THE MOUNTAIN FACING CARDIFF CITY IN 2021-2022

[cardiff55]

I remember when a when a young Phil Dwyer made his debit for us, after appearing in the youth team. He immediately became a regular, taking over from Dave Carver, and went on to be our record appearance maker. the only other I can recall have an impact anywhere near that are Joe Ledley and Joe Ralls.

At that time the only other youth team players who played in the first team were John Impey (England youth play), Jimmy McInch, Derek Showers, Nigel Rees, Brian Rees, Alan Couch and Peter Morgan. Only Showers played over 100 games for us. I all competitions the other made the following number of appearances - Impey 30, McInch 16, N Rees 38, B Rees 1, Couch 14 and Morgan 18.

Let's hope our current crop play more games the those.

In the last 10 years a number of youngsters have mad appearances in the 1st team, a lot just in the League Cup or FA Cup. Evans (can't recall his first name, I think he left football and became a doctor). Ibrhahim Farah, Nat Jarvis, Theo Wharton, Tommy O'Sullivan, Deji Oshilaja, Kevin St Luce, Luke Coulson, Tom James, Ben Wilson, Ibrahaim Meite, Cameron Coxe, Shamar Moore, James Waite. Most only played one game.

This season we have already seen McGuinness, Tom Davies, D'Almeida, Denham and Bowen. So let's hope they all develop more than those listed above.

[the other bob wilson]

I remember when a when a young Phil Dwyer made his debit for us, after appearing in the youth team. He immediately became a regular, taking over from Dave Carver, and went on to be our record appearance maker. the only other I can recall have an impact anywhere near that are Joe Ledley and Joe Ralls.

At that time the only other youth team players who played in the first team were John Impey (England youth play), Jimmy McInch, Derek Showers, Nigel Rees, Brian Rees, Alan Couch and Peter Morgan. Only Showers played over 100 games for us. I all competitions the other made the following number of appearances - Impey 30, McInch 16, N Rees 38, B Rees 1, Couch 14 and Morgan 18.

Let's hope our current crop play more games the those.

In the last 10 years a number of youngsters have mad appearances in the 1st team, a lot just in the League Cup or FA Cup. Evans (can't recall his first name, I think he left football and became a doctor). Ibrhahim Farah, Nat Jarvis, Theo Wharton, Tommy O'Sullivan, Deji Oshilaja, Kevin St Luce, Luke Coulson, Tom James, Ben Wilson, Ibrahaim Meite, Cameron Coxe, Shamar Moore, James Waite. Most only played one game.

This season we have already seen McGuinness, Tom Davies, D'Almeida, Denham and Bowen. So let's hope they all develop more than those listed above.

If you go back to Dwyer's time and then work forward, you have players such as Brian Attley, David Giles, Peter Sayer, Keith Pontin, Tarki Micallef, Paul Maddy, Linden Jones, Paul Bodin, Jason Perry, Damon Searle, Nathan Blake, Simon Haworth, Scott Young and James Collins who broke into the first team as teenagers in the days before we had an Academy.

Okay, not all of them made the full journey through City's youth ranks, but I think they all played over a hundred Football League matches in their career, I make it six of them played in the First Division/Premier League and the majority of them played for Wales. There are plenty in that list who could have played for the current first team I'm sure and not looked out of place, but somewhere around the time Dave Jones left, the club began to think that teenagers would not be able to cut it in the senior team and it seems to me that the large majority of supporters just accepted it without question.

it's similar at most clubs now, but not as bad as it is at Cardiff where it's felt that there is a degree of risk involved in blooding young players in their early twenties, let alone their teens like all of the players I listed were.

Thinking about it, the new caution seemed to take effect at just about the time when reserve team football (i.e. you could be between ten and fifty and play at that level) made way for Development team football, so it's entirely possible that a plan which was hatched to ease the progress of youth team prospect into first team footballer has ended up holding that development back and allowed what I believe is a myth to develop that you have to be something pretty outstanding to play first team football as a teenager to take hold.

Yes, there's a risk involved in suddenly plucking, say, five players out of age group level football and sticking them all straight into the first team on a long term basis, but the odd one or two every now and then? I don't think so and City's long term history, not the past ten years, backs that view up.

[Eric the Half a Bee]

somewhere around the time Dave Jones left, the club began to think that teenagers would not be able to cut it in the senior team and it seems to me that the large majority of supporters just accepted it without question.

I would say it happened during Jones's time with us. I recall you being particularly vocal over the last few years of his reign as manager of preferring experience over youth.

[Rjk]

If you go back to Dwyer's time and then work forward, you have players such as Brian Attley, David Giles, Peter Sayer, Keith Pontin, Tarki Micallef, Paul Maddy, Linden Jones, Paul Bodin, Jason Perry, Damon Searle, Nathan Blake, Simon Haworth, Scott Young and James Collins who broke into the first team as teenagers in the days before we had an Academy.

Okay, not all of them made the full journey through City's youth ranks, but I think they all played over a hundred Football League matches in their career, I make it six of them played in the First Division/Premier League and the majority of them played for Wales. There are plenty in that list who could have played for the current first team I'm sure and not looked out of place, but somewhere around the time Dave Jones left, the club began to think that teenagers would not be able to cut it in the senior team and it seems to me that the large majority of supporters just accepted it without question.

it's similar at most clubs now, but not as bad as it is at Cardiff where it's felt that there is a degree of risk involved in blooding young players in their early twenties, let alone their teens like all of the players I listed were.

Thinking about it, the new caution seemed to take effect at just about the time when reserve team football (i.e. you could be between ten and fifty and play at that level) made way for Development team football, so it's entirely possible that a plan which was hatched to ease the progress of youth team prospect into first team footballer has ended up holding that development back and allowed what I believe is a myth to develop that you have to be something pretty outstanding to play first team football as a teenager to take hold.

Yes, there's a risk involved in suddenly plucking, say, five players out of age group level football and sticking them all straight into the first team on a long term basis, but the odd one or two every now and then? I don't think so and City's long term history, not the past ten years, backs that view up.

I guess Lee Jarman is probably up there as well.

comparing ourselves to other championship clubs it is clear that other sides at this level and higher seem to regularly bring players through with a regularity that would seem impossible if you were looking from a Cardiff point of view.

I think it was the start of last season, or the one before a stat came out that 12/24 clubs in the division had at least one player who had come from Reading's academy play for the first team, some with several.
I'm sure they aren't the only ones either who have made room for young players in their sides. We seem to have been very much the exception.