Quote Originally Posted by Loramski View Post
My son's (excellent) coach threw me a few years ago when he questioned moving youngsters into higher age groups. He wasn't against it, of course, but he said it wasn't a simple issue. He said there were a number of benefits in keeping talented youngsters involved in their own age group; it gave them a responsibility they wouldn't have at a higher level, taught them leadership skills and, obviously, it's also a huge plus for the other youngsters in that age group to be playing with better players.

I'm not saying any of that is relevant to the Sion Spence situation but it just shows (as if we didn't already know from all the discussions we've had on here about it) that there are many different views on how, and how quickly, to bring talented youngsters through. It's an interesting and complex issue.
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.