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Trainees in the first team

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[quote author=Portly link=topic=35872.msg945707#msg945707 date=1253263033]
Fowler and McManaman only got into the first team because Graeme Souness was having terrible injury problems with the first team regulars.

Until they get a chance to perform at the top level, you never know how good they really are.
[/quote]

True. Fowler did drop some major clues by scoring about four goals a game for the reserves though.
 
[quote author=Portly link=topic=35872.msg945707#msg945707 date=1253263033]
Fowler and McManaman only got into the first team because Graeme Souness was having terrible injury problems with the first team regulars.

Until they get a chance to perform at the top level, you never know how good they really are.
[/quote]

I'm not sure about that, didn't Souness once call Fowler the best finisher at the club before he had even played for the first team. Maybe he wouldn't have made his debut as soon if it wasn't for the injuries but Souness was intending to play him.
 
[quote author=refugee link=topic=35872.msg945836#msg945836 date=1253275973]
[quote author=Portly link=topic=35872.msg945707#msg945707 date=1253263033]
Fowler and McManaman only got into the first team because Graeme Souness was having terrible injury problems with the first team regulars.

Until they get a chance to perform at the top level, you never know how good they really are.
[/quote]

I'm not sure about that, didn't Souness once call Fowler the best finisher at the club before he had even played for the first team. Maybe he wouldn't have made his debut as soon if it wasn't for the injuries but Souness was intending to play him.
[/quote]

Fowler was one of those who was already well known and expected to make the first team.

The summer before he broke through he was one of the stars of the England Under 18s team that won the European Championships, which was quite high profile at the time.

I think McManaman was in a similar position when he broke through in that he was already playing for England Under 21s.

It is fair to say though that injuries to the first team did give them their chances. McManaman certainly benefitted from Barnes being injured, and the likes of Marsh, Harkness, Hutchison, Redknapp, Jones and a few others may well have made it eventually but their chances may have come sooner than expected.

Another factor in those days, although we did moan about it at the time, was that we could only have 4 non-English players in European games. Imagine that now!
 
That's the thing with the reserves at the moment. Whilst there are quite a few promising players and a couple that, like Insua, look as though they'd immediately improve if they made the step up to the first team, there are none that absolutely stand out as being head and shoulders better than everyone else.
 
I really want Pacheco to get a chance - there is a subtlety about his game that is wasted in the reserves but might work well in the first team.
 
Rodwell will be at a top 4 club before he is 21, and will also be capped for England by then. And will go on to captain his country. There is my Hayden Mullins statement.
 
[quote author=Portly link=topic=35872.msg945873#msg945873 date=1253279791]
I really want Pacheco to get a chance - there is a subtlety about his game that is wasted in the reserves but might work well in the first team.
[/quote]

I think so too, he's definitely the sort of player that will be better simply because he's got better players around him.

I'm hoping he'll get some game time in the cups this season and make some sort of breakthrough
 
Trainees for the first team are okay for pre season training but with October around the corner the lads will need proper boots with studs as pitches start getting softer.
 
[quote author=Portly link=topic=35872.msg945707#msg945707 date=1253263033]
Fowler and McManaman only got into the first team because Graeme Souness was having terrible injury problems with the first team regulars.

Until they get a chance to perform at the top level, you never know how good they really are.
[/quote]

I think that's nonsense to be honest.

They would have got their chance regardless of injuries to the first-team regulars. That cannot be said for many of the youths in the reserve set-up currently.
 
[quote author=SaintGeorge67 link=topic=35872.msg946018#msg946018 date=1253303271]
Rodwell looks very good. Is he a scouser?
[/quote]

Yeah.

I met Baxter once.

Bit of a smug "look at me i get paid for close to fuck all" face on him, seemed alright though.
 
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