Everton U23s thrashed by Champions Manchester City

Their low ranking affected by the club pushing more teenagers into the side.

Malaise at all levels. Just due to the way the Club is being run. Good luck tonight.

If double relegation wasn’t enough to demonstrate the complete rot at the heart of the club, I don’t know what is.

#KenwrightOut #MoshiriOut

Gary 3

I think team ranking at this level isn't necessarily indicative of actual performance in terms of development. Chelsea are below us and yet few would say they don't have good youngsters it is just their 18-23 year olds are in their first team or out on loan.

Just got in the ground a fair few here.

City are the winners of this League, so it will be interesting to see if they are in holiday mode or not.

Hopefully Everton put up a fight.

UTFT!

Hmmm… so City blokes seem to think it's a good thing to win their league trophies. How fucken deluded can you get?

This is our team on our official blog.

The Everton side for tonight's match at the Etihad: Tyrer, Mills, Campbell, Astley, Welch, Butterfield, Price, Whitaker, Cannon, Lawrence, Dobbin

Everton good on the counter, and have come close hitting the bar and a shot off the line.

Shocking corner, who was that?

Standards have really gone to pot since Unsworth up and left.

1-0, City, a bit of luck Everton could have had 3 goals.

City clinical finish. Looks like a tough night she'd.

Michael

I'm surprised since his deputies who took over were the cream of the crop among coaches and not just like his mates.

Guardiola said that Man City made that much money from the sale of players from their academy that it allowed them to go and sign Jack Grealish from Villa.

Dear me, senior team are shite and going down, U23s are rubbish and going down, Everton Ladies are having a horrible year...

What a time to be a Bluenose...!!

3-0, and tbh, they could have had 6.

A younger version of their first team.

Three brilliant goals to be honest, unstoppable, don’t know the ages of the City players but Everton have very young players in their team tonight.

We are advertising for a top coach to take over the Academy today, better late than never!!

The good news is that Arsenal U23s are beating Leeds Utd 1-0 at half-time, a result which would keep Leeds below Everton and keep us safe from the dreaded relegation.

I remember going on as a sub against City, at the old Maine Road, when they had to win, to win the old Central League. They were flying, I remember one player putting backspin on one of his passes, helping to deceive our keeper into giving away a penalty, and at 17 years of age, my only thought was “How am I going to get to this level?”

A few months later, I remember getting MotM against City, in another reserve game, and think this is what happens with young footballers.

Everton have got some good young players, but they've all been thrown in at the deep end together, and this has obviously made it a much more difficult season because of this.

Let them get the summer out of the way, I think a lot of young kids develop physically during the close season, and let's see how they come back next season, now they've got a bit more experience?

4-0, no complaints – these are a very good U23 team for City.

Leeds now beating Arsenal 2-1, it never rains but it pours!!

7-0,

Leeds are beating Arsenal 2-1.

Delap, Palmer, McAtee, Lavia, Kayky and Edozie would all be in or around our first team.

Palmer and McAtee are lovely footballers. Unfortunately we've nothing like that in our ranks. Possibly Metcalfe.

It also appears that we don’t have anyone teaching the younger players to “really love the ball” or maybe the standard has dropped since Unsworth left.

Dave, stop posting that shit.

It's Arsenal 1 - 1 Leeds Utd.

Dave, you naughty bugger, why post that?

As if things weren't bad enough.

Get yer bloody beads out and beg for forgiveness!

And that’s the Final score Arsenal 1-1 Leeds.
So we're safe from relegation… err well the u23s are!

How’s the women’s team doing.

Tony # 25. I hope some of our lads have your determination. That will stand them in good stead and despite this drubbing a few should have good careers.

Sad though because I think with a few of them they have real talent - but we approach the game as you would an amateur game and it doesn't help them showcase their talent.

No passing triangles. No structured movement of the ball up the pitch. No organisation in any attacking sense.

The kids at City will be coached along the lines of the grid used at La Masia which enables progression of the ball up the pitch, overloads, passing triangles and balls across the 6 yard box from wide positions.

Why not us?

The clue is in the name of the game.

Football.

Take care of the football and impact or influence the game of football.

I'm probably being to simplistic, but control the football, you control the game.

Brian #29, they are shite as well but safe from relegation so actually pretty good

Michael (26-27), Not guilty your honour, I honestly would never knowingly post wrong information, especially if it was bad news.

On another website it said Leeds have now equalised and they have scored again to lead 2-1, I posted that in good faith, in fact Leeds scored in the 84th. minute to make it 2-1 but the goal was disallowed, thankfully, but that disallowed goal wasn’t reported until later in the thread, so apologies if I upset anyone but it was definitely not intended.

We beat them earlier in the season but they took the piss, tonight, after a decent start, by Everton.

Some of of the City players could make good careers in football, if they keep their application and focus.

But now for Chelsea.
UTFT!

Paul, absolutely we can beat this lot, come on blues.

