FA Youth cup away to West Ham tonight.

[TonyM]

We were by far the better team in every way.

To be fair though I didn't see it myself.

 

[Lovebitesandeveryfing]

Watched from the 70 min. & was positively surprised how much we dominated them. Last year WHU & City had the strongest u18 teams but this year we are weaker (8 points behind United, no words to the u21). I liked Simpson-Pusey, Mfuni (15!!), Wright, Oboavwoduo. Ndala tried a lot but lost the ball too much & was ineffective.

Honestly, you got a distorted vision of the game. You're absolutely right. We did start outplaying them from about the 60th minute or so. It certainly wasn't that in the first half, or even for the initial period of the second half (despite our two chances immediately after the k.o.) The young Hammers were a good team, very organised, everybody working for everybody. Perhaps lacking a little bit of genuine class up front, and maybe that was part of the difference, in the end. We could easily have beaten them 3-0 or even 4-0 when we were overrunning them in midfield in extra time. But that wouldn't really have reflected the match. Nobody should be too sniffy about this result — it was workmanlike. Very serious and disciplined.

 

[Lovebitesandeveryfing]

We were by far the better team in every way.

To be fair though I didn't see it myself.

From 1992 to 2011 in the PL, we were by far the better team. So I hear…

 

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

We were by far the better team in every way.

To be fair though I didn't see it myself.

Just seen the highlights and I thought in the first half, unless it's down to the editing, we had a bit of defensive work to do which we did well. They've not shown the pen from the other side and the WHU kids were somewhat put out by the decision and the ref had the same view as the camera. I think he couldn't see what it was that floored Heskey, but what a second goal from O!

 

[bluesmith]

Watched from the 70 min. & was positively surprised how much we dominated them. Last year WHU & City had the strongest u18 teams but this year we are weaker (8 points behind United, no words to the u21). I liked Simpson-Pusey, Mfuni (15!!), Wright, Oboavwoduo. Ndala tried a lot but lost the ball too much & was ineffective.

You cant compare the teams from the u18 / u21s leagues to the youth cup though as although its u18 its usually our best players who are u18 (although a few were missing last night) so you end up with a combination of players from both teams. Not sure if this was the same for west ham.

 

[90s blue brother]

Honestly, you got a distorted vision of the game. You're absolutely right. We did start outplaying them from about the 60th minute or so. It certainly wasn't that in the first half, or even for the initial period of the second half (despite our two chances immediately after the k.o.) The young Hammers were a good team, very organised, everybody working for everybody. Perhaps lacking a little bit of genuine class up front, and maybe that was part of the difference, in the end. We could easily have beaten them 3-0 or even 4-0 when we were overrunning them in midfield in extra time. But that wouldn't really have reflected the match. Nobody should be too sniffy about this result — it was workmanlike. Very serious and disciplined.

You use the word distorted but then our views on the game are not at all dissimilar and we broadly agree. Reading that I think the only area we disagree is I expected more dominance and identity, but you liked the workmanlike discipline, but not miles apart on what we saw just slightly different interpretation of it. Where I think we definitely agree is that they will be amongst the favorites

 

[90s blue brother]

We were by far the better team in every way.

To be fair though I didn't see it myself.

Sorry but that’s a blatant contradiction or are you joking?

 

[Lovebitesandeveryfing]

I expected more dominance and identity,

Me too, mate, me too.
But they made life difficult for us and they had no intention of letting us establish that dominance and identity. That's the point, really. For much of the match, their game plan worked.

Interesting though, isn't it, to see how there's a template running right through the club, from first team right down to the under-12s, for all I know? There's a Pep way of playing which has now stamped itself on the identity of MCFC, just as Cruyff stamped himself on Barcelona. And when Pep goes — as he must, because All Things Must Pass, as the man said — there will be en enduring legacy which will live on beyond him.

 

[Bob Hope]

Laurence made all the difference.
Ndala was the best player on the pitch.

 

[TonyColemansbagofapples]

Simpson-Pusey was also very impressive