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Youth/Academy strikers


JoeShmoe
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Well one from 2-3 years ago has just rocked up in the championship at Reading. they have just announced the signing of Cedric Baseya who looked like a decent prospect when he left us interested to see if he is still on track!

 

From what he's done since leaving us, he's in the last chance saloon with the barman pouring his final drink!

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For those who know, do we have anyone in the youth teams who we think could develop into a decent striker in the next 2 or 3 years?

 

 

I think this depends on your definition of .... a striker.?

 

If we think of the traditional, broad-shouldered six-footer rugged type, then there maybe not so many around, but strikers

don't need to TALL either. Ron Davies, Mick Channon, Beattie and MLT all passed the " magical 6 foot barrier " that we somehow expect, but very many of our most successful strikers in the past hardly passed the 5' 9" mark.

George O'Brien, Terry Paine, Steve Moran, Kevin Keegan, Marian Pahars and Kevin Phillips are amongst the first that come to mind.

 

Football isn't necessarily played with high balls all the time, and skill on the ground plays an equally important role, as we see with classy finishing from David Connolly and Adam Lallana - who themselves don't rate as giants in stature, but certainly by reputation.

 

As far as Academy products..players develop physically a lot in late teens /early twenties and that skinny lad we saw at 17 or 18 may end up as a six- footer by the time he makes the bench. The sad story, repeated many times in the past decades is that super -strikers at 16/17 years old -just don't make it as the senior level by the time they reach 20..

The most recent crop we released and are presently all playing in L2 / Conference / Local league sides.

 

Sadly we, can't keep them all until they are 22, and hope they develop.

Some football experts say, ..if they 'ain't got it by the time they are 18 ..it 'aint gonna happen. Not always true, but historically quite accurate.

Edited by david in sweden
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Is there still chance for Big Ron Davies to break into the first team squad?

 

*** I was making the point about TALL strikers (like Ron) as against those of a lesser stature who can still score as well as big men. Several of the taller (former) Academy types failed to make the cut and moved on to less-greener pastures.

 

Height isn't always a key factor, unless your name is Peter Crouch.

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