Under-23s score handsome win over Derby

Simms goal puts U23s ahead.

Brent, did you say the other day supporters were allowed to attend tonight, or has that all gone out the window again with the government vetoing spectator attendance last week?

Just wonder if by chance you are there, or if you've got a feed to the game. Probably only via the Derby website if so!

https://www.dcfc.co.uk/fixtures/results/2020/09/28/everton-v-u23

Just need to quickly enrol then free access.

Bowler hits the post!

Excellent, Brent!

Got it.

Thanks.

Everton had the best of the first 15 mins. Derby more in it the next 15. Everton better again final 15 of first half. Bowler by far the best on the pitch and scored after about 10 minutes. No real scares for Everton defence. Some nice touches by Hughes this half.

Sorry - Simms goal! Bowler almost!

We looked well on top from what I saw Brent. Hughes and Bowler always a threat when they got on the ball. Both sides trying to play it out from the back. Everton closing down on that more effectively than Derby.

Although Derby is a Championship side, they always compete well in PL2.

Keep them coming Brent, where is Iverson playing and how is he doing?

I'm quietly impressed with both Hughes and Iversen Brent, both haveI developed a lot in past year and I think will be key midfielders for us once some more players go on loan.

Try and get yourself on to Brent's link to watch the 2nd half of the U-23s v Derby:

Everton U-23s v Derby U-23s

If you need to register, make stuff up as necessary. It worked for me!

Dave. Iversen in midfield. Playing well as Phill says. Hughes had some really elegant touches. Bowler outstanding though.

Jay that worked for me as well - using your details!

Dave, try this link that Brent put up elsewhere.

Everton U-23s v Derby U-23s

Just make up your details if you need to register. Worked for me!

And as that cheeky booger Brent also said elsewhere, it worked for him too...using my details!

Anderson goal.

2-0 Joe Anderson cracker right at the start of the 2nd half.

Haha, put your details in Jay, I've used the same login for the last 3 seasons, they never bother me with junk . I usually visit twice per year!

Jay, I know it's off topic but where did the Pickford thread go. Any ideas?

Derby score from free kick.

Keeper I think should have saved it.

That's a surprising mistake from Harry Tyrer, most unlike him

Bowler goal.

Agree Brent. I think Harry will be disappointed by that. Seemed to misjudge the flight and made no attempt to keep it out. Unlike him.

Hats off to Josh.

Derby defence opened like the Red Sea there Brent for Bowler's goal.

'Hats off to Josh [Bowler].'

You just HAVE to ruin the moment, don't you Brent?

What a groaner!

Onyango on for Hughes.

Onyango on for Hughes. He was very good against Leicester the other night.

Can't help it Jay! A flat hat joke.

Arsenal ahead!!

Brent (30) - good - but I think a draw will suit us best.

Hugh it didn't last long. Them are now level.

Brent - LOL - yeas - I think it happened whilst I was typing.

Just hope it stays like that.

Spoke too soon Hugh.

Simms goal from great Astley pass.

Simms. 4-1. Clinical.

Pennington off the bar.

Well quite a comfortable win. A real mix of youth and experience in the side.

Another very professional performance.

The Derby commentators saying numerous times how buoyant Everton is looking and feeling these days across all age groups.

Some good performances there, Bowler and Simms of course vying for MoM. The player I keep an anxious eye on is Ryan Astley. He's a super ball-playing centre-back, I worry he may miss out on physicality. But, in the last two games, he's hardly put a foot wrong, apart from the odd booking.

I noticed tonight he clipped the ball forward with his left foot a few times, he's been almost exclusively right-footed in the past so that's new, his left foot pass into midfield was picked up and sent to Simms for that final chance he had in injury time. Much more typical is his slide rule side foot pass with his right, like the one which set up Simms for his second.

Overall another very encouraging performance, nice to see Tom Cannon coming on too.

Thanks for the running updates - I'll check out the highlights.

Agree about Astley, now starting to perform well in his proper position at centre half after his introduction to this level at right back. I also thought Beni played well and definite signs that he is recovering his form and confidence. Simms again confirming that he is a natural finisher and Bowler is too good for Under23 level.

Having watched this game and last week's against Leicester, there is no doubt that Unsworth knows how to set up and motivate a team. Both Derby and Leicester provided spirited opposition but eventually were worn down and in the end, well beaten.

In your face, Derby County U23s.

Seriously though, this is a cracking result. Good job David Unsworth for yet another rebuild underway. Would love to see Simms get some minutes in the first team this season to build on his place on the bench at the end of last. I guess it will come if he just keeps scoring.

Is there hope yet for Bowler? I assumed he'd be off on loan or leave. Too good for U23s, not quite good enough for us?

Pennington still in U23s he's 26 next week... Deary, deary me...

Anthony

Get your point but I've a soft spot for Penno after his derby goal

It really is something though when you have to register on another club's site to watch the game. Seems very amateurish. Happens a lot. Come on Everton, you can do better in promoting your younger players.

In my opinion, any player who is over 19 needs to be playing in men's football not playing in U23s football and the reason they are all still there is quite simple they are not good enough... Pennington, Connolly, Ouzounidis, Baningime Bowler etc are just blocking up the system.

Hopefully they will all be gone soon then again if nobody wants them they will be playing U23s all season. I am sorry but for me this is not development we need a younger team, young players need to be playing not this over the hill mob...

