Youth and Reserves Into 2010

James · January 23, 2010

Thankfully we are now, after a dry spell, in the position where we are truly starting the bring them through. We have seen this season under Carlo Ancellotti Sam Hutchinson, Jeffey Bruma, Fabio Borini, Gael Kakuta and Nemanja Matic make first team appearances on more than one occasion. We have also seen it in recent seasons the likes of Scott Sinclair, Michael Mancienne and Miroslav Stoch, who are all currently on loan. There is also arguably the biggest group of next potential first team appearance makers we have seen.

In a recent interview new reserve team coach Steve Holland declared that if Chelsea wanted to they could win both the Reserves and Youth League. Now whilst even at youth and reserve level onlookers want to see the team pick up the wins it is not the be all and end all. Steve Holland is right, if we wanted to win the reserves league all it would take would be for us to recall all our loan stars. A defence with Patrick Van Aanholt, Michael Mancienne, Jeffrey Bruma and Sam Hutchinson would be top class, as would having Jack Cork, Jacob Mellis and Gael Kakuta in Midfield supporting Scott Sinclair, Miroslav Stoch and Franco Di Santo and that is leaving out names like Fabio Borini. Our youth team would then be able to draw on basically the FA youth cup team every single game of the league season whereas most of them are reserve regulars now. As Steve Holland said it would be all too easy, but would it be best for the development of these players for our first team? Of course not…..

Even though we are seeing these young boys progress into the first team on a more and more regular basis we have to ask the question is it enough? The answer to that question depends on your expectations and your patience. The general answer though I think has to be yes! These players are truly making the breakthrough into Ancelottiâ€™s plans. Of course they are not playing every game and at their age nor should they! Matic, Kakuta and Borini are now all getting chances on a regular basis and are doing all they can to impress, it is fair to say.

Outside of this small group of seemingly elite individuals we have a second group of what I call fringe-fringe players, these players are the likes of Jack Cork, Patrick Van Aanholt, Michael Mancienne, Franco Di Santo, Scott Sinclair, Miroslav Stoch and Jacob Mellis. These are players who are either out on loan gaining valuable first team experience or who have been on loan and are now back at the club ready to take possibly another chance with Chelsea. There is an argument to make for all of these players, that they deserve a chance with the first team, some more than others, but still there is a hell of a lot of talent there.

So before I even move onto the reserve team I have named 12 players worthy of consideration for the Chelsea first team. Good enough? Now we all have to be realistic and realise that all of these boys are not going to make it with us, but what we will start to see is players either making it with us or being sold on for a solid fee – what would Michael Mancienneâ€™s market value be to a premiership club? Five Million? For a player we payed zip for, it is all part of the circle of Academy football.

This season has seen us field the youngest reserve teams I can remember. We have young regulars in the likes of Connor Clifford, Josh McEachran, Daniel Mills Pappoe, Jacopo Sala, Milan Lalkovic, Nikkia Ahamed and the likes. Again there is a lot of talent there pushing onto the next level making themselves noticed by Ancelotti and Wilkins. These players are already passing some of the players who have been around for a longer while like Nana Ofori, Carl Magnay and Liam Bridcutt. Again it is progression among the top class players in our youngsters.

Finally I move onto our Youth team for this season. Much has been made of these players who have come through our ranks together. A rare thing for this club we have 10 of our 12 first year scholars as local boys which is a huge step in the right direction for the club and what they have been working towards. To make things even sweeter they are also some of the most highly regarded players we have seen come through. Some of them have already been mentioned like Josh McEachran, others like Billy Knott, Marco Mitrovic, Kaby Djalo and Anton Rodgers I am sure you have heard of by now. Big things are expected of these players to elevate the status of Chelsea Youth to a new level, the first step in this will be to win the FA youth cup, hopefully this season, of which they have made an excellent start to.

So back to my original point. As we enter a new decade in Chelsea FC history it is very nice to see that it is one where we are likely to be excited by a whole new bunch of Chelsea Home-grown players making it with the first team, and possibly going onto becoming world stars much as the way John Terry has gone. Some people may not even agree with me that things are looking so rosy for the young generation of Chelsea FC, but I hope to be proven right and hopefully, by the start of next season some of the fringe players will be more involved than they already are.

KTBFFH