It's a really poorly written article tbh that doesn't make the point of the new approach clear at all.
Basically, in terms of pure age, we have the best of the best. We're too good when our 17 year olds play other team's 17 year olds and we end up with a win percentage of 90 odd percent. Bear in mind, Sancho, Foden and crew, if the former was still here, could still be turning out for u18s as second year scholars. Last year Sancho and Foden, along with Matt Smith, Latibeaudiere, Dele-Bashiru and more absolutely walked the u18s league, despite only being first year scholars.
Likewise, at the start of this season our first year scholars included Taylor Richards and Rabbi Matondo, and it became immediately clear that they found it too easy for u18s football too. So they were moved up to the EDS immediately.
The plan now is to basically push them up as soon as they can. The two stars of this year's first year scholars (matondo, Richards) have basically bypassed the 18s entirely to learn with the EDS despite being 16 turning 17. This year's u18s team is mainly new first years mixed in with u16s as well - take Tommy Doyle as an example. He's 15 and playing fir the 18s this year cos there is nothing he could learn at 16s level as he's miles better. We're playing very, very young teams compared to our rivals. This will of course result in some games not being won, but as Wilcox says, its more realistic and we're having to battle to win games a lot more, and that is evident watching this u18s team. You could throw Matondo and Richards in if you want, evne Foden/Latibeaudiere and Dele-Bashiru in technically, and they'd win every game 4/5-0. But what's the point?
If this method existed last year Foden and Sancho would have basically skipped u18s football entirely and gone straight to the EDS, but that didn't really happen.
I like this approach. It's testing them. It's why all last year's first year's are now with the EDS instead.
So long story short: we're moving up players very very quickly, which challenges them more and will see a lower, more realistic, win percentage.