Chelsea 1-0 Liverpool

[Barbara 15,149]

3 hours ago, Robguima said:

While I agree with your assessment of moses, I think the squad has been so thin lately that I find it difficult to wish players to be gone (couple of exceptions). I'd describe Cuadrado exactly the same way: zero technique, just running. At least Moses is strong while Cuadrado is easily outmuscled out of plays.

sign players, promote kids from youth, but there's no point of keeping players such as both because we're thin (which I agree with). What's the point of having a bigger squad if they aren't good enough? At least with youth it may be a case of not being ready yet and improve as times goes. Moses and Cuadrado are lost cases in my book. But I can live with keeping one of them.

[robsblubot 3,224]

4 hours ago, Barbara said:

sign players, promote kids from youth, but there's no point of keeping players such as both because we're thin (which I agree with). What's the point of having a bigger squad if they aren't good enough? At least with youth it may be a case of not being ready yet and improve as times goes. Moses and Cuadrado are lost cases in my book. But I can live with keeping one of them.

I know... but at the end of the day it does not seem the club trusts our youngsters that much as they don't encourage the managers to use them. There are youngsters and youngster and they simply don't think ours are strong enough to produce consistent performances in a tough league with a manager constantly trying to prove himself.

I've come to realize that these type of players is as good as it gets... at least moses is not 30... yet.

[OhForAGreavsie 5,776]

3 hours ago, Robguima said:

I know... but at the end of the day it does not seem the club trusts our youngsters that much as they don't encourage the managers to use them. There are youngsters and youngster and they simply don't think ours are strong enough to produce consistent performances in a tough league with a manager constantly trying to prove himself.

I've come to realize that these type of players is as good as it gets... at least moses is not 30... yet.

I don't agree with you about the club not trusting youngsters and not encouraging managers to select them but, first, I'm hoping that Victor is ready for a reality check.

Having been basically a squad player at Liverpool, Stoke and West Ham, is Victor now ready to accept that this is the function he is suited for at Premier League level? If he isn't, that's perfectly understandable, but if he is willing to accept the situation then I'd be happy to keep him in that role.

I am not as bullish as some people are about Charly Musonda's prospects but he does have a chance of making an impact here so, from a squad planning point of view, it might make more sense to keep someone like Victor as a 'place holder' for him, rather than to invest in an expensive acquision who would only get in Charly's way later on.

The energy, the finance and the emotional commitment thrown at the academy make it clear that youth development is much more than just a contractual obligation for the club. Having seen all of that investment in Cobham, it would be crazy for us to think that the club is not interested in the results. Every manager of the Roman era, bar Claudio, has spoken of how the club wants to develop youngsters. If that is not evidence that they are being encouraged then what is?

If Cobham has not developed any players who the manager wants to pick, what do we suggest the club can do to push the actual selection of the kids? Perhaps refuse to provide the cash for senior recruits and hope that improves the odds for some kids? Has anyone seen any evidence that such a thing might have been tried? I'd say perhaps we have. If that is so then it suggests that the club puts too much trust in our youngsters, not that it lacks faith in them.Ultimately however the club should not, and does not, directly interfere with the manager's choices. That would be going too far with the encouragement.

I've often argued that it takes a long, long time to develop kids through an academy structure and so it does. It is, in my opinion, still too early to pass a definitive judgement on the work being done at Cobham but maybe, for the first time, we can begin to form some opinions. As we do that however, I'd ask people, prticularly those with an anti-Jose outlook, to bear in mind that the players who were not considered ready last season are now a year older and, at their age, a year makes a big difference.

[robsblubot 3,224]

3 hours ago, OhForAGreavsie said:

I don't agree with you about the club not trusting youngsters and not encouraging managers to select them but, first, I'm hoping that Victor is ready for a reality check.

Having been basically a squad player at Liverpool, Stoke and West Ham, is Victor now ready to accept that this is the function he is suited for at Premier League level? If he isn't, that's perfectly understandable, but if he is willing to accept the situation then I'd be happy to keep him in that role.

I am not as bullish as some people are about Charly Musonda's prospects but he does have a chance of making an impact here so, from a squad planning point of view, it might make more sense to keep someone like Victor as a 'place holder' for him, rather than to invest in an expensive acquision who would only get in Charly's way later on.

The energy, the finance and the emotional commitment thrown at the academy make it clear that youth development is much more than just a contractual obligation for the club. Having seen all of that investment in Cobham, it would be crazy for us to think that the club is not interested in the results. Every manager of the Roman era, bar Claudio, has spoken of how the club wants to develop youngsters. If that is not evidence that they are being encouraged then what is?

If Cobham has not developed any players who the manager wants to pick, what do we suggest the club can do to push the actual selection of the kids? Perhaps refuse to provide the cash for senior recruits and hope that improves the odds for some kids? Has anyone seen any evidence that such a thing might have been tried? I'd say perhaps we have. If that is so then it suggests that the club puts too much trust in our youngsters, not that it lacks faith in them.Ultimately however the club should not, and does not, directly interfere with the manager's choices. That would be going too far with the encouragement.

I've often argued that it takes a long, long time to develop kids through an academy structure and so it does. It is, in my opinion, still too early to pass a definitive judgement on the work being done at Cobham but maybe, for the first time, we can begin to form some opinions. As we do that however, I'd ask people, prticularly those with an anti-Jose outlook, to bear in mind that the players who were not considered ready last season are now a year older and, at their age, a year makes a big difference.

I really want to believe what you wrote and trust that the club has that vision, and yet I just look at out squad and we have a 30yo glorified bench warmer making 75k a week.

regardless of what I think of him as a player, I think that in itself is very telling. I'd rather watch Chalobah, but that's just me I guess.

Watching the WC like everyone else, I saw Cuadrado, mr square, and thought he was awful. Like Barbara described Moses: no technique just power and pace. Well to me cuadrado is like that minus the power (the upper body str).

I challenged someone last year in that RLC will be nowhere he starting xi and I still think very few of these younger players will be part of the squad. If they can't deliver against liverpool's third team then I guess the club shouldn't really trust them...

i guess we will find out soon enough.