Ruben Loftus-Cheek

[CHOULO19 24,332]

How do you determine these things. So far the youngsters that have featured haven't put a foot wrong and have done the least that's expected of them with the limited minute. If they haven't been given a decent chance in a competitive game against good oppositions and failed the test, how can you reach such conclusion with absolute certainty? Please enlighten us, the youth expert.

By watching them play? I'd sincerely worry for you if you think that any of the youth players is currently better than the first teammers, or would you like us to have less quality in the team just for the sake of their weir obsession of promoting youth?

They get a chance to prove themselves at competitive games through loans. Ideally it should be through the reserve system, but the gap between the reserves and the league has been rapidly widening in the past 10-15 years that top teams can't have players make that jump.

Please enlighten us, the youth expert.

Fuck off

So why not just close the academy? With that way of thinking only small(er) teams who can afford to give opportunities should have one.

A youth team player will never be considered as good or better than a senior player in his position, so, seriously, what's the point of Chelsea having an academy? It's all just for PR purposes isn't it?

Again, loans. Yes, it is extremely unlikely that a youth player can make the immediate jump from the youth setup to the first team at a top club, which is why you loan them to small(er) teams where the gap is not as big. Of course, there could be exceptions like Ake, for example.

The debuts for the players that won't be part of the first team anytime soon, is mainly PR, yes. But they are also a motivation for those players and the other academy players to work harder.

Incidentally, right on cue:

[We Hate Scouse 10,326]

As another person on here said, it was just RLC's bad luck; if we had started him and we ended with a 1-1 draw while Fabregas was available, people would be asking for his head. There'll be a next time, and I do fully expect him to play 45 mins in the Derby game at least, hopefully at a stretch with Ake if things are going smoothly, I think people are focussing far too much on just a single game, and then using that to try and shut down the academy. There's half a season ahead of us, everyone needs to cool off a little.

Their time will come.

Why would people care if we drew 1-1 in a meaningless game?

I can guarantee not 1 youth player will start or get more than 15 minutes vs Derby. 100%

[Styles 9,790]

Again, loans. Yes, it is extremely unlikely that a youth player can make the immediate jump from the youth setup to the first team at a top club, which is why you loan them to small(er) teams where the gap is not as big. Of course, there could be exceptions like Ake, for example.

The debuts for the players that won't be part of the first team anytime soon, is mainly PR, yes. But they are also a motivation for those players and the other academy players to work harder.

Incidentally, right on cue:

Yeah, because that has obviously worked well so far (for the academy players, not the Courtois' of this world).

Let's just be honest: our 'academy' is the transfer market, we sign 18-19 year olds, let other clubs develop them and then decide who to keep/discard. The actual academy itself is completely and utterly irrelevant.

[CurlyHairLikeLuiz 1,625]

Why would people care if we drew 1-1 in a meaningless game?

I can guarantee not 1 youth player will start or get more than 15 minutes vs Derby. 100%

I would. Also, if we lose and then draw in what should be an easy game then that's damaging for team morale and also will make the media go on and on about it. My point is, that nobody can seriously expect Mou to take off first team players just because some forum wants him to give the youth a chance. He knows the team need a boost, first loss always hits the conscious badly. I think he was planning on sending on RLC anyway, but the SL goal delayed him. He was unlucky.

Having said that though, it would be nice if he would loosen his grip a little on the dead rubber games.

[CHOULO19 24,332]

Yeah, because that has obviously worked well so far (for the academy players, not the Courtois' of this world).

Let's just be honest: our 'academy' is the transfer market, we sign 18-19 year olds, let other clubs develop them and then decide who to keep/discard. The actual academy itself is completely and utterly irrelevant.

But that's just down to the lack of quality we had in the youth teams, again, as evident by the fact that Jack Cork is our most successful academy product. How many of our youth products were as good as Courtois or Lukaku or KDB at the age of 18-19?

Jose actually just said it before (or after) the Sporting game that the first time he was here the quality in the youth teams was much lower than now. Hopefully, now that the quality is increasing we can start doing what we did with Courtois to our own academy products.

[RoyalBlues 4,050]

I would. Also, if we lose and then draw in what should be an easy game then that's damaging for team morale and also will make the media go on and on about it. My point is, that nobody can seriously expect Mou to take off first team players just because some forum wants him to give the youth a chance. He knows the team need a boost, first loss always hits the conscious badly. I think he was planning on sending on RLC anyway, but the SL goal delayed him. He was unlucky.

Having said that though, it would be nice if he would loosen his grip a little on the dead rubber games.

Agree. We can't just pretend we don't care about this match. There is still 2nd place spot to grab by more than one clubs, we must respect that. Also we can't afford to lose or draw after the Newcastle defeat, this is the right time to back on track and getting the right result. Also I think it is bad for RLC if in his debut we got a draw or lose.

