Awards announced for Academy players

Isn't Harry's mum (or some relative) on here occasionally???

Congratulations if you read this, you must be very proud of him.

I've never read or heard anything bad about Harry, I hope there's a way that he can make it in the game as it is notoriously difficult for young English goalkeepers.

All the kids are our future, specifically over the next few seasons when money will be tight. Time to stop these ludicrous transfer fees, agents fees and wages. Let's give all the kids as much game time as we can. Maybe not play them but just putting them on the bench would give them such a lift.

Chelsea have proved that unless you give the youngsters a fair crack of the whip you will never know how these kids will get on.

Kevin, I think it was Harry Tryer's sister who's been on here. He's done very well as an 18-year-old playing so many U23 games this season.

We seem to have moved on a number of older goalkeepers in recent years, giving him an opportunity at U23s, albeit with a couple of others (Hansen and Barrett) of a similar age to compete against. He still needs game time to improve so hopefully Virginia won't block his chances at U23s.

There's some cracking goals from U9 to U18 on the official site that accompanies this story, sorry I don't know how to copy them here.

Phill (3), yes it is Harry's sister who posts on here now and again, very proud of her brother. Harry himself is doing well, he had a little gimmick at saving penalties which worked although his gimmick might have been ruled out in the last lot of new rules which came out not to long ago.

Phill, I think you already know about Bobby Carroll, who won the goal of the season award. Not noted for his goalscoring, but what a cracking little team player he is, always for the team, not himself. I hope he keeps making steady progress, one well worth keeping an eye on.

Thanks Dave, that goal from Bobby Carroll was a cracking team goal. Sadly the last I saw of Carroll was him giving a thumbs up from a hospital bed following (knee?) surgery. Hopefully a full recovery for him. As you say, a busy team player, lots of promise maybe similar to Liam Walsh in size and style. I'm sure he'll make it back.

There was another young midfielder involved in Carroll's goal, smallish kid with long curly air, Lewis Warrington. Another who I think is injured but lots of potential too.

Our club is very protective, quite rightly, of the youngsters, though in the past we've put names to the age group goalscorers but not this time.

John, I'd love nothing more than a club built on our academy. It took Chelsea a long time to be in a position to do what they did last year, you can't just chance it with whatever is coming through though. There is talent there now and what looks to be a better structure now the older ones are being let go or loaned out.

John / Robert - I still think we missed a massive opportunity after the England U20 championships where we had 5 in the squad, then had Davies, Holgate, Williams, Robinson and Baningime as well.

Unfortunately we had Silva at the helm and an influx of new money where instant success was demanded, therefore they didn't get a chance.

I wonder what would have happened if the same group of players came through when we didn't have money? So many players can't bridge the gap between promising youngsters and established players, I believe it has a lot to do with game time. Unfortunately most got little of this from Silva.

There's an article published recently about the progress of that U20 team. 4 of the starters where from Everton, out of the other 7, three have represented England. That says a lot about our recent unwillingness to trust in younger players and what could happen if we did.

Kevin - Who were the 5? Kenny, Dowell, Calvert-Lewin, Lookman and who else? It wasn't Walsh was it?

It was Callum Connolly, Rob. Liam Walsh was a bit older.

Thanks, Ian. To be honest, good as those lads are, as a group they're not in the same league as Chelsea's crop of Abraham, Mount, Loftus-Cheek, James, Tomori, Gilmour and Hudson-Odoi. Calvert-Lewin compares favourably to Abraham but that's it.

They might not have been as good, but without the game time needed at a crucial stage of their development we will never know how good they might have been.

This is why I think this is a good opportunity to try out some of those in the U23s at the moment, such as Gordon, Adeniran and Baningime (as mentioned on a different thread). We can't measure players against U23s once they are 19 or 20 years old, but we offer no route to the first team as we demand instant success.

Robert #8, Liam Walsh was really unlucky in that he was initially selected for the squad in South Korea but picked up an injury at the end of the season so never made it into England's squad for the U20 World Cup.

I personally don't think he would have broken into the starting team ahead of more established players, but who knows what might have been?

Kevin (11), very good point: game time makes a big difference. Holgate and Calvert-Lewin have prospered with it; Jonjoe Kenny never got enough of it at Everton but is getting it now in Germany and hopefully he will be better for that experience.

I wouldn't play Gordon, although he might be useful coming off the bench. Adeniran and Banginime would be big risks in the coming game because of the importance of the outcome of the results, but they might surprise us. Banginime has been very unlucky with injuries and would be less of a risk.

Phill (12), Liam Walsh never got a smell of a chance at Everton, never made the bench, criminal. Injuries also had a big part in his time at Everton. In the end, he lost patience with those in charge and left for Bristol City, but stalled there. He's just won a League One Championship medal while on loan at Coventry, so he will be in the Championship next season with them or back at Bristol City. He can still make it back to the Premier League.

I'd be very pleased to see Liam Walsh climb back through the divisions like Lundstram. Very talented footballer.

The one that really sticks out though is Dowell. Most gifted of the lot but hard to see where next for him.

Thing is... Tom Davies is the best youngster that has come through in the last few years and look how much stick he gets... then it's no wonder managers are scared to give other young academy kids a chance.

There are too many negative fans who don't get behind our kids to give them the confidence to better themselves.

Catch-22.

Dave, you know I love little Liam Walsh too, but let's not forget how small he is. The odds were always stacked against him in the Premier League and perhaps he would be better suited to playing abroad. He's a great passer of the ball and has a lot of energy.

His career really did stall in the Championship so it'll be interesting to see how he does at that level next season and if he could ever step up to Premier League level.

Mark 15, that's why I think now could be a good time to try some as they won't have 40,000 people groaning and shouting abuse if they dare misplace a pass.

I still have high hopes of Baningime, a gifted young man with a lovely style of his own. It's a mystery why things failed at Wigan, was it all down to injury?

As ever with young sports people, it is his strength of mind which will determine his future.

Tony, yes Beni was injured at Wigan, after 1 game I think, and didn't play again. From the latest pics on the OS, he's back training with the first team. He certainly fitted in quickly in the first team games he played, nothing spectacular but went out and did a sound job for the team.

Tony (18),

I think Beni went to Wigan at the wrong time. He got injured early there but it wasn't serious and he was fit and ready to play. Paul Cook, the Wigan manager, liked him and rated him.

Unfortunately, Wigan became embroiled in a relegation battle and the Wigan manager wouldn't take a chance with the young Banginime. He preferred senior pros to get Wigan out of trouble, which they did.

I think Beni is a good player, but you need a bit of luck as well as skill. He hasn't had the breaks up to now. He has been training with the first team, along with Brantwaite, since football has resumed. Maybe his time has come; we certainly need someone to bolster the very frail midfield.