Everton U23s play out a goalless draw at Leeds Utd

That looks like the same starting team and squad that beat Peterborough in the last game. “ Only” four u 18 players, seems almost an old team. !

Bit surprised Okoronkwo isn't playing. Enjoyed watching him in the youth cup game. Injured? Being kept in u18s?

Robert, the thinking seems to be that Kouyate is ahead of Okoronkwo at the moment I.e. he's on the bench and started the Youth Cup match. Early days for Okoronkwo.

0-0 half time quite entertaining in patches

Nice half of football from both teams.

I thought we increasingly got on top as the half progressed.

Bate, 8, and McGurk, 11, played against us in the Youth Cup last season for Chelsea and Wigan respectively. Sobering that Leeds payed more for those two then our entire first team spend in the summer. Bate was £1.5, McGurk rumoured at £1mill, throw in No 9 Sam Greenwood at £1.5 mill and a few others and this is an expensively assembled Leeds team.

15 year old Archie Gray on for Leeds, quite a talent and one to watch out for.

0-0 75 mins

Gray has looked good for Leeds. McAllister unable to get pst him just there.

Pity young Isaac didn't convert his two great chances.

Leeds mostly the better and more threatening team this half for me Phil.

Kouyate has looked impressive since coming on. And as I write that he gives the ball away to give Leeds a chance.

Great to see the young lads being given a chance. Isaac Price slowly putting on a bit of weight?

You seem to really like Isaac Price, Brent, who was definitely one of Martin Waldron's protégés, before he got the sack.

I do Tony. Too much maybe?! It's just that when he first came into U23s he was so thin and gangly it seemed, and I maybe missed his grit and and vision at times. I think he's progressing well. Who knows!

Price is filling out Brent. Great chase back and thumping tackle to cleanly win the ball in the dying minutes.

Draw probably a fair result with both keepers making decent saves.

Jay, yeah Leeds shaded that second half.

Katia Kouyate was interesting when he came on, that's the most I've seen him involved in a game, playing in a deeper midfield position.

The game kept going on and off on my iPad and when it came back on it was a stop-start sterile game that bored me stiff but I stuck at it.

Did Everton have a plan apart from defending in-depth and booting the ball, up to Cannon who had a thankless task all night playing up front on his own. I only watched the last 10 minutes of the first half and the whole of the second half, when it came on.

Don't know how anyone could enjoy playing in that game, took a lot of patience to watch it, the ball seemed to off the field as much as it was on it.

Cannon was disappointing I thought, Simms was far more proficient in the U23s at the same age. We lacked that killer touch in front of goal both from forwards and midfield.

I don't like to criticise at this level but I don't see much of a player in Cannon unfortunately. U23s looks like a step too far for him. Kouyate seems to have more about him and hence my (over) eagerness to see more of Okoronkwo.

Robert, I thought Cannon was even more mundane last season. Signs of some progress this season are relative, I guess!

Brent, in fairness to Cannon, it may be that he's not well suited to our style of play (if you can call it a style). We're not exactly sophisticated going forwards.

Very charitable, Robert! On both counts!

I thought it was interesting that our U23s find it difficult to break down stubborn teams too. Must be a gap in our coaching/style of play.

I don't think any of them stood out over the 90 minutes but Ryan Astley looked solid and Warrington had some nice touches with Harry Tyrer making a few decent saves.

Jay, I think there's two issues there. Firstly, it's so much easier to create a chance on the counter attack. So a lot of British teams operate on that basis - making them fairly hopeless at breaking down poorly skilled but well organised teams. We need to become much more ambitious with the ball at youth level. Unsworth gets blamed for a lot - but for me the biggest issue is the lack of any quick passing, one-twos and movement around the opposition box. It's mostly counter attacks and set pieces.

Secondly, British clubs overcome this inability to use the ball properly in an attacking sense by signing foreigners who have been brought up better - or the very few British players with genuine technical ability. We could do with recruiting academy players with quality in wide / forward areas. We're behind quite a few clubs on this - who have academies stocked with dutch, belgian, french etc players and others pinched from other UK academies. Over time we should be able to produce our own (as Chelsea and City are now doing) but even then we'll need to buy-in too. Not loads, because then they just stagnate instead of develop, but a few with genuine talent would be good.

Thanks to all for the run down on the youngsters.

Dave Abrahams, defending deep and booting the ball to an isolated striker with a forlorn hope. That has a familiar ring to it. Maybe we are installing as system throughout the club!! Just maybe one we would prefer not to have.

Robert. you rightfully preach to the converted.

Players coached to be comfortable, technical and ambitious with the ball, not scared of it. I salute your comments Sir.

You make a point I've been making for years, it's not necessarily that UK teams have overlooked local talent, it just hasn't been there so they've gone elsewhere to find it. Maybe and hopefully that is changing. And Everton should be trying to encourage that change by promoting and supporting grass roots football.

Robert (19) and (21), you seem undecided about Cannon, same as myself, he has proved he can score a few goals but he has a difficult job grafting on his own, he had one half-chance which he hit well but a foot over the bar, then he won the ball did well to keep hold of it waiting for some assistance.

Kouyate came up to provide the help then let the ball run under his foot to go out for a throw-in, Kouyate played for the U18s last week v Fulham, did a few good things but lost the ball far too easily and was taken off at half-time, might have been due to lack of playing time after his injury.

Simms was the same at Chelsea, he has hardly played any football this season so it was a big ask to expect him to shine in this game, so I'll use prudence before I judge him on that game.

Dave in all honesty I am decided about Cannon. I hope he manages a decent career but it won't be at Everton.

Dave in all honesty I am decided about Cannon. I hope he manages a decent career but it won't be at Everton.

Robert (27) fair enough, I just thought there was a slight difference in your two posts @ (19) and (21).