Cox's future

[papereyes]

a real one.

Anyway, the reserve league exists only to give players semi-regular, semi-competitive football. The U-19s or U-20 leagues are perhaps more competitive for the players, but its still a long way from the Premiership.

That said, I think whatever you did, a club in the position we are now would see lots of players leave somewhere aroudn their 19th and 20th years. Look at Manchester United and how many players they let go at the end of the season. Players that are good, but missing that vital something.

[Hoop Blah]

no Kudos at all?

what utter stuff and nonsense

of course there is

no matter what the quality of other peoples reserve team, if we win, we were still better than all other teams in our league, if we have managed to do this whilst finishing 9th(?) in the top flight, then there is kudos, it doesnt matter that the other teams handle it differently.


and what kind of a word is kudos anyway?

You seem to live a little dream world sometimes.

The players involved will feel some sort of pride and euphroria for a little while, especially the younger ones looking to make a name for themselves, but the fact of the matter is that winning reserve games is totally irrelevant to the clubs.

It might be a nice habit etc etc but the reserves and youth teams are there to develope players, work on fitness etc

Because of that it isn't really a competition, more a just a series of fixtures and outside of the players involved there isn't any kudos to be found in winning a reserve league.

[Biscuit]

I would argue that Reading's reserve team is a success, particularly in comparison to those of Chelsea/Arsenal etc. Reading have successfully managed a 'squad' (key word!) of 16-20 players over the last two seasons, and it's a squad without stars. That 'squad' accept that they will by and large not play every game in a season in the 1st team, and if after injury or a slight drop in form they find themself in the reserves team, they just get their heads down, work hard and take the reserve games as seriously as they would any other game. This allows Reading to keep the squad happy and feeling involved in the club at all times. As a professional footballer, wouldn't you prefer to live and work this way rather than be a Shaun Wright Phillips, not playing regularly in the 1st team, but also considering yourself above featuring in reserve games?

[Hoop Blah]

I would argue that Reading's reserve team is a success, particularly in comparison to those of Chelsea/Arsenal etc. Reading have successfully managed a 'squad' (key word!) of 16-20 players over the last two seasons, and it's a squad without stars. That 'squad' accept that they will by and large not play every game in a season in the 1st team, and if after injury or a slight drop in form they find themself in the reserves team, they just get their heads down, work hard and take the reserve games as seriously as they would any other game. This allows Reading to keep the squad happy and feeling involved in the club at all times. As a professional footballer, wouldn't you prefer to live and work this way rather than be a Shaun Wright Phillips, not playing regularly in the 1st team, but also considering yourself above featuring in reserve games?

Possibly, but it's all about getting results for the first team. I think your examples do pretty well there with their take on reserve team football.

For us it's worked very well doing it our way. It doesn't mean one is right and one is wrong though.

[Huntley & Palmer]

Chelsea only play their academy players in their reserve games, so the point about their players being too above it is rather irrelevant as they don't play in them bar the odd game for Hilario and Kalou. Mourinho obviously believes that it doesn't give them anything extra than just training with the first team on a regular basis

[Yellowcoat]

That was the same Chelsea manager who a few months ago stated he wanted his reserve side to play in the Football League because they were so good. But still you take no pride in finishing above them as Champions elect.

[Hoop Blah]

That was the same Chelsea manager who a few months ago stated he wanted his reserve side to play in the Football League because they were so good. But still you take no pride in finishing above them as Champions elect.

No, the same manager that thinks the standard is so poor that playing his squad players isn't worth the hassle. He wants them to play in the lower leagues to get them more COMPETITIVE games.

[readingbedding]

Despite the fact that Cox's time with Reading may well be up, I don't believe we should let the player go just like that.

Reading has invested alot of time and resources to develop young players like Cox and it would be a big waste of that investment if we let the lad go to a league club now before he has had a chance to prove himself.

We made the mistake with Tyson where we gave him to Wycombe on the cheap and they benefitted financially when Forest came in throwing money around.

Had we sent Tyson to Wycombe on loan for a season then Forest would have been stuffing there notes into our wallet and not Wycombes.

I say we should loan Cox out on a season loan deal and then we will get a better chance to realise his true value in a years time if we decide to sell him.

Lets not just give our players away.

If he wants to go and get regular 1st team football, we should not get in his way.

If he goes good luck to him, saying that he'll score against us in an FA Cup match in the future and ting.

[Huntley & Palmer]

That was the same Chelsea manager who a few months ago stated he wanted his reserve side to play in the Football League because they were so good. But still you take no pride in finishing above them as Champions elect.

Great, our fringe players are slightly better than Chelsea's youth squad. I'm suitably impressed

[Yorkshire Royal]

The champagne is on ice....

[Behindu]

Great, our fringe players are slightly better than Chelsea's youth squad. I'm suitably impressed

Not exactly their Youth squad....

They still play in Academy games....

Don;t get fooled by terms like 'firstteam squad'. Chelsea may have 23 players for whom they paid millions and use in firstteam games, but they are also desperate to develop theirown players and are constantly getting in trouble for poaching top players from other clubs youth set ups. They can afford to throw huge sums at promising English players in the hope that they will become the next Lampard / Cole / Terry. IIRC they have just been fined a lot of money for pinching players from Leeds...

So Chelsea reserves is not their 'youth' set up, it is their development team where they are trying to breed (!) their 'own' firstteam players for the near future.

It's a bit crazy to suggest that becasue SWP etc don;t play in their reserves it is not a strong side, they probably spent more on it than we have on our first team !

[Huntley & Palmer]

I think you will find that their reserve team is full of academy graduates, most are between the ages of 18-20 and most have never kicked a ball in any sort of league game. It's still a load of old tosh

[papereyes]

Well, here's their side from the other night - lost 2-1 to Villa.

Chelsea: Taylor, Cummings, Pettigrew, Hutchinson, Elmer, Younghusband, Bridcutt, Sawyer, Stoch, Sahar, Sinclair. Subs: Hamann, Ofori-Twumasi, Cork, Woods, Tejera.

and for completeness

VILLA: Henderson, Lund, Lowry, Y.Bellon, O'Halloran, Clark, Herd, Bannan, Collins, Delfouneso, Stieber. Subs: D.Bellon, Bevan, Earls, Clancy, Roome.

Players in red for both sides have appeared in the first team in some way.

[Stranded]

no Kudos at all?

what utter stuff and nonsense

of course there is

no matter what the quality of other peoples reserve team, if we win, we were still better than all other teams in our league, if we have managed to do this whilst finishing 9th(?) in the top flight, then there is kudos, it doesnt matter that the other teams handle it differently.


and what kind of a word is kudos anyway?

You seem to live a little dream world sometimes.

The players involved will feel some sort of pride and euphroria for a little while, especially the younger ones looking to make a name for themselves, but the fact of the matter is that winning reserve games is totally irrelevant to the clubs.

It might be a nice habit etc etc but the reserves and youth teams are there to develope players, work on fitness etc

Because of that it isn't really a competition, more a just a series of fixtures and outside of the players involved there isn't any kudos to be found in winning a reserve league.

I would hope that any pride and europhoria would actually be tempered with a desire to break in to the first team rather than be the best bunch of fringe and youth players (not on loan) in the South.

[Hoop Blah]

I would hope that any pride and europhoria would actually be tempered with a desire to break in to the first team rather than be the best bunch of fringe and youth players (not on loan) in the South.

I'd hope so!