Josh McEachran

[Amblève. 4,995]

McEachran's like a good Bordeaux. He'll get better the more years pass.

[Leif 6,006]

Obviously i meant consistently... people on this forum need common sense.

Messi has only come off the bench for Barcelona 50 times in his career. 3 years ago and further back had him starting 100 games exactly.

[Kojo 4,676]

So Henrique and Justin are suddenly "everyone"? Lucky them! So we've gone from "No one" gave him a chance, to the minority of the forum AKA the Belgians giving him a chance, to 'most of the forum' not giving him a chance. Heh.

I also didn't say McEachran was an average player... and now you're implying that I should judge him from a game he played almost 3 years ago? That's like saying "Torres is world class because of that game 3 years ago vs. Blackburn", isn't it? The point of the academy at this club is to produce profit first and foremost, since you asked.

WHAT!? KAKUTA ISN'T GOOD ENOUGH!? BUT HE IS STARTING FOR A TEAM PUSHING FOR A EUROPA LEAGUE PLACE! YOU FOOL! I BET YOU DON'T EVEN WATCH HIM DO YOU?

I used Hernique and Justin as examples, you asked for an example didn't you? you want to go look, go look for yourself, I'm not going through Lukaku thread for you, DIY!.

Uhmm maybe Torres is like what 28 years old? so once again you say things before you even think. Funny mockery that like, your attempts at being funny is just stupid, you only did it to get friends, i remember when you first joined you wern't liked very much till you started acting daft. But here I'll give you some internet fame mate, you spoke to the great and all mighty Kojo, go tell your friends, they will be most pleased.

[The only place to be 11,313]

Obviously i meant consistently... people on this forum need common sense.

So he wasn't consistently starting in his 30 odd internationals or the 150-odd games for Barca? :lol2:

You know Messi was the long-haired short-arse right?

As for Josh, I've seen him at least half-a-dozen times this year and each time he's looked tidy but failed to really control the game much of the time. He's got all the skill in the world but he doesn't seem to have that drive you see in the big players like Lamps or Wilshere or Gerrard or even Iniesta and Xavi did at a similar age. Look at the way he moves around the pitch - he looks like a little boy and he needs at least another year out on loan. Compare him to someone like Chalobah who is a year younger but has taken his step-up with comparative ease.

It's way too early to write him off but let's not pretend there aren't serious question marks hanging over him.

[Leif 6,006]

your attempts at being funny is just stupid

But here I'll give you some internet fame mate, you spoke to the great and all mighty Kojo, go tell your friends, they will be most pleased.

Guys, this is the definition of irony, is it not?

[Leif 6,006]

i remember when you first joined

I feel violated.

[Kojo 4,676]

Guys, this is the definition of irony, is it not?

Not really, i won the funniest poster of 2012 award, stick to your cartoons.

[Yeboii 1,844]

Lol how about you guys agree to disagree

[Kojo 4,676]

Lol how about you guys agree to disagree

Probably would've saved all the spam tbh... Just for a stupid debate also...

Anyway I'm not going to debate on it further, I can't see it going anywhere.

[Rambo 1,729]

Nani was once 19 and showed potential. He's not exactly Figo or Ronaldo now.

Aquilani was once 19 and showed potential. He's not exactly the Xabi Alonso type of player he was tipped to be.

That American kid hardly anyone can even remember was once 19.

Age is absolutely irrelevant. You don't just have a hidden ability because you're young. There's no such thing as 'peak' years for players or 'breakthrough' ages. Messi turned into the world's best in his early 20's. It could be argued that Xavi or Pirlo turned into the world's best in their 30's. Get what I'm saying?

That sounds like you're contradicting yourself. Of course there are breakthrough ages or peak years for players. Drogba didn't breakthrough until his late 20's and his peak was when he was in his early 30's. Every player is different and I think you're being a bit naive to write off McEachran who is still developing his game. No one is calling him the next Xavi, but there is no doubt that he has the most potential out of our youth academy and it would be asinine to give up on him.

