Without doubt Micah was above him ability wise mate (imo anyway), but I do think the club thought very highly of Nedum and would often hear the other lads and their parents talk highly of him too, no disrespect to Nedum but that was the level we were at, and again personally I think he’d have reached the required bar , but as you say, sometimes that romance can cloud our judgement without doubt.I remember the club giving him a lot of publicity when he was coming through the ranks, not sure if they thought he was a genuine star or things were that bad pre takover that they wanted to give the fans hope.
I was never that impressed by him, as said earlier, incredible athlete but very average footballer.
I always though Micha was way above him in ability.
As fans we all love to see the local lads come through but it also clouds judgment on their ability and prospect of making the first team.
Chronic underachievement was the biggest casualty of the takeover!He certainly was (and no doubt still is for his age), kind of saddens me but I watched Nedum grow through the youth system, similar with Micah, and at the time was really confident they’d both go on to become the stalwarts of the team for years to come, and would have been made up with that, because that’s where we were then, Nedum I suppose was one of the biggest casualties of the takeover.
Without doubt Micah was above him ability wise mate (imo anyway), but I do think the club thought very highly of Nedum and would often hear the other lads and their parents talk highly of him too, no disrespect to Nedum but that was the level we were at, and again personally I think he’d have reached the required bar , but as you say, sometimes that romance can cloud our judgement without doubt.
In all honesty Bigga I thought Stones was more cultured (for want of a better phrase) in his earlier career at Everton, and defensively I was really impressed with how he coped against Sergio especially, but that’s not to say Ned couldn’t have improved massively with someone like Pep, he had the intelligence and athleticism naturally (although when I first saw him, I’d heard he was quick, but I was a bit surprised as he looked quite heavy and smooth for a sprinter, it took one race with their forward to convince me he was indeed fuckin rapid lol).It's really funny but, in terms of ability, there's not a great chasm between Neds back then and when Stones first came to us. I think Stones is excellent as a defender now, but his passing and decision making wasn't too great at the start, paralleled with Neds who showed glimpses of that ability.
Defending has changed from the aggressive smash-into-the-oppo-to-let-them-know-you're-there type game.
If Neds had had a Guardiola type manager/ coach back then, he'd have been a stalwart on the side, imo.
Ha, fuck me I had to read that twice to grasp what you actually meant, but yes absolutely, think being of a similar age we grew up experiencing pretty much the same emotions, hopes and dreams and ultimately big downs with City.Chronic underachievement was the biggest casualty of the takeover!
In all honesty Bigga I thought Stones was more cultured (for want of a better phrase) in his earlier career at Everton, and defensively I was really impressed with how he coped against Sergio especially, but that’s not to say Ned couldn’t have improved massively with someone like Pep, he had the intelligence and athleticism naturally (although when I first saw him, I’d heard he was quick, but I was a bit surprised as he looked quite heavy and smooth for a sprinter, it took one race with their forward to convince me he was indeed fuckin rapid lol).
As an addendum to my post, when I say the parents and the lads, I was actually referring to the other youth players and parents.
I know this forum is all about opinions and that’s fair enough but comparing Nedum to John Stones .