowflake Royal]

Same will apply with our opponents.

Seems unlikely for, for example, Southampton, who are top 4 Championship.

Also, the relatively large number of u21 players who are in our first team squad means more opportunity in the u21s for the better u18s than usual, meaning those left playing u18 are probably doing so a year earlier that usual or starting when they would be on the fringes.

Yeah, that's what I was getting at (badly)

[Royals and Racers]

Boyce-Clarke
Ryan
Carson
J Clarke
Stickland
Holzman
Akande
Borgnis
Okine-Peters
Wellens
Camara
SUBS
Collins
Paul
Trialist
Billie Clark
Tuma

[yuomi]

Boyce-Clarke
Ryan
Carson
J Clarke
Stickland
Holzman
Akande
Borgnis
Okine-Peters
Wellens
Camara
SUBS
Collins
Paul
Trialist
Billie Clark
Tuma

We've got a trialist on the bench, and Ovie's just put this on his Insta...

[morganb]

Ovie in a retro Reading kit but the other players in the picture all have the Norwich badge...

Sure there was a trialist last game too (probably would have been reported on if it was Ejaria)

[Royals and Racers]

B Hodge is the trialist tonight.- could be Bradley Hodge (Hillingdon FC ?)
Forest 0 Reading 1 15 mins John Clarke
0-2 30 mins Carson
H-T 0-2 Currently up to 5th

[Royals and Racers]

Match abandoned- cannot find reason yet
Could be that no replacement ambulance available as the one at the match has to take an injured Forest player to Hospital.

[Hound]

Match abandoned- cannot find reason yet
Could be that no replacement ambulance available as the one at the match has to take an injured Forest player to Hospital.

Hope the Forest lad ok. Shame from our pov with us two up but obvs not as impt

[Brogue]

Would we get awarded the win when did the game stop? What are the rules on a awarded win v replay

[Clyde1998]

Don't know what the rules are, but we've secured a play-off spot in Premier League 2 and can qualify for the Premier League International Cup with a win over Man City on Monday(?).

The International Cup would give our U21s a minimum of four matches against foreign opposition. PSV have participated in all eight competitions; Benfica, Porto, Athletic Bilbao; Dinamo Zagreb; Hertha Berlin; Celtic and Villarreal have competed in at least six of the eight. Would be a fantastic experience for the young lads to play in that. I think we reached the semis one year.

[Stranded]

Don't know what the rules are, but we've secured a play-off spot in Premier League 2 and can qualify for the Premier League International Cup with a win over Man City on Monday(?).

The International Cup would give our U21s a minimum of four matches against foreign opposition. PSV have participated in all eight competitions; Benfica, Porto, Athletic Bilbao; Dinamo Zagreb; Hertha Berlin; Celtic and Villarreal have competed in at least six of the eight. Would be a fantastic experience for the young lads to play in that. I think we reached the semis one year.

Not sure about the semis but remember us playing Bayern II at Wycombe and losing 1-0.

[Stranded]

Would we get awarded the win when did the game stop? What are the rules on a awarded win v replay

I would imagine they will see what happens in the last round of games first - if it has no material impact to the final table then they may just leave it - not sure when the play-offs are due to start but probably not much turnaround time. This seems most likely.

The problem then would be our u21s could end up with a harder fixture. If the game had finished and they had won last night, then they would have been 4th - meaning a home time against the side finishing 13th. Without it, currently in 9th, which would mean an away game at the 8th placed club.