The Bluebirds Academy and DVP thread...

[the other bob wilson]

I like the way this thread works but sometimes a game deserves a thread of it's own, last night's was certainly one of those. The first goal didn't come till the 37th minute but Watford were still lucky to only concede seven. Jamie Bird seemed to be struggling for confidence, he could easily have had a hat-trick in the second half if he'd been as calm as Waite in front of goal. A fantastic display of football, so good to watch.

The other subs last night were Sam Bowen (I saw Jason there, I hope he didn't see it as a wasted trip), Ollie Byrne and Jack Bodenham. I think the stewards are under orders not to give you a team sheet after your continual misbehaviour up at the Vale last season.

I would like to think that Sam's dad would have liked watching a City team playing Jason Bowen type football even if his son didn't get on the pitch.

I was very impressed by Bodenham when he came on as a sub in the last home game against Burnley.

Early in the season, Jamie Bird was the stand out young player in the Under 23 team and I wouldn't have thought you would have got any of the regulars at these games taking a bet which said that City would score seven and Bird wouldn't get one of them. I didn't think he played badly last night and like to think others have caught him up as opposed to him going backwards, but the loan to Weston doesn't seem to have worked out for him - I suppose there is always a chance of this happening (I remember Semi Ajayi and Ben Wilson having loan spells at AFC Wimbledon which didn't end well) and when you see the sort of signs of progress in younger players that recent home Development team games have shown, then the adage about them needing to be away somewhere playing first team football doesn't seem quite as relevant,

I agree with you about Watford being lucky that it was only 7-1 - 10-1 honestly wouldn't have flattered City.

I also agree with you about the game deserving it's own thread - it should be getting more attention than it is on here, maybe starting a separate thread will get more people reading about the game.

[BlueToujours]

I thought that must have been Meite at the Fulham game, so it seems likely that he is with the first team squad at Blackburn - here's my attempt to describe last night's match;-

http://mauveandyellowarmy.net/

Thanks for the report. Whilst it would be naive to think that all the players on show last night will develop into First Teamers it is certainly encouraging to see the progress that is being made. We are certainly on the lookout for a creative midfielder and hopefully Weymans will be given an opportunity before the season ends. I have this vision of him finding a pass to release the likes of Zohore and and Harris to use their speed. If I dream a bit more then Saadi may also come into the picture next year.

As you say what a transformation from earlier in the season.

[the other bob wilson]

Although they are usually so impressive when they play at home, City's new look Under 23s still can't get it right on the road - they were beaten 3-1 at Bolton last night.

Another defeat for the Under 18s on Saturday, but as they only lost 2-0 to a Coventry team which beat them 7-0 at Leckwith about six weeks ago and were recording their tenth successive victory, it was nowhere near as bad as I thought it might have been beforehand.

[Blue in the Face]

Although they are usually so impressive when they play at home, City's new look Under 23s still can't get it right on the road - they were beaten 3-1 at Bolton last night.

Another defeat for the Under 18s on Saturday, but as they only lost 2-0 to a Coventry team which beat them 7-0 at Leckwith about six weeks ago and were recording their tenth successive victory, it was nowhere near as bad as I thought it might have been beforehand.

Cheers. Couldn't find any team news or match reports anywhere. The club really needs to get the DVP games on player!

[City123]

Although they are usually so impressive when they play at home, City's new look Under 23s still can't get it right on the road - they were beaten 3-1 at Bolton last night.

Another defeat for the Under 18s on Saturday, but as they only lost 2-0 to a Coventry team which beat them 7-0 at Leckwith about six weeks ago and were recording their tenth successive victory, it was nowhere near as bad as I thought it might have been beforehand.

What are your thoughts on Rabbi Matondo finally being given clearance to play for Manchester City? Do you think he would have been better off staying and playing in the revamped Development structure?

[emjayblue]

Cheers. Couldn't find any team news or match reports anywhere. The club really needs to get the DVP games on player!

I sent Jamie a reminder to jog his memory over the weekend, really disappointing that he hasn't followed up his 'words' with 'actions' in this respect.

[Blue in the Face]

I sent Jamie a reminder to jog his memory over the weekend, really disappointing that he hasn't followed up his 'words' with 'actions' in this respect.

Nice one

Hopefully the fella is trying somehow but doesn't have results yet.

[the other bob wilson]

What are your thoughts on Rabbi Matondo finally being given clearance to play for Manchester City? Do you think he would have been better off staying and playing in the revamped Development structure?

Definitely, but maybe I'm biased! That said, I truly believe that Matondo will have to be a truly outstanding talent if he is to make a first team career for himself at Man City and, although he stood out because of his pace and, to a lesser extent, skill at Cardiff, I didn't see the all round game to believe that he would be that good. For example, Aaron Ramsey played most of his Under eighteen team football for Cardiff before he was seventeen and impressed me far more than Matondo did - I think he'll make a good career for himself somewhere if he can add physical strength and more game awareness while keeping his pace mind.

