Absolutely not. The youngsters are not able to influence a game like the hardened older pros. At this point in time they are not up to it which does not mean to say that they won’t be in the future. Roy is honest in his views and I bet they were more directed to the hierarchy pointing out that we need people for the here and now as well as the future. The younger players wether they like it or not have to understand that unless they have exceptional talent they will have to bide their time and earn their place in the side. They need only look to see the quality of 19 and 21 year olds playing regularly in Premiership first team side to realise that our youngsters still have a long way to go.COYP

It is possible to be generally content with Roy as manager, but still be critical of the comments.

What possible benefit is gained by making the comments?
I don’t see it as a motivational tool for the young players , and indeed see it as a potential dent to their confidence.
The old days of ‘prove the manager wrong ‘ have gone with players seemingly need to have the trust of their manager to perform at their best.
Compare for example how Eze improved under Roy after Vieira had damaged Eze’s confidence.Roy made a point of saying what a great player Eze is and how much he could offer the team.
The impression given by Roy’s comments after the Spurs game is ‘you youngsters are not good enough , but it’s all I have and I may as well have kept on the players you replaced.’
They didn’t play well when they came on, but the same criticism could also have been levelled at their more experienced teammates.
Surely it would be better to explain in private away from the vultures of the media where he expects the players to improve.
The best managers find the key to unlock the players’ heads to enable them to fulfill their potential and in some cases even exceed it.
I’m not a psychologist, but I suspect harsh criticism under the media gaze is not the best way to achieve this aim.

It was noticeable the praise Roy heaped on Ebowei after the victory against Monaco in the U23 game last Tuesday, maybe a start against Burnley?

“That’s a joke son, I say, that’s a joke.” “Nice boy, but he’s sharp as a throw pillow.” “He’s so dumb he thinks a Mexican border pays rent” “ “Son… I say, son, some people are so narrow minded they can look through a keyhole with both eyes.”__ Forhorn Leghorn

And didn't even put him on the bench which I thought was a strange decision given his fulsome praise.

One more point

I thought the reason for the uncharacteristic praise was that Roy knew he didn't plan to have him in Friday's squad so the praise was a way of giving him a boost to offset the disappointment of being left out.
Perhaps I'm overthinking...

I thought Roy was unwise to criticise the young players he gave 20 mins to failing to overcome the position we were due to experienced pros. If it was a moan to Parish/board it was a poor decision as it was unlikely to give JRS, Franca or anyone else much of a boost. I think confidence is important for players to perform, especially when they are unproven.

Let’s face it. Roy would never have been the manager to have overseen the creation of this new squad. But he’s so far done a great job of getting us back on track after Vieira got derailed. I hope any frustration he has from the gaping holes in the squad strength (striker and fullbacks IMO) don’t stop him from making the most of the potential talent available. This is an opportunity