[quote author=Delinquent link=topic=44934.msg1317919#msg1317919 date=1303207127]
[quote author=peterhague link=topic=44934.msg1317905#msg1317905 date=1303204990]
i'm pretty certain that rafa would've been more cautious than dalglish has, but nevertheless i still think people always underestimate his willingness to give youngsters a chance. firstly, throughout his time here he never once had a youngster come through of the highest quality, but even so there were usually a couple in and around the squad. insua, ngog and lucas are just 3 of the more obvious and recent examples.
to suggest he'd never have given these newer lads a chance after constantly placing SO much emphasis on reforming the youth system is a tad ridiculous imo.
[/quote]
While Rafa spent a great deal of time and effort improving the quality in the academy (and should be commended for that), he didn't have a great record when it came to them making the transition to the first team. Now, you could point to a lack of quality there, but when you look at the number of underperforming first team players, and you see the likes of Kelly, Spearing, Flannaghan, and Robinson coming in and giving good accounts of themselves, it does make you wonder whether Rafa was perhaps a little reluctant, or, as you say, cautious, when it came to giving youth a chance.
I also think there is a legitimate case to be made that Kenny is the better man to bed youngsters into the team. Just look at the way he handled the situation with Flannaghan and Carragher the other day. He is constantly talking to them, reassuring them, complimenting them in his post-match comments. He does everything he can to take the pressure off them. What's more, Dalglish is a warm, compassionate man, and I think that can be of enormous benefit to youngsters when making the step up. It almost makes you wonder how Insua might have progressed under his tutorship (although I suspect that Dalglish would not have sold Riise and replaced him with a fat, homesick Italian, thereby making Insua first choice by default).
[/quote]But the youth players that Rafa had at his disposal were shit Del. Thats the whole point. He tried to promote youth but the players werent there (robinson and flanagan were 15 and 16) so he set about overhauling the youth system.
I think Rafa did everything he could to promote youth. This is his legacy.
[quote author=peterhague link=topic=44934.msg1317905#msg1317905 date=1303204990]
i'm pretty certain that rafa would've been more cautious than dalglish has, but nevertheless i still think people always underestimate his willingness to give youngsters a chance. firstly, throughout his time here he never once had a youngster come through of the highest quality, but even so there were usually a couple in and around the squad. insua, ngog and lucas are just 3 of the more obvious and recent examples.
to suggest he'd never have given these newer lads a chance after constantly placing SO much emphasis on reforming the youth system is a tad ridiculous imo.
[/quote]
While Rafa spent a great deal of time and effort improving the quality in the academy (and should be commended for that), he didn't have a great record when it came to them making the transition to the first team. Now, you could point to a lack of quality there, but when you look at the number of underperforming first team players, and you see the likes of Kelly, Spearing, Flannaghan, and Robinson coming in and giving good accounts of themselves, it does make you wonder whether Rafa was perhaps a little reluctant, or, as you say, cautious, when it came to giving youth a chance.
I also think there is a legitimate case to be made that Kenny is the better man to bed youngsters into the team. Just look at the way he handled the situation with Flannaghan and Carragher the other day. He is constantly talking to them, reassuring them, complimenting them in his post-match comments. He does everything he can to take the pressure off them. What's more, Dalglish is a warm, compassionate man, and I think that can be of enormous benefit to youngsters when making the step up. It almost makes you wonder how Insua might have progressed under his tutorship (although I suspect that Dalglish would not have sold Riise and replaced him with a fat, homesick Italian, thereby making Insua first choice by default).
[/quote]But the youth players that Rafa had at his disposal were shit Del. Thats the whole point. He tried to promote youth but the players werent there (robinson and flanagan were 15 and 16) so he set about overhauling the youth system.
I think Rafa did everything he could to promote youth. This is his legacy.