[Landaff the rising sun]

Thanks Bob. They played each other in the final of the development League last year and Bangor won 4-3 aet. Excellent game so this could be another classic.

Cambrian & Clydach are through to the final of the FAW youth Cup after a thumping 7-1 win over Llandudno in the semi finals on Sunday. They'll face Swansea in the final, an almost impossible task for a club from the Rhondda valley you'd think, against a team that have won the cup for the last 7 yrs.
But you never know - it also looks likely they'll win the Welsh Prem development league this weekend and have only suffered one defeat all season.
Swansea could be a game too far but the underdog has been doing pretty well lately.......

[the other bob wilson]

Cambrian & Clydach are through to the final of the FAW youth Cup after a thumping 7-1 win over Llandudno in the semi finals on Sunday. They'll face Swansea in the final, an almost impossible task for a club from the Rhondda valley you'd think, against a team that have won the cup for the last 7 yrs.
But you never know - it also looks likely they'll win the Welsh Prem development league this weekend and have only suffered one defeat all season.
Swansea could be a game too far but the underdog has been doing pretty well lately.......

Did I see something a couple of days ago about the Final being at Cardiff City Stadium?

Congratulations to Cambrian and Clydach for what sounds like an unbelievable season - did they win the league after?

What an embarrassing stat for City that one about the jacks going for their eighth consecutive Welsh Youth Cup win is.

[the other bob wilson]

The Development team are at home today against Sheffield United at Leckwith, kick off 3 o clock.

[Blue in the Face]

The Development team are at home today against Sheffield United at Leckwith, kick off 3 o clock.

Been meaning to ask, do you think Jamie Veale might be gunning for a senior appearance before the season is out? The reason I single him out is because he's been given the captaincy which gives the impression that he's highly thought of.

[the other bob wilson]

Finished 1-1 - Jamie Bird put us ahead, but Sheffield equalised deep into added time, maybe a draw was a fair result, but missed some great opportunities as their opponents pushed men forward in the closing stages and were a bit naive in the way they played the last five minutes or so.

As for Jamie Veale, I don't really see him as a first team possibility this season, he's had almost a year out with injury and my guess is that the plan is more for him to get back to where he was before his injury in the coming weeks.

[Blue in the Face]

Finished 1-1 - Jamie Bird put us ahead, but Sheffield equalised deep into added time, maybe a draw was a fair result, but missed some great opportunities as their opponents pushed men forward in the closing stages and were a bit naive in the way they played the last five minutes or so.

As for Jamie Veale, I don't really see him as a first team possibility this season, he's had almost a year out with injury and my guess is that the plan is more for him to get back to where he was before his injury in the coming weeks.

Team today....

Byrne, Coxe, John, Veale, Blaise, Young, Harris, Humphries, Meite, Rosenthal, Bird.

Burwood, Abbruzzese, Southam, Weymans, Waite.

Some kid called Rosenthal in the team tonight. Never heard of him....

There's a guy called Dean Rosenthal mentioned in this article...
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/f...gents-11228386
Or maybe it's Tom Rosenthal, recently on trial at Brum, as metioned here...
http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/spor...-over-12739291

"....However, neither Tom Rosenthal nor Jevani Brown were involved in the match and neither will stay with Blues.

Former Watford youngster Rosenthal, son of ex-Liverpool striker Ronnie, played a couple of matches during his trial over the last fortnight."

EDIT: Think it it the latter....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Ro...l_(footballer)

[the other bob wilson]

Team today....

Byrne, Coxe, John, Veale, Blaise, Young, Harris, Humphries, Meite, Rosenthal, Bird.

Burwood, Abbruzzese, Southam, Weymans, Waite.

Some kid called Rosenthal in the team tonight. Never heard of him....

There's a guy called Dean Rosenthal mentioned in this article...
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/f...gents-11228386
Or maybe it's Tom Rosenthal, recently on trial at Brum, as metioned here...
http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/spor...-over-12739291

"....However, neither Tom Rosenthal nor Jevani Brown were involved in the match and neither will stay with Blues.

Former Watford youngster Rosenthal, son of ex-Liverpool striker Ronnie, played a couple of matches during his trial over the last fortnight."

EDIT: Think it it the latter....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Ro...l_(footballer)

Yes, it was Tom Rosenthal - here's my piece on yesterday's game.

http://mauveandyellowarmy.net/

[Nemo]

Thanks for the report Bob. A good read as always. What have you made of Meite so far? He doesn't seem to have had much of an impact.

[the other bob wilson]

Thanks for the report Bob. A good read as always. What have you made of Meite so far? He doesn't seem to have had much of an impact.

Thanks, I thought there were signs that he had benefited from full time training during yesterday's match, but he is still very raw. We played a kind of 4-5-1/4-2-3-1 with Meite, Harris, Bird and Rosenthal our attacking foursome and I thought Harris and Bird were the ones who looked most like potential first team players.