[The only place to be 11,313]

That sounds like you're contradicting yourself. Of course there are breakthrough ages or peak years for players. Drogba didn't breakthrough until his late 20's and his peak was when he was in his early 30's. Every player is different and I think you're being a bit naive to write off McEachran who is still developing his game. No one is calling him the next Xavi, but there is no doubt that he has the most potential out of our youth academy and it would be asinine to give up on him.

There's plenty of doubt about potential. Right now I'd put Chalobah ahead of him in all honesty and he's an example of a guy who has taken that next step comfortably.

Josh needs at least another year out on loan and he needs to step up his intensity and aggression and maintain focus for the full 90.

[Leif 6,006]

there is no doubt that he has the most potential out of our youth academy

Chalobah... Musonda... arguably Piazon depending on who you ask...Feruz (see the former)...Kalas...I wouldn't say there is 'no doubt' at all.

[Blue Armour 4,158]

@Kojo,

This isn't Fifa or Football Manager. Just because you're young doesn't mean you have special hidden away powers which are only unlocked once you reach a certain level/age. He's not 12. He's not still learning about football. "No one gave Lukaku a chance" is probably the most false statement I've seen on here this year so far. "We are way too impatient no wonder we don't have any good youth products recently, we just want rid of our young players." - I doubt my or any other fan's patience has anything to do with the board deciding which young players get their chance here or not. The comment about him being a very good player if he leaves and joins somewhere else is a complete guess and variable. As for being a deep player, he's played deep probably less than 10 times in his club career, so that can't really be said with such conviction. He's not even playing a deep role at his current club. He's either been used out wide, behind the striker or in a normal central role. I see this post as one of those ones which sound very nice and supportive of a player with the typical "HE SHOWZ SKILLS AT YOUNG AGE SO HE WILL BE BEST IN WORLD SOME DAY, JUST GIVE HIM TIME." but with little to no substance, sorry.

Lol...then I suppose "late bloomers" are a myth...

[CHOULO19 24,332]

Can we keep the discussion a bit more civil, please?

Funny part is, it turns out he had a very good game after all: http://m.guardian.co.uk/football/2013/feb/12/middlesbrough-leeds-united-championship

[Rambo 1,729]

Chalobah is our boy. He is the one who is working hard, improving game by game, and deserves to be our holy grail of youth players.

It sounds like I'm being harsh on Josh as I'm pretty much just listing negatives, but really, outside of his passing/vision, what is there to praise? There's no work rate to comment on, no visible determination or want to better himself, tackling ability, pace, stamina, tactical awareness etc. You gotta take the blue tinted glasses off sometimes.

Not to discredit Chalobah in anyway but what does he have to do with Josh's development? Why do we need to have a "holy grail" of youth players? I'm not denying that Josh doesn't have flaws in his game but that will come with experience and I hope he can get a loan spell to a EPL team next year so he can mature as a player.

[Leif 6,006]

Lol...then I suppose "late bloomers" are a myth...

I said "just because you're young" while referring to something in relation to age and development not being set in stone and coinciding with eachother. I didn't say "it is impossible to be a late bloomer in life. it does not exist. no one has ever been a late bloomer in history" or anything of the sort, or did i? "Lol".

[Leif 6,006]

Not to discredit Chalobah in anyway but what does he have to do with Josh's development? Why do we need to have a "holy grail" of youth players? I'm not denying that Josh doesn't have flaws in his game but that will come with experience and I hope he can get a loan spell to a EPL team next year so he can mature as a player.

I didn't say we need to have a holy grail of youth players. We already have a fan-chosen one in Josh which I think long time followers of the club can't deny at all, so since we already have a holy grail in place, I was putting forward that perhaps Chalobah deserves that title more than Josh when we compare the development of the two. I wasn't at any point saying having a holy grail type player is a good or necessary thing.

[Rambo 1,729]

I didn't say we need to have a holy grail of youth players. We already have a fan-chosen one in Josh which I think long time followers of the club can't deny at all, so since we already have a holy grail in place, I was putting forward that perhaps Chalobah deserves that title more than Josh when we compare the development of the two. I wasn't at any point saying having a holy grail type player is a good or necessary thing.

That's just your opinion. They're both very talented for their age and still have a long way to go to make it as a regular here at Chelsea.