The Premier league is now full of the best players in the world, there's probably about 30-35 home grown players who are good enough and they're England internationals and on the cusp, the rest are only in the league because squads have to have so many home grown players in the squad. We've got a population of 70 million competing with 8 billion. All the time the prem remains the strongest and richest league in the world, nothing will change.

99% of academy players will never be good enough, if you're 20/21 playing for the under 21s, you might aswell leave and join a club in the lower leagues. It would be far better off for their career. They only make our match day squad because our squad is not good enough. Going out on loan would be far better for their development.

Last night was, for me, the clearest evidence of the gap between U21s and professional men's football.

Stevenage were stronger and quicker and found it easy to muscle our youngsters off the ball. They had clear patterns of play whilst our lads dwelt too long on the ball seemingly not able to make the passes they were hoping to make.

I noticed that Stevenage gave an outing to our ex-U21/23 player Reece Hannam at LB. When he first came to us from West Ham, he looked promising and I think even got a game in the first team before being injured. He moved to Stevenage (on a free) in the Summer. So far this season, he's managed a total of 1 start (EFL trophy) and 5 brief sub appearances. He's 23 and seems to be finding it a struggle to cement his place in a L1's first team. In other words, one of best ex-youngsters is finding life hard in the lower leagues.

Of our current youngsters out on loan, only Phillips at Wycombe, Boateng at Dundee and Goodman at Colchester seem to be prospering (i.e. getting regular 1st team football).

Edited by doombear (15 Nov 2023 10.38am)

I remember Alan Pinkney scoring many goals for the reserves back in the 70’s yet couldn’t get any when playing for the first team. There was a gulf at that level as well?

I didn't but I've just looked him up on Transfermarkt.
Dan Quick went on a free to Eastbourne Borough in National League South and has played regularly for them at Centre Back (He was a CB with us as I recall) although in and out of the starting XI (5 starts and 9 Sub appearances)

Not only that, but since U21 sides were invited to compete in 2016 not one of them has even made the final, never mind win the thing.

They're not there to win it - the whole point is to give academy players more exposure to men's football and hopefully help with an eventual transition into the senior game.

No team of kids should ever be winning a tournament full of adult teams, nor should they be expected to.