Promise of youth!

[red_maradona]

Saw this article the other day and made be wondered how our current bunch (of whom a lot of hype surrounds) will cope. I personally remember thinking Lindfield would be ok. Hammill and Hobbs have probably been the only ones who have done well and that was by virtue of leaving liverpool.


Threlfall sets Liverpool on way to youth glory

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Dominic Fifield at Anfield
The Guardian, Friday 14 April 2006
Article history
If this was truly a glimpse into the future then Liverpool should be buoyed. The destiny of this season's trophy is emphatically in the Merseysiders' hands after a scintillating display in grandiose surroundings doused a highly rated Manchester City side here but, with the bigger picture in mind, optimism abounds.

The success of a youth team is measured more in the number of graduates who break into the senior set-up than trophies gleaned with the juniors, yet there were indications last night that the academy is flourishing at last. City boast the most productive conveyor belt of talent in the country at present and, as favourites, this defeat represented a surprise. Liverpool, with a solitary success in this competition a decade ago, have generated another side to challenge.

The lead is theirs going into next Friday's second instalment, with promise long overdue. Back in 1996 the victorious side included Michael Owen and Jamie Carragher. Since then, the club's sparkling Kirkby academy, maintained at an annual cost of £2.5m, has struggled to produce. Indeed, since the 7-1 annihilation of Southampton in 1999 courtesy of a hat-trick from Robbie Fowler and goals from Dominic Matteo, Carragher, Owen and David Thompson, only Steven Gerrard and Stephen Warnock have maintained their places in the first team.

That had prompted frustration. Relations between Gérard Houllier and the academy director, Steve Heighway, became strained with Rafael Benítez supplementing those at Kirkby with talent from elsewhere - Jack Hobbs was signed from Lincoln, Paul Anderson from Hull and Godwin Antwi from Real Zaragoza.

"The only purpose of the academy is to produce players for the first team," said the Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry. "That means players who are going to win trophies, not help you finish fifth or sixth."

Gerrard and Carragher, watching in the stands, will have been encouraged by this display. They led early, Charlie Barnett's corner converted in front of the Kop by Robbie Threlfall with Ryan Flynn, fed by Anderson, sweeping in a slick second.

The visiting goalkeeper Laurence Matthewson did wonderfully well to deny Paul Barratt and the irrepressible Anderson, twice, from close range with Liverpool's play propelled by pace and invention to thrill the crowd of 12,744. Anderson later scissor-kicked on to the bar before Miki Roque nodded in the third.

City's Daniel Sturridge belted against the post as the hour approached and a flurry of late chances saw Antwi scramble from the line and Roberts palm away Kelvin Etuhu's low drive. City will generate similar frantic pressure next week though, for now, it is advantage Liverpool.

Liverpool Youth (4-4-2)

Roberts; Darby, Hobbs, Antwi, Threlfall; Anderson, Flynn (Spearing, 88), Barnett, Barratt; Hammill (Roque, 77), Lindfield.

Subs not used

Mimms, Ryan, Nardiello.

Man City Youth (4-4-2) Matthewson; Obeng, Williamson, Breen, Logan; Moore (Evans , 80), Johnson, Marshall, Williams; Sturridge, Etutu.

Subs not used

Vadon, Mouritsen, Daly, Clayton.

Referee M Atkinson.

 

[Modo]

The entire academy has gone through an overhaul since then.
There were some early signs that they didn't have a future at Liverpool. None of them played regularly for the England youth teams.
We've got at least 8 youth internationals in the current team with Coady captaining the U17s and the U19s. The current batch are also dominating their league despite frequent rotation from Borell.

 

[bobtkelpie]

That being said, how many of Man City's youth team have made it into the Premier League? Sturridge?

