Chelsea Youth

Food for thought there ,Superb !

comment by Superb (U6486)
posted 1 hour, 55 minutes ago
So we've potentially got the modern day equivalent of the Busby Babes coming through in our youth setup and we're scratching our heads and wondering if any of them will ever make it through to the senior squad. That's kind of tragic.
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Choose words carefully...

Busby Babes
Senior squad
Tragic..............

Yeah agree, too much drama in Superb's posting

comment by White Wall (U1078)
posted 3 hours, 15 minutes ago
While its good to see a successful youth team in terms of trophies, surely the real sign of a successful youth team is how many 1st team players it creates.

5 Finals in a row, 4 victories in that and the last 3 in a row, all for RLC who is still some way from being a 1st team regular.
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You would think that and by you I mean all of us.

But is it?

I think it is much more complex. If the aim is to bring through players for your first team then yes it is. But then who really does that these days?

We have John Terry, Tottenham had sick note, Liverpool had Stevie Me and Jamie and United had Giggs, Nev, Scholes and Butt. I am excluding becham and the other Nev P for a moment, bear with me.

Teams that have brought through decent youth over the last 20ish years, United, West Ham United, Everton, Southampton etc, unless they stay at the club are merely players developed and sold on to help fund their club with further youth development or ready made players from other clubs.

So in many respects we are not that much differeant from any other club and if people start claiming that youth bought through and then sold on counts then add the likes of Bertrand or RLC to our list amongst the list of many that have passed through.

But what we are really talking about here is individuals, not a team.

I would argue that we are a successful youth acadamy and we have a successful youth team, and I would rather have a succesful team than a team of outstanding individuals that wins nothing.

I would argue that regardless of them getting a chance in the first team or not we are giving them the best chance to succeed in their chosen career, we can hope that some break through but as Ray Wilkins said several times last night how can you tell at the age of 6 that someone is going to make it as a player. He said this as part of the lavish praise he kept heaping on the 16 year old Chalobah, younger brother to Natahaniel, currently on loan at Napoli.

I watched young Tammy Abraham, I have been watching him for about 3 years now and he impresses me more and more. Last night he so reminded me of Drogba. Not in his style of play or because he is a striker, prolific at that but his attitude. The determination, the frustration when a promising attack breaks down, the way you see him clearing our lines at one end then moments later threatening at the other and the way he is constantly encouraging and talking to others around him. Just the sort of support a captain needs, just the sort of player a team needs.

Do we have any world class players in there, , will any of them make it into the first team who knows, only time will tell but I certainly hope we do.

I think we have a successful academy, the trophies at domestic and international level prove we have one of the best in England if not Europe (back to back European champions).

I don't see it as tragic, I can't see anything tragic in it. If we sell one of these to a rival that came back to haunt us like a Campbell from Tottenham to Arsenal or a Cole from Arsenal to Chelsea, then that would be tragic but until then it's just football.

I must add my congratulations. Absolutely fabulous achievement by one and all at the academy. It certainly is working extremely well, and I hope we fans don't become blasé - we should continue each year to proudly proclaim each season's performers as the story grows and grows.

I was not able to get to any games this season, but for many, many years I have followed the youth teams both close up and remotely and it's a been a life-long thrill to see exciting talent and try to work out who might make the first team. I no longer play that game - it's too much of a lottery, there are so many variables.

So good luck to all the young lads - I hope you follow the examples of people like JT and Lamps and never stop trying to improve and grow.

Comment Deleted by Site Moderator

I don't know but there are a number of answers to that question. A brief summary would be

A mistake as the Head of the youth academy is Neil Bath not Emanalo and nobody really knows what Emanalo does so they fill in the gaps so they can use him as a scapegoat because human nature is to blame someone and he is he easiest target right now.

JFDI , the old juices flowing well today !.

They'll be flowing nicely Monday afternoon

Damn right, and I had some spare time this afternoon.