[OhForAGreavsie 6,072]

But that's just down to the lack of quality we had in the youth teams, again, as evident by the fact that Jack Cork is our most successful academy product. How many of our youth products were as good as Courtois or Lukaku or KDB at the age of 18-19?

Jose actually just said it before (or after) the Sporting game that the first time he was here the quality in the youth teams was much lower than now. Hopefully, now that the quality is increasing we can start doing what we did with Courtois to our own academy products.

During JM I he said, in so many words, that the academy was useless. As soon as he returned for JM II, he said the academy was better. It is better, that can't be denied but people are getting carried away. According to idiot opinion, endlessly broadcast and published by idiot pundits, the academy is a busted flush that has failed. That idiotic opinion seems to imagine that you spend a few quid on a new building and a couple of years later you start churning out the Lionels. All of us here know better however. Things take time and even the truly great players take 10 years to progress from the age of 8 to the age of 18!

There is, in my opinion, way too much impatience for the graduation of the next youth product. The academy has done brilliant work bringing Ruben, and others, to the stage where they are becoming worthy of consideration but that is all that has been achieved so far. I would love to see Ruben make the step up as much as anyone, more than anyone in fact since I've been his harshest critic, but I'll have to control myself. I was angry enough when Ruben didn't start on Wednesday. By the time he did come on my frustration level was through the roof, but I can control myself. We all should.

[Stats 7,142]

As another person on here said, it was just RLC's bad luck; if we had started him and we ended with a 1-1 draw while Fabregas was available, people would be asking for his head. There'll be a next time, and I do fully expect him to play 45 mins in the Derby game at least, hopefully at a stretch with Ake if things are going smoothly, I think people are focussing far too much on just a single game, and then using that to try and shut down the academy. There's half a season ahead of us, everyone needs to cool off a little.

Their time will come.

Mourinho takes the COC seriously. He always has and with us in the QF he is no way going to give the youth a chance. He will want to win which means we will see quite a strong team and with many of the the 'big boys' knocked out he knows we have a realistic chance of winning silverware. I wouldn't be surprised if RLC is not even in the squad.

[Magic Lamps 11,692]

Mourinho takes the COC seriously. He always has and with us in the QF he is no way going to give the youth a chance. He will want to win which means we will see quite a strong team and with many of the the 'big boys' knocked out he knows we have a realistic chance of winning silverware. I wouldn't be surprised if RLC is not even in the squad.

If we spread our ressources over all competitions we could very well end up with nothing like last season with such a thin squad unless Jose trust the youngsters at some point. If those youngsters have to include RLC I have not seen enough him to judge yet. The first team may be a level above them, but Derby County certainly is not.

[OhForAGreavsie 6,072]

Agree. We can't just pretend we don't care about this match. There is still 2nd place spot to grab by more than one clubs, we must respect that. Also we can't afford to lose or draw after the Newcastle defeat, this is the right time to back on track and getting the right result. Also I think it is bad for RLC if in his debut we got a draw or lose.

Totally agree. Not to mention €1m at stake for winning the game. I know Premier League finances would teach us to sniff at such a figure but this is still a tremendous amount of money. For example, it represents roughly 5% of our academy's reported annual budget. It's definitely not to be sniffed at.

[Stats 7,142]

If we spread our ressources over all competitions we could very well end up with nothing like last season with such a thin squad unless Jose trust the youngsters at some point. If those youngsters have to include RLC I have not seen enough him to judge yet. The first team may be a level above them, but Derby County certainly is not.

Derby are top of the Championship and are at home. If we go out and put youngsters in the team there is a risk. Derby are not a walkover. A game where we should win but Mourinho will take it seriously and by seriously I mean I am 100% sure that the only young one we will see in the team is Zouma.

Look at this. You said the first team may be a level above them but Derby "certainly is not". So explain to me why we did not see the likes of RLC, Baker and co play against Shrewsbury earlier on. We saw Ake play and Christensen. Christensen, with all respect only played that game because Ivanovic and Azpi was suspended. Shrewsbury are 2 divisions below Derby so if we did not have those suspensions aforementioned it is most certain that the only academy product in that team would have been Ake and that is a fact.

Why do you think all of a sudden later in the round against a much better team in Derby, assuming we get no injuries or red cards against Hull, we will play the likes of RLC? It just is not going to happen. Especially if they cannot get minutes against Shrewsbury.

[iseah100 5,612]

Simple solution to this. Sell Cesc, Hazard, Oscar, Cahill, and Azpi so RLC, Boga, Baker, Kalas, and Christensen can start every game.

[Madmax 9,219]

what's the point of Chelsea having an academy? It's all just for PR purposes isn't it?

FFP.

[Vybz Kartel 1,613]

Disappointed not to see him get a run today

[OhForAGreavsie 6,072]

Disappointed not to see him get a run today

Having played 90 minutes for the U21s on Sunday, Ruben was never going to be involved last night.