Chelsea Youth march on

[Alan]

[iframe:113xkqze]http://www.chelseafc.com/page/NewsHomePage/0,,10268~1230499,00.html[/iframe:113xkqze]

Kakuta looks like a very promising player, loads of skill and tricks.

Stoch was good as well, but he's a very frustrating player and often makes the wrong decisions and tries to do too much with the ball. Still, he's young so he has time to improve.

Port Vale or Spurs await in the next round

[JT26CFC]

and they say our youth players are bad

[blizeH]

and they say our youth players are bad :roll:

How are they doing in their league?

Not trying to be pessimistic, but a 3-1 win against Leicester doesn't automatically fill me with confidence.

[The Moos]

Stoch was good as well, but he's a very frustrating player and often makes the wrong decisions and tries to do too much with the ball.

Sounds exactly like Joey Cole

[dkw]

they interviewed joey, lamps and billy blood at half time. they were at the game (which i was impressesd with) and joey said kakuta reminded him of himself. he does look a hell of a prospect. was impressed by the big striker nielsen too.

[BLUENUT]

Stoch was good as well, but he's a very frustrating player and often makes the wrong decisions and tries to do too much with the ball.

Sounds exactly like Joey Cole

He's like young Jody Morris in stature (stature only), and is very quick. Run's and darts around like Zola, and is very pacey.

In the final minutes he picked the ball up in his own half, infront of the dug-out attacking the MH stand. Cut inside ghosting past a midfielder. Dribbled towards the goal, sent the defender on the edge of the box a dummy, cut across another - the player chasing couldn't keep up and poked the ball into the far corner. Nice goal!

[MURDOCH_(8)]

Is it possible to get a clip from somewhere?

[ethicalstrategy]

Stoch was good as well, but he's a very frustrating player and often makes the wrong decisions and tries to do too much with the ball.

Sounds like we have an understudy for Joey

Edit: aaagh! I should read the whole thread before I post

I can't believe I said the same as Moos (No offence )

[The Moos]

Stoch was good as well, but he's a very frustrating player and often makes the wrong decisions and tries to do too much with the ball.

Sounds like we have an understudy for Joey

Edit: aaagh! I should read the whole thread before I post

I can't believe I said the same as Moos (No offence )

Non taken. It jsut shows that you are like me. Tall, intelligent and slightly swedish

[fester]

We're pay Port Vale in the next round (who beat Spuds 1-0). It's about half-an-hour up the road from me so I'll do my best to get along and support our boys in that one.

[Alan]

The Port Vale game is tonight and kicks off at 7pm, with coverage on Chelsea TV. Might have to give it a watch

[coombsie]

The Blues are 2-0 up after 25 mins. Kakuta looks a total class apart at this level. Looks like SWP except he can actually cross AND score !!!

[coombsie]

We have a lad playing on the right wing who is completely running the show. Frank Nouble is built like Carlton Cole but has feet like Joe Cole and pace like SWP. Simply must be a great prospect. Still 2-0 with a minute to go till half time.

[coombsie]

75 mins and the Blues are cruising at 5-1. A VERY good performance from all the young lads

[Alan]

Watched most of the game, very impressive performance.

Nouble, Kakuta, Nielsen, Woods and Stoch look like very good prospects. Hopefully the team can see off Villa and make it to the final.

[The Brit]

already updated my kakuta post on players forum, but the first team should be made to watch a video of that game...those kids did everything they failed to do on sunday...desire to win from the first minute, skill, flair and genuinely looked up for the cause. very impressive

[barak81]

Just a question to add to this thread, how many people would be prepeard to see us push these players through to the first team and mayby hover around 4th for a couple of seasons while they develop?

Me my self and I would be more than happy to see this as opposed to continuesly splashing cash on players that may or may not work out.

[BlueBeard]

Just a question to add to this thread, how many people would be prepeard to see us push these players through to the first team and mayby hover around 4th for a couple of seasons while they develop?

Me my self and I would be more than happy to see this as opposed to continuesly splashing cash on players that may or may not work out.

I'd love to see some youngsters be given a chance - let's face it, they could hardly play worse than the first team has been recently. And if, like you say, it meant that we hovered around 4th. place for a few years, so be it - I'd find it far more satisfying watching keen young Chelsea youth players on the pitch than some of the overpaid prima donnas we've got at the moment. And it would pay off big time in the long run.

