Ross Barkley...

Sturridge wasn't one of ours Biggish. I didn't want him out but on the other hand I don't miss him, just something about him that I find unlikeable.

I often feel like a Leonard Cohen record when I talk about the youth though Biggish. When I menton giving them twenty minutes when we're three up and coasting or playing against Aldershot in a Cup match, that somehow gets interpreted as I want to see half a dozen of them as regular starters playing the whole 90 minutes against top teams - very frustrating!

Well you have Jose wanting a 22 man squad, not sure how many youth will be in that?

Maybe the carling cup-----we need to give games to Ake now he broke through last season, that much is for sure..

When I said I feel like a Leonard Cohen record I meant no one listens to me

Hopefully Ake will get a bit of time when the season settles and the opportunity to play arises.

I just feel that there's a balance to be struck between overplaying youth and leaving them with no hope. Most top teams seem to manage it apart from us, even the cheque book kings over in Madrid can manage it.

Obviously you can go to far the other extreme al la Arsenal - we just have to find a happy medium!

Barkley looks like a good young player - but agree with Brummie. We already have some excellent young midfielders coming through

Barkley has been more highly rated than Rodwell who moved for around £25m to City . How many of our academy boys are worth anything near that figure.

King, who bar Man City would pay anything like £25m for Rodwell? Rodwell had also had a few seasons playing PL games which none of our youth team players have had the privilige of.

I think that was basically Mancini hitting the panic button because he didn't land any major targets last summer and wanted to make a statement.

As far as I can see it has no relevance on anything with respect to our academy players!

Rodwell is a good player alot of injury last year but I remember him having a beast of a game against us.

Was it a £25m beast of a game!

no but everyone is raving about our very expensive midfield and he put many of them into place.

If he stays injury free he would be starting choice next to Yaya Toure by the end of the season.

Did you watch RLC against Man City in the post season games in May by any chance?

RLC was very impressive against them to the extent that City tried (and evetually succeded) to kick him out of the game.

The worst culprit was the much lauded Toure who put some very cynical challenges in on him when he failed to stop him fairly.

At a lesser club he may well get the chance that a Rodwell got at Everton, doubt he will with us though!