Anthony, I think it is well recognised that the U23s needs a restructure and that is already underway.

Of those 20 or over I think its expected that only Ouzounidis will stay. He's the youngest anyway at 20.

The fact that Pennington and Garbutt etc spent so long at this level is that we were skint and hoping they would do an Osman and come good a bit later on. Their long contracts were cheap compared with buying players in. It didn't work.

We're not skint now, the U23s already has a better look about it and the most talented from the U18s are getting long contracts.

For the time being, Bowler and others are helping the transition of responsibility over to the younger lot like Simms. The older lot will then depart on loan etc to free up spaces for the youngsters to step into.

The loans are not generally a development thing for Bowler etc. They happen because clubs lower down the leagues can't afford to buy. I don't expect any of those over 20 to play for our first team.

Brian (46), well Brian they are certainly taking their time in providing a service they advertise every season, and some fans pay for, and do very little to put into practice.

Robert (48) I think Pennington has paid for himself, one of his loan deals with Leeds Unt. I think, was worth £500,000 according to reports at the time and he has had a few more loans as welll.

Very brief highlights of the goals from last night on the club site.

Everton U-23s v Derby U-23s

A little confusing for those of us who watched it live on the Derby County website last night as their cameras shot the action from the opposite side of the pitch.

Nice one touch football by Everton sets up the first for Simms. These images fail to even get Joe Anderson in camera for his thunderous goal at the start of the second half.

The perspective of the Derby goal gives the appearance keeper Harry Tyrer is too far over to his left and the ball flies into the opposite corner, whereas the Derby images showed the ball actually passes over his head and he is seemingly deceived by the flight, doesn't raise his hands and the ball dips in under the bar.

Both Bowler and Simms very tidy in their finishes for the 3rd and 4th goals. It was a very professional performance by the team again last night, replicating a similar level of performance v Leicester on Friday.

Talking of player development, there is a very good interview with Denis Bergkamp on the BBC about his own early development, the Ajax philosophy to youth development and his take on things today compared to yesteryear.

A very good read which will resonate with many, I'm sure:

Bergkamp's Football Philosophy & The Future of The Game

He talks of:

* 'bridging the two islands' between 1st team football and the academy
* how players are built of four parts - a tactical side, a technical side, a physical side and a mental side. You need all four parts working at a high level to succeed as a professional footballer
* clever strategies employed to iron out faults in a young players game
* too much structured coaching to the detriment of a young players natural ability and inventiveness
* an over-reliance on stats to determine the contribution a player makes

A good read. Recommended.

Could Pennington have possibly been playing due to orders from Carlo as a way to check him ahead of the West Ham cup tie?

Over the hill at 21.. I thought I had heard it all!

Many players, past and present thankfully ignored such rubbish. Baines, Jags, Osman, Duncan, De gea, Southall, Vardy, Henry, Scholes, Becks and many more looked very average whilst under 21 years of age.

Agree Penningtons 'development' is now too late at the top level but he's good enough for championship / league one and then who knows?

Sadly bad injures at the crucial ages between 18-22 stunted his progress and may have took a yard of pace away from him. But what a goal!

Barkley and Lookman both out onloan now, how the mighty have fallen, could Moise Kean add to the list of can do better elsewhere.

Brian, apparently Lookman started only ONE game all season for Leipzig following his permanent transfer. I think that confirms everything that was rumoured towards the end of his time here.

Justin, no, Pennington recovered from his early injury problems -- remember he was in our first-team starting lineup as recently as April 2017, and he had excellent pace. He just lacked physicality and a bit of composure.

Unfortunately his last two Championship clubs have been relegated -- although he was a POY candidate at Ipswich before injuring his ankle -- and he was in the Hull defense that gave up 7 first-half goals to Wigan in July. It would appear League 1 is now his future.

Re. Lookman and Barkley. Nice to see their careers going so well after their departures from EFC. Lookman goes to the relegation fodder of 2020-21, and Barkley to be the waterboy for the overblown Grealish. And then what in a year's time? Funny how not many of these want-aways ever make that much progress!

Pennington I suspect was viewed as borderline long-term first team squad when he was sent out on loan to Ipswich. The two loan spells and extra playing time seem to have shown him up as decent but not really prem material. A bit like Peter Clarke back in the day. But as Dave Abrahams said, financially we probably made money on him and I think he was good enough to at least deserve a shot. Just wasn't quite at the level needed.

Trevor, any need for such scorn?

You could look at both as being huge failures of EFC. Lookman wanted away and rightly so. We never so much as gave him a chance, a few sub appearances here and there. He was excellent at his first spell in Germany, but when he went back he found he was at a team that had progressed whilst he had regressed over the previous 12 months. If he had stayed at Leipzig, he probably would have had much better time of it.

Barkley again, talented but injuries have taken their toll. And when he was a talent that we could have built the midfield around, we spent 45 million on someone not as good and built it around him.

Fran #59, you can't blame injuries for Barkley's failure at Chelsea. He was entirely healthy for two seasons until chipping a bone in his foot last winter, and he's been entirely health for the 20 games they've played in 2020. He just hasn't been good enough. In fact, his performance against us in March was the best game he has played.

He's now 26, in what should be the prime of his career, and he's been dumped on Villa. For all his talent, he just doesn't have what it takes.