Eliot Goldthorp

It’s sad that these days we never get to see our better young players develop. Instead Rhodes likes to sell them on without them hardly playing for us. Imagine if Stafford Heginbotham had done that with a young Stuart McCall. I remember Jack Charltons Newcastle making a 100k bid when he’d hardly played for us. Rhodes would have snapped their hand off.

 

We seem to panic when we get any interest in our young players.
The philosophy seems to be " Sold as seen ".
Smacks of a lack of ambition by us but, eh oh we are what and where we are.

 

It says a trial, so no guarantee it’s permanent.

However let’s bring some reality. If you’re a young player of his age, are you more attracted to a big club like Sunderland with the set up, facilities and opportunities open to him.......or us?

We may be able to offer first team football sooner, but with the success of our playing squad over the past two seasons, if I were him I know where I would be going to further my career.

 

Nah I would stay here and get into the first team then make a move.

 

Rhodes always does this though.

Do we have s fish tank? We will be selling the fish tank next.

Rupp and Rhodes will bleed us dry.

 

Bloody Parky pinching our good young lads.

 

Strange one this. He has only just gone to Matlock on loan. A couple of other low key loans earlier this season, and now Sunderland interested enough to offer a trial.

 

It would be nice to see one (or more) of our own lads coming through.

Devine - seems to late for him
Goldthorp - gone to Sunderland
Sykes-Kenworthy - every manager says he's a prospect
Staunton -???

Clearly, as a young player, there's no need to stay around at City. Get no real chances in the first team. Best to just try and do your best and get a move to a Sunderland or Barnsley (like DMH) and get on with your career.

 

This happens under Rhodes watch!

When Rhodes and Lawn had no money. It shouldn't be happening unde Rupp but guess what? Rhodes is the CEO and Rupp isn't that interested in us( starting to view him worse than Edin) so unless Rhodes goes then this thing will continue to happen.

 

It’s happened ever since I remember. It has nothing to do with Rhodes. Fact is, our players don’t develop at City. You have been one of Devine’s biggest critics, yet had we sold him on in McCall’s first year back in his 2nd spell as manager, we’d be having the same conversation as now.

Selling on the likes of Wisdom, Delph, McBurnie etc, have brought us much more money from being sold on than any would have ever got us had they stayed in our youth team.

This is the best thing City and Goldthorp himself could do. Who would want to stay and work for the new “lead player development coach” when they have a chance of better coaching elsewhere?

 

You are correct it has been going on for years. I remember when we in financial trouble and had to sell a very young promising Simon Francis. We got a pittance and he turned into a regular in Premiership Bournemouth’s team. It is disappointing that we cannot keep and develop our good young ones.

 

When you're in the 1st team you have to produce and I had no problem with Devine getting in the 1st team but he hasn't produced.

So you saying who would want to work with Drury?

I just think we do sell too early but hey. I am not making suggestions. It is what it is!

 

But we don’t sell too early. How many times do we give contracts to players and end up releasing them because they were simply not good enough? Many people were happy for us to get ANY fee from Swansea for McBurnie and actually laughed that they had spent money on him. Had he stayed and not been sold, he would not be valued at £20m now. It’s more likely he’d have been released on a free at the end of his contract.

Two years ago, we gave contracts to GSK, Callum Gunner and Cameron Hawkes. None of which broke into the team and I believe only 1 remains at the club. We also gave a contract to Staunton. But who was the last youth player to be a regular starter in our 1st team? We simply cannot afford to turn down good offers for our youth players. History shows that players rarely break through at City and the pressure on them to hit the ground running is immense. Cashing in and getting add-ons is the right way and has been before Rhodes was ever involved in the club.

 

There are plenty of better places to be than our club. But I wouldn’t bank on going to Sunderland as a good move for the kid other than his bank balance, Parky is hardly renowned for bringing youngsters through. And training facilities only get you so far he needs first team football, if Sancho had stayed at Man City he certainly wouldn’t be in the England picture now. Go where there is first team football or the prospect of it, that would be my advice to any young player, it’ll work in the long run if they have the talent.

 

I think this is about the success we've had with promising players
we've sold previously and the initial fees plus lucrative add on's
which can amount to a sizeable total.

It's like a projected forthcoming income which often get us out of
financial scrapes.

 

We shouldn't be in financial scrapes with Mr Rupp

 

With owners that really can't afford to run the club.

We're now in div 2..so I would class it as something that works as are are not where we should be as a club.

Never known a business to be some mentally weak and just do the same old same old then wonder why they're going backwards.

 

That’s fine, however it doesn’t help us build a side to one day get in the championship. We’ve done it for years with Cleverley, Wisdom, Delph. As a club we’ve got to encourage our players that they are going to be part of our future and that we are ambitious to progress. As I said earlier McCall could have gone to Newcastle but he gave us great memories and then moved on. It would be nice to see a young player progress up the league’s with us. However the club policy now under Rhodes is to positively encourage lads to leave.

 

I agree but whether he has money or not if he won't part with it
we can get in a mess financially. Signing and over paying for players
who don't cut the mustard works wonders for mess creation!