Match Thread Home vs Colchester United Sept 12th

Interesting the little love in you have for their academy and saying something we can only dream of Dennis, what is it they do that think our academy hasn't done recently? They have very very few academy products in their squad and the only player I can think of that has fetched them money is Sammy Szmodics and even then he probably didn't fetch as much as the McBurnie deal did for us.

 

I agree, set up is more advanced than city but I feel a big turnover of quality, has not been replaced at Colchester. Steve Ball is a big question mark for me.

Not sure whether Colchester will finish above City this season but the plan at Colchester is more sustainable, achievable and come the future, it may well be that as with so many cases within the football pyramid, as we speak today, that City lag further behind. Subject to us continuing with our systems and plans.

 

Having read Phil(?) Nevilles comments about their (Salfords) change in direction regarding youth development, I don't think an approach like Colchesters would work for us.
L##ds already have an impressive academy set up. Not sure about the doggies?
And across the pennines you've got clubs like Burnley, Blackburn etc.
I think we'd be feeding off scraps when trying to compete with these other set-ups

 

A cagey 1-1 draw is my prediction for the opener. Colchester one of my tips to challenge for at least a play off place

 

This is the problem when comparing us against a team with a successful youth development programme like Exeter Have. Exeter have a catchment area pretty much exclusive to themselves whereas us, as you mention, have a lot of big clubs less than an hour away. It will take years and investment for a development programme to get to the stage where parents are choosing City over bigger clubs in the area. A plan would entail the club becoming a successful gateway for youngsters into the professional ranks and not get lost in the trawler nets of the big clubs. I've known loads of parents send their kids to Leeds and Manchester only to be a number in the hundreds of kids scouted, but Daddy spend all the time deluded telling everyone his kid played for Man City or Leeds. An alternative is to look at a smaller set up where the kids have a chance to get game time due to less numbers. Hard to sway parents though when the big clubs come calling.

 

@Rogered Tart and that's exactly why Salford have taken a different approach by focussing on the 18 to 21 category. Liverpool Man Utd and Man City hoover up the young kids. So their (Salford) approach is now to cherry pick the best 18 to 21 year olds and develop them via their youth set up.

 

That's interesting as I've wondered for a while what Salfords long term strategy would look like, they weren't going to just keep throwing money at players. I'm also guessing there is a long term plan to develop an infrastructure that includes new facilties and off field eduction studies leading to qualifications to use when football is no longer the option. With the big clubs literally on their doorstep it's a very well worked out plan if that is indeed the case.

 

Sounds very Edin Rahic.

 

Rahic actually had good ideas, his ways of implementing them unfortunately were non existent whereas Salford have proper football people involved. And a billionaire which helps.

 

I was excited by his ideas when he first game out with them. I thought he was going to go down a Peterborough route and we were going to invest in exciting talent.... Instead we got Jacob Hanson

 

Any team news for tomorrow? Seems like info is pretty slow coming out of the club these days.
I'm going for:
OD
POC AOC BRE
FRENCH WOOD
COOKE WATT PRITCHARD
NOVAK GUTHRIE

French and Wood as wingbacks, Cooke being told to crack on up and down. Due to lack of info, not sure if Ismael is fit or not. If he is, then he could replace Pritchard, operating on the right, with Cooke given a more roaming role. Could be the same for Clarke - it's him or Ismael that could take Pritchards place. Although he did alright against Bolton, I thought he looked off the pace against Donny, so maybe he'll be given a subs role tomorrow.
Donaldo on the bench...sums up the lack of firepower we've got. I'd even prefer Patrick over him. Don't we have any youngster who can be promoted to the bench as back up striker?

 

If they are all fit, I'd like us to go with the team that started against Bolton, particularly if we are going with 3 at the back because I think Staunton is better in that set up than BRE.

 

I'd agree with that. Perhaps DMH for Pritchard but swap sides, obviously. Be harsh to drop French for DMH and Pritchard didn't impress me v. Doncaster.

 

I'd expect Billy Clarke to start.
Doesn't look like they have any tall forwards either so would expect Staunton to keep his spot over BRE.
Ismail should be fit but only from the bench along with DMH.

In other words, unchanged from Bolton game

 

I think city team Will be
OD
AOD. POD French
Henry wood
Watt Cooke
Clarke
Novak Guthrie

 

I think the team picked by Stuart should start