I'm not saying Meite is going to become another Zohore, but, like him, you can see that some of the raw ingredients are there for him to be an effective player at a decent level, but, even when Zohore was not doing much and was generally being written off, the signs that he could amount to something were easier to spot than they are with Meite - he's got another year left on his deal and maybe the best time to judge him is after he's had a pre season as a pro and some work has been done on strengthening him up a bit.

[jon1959]

Yes, it was Tom Rosenthal - here's my piece on yesterday's game.

http://mauveandyellowarmy.net/

Warnock in this morning's press conference said of Rosenthal

.... nice lad... we said we'd give him a game... he's not better than what we've got.... I'm sure he'll find a club somewhere...

So that's a 'no'.

[Loramski]

Yes, it was Tom Rosenthal - here's my piece on yesterday's game.

http://mauveandyellowarmy.net/

Great write-up, thanks. That last paragraph is very heartwarming, kind of sums up the relaxed, positive feel around the club at present. Warnock will be soon be rethinking that sitting among the fans idea when he ends up next to Dai Hunt.

[Blue in the Face]

Yes, it was Tom Rosenthal - here's my piece on yesterday's game.

http://mauveandyellowarmy.net/

Finally caught up with your write up. Thanks! As Loramski says, great NW is showing up and showing interest. And not being patronising in the process. I guess you were behaving yourself at the game this time.

Another positive here is perhaps Ollie Byrne. In an ideal situation our DVP no.1 would be good enough to at least be no.3 for the first team. We've wasted a fair bit speculating on sub standard goal keepers this season.

I was going to suggest that I hope Cardiff take a look at Billy O'Brien who's leaving Man City at the end of the season. I've seen him play quite a few times and he reminds me a lot of Tom Heaton. O'Brien is ahead of the talented Michael Crowe for the Welsh under 21's despite Crowe making the bench for Ipswich a fair few times.

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/f...brien-10112327

But hopefully Mr Byrne comes good for us instead.

DVP playing Huddersfield at the CCS tonight @ 7. Little write up here from a Huddersfield perspective...

http://www.htafc.com/news/article/20...l-3654271.aspx

[the other bob wilson]

Finally caught up with your write up. Thanks! As Loramski says, great NW is showing up and showing interest. And not being patronising in the process. I guess you were behaving yourself at the game this time.

Another positive here is perhaps Ollie Byrne. In an ideal situation our DVP no.1 would be good enough to at least be no.3 for the first team. We've wasted a fair bit speculating on sub standard goal keepers this season.

I was going to suggest that I hope Cardiff take a look at Billy O'Brien who's leaving Man City at the end of the season. I've seen him play quite a few times and he reminds me a lot of Tom Heaton. O'Brien is ahead of the talented Michael Crowe for the Welsh under 21's despite Crowe making the bench for Ipswich a fair few times.

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/f...brien-10112327

But hopefully Mr Byrne comes good for us instead.

DVP playing Huddersfield at the CCS tonight @ 7. Little write up here from a Huddersfield perspective...

http://www.htafc.com/news/article/20...l-3654271.aspx

In the end that dispute came down to my word against that of Messrs Nicholson and Johnson - I'll be there watching tonight, where will they be !

Yes, I've been quite impressed with Crowe when I've seen him for Ipswich Under 23s (daresay I saw him play for their Under 18s as well), so if O'Brien is getting selected in front of him, he would be worth a look at. Everybody talks about us needing a first team keeper for next season, but we are also probably going to need a reserve one as well (I'm presuming Murphy is only on a one year deal), so a young keeper that's been released by a Premier League club would probably be a decent signing.

[cardiff55]

It looks like Murphy signed a two year deal for us last September according to this link"

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/37261135

Apparently Wilson signed a 2 year contract extension last August so he'll be here next season too, it looks like City regard him as the young 'keeper choice, so any you 'un will be 4th choice. Unless Warnock decides to get rid of Wilson or Murphy of course.

[Blue in the Face]

It looks like Murphy signed a two year deal for us last September according to this link"

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/37261135

Apparently Wilson signed a 2 year contract extension last August so he'll be here next season too, it looks like City regard him as the young 'keeper choice, so any you 'un will be 4th choice. Unless Warnock decides to get rid of Wilson or Murphy of course.

You're right there, though I wouldn't be surprised if one of those two at least moves on in the summer. It's probably in Wilson's interest to drop a division or two and get the no 1 shirt somewhere.

[the other bob wilson]

I agree with you about Wilson and, seeing as Murphy has another year left on his deal, we may well decide not to go for two keepers in the summer - it's hardly as if he let us down in those matches he played around Christmas/New Year.

[the other bob wilson]

Report on last night's 4-1 beating for the Development team by a very good Huddersfield side.

http://mauveandyellowarmy.net/