The Bluebirds Academy and DVP thread...

[thehumblegringo]

I know these kids are far too young to affect our first team but having read how the academy has "been badly run for years" blah blah blah I just want to comment how well some of the younger kids have been doing of late.

On Sunday the younger groups played Swansea in year of birth games (the European system)

2008 won 14-13
2007 won 11-1
2006 won 6-2
2005 won 8-0

The week before the under 14s went to arsenal and won 4-1 against a team featuring the next wonder kid Omari Hutchinson.
The same day the u11s beat Arsenal 9-1 a result that is unheard of by any team against Arsenal.

[the other bob wilson]

I know these kids are far too young to affect our first team but having read how the academy has "been badly run for years" blah blah blah I just want to comment how well some of the younger kids have been doing of late.

On Sunday the younger groups played Swansea in year of birth games (the European system)

2008 won 14-13
2007 won 11-1
2006 won 6-2
2005 won 8-0

The week before the under 14s went to arsenal and won 4-1 against a team featuring the next wonder kid Omari Hutchinson.
The same day the u11s beat Arsenal 9-1 a result that is unheard of by any team against Arsenal.

What a great series of results .

Just to say that it's been confirmed on Twitter that the Development team game scheduled for tomorrow against Blackburn in the Premier League Cup will go ahead at Leckwith with a kick off time of 12 o clock.

[Loramski]

What a great series of results .

Just to say that it's been confirmed on Twitter that the Development team game scheduled for tomorrow against Blackburn in the Premier League Cup will go ahead at Leckwith with a kick off time of 12 o clock.

It's a shame City didn't start playing till 12.15. They were 2-0 down by then and never looked like getting back into it, finished 3-0 but it could've been worse. A bit like some of the early season games today, five trialists playing and a few square pegs in round holes which made it chaotic to the point where it didn't seem fair on anyone (spectators included).

Trialist Corey Watson, who looks like a midfielder, started at centre back so centre half Connor Young started in centre mid. Once Watson had been bullied off the ball for their second goal they swapped places but the damage had been done. Another trialist, Michael Gyasi, couldn't get in the game on the right wing and both him and Watson were subbed at half time. Gyasi might have been happier in centre mid but Mark Harris was there, making no impression at all having looked good up front last week. Ogo Obi played up front this week and made no impression himself. Only in the last ten minutes did all our players find positions they looked comfortable with and we played some nice stuff then with Harris coming alive having moved forward.

I don't want to pre-empt TOBW's blog too much but there's definitely a big change in the style of play at that level. The playing out from the back and short passing moves have largely gone, there's a recognisable similarity between their style of play and the first team's which is logical I suppose. The problem today (not helped by a strong wind) was that the quick early balls from the back were terrible, Obi tried to make so many leads from off the shoulder of the last defender but no one could put the ball into the twenty yards of space ahead of him. Not that he did much when he got the ball but it's very hard for the front three to make any impact when the service is so poor.

Blackburn were excellent but it was a bad day at the office today. Paul McKay looked good at the back again, Abbruzzese and Coxe stuck at it but there was a lack of quality all round.