 

[Modo]

[quote author=bobtkelpie link=topic=44508.msg1298128#msg1298128 date=1299738334]
That being said, how many of Man City's youth team have made it into the Premier League? Sturridge?
[/quote]

Fa youth cup final 2006:

2005–06: Liverpool vs Manchester City (3–0, 0–2)
Liverpool

No. Position Player Stats
1 GK David Roberts
2 DF Stephen Darby View
3 DF Robbie Threlfall
4 DF Jack Hobbs View
5 DF Godwin Antwi
6 MF Charlie Barnett
7 MF Paul Barratt
8 MF Ryan Flynn
9 FW Craig Lindfield
10 MF Paul Anderson View
11 MF Adam Hammill
Sub GK Josh Mimms
Sub DF Miki Roque View
Sub MF Jimmy Ryan
Sub MF Jay Spearing
Sub FW Michael Nardiello
Manchester City

No. Position Player Stats
1 GK Laurence Matthewson
2 DF Curtis Obeng
3 DF Shaleum Logan
4 DF Sam Williamson
5 DF Garry Breen
6 MF Ashley Williams
7 MF Paul Marshall
8 MF Michael Johnson
9 MF Karl Moore
10 FW Kelvin Etuhu
11 FW Daniel Sturridge
Sub GK David Vadon
Sub DF Micah Richards View
Sub DF Michael Daly
Sub MF Christian Mouritsen
Sub FW Ched Evans
Sub Clayton
Sub S. Evans

 

[peterhague]

i remember watching those games at the time, and as easy as it is to say in hindsight, it was always more of a well-organised unit rather than a few standout performers, which is obviously what you want in a youth team. there really wasn't a single player who looked a good bet to go on and make it; paul anderson was probably the most impressive, but absolutely nowhere near the class of, say, raheem sterling.

overall, this year's team has, besides sterling: suso, jack robinson, john flanagan, conor coady and andre wisdom, all of whom look miles ahead of any of the players from that 06 team, and all, imo, with at least a 50% chance of making it.

 

[Avmenon]

Warming up in front of the Kop, losing 4-0 at Everton and training with the first-team - this and more in our latest Academy column with U18s captain Conor Coady.

It's obviously been a very disappointing week for the U18 team.

We went to Everton on Tuesday confident we could get the three points that would go some way to seeing us win Academy League Group C.

It didn't quite work out that way. We found ourselves 2-0 down early on and when they got the third just before half-time, we knew it was going to a be a big-ask to rescue something from the game.

I felt we improved after the break but still didn't do enough and they got a fourth late on to round off their victory.

It's always hard when you get beaten like that but it's especially tough to take when it's your local rivals.

We need to get it out of our systems quickly because there's another massive game at Sheffield United on Saturday.

We know we still have a chance of winning the league. It'll be a massive game in Sheffield because they have reached the Youth Cup final this season so they are going to be a strong outfit.

We need to play with a lot more desire and get back to playing the type of football that has seen us do so well this season.

We will probably have to win our remaining three matches to finish top but we have the players capable of doing that. We just have to take it game by game and give our all every minute we play on that pitch.

Rodolfo (Borrell) will have been hurt by the defeat as much as any of us but he will also know the importance of bouncing back. He'll have been on at the lads to puff their chests out and he'll have been doing a lot of work on the training pitch to make sure that it doesn't happen again.

The Mini derby loss also means it's been a bit of a mixed week for me on a personal level.

I was on the substitutes' bench for the first-team's win against Birmingham City last Saturday and that was an incredible experience.

It was the first time I had been named as a sub for a game at Anfield and I loved every second of it.

I only found out about it two hours before kick off and I was buzzing all the way through the pre-match warm-up.

It's every young lad's dream to be stretching in front of the Kop. I can't put into words how I was feeling as I ran up the touchline. You could hear the fans clapping and shouting words of encouragement. That was just incredible. I'd love to have got on in the last few minutes but it wasn't to be. I've just got to keep working hard and try to impress so that I get another chance in the future.

I know it's been said over and over again but Kenny (Dalglish) has lifted the club so much. He's got us all pulling in the same direction and the Academy lads now feel like he will give them a chance. That's brilliant to know.

You only have to look at what John Flanagan and Jack Robinson have done in recent weeks. If you are good enough, you are old enough and that's really positive for anyone looking to make the grade at Melwood.

I've actually been training with the first-team again for most of this week but there was obviously the low point of the U18s' defeat against Everton.

I've not had much chance to get in and around the lads in the U18s to help try and lift the mood as a result of that and I don't know whether I'll be involved in the Academy match or with the first-team against Newcastle.

Either way I'll be ready to give 100 per cent. Hopefully both teams will pick up the three points and end the week in the best way possible