Brandon Barker

[Exeter Blue I am here]

People seem obsessed with it being a ‘gamble’ to give a youth player a chance, as if we’re suggesting that we should be starting 4 Academy players away at Utd or something. There are so many example where we could have given a youngster a chance but chose not to. Are you telling me that we couldn’t have stuck Byrne or Barker on the bench for this match and given them 30 minutes - http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/32571671. How about George Evans only being given 1 minute in the League Cup game vs Sunderland when we were 4-0 up at half time? Or Pellegrini bringing on Sinclair instead of Ambrose vs Palace? Diaz scored a hat-trick for the EDS vs Chelsea in Feb – our next match was the Cup replay vs Huddersfield and guess what, Diaz was nowhere to be seen. We did bring Navas on when we were 4-1 up though.

And Barker was very good for the EDS in 14/15 and deserved a chance, what’s happened to him since doesn’t change that fact.

Utd have given a lot more players than that a chance by the way – Love, Blackett, McNair, Wilson, Perreira, Varela, Janujaz etc.

Yup, fair comment. I'm just putting reasons why we haven't done that. And where is any of those United players now?

 

[CityStu]

Yup, fair comment. I'm just putting reasons why we haven't done that. And where is any of those United players now?

Rashford's a semi regular for England and Januzaj has just netted them up to £10m.

But really, that doesn't matter. The question is did United do any poorer by giving those players a chance? The players may end up average but at least they see they get an opportunity at United, and if they do turn out to be rather good, they'll be doing it at United rather than another team.

We have to give our outstanding youngsters a go our they will pack their bags and move elsewhere to be given a go. Barker was definitely one of those outstanding youngsters for a time and he was ignored.

 

[Hamsterdam95]

The bar at City shouldn't be higher. It should have a reputation for giving kids an opportunity with wonderful players alongside, not ignoring them & buying average players to fill out the squad.

I would have played about ten more of them on different occasions, in the last 3 or 4 seasons. Even if it's only for 5 mins. But it's SO important to give Demichelis a run out, or Nasri hasn't played for 2 months even though his attitude stinks & needs the fitness, Kolarov looks angry, ooh look it's Bony, etc etc etc. Fuck them.

People always think it's dead simple, that kids can motivate themselves. They can't. And most top kids in any walk of life, cannot stay at one level when they are tearing it up. They either go up one or it's all over. A few manage, like Ian Wright, to keep the passion & come through later after all the fucking no marks maquerading as football managers have missed them. But most don't.

The fucking idiots on here see that failure as almost a badge of honour 'see, I was right'.

You ONLY learn about these kids by playing them. In Barker's last game, he attacked the Chelsea fullback exactly how anyone would have wanted & was causing big problems, so what happens? That **** Kolarov steps forward & pushes Barker back to pick up loose balls when he fucks up.

Ending with Barker sprinting back 70 yards to try & stop a Chelsea break which the half arsed senior players couldn't give a flying fuck about. Then, unbelievably, there were utter fucking WANKERS on here, slagging Barkef off for not trying.

The poor excuse for a manager, saw Barker attacking the fullback & unlike City managers of the past, who would see that as a possible weapon late in games, instead of rewarding a bit of flair & pace, he was sent back to the City equivalent of a South American labour camp & never seen again.

It doesn't matter if these kids become Aguero.

Some would likely have become useful squad players. The results would be no worse maybe even better by giving them a few more minutes here & there & City"s reputation for bringing through kids would be Sky high.

A kid like Sancho would be thinking 'I've got a chance here'.

The biggest example would be someone like Rashford who didn't look head and shoulder's above our players when he played them at youth level, but look at him now. Sometimes it takes just a spark, that adrenaline that gives them that confidence. We will never find out if our players are good enough if they are never given a chance. This is something coaches like SAF did really well with the Rags and LVG did with most of his clubs. You have to have balls and take risks, and then you can unearth these gems.

 

[almir]

SAF?

 

[AustinBlue]

The biggest example would be someone like Rashford who didn't look head and shoulder's above our players when he played them at youth level, but look at him now. Sometimes it takes just a spark, that adrenaline that gives them that confidence. We will never find out if our players are good enough if they are never given a chance. This is something coaches like SAF did really well with the Rags and LVG did with most of his clubs. You have to have balls and take risks, and then you can unearth these gems.

Rashford would get nowhere near our team for next year no matter if SAF or Cruyff or Pep were coaching the team. SAF coached at a time when the teams he played against were nowhere near loaded with players like Aguero and Sanchez and Kante etc etc. Iheanacho >> Rashford and he can't get a sniff.

 

[almir]

Rashford is better than Nacho by a mile, but I agree it was easier to ferguson to play soe kids when there was no competition at all. he was winning titles with some players that couldn't get in stoke team today.

 

[Neville Kneville]

The biggest example would be someone like Rashford who didn't look head and shoulder's above our players when he played them at youth level, but look at him now. Sometimes it takes just a spark, that adrenaline that gives them that confidence. We will never find out if our players are good enough if they are never given a chance. This is something coaches like SAF did really well with the Rags and LVG did with most of his clubs. You have to have balls and take risks, and then you can unearth these gems.

Yep. Some people just don't get it.

 

[Jalfraag]

SAF?

It gets repeated more and more these days, often unchallenged.

 

[FantasyIreland]

It gets repeated more and more these days, often unchallenged.

Primarilly by 'supporters' who dont quite understand,or have experienced,the reality of our rivalry.I doubt many match going fans would use such a term.

 

[lancs blue]

SAF?

Stupid Ageing Fuckwit?