Quote Originally Posted by the other bob wilson View Post
Fair points, but it doesn't really address the one that stands out here - why is a kid who was considered good enough to feature regularly in the Development team at the back end of last season and must have done well enough at that level to be considered ready to be a part of the first team squad for a game against a side that went up, now consigned, almost exclusively, to the youth team?

Since I wrote my previous message on Sion Spence, I received some information which may answer the question I posed above, but, as it was confidential in nature, I can't pass it on here I'm sorry. What I can say though is that it wasn't just Rabbi Matondo who Man City were interested in a year or two back, there was another City youngster they tried to sign, who opted to stay with us after being told that he would be given the sort of chance to prove himself ready for the first team at a younger age than the club have been in the habit of doing with others in recent years. Now, I wonder if playing for the youth team week in, week out, a few months after you were deemed to be ready for the first team fits that criteria? To this observer, there seems a danger that a different decision will be made next time contract discussions are due and if that happens, then the club will have, once again, demonstrated their inability to develop gifted youngsters in a manner which benefits it in terms of producing their own first team players.
I'm not saying you're calling this wrong at all, just making the point that it can be such a complex issue that I'm wary of diving in to criticise the club without being aware of all the facts.

Did we ever find out what went wrong with Jarrad Welch here after? I see he's now at Weston-Super-Mare. He got a red card earlier in the season and came on as sub on Saturday as Weston lost to Welling. One of Welling's goals was scored by Eli Phipps, on loan from Colchester.