McCarthy to Arsenal apparently...

[KC Royal]

He's probably better than a Conference South keeper, and he did pretty well against one of the top teams Sutton in highlights I saw, but I thought it was a pretty damning assessment of his Reading future him dropping down that low to get some games.

Both Federici and McCarthy went down into the same kind of level at similar ages to get games. Doesn't seem to have prevented them from being Champship keepers.

With keepers they almost have to go lower down to start with because they're not going to get 10/20 minute sub appearances to stake their claim for a starting place like an outfield player can.

In the last year we seem to have changed our policy with sending players out on loan, preferring to develop them at the club instead. I don't think it's a coincidence that the young players released were ones who had been on loan during the season (can't remember without checking if this was the case with all of them but it seemed to be). Maybe i'm writing him off prematurely, he's still very young and inexperienced for a keeper, but I just think if the club rated him after he started the season in the U21 team he would have stayed there for the rest of the season, and we would have sent another young keeper out on loan instead to get experience. He also wouldn't have gone out on loan to Oxford and not play if he was likely to be able to step up. I think my issue with it was that he had to drop down two divisions from there just to get games. I do appreciate though that Fed played for Maidenhead once upon a time before he was part of the first team squad, i'd also forgotten about McCarthy until someone mentioned it earlier.

One thing I do wonder that i'd forgotten to add. If we'd known how good McCarthy was going to become would we have signed Andersen? Their career seemed to be following a similar path until McCarthy started playing in the first team (certainly in the last season when they were both on loan anyway). Without McCarthy, Andersen may well have had decent opportunities to play by now and his development as a result maybe has been stunted because of McCarthy.

[Hoop Blah]

Interesting point that we might've changed tack with the loaning of the youngsters, but I'm not sure we'll know yet as I think those that went out on loan were the older players.

The other prospects who are being built up are largely the younger players and as such probably are due to go on loan (if we follow the same methods as before) next season. I think the likes of Hector or Karacan only went out on loan after they'd finished u18's, although I could be remembering that wrongly.

Having Andersen and McCarthy coming through at the same time possibly did end up with one of them being held back. Conversly it might've spurred both of them on to do better due to the extra competition. Impossible to know really.

[Pepe the Horseman]

Swans are in for Fabianski appazzer.

[kwik-silva]

Yep, signed him this morning

[Pepe the Horseman]

Means there's an opening on the Arsenal bench.

[melonhead]

SELL SELL SELL!



terrible move for Mcarthy though imo.

[kwik-silva]

I've not been massively enamoured by him this year, for the right price I'd definitely say let him go.

[lewesroyal]

I'd also say let him go, but if he has a say in it, why would he go to bench warm? Sczezny (SP?) is Wengers man, and i can't see him being ousted.

[maffff]

Because, like Sidwell going to Chelsea, he's confident in his ability and believes he can force his way into the side? He's a professional and wants to challenge himself at the top of the game? He needs the money with that extra income and that which he makes from Bijou will help him finance his wag?

[Pepe the Horseman]

I'd also say let him go, but if he has a say in it, why would he go to bench warm? Sczezny (SP?) is Wengers man, and i can't see him being ousted.

Money talks. Plus he'll probably believe he can challenge Chesney for a starting place. At the very least he'd get a good cup run and maybe Champions League.

[phil in cornwall]

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/arsenal-keen-willy-caballero---3632992

[kwik-silva]

It's a strange option for a back-up, but I guess they've got the money to spend

[SCIAG]

He's probably better than a Conference South keeper, and he did pretty well against one of the top teams Sutton in highlights I saw, but I thought it was a pretty damning assessment of his Reading future him dropping down that low to get some games.

Both Federici and McCarthy went down into the same kind of level at similar ages to get games. Doesn't seem to have prevented them from being Champship keepers.

With keepers they almost have to go lower down to start with because they're not going to get 10/20 minute sub appearances to stake their claim for a starting place like an outfield player can.

In the last year we seem to have changed our policy with sending players out on loan, preferring to develop them at the club instead. I don't think it's a coincidence that the young players released were ones who had been on loan during the season (can't remember without checking if this was the case with all of them but it seemed to be).

The U21s released were Arnold, D'Ath, Ugwu, and Partridge (and Murombedzi, but he was only still at the club because he had a serious injury). All of them spent time on loan last season, but they're also older.

The issue is that we can only give regular football to 22 young pros, and only 11 between the ages of 18 and 21, unless they break into the first team. If we want Henly and Lincoln to both play regularly, one has to go on loan, and ideally that's the older one.

[KC Royal]

My issue with Henly though was that he went on loan and didn't play (Oxford), and then when he did play it was two divisions lower.

But tbf playing in Conference South hasn't harmed Fed's career. Maidenhead fans were shocked when he was named on the bench for the first time in the PL.

[melonhead]

Loan players are often viewed as back up, and added numbers
It's understandable that a club might need three keepers, but see it as better for their club if their own players are played more

[Hoop Blah]

My issue with Henly though was that he went on loan and didn't play (Oxford), and then when he did play it was two divisions lower.

But tbf playing in Conference South hasn't harmed Fed's career. Maidenhead fans were shocked when he was named on the bench for the first time in the PL.

Think your issues are totally baseless though.

I'm sure Henly (and the club obviously) would've gone to Oxford knowing that he was going there as backup and not to walk straight into the team. Being in and around their first team was still a step up from playing for our age group teams and part of his development.

The next thing he needed was to play proper first team games in senior football. For a keeper they often need to drop lower down the leagues to get that compared to an outfield player.

I really don't see the issue I'm afraid.

[M Brook]

Loan players are often viewed as back up, and added numbers
It's understandable that a club might need three keepers, but see it as better for their club if their own players are played more

And very often loan players are only loaned out on the understanding that they will get played.

Otherwise what is the point in them getting loaned out in the first place?

[melonhead]

Loan players are often viewed as back up, and added numbers
It's understandable that a club might need three keepers, but see it as better for their club if their own players are played more

And very often loan players are only loaned out on the understanding that they will get played.

Otherwise what is the point in them getting loaned out in the first place?

if club A has three '1st team' keepers in the squad, plus some youth keepers it wants to loan out
and club B has only one keeper, & wants to bring in a keeper from Team A, then the youth keeper would have more chance of playing at team B than team A

[KC Royal]

My issue with Henly though was that he went on loan and didn't play (Oxford), and then when he did play it was two divisions lower.

But tbf playing in Conference South hasn't harmed Fed's career. Maidenhead fans were shocked when he was named on the bench for the first time in the PL.

Think your issues are totally baseless though.

I'm sure Henly (and the club obviously) would've gone to Oxford knowing that he was going there as backup and not to walk straight into the team. Being in and around their first team was still a step up from playing for our age group teams and part of his development.

The next thing he needed was to play proper first team games in senior football. For a keeper they often need to drop lower down the leagues to get that compared to an outfield player.

I really don't see the issue I'm afraid.

I'm not sure that sitting on Oxford's bench was better for him than playing in our U21 team, and he would also possibly have been in the side when they won the cup a couple of months back.

I'm pleased he seems to have done well for Maidenhead, (was wrong to question that move), but other than that his stats from the season just gone don't look particularly good. Must admit I didn't realise he played for Aldershot as well though

No clean sheets for the U21s, and just 1 in the conference. In both cases he conceded at least 2 goals on average per game.

[Ian Royal]

we couldn't play both Henly & Lincoln in the U21s though. So one of them would have lost out. Better to have one training with a lower league first team and not playing than training with U21s and not playing.