Season › 2012-13 › News Another month for Bidwell at Brentford , TalkSport , 6 March, 11comments | Jump to most recent Jake Bidwell, who has been on loan with Brentford since September, will stay at the club for at least another month after his loan was extended through 6 April. Quotes or other material sourced from TalkSport Reader Comments (11) Note: the following content is not moderated or vetted by the site owners at the time of submission. Comments are the responsibility of the poster. Disclaimer Richard Dodd 1 Posted 06/03/2013 at 18:17:07 The absence of a proper `reserve` league means that young players have to be despatched to lower league teams for match play and once off the premises (and, I suspect, off the payroll), they tend to get forgotten. I don`t know the rules about the Under-21 competition but I guess there is a limit on the number of `overage` players who can be used in a match so fringe players get little chance to show their skills. And it shows when they come into the Prem team.Not too many of the dozens of kids who have gone out on loan in recent years have ever been heard of again, so I hope Jake doesn`t get his hopes up too much! Mike Gaynes 2 Posted 06/03/2013 at 18:32:35 I think this is great for Bidwell. Brentford is a promotion contender for the first time in years, and Bidwell has an excellent opportunity to be bloodied in real playoff pressure for the first time. He'll have a chance to mature in a hurry.Another Blue, Adam Forshaw, is a regular for Brentford and has helped drive their success -- only six losses in 35 league games, and 140 minutes all square with Chelsea in the FA Cup.I wish 'em well, especially for my neighbor the Brentford supporter! Richard Dodd 3 Posted 06/03/2013 at 19:11:51 I thought Forshaw got bombed by Blues last season, Mike, but can`t find any record of him on TW transfer lists or anywhere else, in fact! James Flynn 4 Posted 06/03/2013 at 20:55:17 Has anyone in here seen Bidwell a few times? I'd be interested in opinions on his ability. Ian Bennett 5 Posted 06/03/2013 at 21:03:52 James I've seen him play a couple of games in Widnes. Slightly agricultural left back/ left centre back in comparison to the more nimble Garbutt. He's a lad that can handle himself, but probably not in the top divisions from what I saw. In relation to the above, I liked Forshaw. If your not local, James Wallace is doing well at Tanmere although has just got injured. He looks like he could play in the Championship (and yes we have a sell on fee). Michael Kenrick 6 Posted 06/03/2013 at 21:14:03 Richard, As listed in the ToffeeWeb Player Profile for Adam Forshaw, he joined Brentford on a two-year deal at the end of last season. The revamping of the Reserves this season as the Under-21s was supposed to boost their profile, increase competition among the clubs, and increase spectator interest. Part of the plan was to force clubs to no longer play Reserves/U21 games at training grounds but incredibly Everton got away with playing half their season at Finch Farm before the recent deal with Southport. As for over-age players, there is some provision for them and for seniors playing their way back from injury. But you're dead right about the fate of players who go out on loan: the vast majority end up leaving. James Flynn 7 Posted 06/03/2013 at 23:24:52 Ian - Thanks.Is he athlete enough to contribute well? They don't all have to be great. Mike Gaynes 8 Posted 06/03/2013 at 23:34:42 Richard and Michael, I did know Forshaw has been released... but on the once-a-Blue-always-a-Blue pinciple, I still consider him one and pull for him accordingly.Ian, thanks for the scouting report on Bidwell... having seen him twice for Brentford I had a higher opinion of his speed, but I bow to your more thorough view.And speaking of ex-Blues, anybody see James Vaughan's overhead kick goal last weekend? Outstanding. Richard Dodd 9 Posted 07/03/2013 at 09:28:16 Thanks, Michael, sorry I missed the Forshaw note.In common with most match-going Evertonians, I don`t watch the Under-21s although with them now playing up the road, I must make the effort.So very few of these lads come through – and so much is at stake that`s understandable (just look at Villa`s struggles, playing kids this season) that it almost seems a pointless and costly exercise.Do other clubs have more `graduates`? Michael Kenrick 10 Posted 07/03/2013 at 16:04:18 I'm afraid I haven't tracked the 'development' stats for the other 19 Premier League clubs, Richard. But I suspect most of us could name the handful of homegrown lads who 'graduate' to regular Premier League football as newbies each season... it ain't that many. And they have to be really good to compete with – never mind shine above the constant stream of foreign talent being shoehorned into the 25-man squads....I think it's been 2¾ seasons now that the rules limiting squad size and encouraging the advancement of homegrown players have been in place. Has anyone seen any studies on how successful that has been in practice??? Ian Bennett 11 Posted 07/03/2013 at 19:41:38 He's pacy enough. I was talking more about technique/feet, which is what a modern full back is all about. He seemed tough enough, so I would see him having a good career from football, but probably not enough for the top leagues.I see that we are being linked with Eric Dier again. I thought he looked a really talented centre half in the couple if games I saw. Really composed. Add Your Comments In order to post a comment, you need to be logged in as a registered user of the site. » Log in now Or Sign up as a ToffeeWeb Member — it's free, takes just a few minutes and will allow you to post your comments on articles and Talking Points submissions across the site. About these ads