UTFT

City (and Liverpool) have showed how investment into a club should be spent. Elite club now, with excellent professionals and a consistency of style and excellence at all levels. Admittedly they may have had richer benefactors but the contrast is damning.

Over to you Kevin Thelwell!!!

Tony Abrahams

That City game you mentioned. Was that in the era of Paul Lake, Ian Brightwell, Redmond, Hinchcliffe etc I remember that group pre-dated Fergies fledglings are we’re rated similarly but never quite made it. I can’t remember the term the media came up with for Mel Machin but it was akin to Busbys babes. I remember you mentioning Gary Crosby so it’s roughly the era but maybe they were a year or two before your time.

Neil, deffo mate, Everton can do it, for sure.

I don't think Thomas Touchel is coached to meet the most partizan UK crowd, and he will find out what the soul, in football terms, is about this weekend.

UTFT!

Those who tend that standards have dropped since Unsworth left, fair play.

I think it's improved.

I'd say the players – albeit late, far too late – are now trying to use the ball and move off the ball better, but it's work in progress.

Tonight, Man City put on a show, Everton showed some rays of hope but, compared to the first game in November 2021 when, Everton beat this team, the ravages of a very tough season, have taken the toll.

But the lads stuck at it, but serious questions about the coaching at Finch Farm, as many have raised for donkey's years, is a good positioning point.

There's a massive gap, but starting late in the best practice and techniques, is better than never.

If Everton stay up, then they've earned it.

Kieran it was the day after Everton won the league at Norwich City, mate. Funny, I had to carry the skips back to the coach, which was parked on the concourse, outside the main entrance after the game. Loads of young lads had congregated and were giving us a little bit of stick, and although normally I’d have responded, I couldn’t let them hear my scouse accent, and I think I made the right choice, because a few minutes later one of our coach windows was smashed, after a brick was thrown!

I think Everton get coached to win from a very early age Robert. I also don’t think there is anything wrong with this unless it gets in the way of nurturing talent.

Look at results from tournaments, Everton’s younger teams always do very well, so if they are winning, they must have talented kids, which is why I personally think that, the initial recruitment is not the real problem?

Tony I don't think initial recruitment is the problem either. Our 7 year olds are probably as good as anyone's.

But being coached to win youth football matches does not equate to good coaching. I think it does get in the way of nurturing talent.

It equates to finding a simple formula to win youth matches:

- physical attributes often beats technical ability

- score goals from counter attacks and set pieces

- force opposition mistakes

You can see all of that in evidence in our u23s.

There is a bit of token (and stressful to watch) playing out from the back but that is our only consistent commitment to use of the ball in possession.

Players like Whitaker and Dobbin are good footballers and probably could have held their own in that Man City side. Welch, Campbell and one or two others too maybe.

The difference is that the City players are drilled in the things that allow them to win by using the ball properly.

Highly rated Emilio Lawrence must be wondering whether it's a good idea to get out now and learn how to use the ball properly.

Sam is right that City and others have invested in this (and the rewards are evident) but I wonder how the investment compares to, say, our investment in a player like Iwobi or Tosun (where it really wouldn't have been hard to get a player as good for 1/4 of the price).

You write what I have felt for a very long time now Robert. Many years ago my partners son was playing an under 10’S game at finch farm, and Everton won because they had better players. It was all strength and individual talent though, and I was very surprised that the coaches, never had them passing and trying to keep the ball, once they had a good lead, and this just appeared very lazy to me at the time.

Telling a kid to pass the ball, when he’s got the strength or ability to do it all by himself won’t be easy, but how are they going to truly learn, if you don’t?

I think at Everton and possibly other clubs they look at the coaching badges the coaches have got and appoint them then find out later their ability doesn't amount to all that much, like Robert (42) I found it stressful to watch Everton's U23s more often than not.

Growing up older fella's would always tell me “Let the ball do the work” watching Everton's teams at all levels that poor ball gets worked to death just going from the penalty area to the half-way line then gets passed all the way back to Pickford to starts the process again.

How did Busby, Catterick, Shankly, Nicholson, Clough and many other managers do so well without these coaching badges? It will be interesting to see how Unsworth prospers now with his badges.

I am a scratched record on this. If you focus on results at youth level, you are not focussing on coaching or development. You are feeding your own ego. Results really don't matter at youth level.

I was out with the wife and dogs this morning and starting ranting because I was watching the local teams going through their training.

I almost wanted to go over and take over. Coaching? Sending them around the pitch and then run up and down in a straight line. When do you play football in a straight line? Press ups. Not once did I see them working with a football. When I coached, the warm ups were always based around the ball. Mini matches with emphasis on tempo to keep the ball or press to win it back. Work harder off the ball than on it, but be comfortable when you have it. I watched blokes shouting instructions that they probably could carry out themselves and just sent the lads running around a pitch whilst they

I got told to shut up and leave it by my better half. But it frustrates the hell out of me.