Jadon Sancho

[eversince 76]

Everyone can have an opinion about youth or Sancho in particular. But without working with the lad on a daily basis and discussing his development with other members of the staff, we can only judge the outcome in hindsight.
What we do know is the lad is talented and as a club or staff member I would be thrilled to try and get the best out of his talents. Decisions guiding his development don't lie with the staff solely. There's the player and his agent as well. So even if City would try to keep him without offering conditions that won't suit the policy within the club, the player might decide to leave. Not getting enough playing time, seen as the main reason for Sancho to not (yet!) extending his contract, to me is just a small part of several issues that comes with making the decision.

 

[jamesha]

To be honest I would find it hard to criticise an EDS player who decided to leave to pursue more playing time. There is no realistic pathway into the first team for these kids and they seem rarely to get a run out even if we are comfortably ahead in games. If Jadon left to join a club, such as Southampton, where there would be a realistic chance of getting first team minutes, then I would wish him well. If he were to join a large club with little chance of playing then I would be p*ssed.It would be especially annoying if he were to spend the next year abroad at a crap club to avoid a team paying a fee for him. If a Premiership club really want him they should show this commitment by paying a fee.

 

[ganganvince]

To be honest I would find it hard to criticise an EDS player who decided to leave to pursue more playing time. There is no realistic pathway into the first team for these kids and they seem rarely to get a run out even if we are comfortably ahead in games. If Jadon left to join a club, such as Southampton, where there would be a realistic chance of getting first team minutes, then I would wish him well. If he were to join a large club with little chance of playing then I would be p*ssed.It would be especially annoying if he were to spend the next year abroad at a crap club to avoid a team paying a fee for him. If a Premiership club really want him they should show this commitment by paying a fee.

With him being on a scholarship contract development fee would be set by tribunal similar to the current situation with Dippers and Chelsea

 

[Neville Kneville]

This.

Whilst I think Sancho's being a little brat by not turning up for training, we have to accept that there have been factors to push him away from City as well as potential pull factors from other clubs. We have to try and address those push factors (namely creating a path to the first team) if we aren't to lose more top talents from the academy.

And no, creating a path to the first team doesn't mean starting 17 year olds every week. It means giving any player a go for 15 minutes, a cup game, a dead rubber, whatever, if they are doing well in the academy sides.

Usually when I post something like this, someone quotes me & says "So you think we can start a bunch of kids every week when we're fighting for blah blah blah.."

To which the obvious answer is fucking NO but the English language doesn't seem to work with this subject.

As you say, one player off the bench here, another there & suddenly you have ten kids who have played first team football. Then the path is there, for all to see.

It's not dangerous, in fact it is almost certainly helpful. At least one of them will play a blinder & suddenly you have a secret weapon to throw in.

I predicted this situation with a player, like Sancho, being tapped up by rags etc years ago & have been reminding people ever since.

The usual reply is that a player wouldn't go there because we have shiny buildings & nice coaches & schools.

I find it rag like arrogance. These kids want to play. If we don't give them hope of doing so, it will become the normal thing, for them to use us & go.

It's dead easy to fix it.

 

[bluesoup]

A route could be for Jadon to get on the Girona plane and showcase why he should be fast tracked. If he does it at such a professional level then his point is proven.

 

[Blue Hefner]

Usually when I post something like this, someone quotes me & says "So you think we can start a bunch of kids every week when we're fighting for blah blah blah.."

To which the obvious answer is fucking NO but the English language doesn't seem to work with this subject.

As you say, one player off the bench here, another there & suddenly you have ten kids who have played first team football. Then the path is there, for all to see.

It's not dangerous, in fact it is almost certainly helpful. At least one of them will play a blinder & suddenly you have a secret weapon to throw in.

I predicted this situation with a player, like Sancho, being tapped up by rags etc years ago & have been reminding people ever since.

The usual reply is that a player wouldn't go there because we have shiny buildings & nice coaches & schools.

I find it rag like arrogance. These kids want to play. If we don't give them hope of doing so, it will become the normal thing, for them to use us & go.

It's dead easy to fix it.

I agree. I don't expect 17/18 year olds throughout the starting 11 but a couple of sub games won't do any harm

 

[Neville Kneville]

A route could be for Jadon to get on the Girona plane and showcase why he should be fast tracked. If he does it at such a professional level then his point is proven.

The problem we have, is that if he has no special attachment to the club, which makes him want to play for us, above all others, & he is maybe not settled in the area, other clubs can promise him stuff, irrespective of whether they follow it though, or not.

Even if they are not exactly great for playing kids, they can tell him how 'special' he is & how they would bring him through & point to how many players we have had who looked special & ended up as fuck all, but more to the point, didn't even get a couple of subs games to show what they could do.

And we have no comeback other than to say it will be different in the future. Offering him a loan to Girona isn't likely to swing it imo. Foden & Diaz profile on tour is more of a selling point.

It's a tough job to argue our case from that perspective though. When other clubs can just promise stuff without having to keep the promise.

 

[taleofbluehalves]

Usually when I post something like this, someone quotes me & says "So you think we can start a bunch of kids every week when we're fighting for blah blah blah.."

To which the obvious answer is fucking NO but the English language doesn't seem to work with this subject.

As you say, one player off the bench here, another there & suddenly you have ten kids who have played first team football. Then the path is there, for all to see.

It's not dangerous, in fact it is almost certainly helpful. At least one of them will play a blinder & suddenly you have a secret weapon to throw in.

I predicted this situation with a player, like Sancho, being tapped up by rags etc years ago & have been reminding people ever since.

The usual reply is that a player wouldn't go there because we have shiny buildings & nice coaches & schools.

I find it rag like arrogance. These kids want to play. If we don't give them hope of doing so, it will become the normal thing, for them to use us & go.

It's dead easy to fix it.

I think one issue last year was there were few games we were comfortably strolling in where we could even consider playing young players. Hopefully with the likes of Delph and Fernando gone it will open up a few slots for the likes of Foden and Diaz to be on the bench. I'd like a few young players to get games in the cups.

 

[moomba]

I agree that we could have done more giving kids a chance over the past couple of years. Not necessarily starts or huge number of minutes, but a taste here or there.

It gives such a boost to the whole club, and huge motivation for current academy players to think there is that chance they might get their moment.

We don't seem to think that is important and I couldn't disagree more.

As for Sancho in particular, I don't think we could done a lot more making him feel important. He's been fasttracked, he's been talked up at every opportunity. And if he showed a commitment to the club we would have shown a commitment to him by taking him to America.

We're not going to change any perceptions he has now, and I wouldn't want us making promises of game time. I guess it's up to him.

 

[Neville Kneville]

I think one issue last year was there were few games we were comfortably strolling in where we could even consider playing young players. Hopefully with the likes of Delph and Fernando gone it will open up a few slots for the likes of Foden and Diaz to be on the bench. I'd like a few young players to get games in the cups.

Hope so.

One of them will win a game for us too. It always happens when teams use a few kids.