No chance of this ever happening with Grant in charge though, just as there'd have been no chance of it ever happening with Mourinho in charge. And dare I say it, I don't think it'll ever happen while Abramovich is at Chelsea. I believe he has a big say in team selection, and he appears to want a football version of the Harlem Globetrotters rather than seeing youth players coming through. I know our academy has been greatly improved, but maybe that's an investment? Get some good young players coming through the system, then sell them off? I sincerely hope not.

We need a good manager who has the balls to take a chance with young players.....and we need Abramovich to have the sense to let the new manager get on with it without interruption.

[Barn]

The problem with giving the youngsters a chance (and don't get me wrong I'd like to see them in there) is that the direction the club has committed to taking is one of sustained success on the pitch. They cannot develope the club in the way that they want/need to if we are "hovering around 4th". Even if we did that for a couple of years there is no garauntee that in three of four years time we'll be back up there challenging, those kids that look so good in the reserves might for whatever reason fail to make it at the top level.

[dkw]

hopefully with the fa allopwing 7 subs from next season, we may see more youth players appearing on it. 3-0 up with 20 minutes to go allows you to blood a few. i was massively impressed with them last night. kakuta, nouble and stoch stood out. but pretty much every player played excellently. also liked the look of brouma. dutch centre half. looked very comfortable.

[BlueBeard]

The problem with giving the youngsters a chance (and don't get me wrong I'd like to see them in there) is that the direction the club has committed to taking is one of sustained success on the pitch. They cannot develope the club in the way that they want/need to if we are "hovering around 4th". Even if we did that for a couple of years there is no garauntee that in three of four years time we'll be back up there challenging, those kids that look so good in the reserves might for whatever reason fail to make it at the top level.

The only alternative to trying out the youth players in the first team is to continue buying in players. And as we all know, buying in even very good or big 'name' players doesn't always mean they'll turn out to be good players for Chelsea. So far as I can see, buying in 'name' players is just as big a gamble as bringing in youngsters from the youth side.

I wouldn't advocate sticking in half a dozen youth players at once, just draft them in as and when they deserve the chance - especially if the first team players aren't on form (like now, for instance).

Another positive of doing this would be the financial side - we'd save a fortune on exhorbitant transfer fees - and it would also earn the club some respect, rather than just have a reputation for buying success.

We also have to concede that if Chelsea carry on the way they're going at the moment, and with so many people behind the scenes interfering in team affairs, just how many top players would want to come to Stamford Bridge? The only ones who'd be arriving would be the ones chasing the dollars, not the ones hungry for success.

[fester]

Living in Staffordshire I went to the Youth Cup game at Vale Park last night (one Chelsea fan amongst 3619 Vale fans it felt like), and I was very impressed - as were most of the Vale fans I spoke to - with the Chelsea performance. The standout players were Kakuta (obviously), Stoch, Nouble, Neilson and Tereja, although everyone played really well - even gk Rhys Evans when called upon.

The thing that struck me most was how the wide players hugged the touchlines. The Vale fans in front of me couldn't believe how everytime we attacked we had an out-ball to the opposite wing to continually open play up. All the players looked really comfortable on the ball. We tore Vale apart for the first 20 minutes, and then they started to shut us down in midfield a bit more. However, all they could really do was to stop us playing as when they tried to play we took control again.

For those who watched it on Chelsea TV, was it a penalty? I know it didn't matter but is looked like a home team decision at the time. Villa in the semi and I'll try and make the away leg of that one too.

Come on you young Blues.

PS. Free to park at the ground and only £4 to get in - it's how footy should be!!

[Dorset]

I reckon it was a penalty, Fester, as it wasn't the defender's ball and the attacker was taken out. Pity because both Brouma and Van Aanholt had really solid games in the centre of the defence and I was as impressed with the way they looked after Danny Glover as I was with the others you mentioned.

[midlandblue]

Fester, where exactly is the away leg being played?

[Qaz]

Just a question to add to this thread, how many people would be prepeard to see us push these players through to the first team and mayby hover around 4th for a couple of seasons while they develop?

Me my self and I would be more than happy to see this as opposed to continuesly splashing cash on players that may or may not work out.

I disagree with the post made suggesting that Abramovich isn't interested in the youth team. I'd say that he is very interested given the investments made (not least getting Arnesen in to head scouting).

As for should these younsters get game time, I want our youngsters to be given the greatest chance possible of succeeding at Chelsea long term (not short term, but long term). Because of this, I would be very weary about putting these youngsters into the first team until I am sure they are physically and mentally ready for the rigours of football at the very highest level. Playing them before they are ready could lead to potentially brilliant careers being ruined and I don't think any of us here want that.