Ho(ut)we

[Nameless]

As long as we have a big chunk of any future fee then it’s not a bad move. The model for the Academy is part bringing through first team players but just as important in the revenue generation. We won’t much money if we hang on to every decent player in case they make the grade, we inevitably will cash in on some who we might hope could make the grade. We can’t keep every youth product, selling is a big part of the reason we have a good Academy.

[JamieY26]

Seems sensible and I would imagine we have put a 'Jack Stacey-esque' deal in place where we will be compensated further down the line if he comes good.

Good luck to him.

[The Royal Forester]

For him, it is a good move which will help him in the future. For us, a bad move, I feel that in a few years (or less) we will view him as someone who we wished we had kept.

he's 21 will nearly be 22 by the start of next season and still nowhere near displacing first-team players. he's played what? 1 game? How long are we supposed to keep youngsters for, for goodness sake? it's an Acadamy not a prison. Would he be displacing Yiadom in two years time? doubtful, in fact I would even hang my hat on it and say no. It's quite strange this weird obsession our fans have with our academy products that we never want them to leave.

This isn't a mistake we will not live to regret this. It's a good move for both him and the club and anyone else who thinks differently is just a bit weird

I feel like I've been OMA'ed.
Just because I have a differnet view to you, does NOT make me a bit weird.

[KC Royal]

When I noted that Araruna could play RB I assumed it was with a view to him providing cover there next season with Gunter likely to leave in the summer (imo), and maybe Howe going out on loan now if Yiadom was back in contention. Was surprised when Nolan left so shocked about this. Maybe this will give Watson more of a chance of establishing himself back in the squad, tho can see him moving on as well.

I do get the feeling that Bowen is going down the experienced route so can see us offering Gunter a new deal. If he moves on think i'll be disappointed as we will need good back up to Yiadom when the AFCON is on in Jan, and tbh given that Yiadom didn't have a summer off last year I did anticipate him being out through injury at some point this season.

[Maneki Neko]

thought he looked half decent whenever ive seen him.maybe shortsighted with our current options, though i still think he is at least a season and a half away from getting any decent go/significant number of games, so i can see its probably a good move for him, and wouldnt expect us to stand in his way if he wanted to go.

hope we have another option lined up at some point, but its not a priority, especially if gunter is getting an extension

[Zammo]

For him, it is a good move which will help him in the future. For us, a bad move, I feel that in a few years (or less) we will view him as someone who we wished we had kept.

he's 21 will nearly be 22 by the start of next season and still nowhere near displacing first-team players. he's played what? 1 game? How long are we supposed to keep youngsters for, for goodness sake? it's an Acadamy not a prison. Would he be displacing Yiadom in two years time? doubtful, in fact I would even hang my hat on it and say no. It's quite strange this weird obsession our fans have with our academy products that we never want them to leave.

This isn't a mistake we will not live to regret this. It's a good move for both him and the club and anyone else who thinks differently is just a bit weird

^ agree with ALL this.

The only thing that makes me ☹ is that we have had a crack team of youngsters over the last few years and they haven’t broken through for reasons that are never disclosed (or they are all not good enough). Shame.

[Hound]

For him, it is a good move which will help him in the future. For us, a bad move, I feel that in a few years (or less) we will view him as someone who we wished we had kept.

he's 21 will nearly be 22 by the start of next season and still nowhere near displacing first-team players. he's played what? 1 game? How long are we supposed to keep youngsters for, for goodness sake? it's an Acadamy not a prison. Would he be displacing Yiadom in two years time? doubtful, in fact I would even hang my hat on it and say no. It's quite strange this weird obsession our fans have with our academy products that we never want them to leave.

This isn't a mistake we will not live to regret this. It's a good move for both him and the club and anyone else who thinks differently is just a bit weird

^ agree with ALL this.

The only thing that makes me ☹ is that we have had a crack team of youngsters over the last few years and they haven’t broken through for reasons that are never disclosed (or they are all not good enough). Shame.

TBF, a lot of them have done as well as we might expect. Rino has broken through (though stalled a bit), Richards, Olise. Loader has played loads but not really done too well. And the likes of Barrett, Howe have moved to L1 and Watson and Smith have had some success out on loan.

Its a fairly decent return, the one thing missing is someone really coming through and smashing it - hopefully Olise is that player

[Maneki Neko]

For him, it is a good move which will help him in the future. For us, a bad move, I feel that in a few years (or less) we will view him as someone who we wished we had kept.

he's 21 will nearly be 22 by the start of next season and still nowhere near displacing first-team players. he's played what? 1 game? How long are we supposed to keep youngsters for, for goodness sake? it's an Acadamy not a prison. Would he be displacing Yiadom in two years time? doubtful, in fact I would even hang my hat on it and say no. It's quite strange this weird obsession our fans have with our academy products that we never want them to leave.

This isn't a mistake we will not live to regret this. It's a good move for both him and the club and anyone else who thinks differently is just a bit weird

^ agree with ALL this.

The only thing that makes me ☹ is that we have had a crack team of youngsters over the last few years and they haven’t broken through for reasons that are never disclosed (or they are all not good enough). Shame.

file under - thats youth players for ya

[muirinho]

thought he looked half decent whenever ive seen him.maybe shortsighted with our current options, though i still think he is at least a season and a half away from getting any decent go/significant number of games, so i can see its probably a good move for him, and wouldnt expect us to stand in his way if he wanted to go.

hope we have another option lined up at some point, but its not a priority, especially if gunter is getting an extension

Yeah I guess it's the - we'd quite like you to stay, but we're not desperate - type of move. Bit disappointed this is a move rather than a loan, as I don't think Watson is going to cut it at this level.

OTOH, it's very important for him. He's 21/22 - at this stage he needs to be getting very regular games. And he won't be getting them at Reading, or enough of them anyway, if he's backup to Yiadom, who isn't injury prone.

I'd be surprised if Gunter signed an extension tbh. But maybe behind the scenes, it is happening. Would we really go into next season with Rino and Araruna as backup right-backs, with maybe another academy product getting cup-games? Because if there isn't an extension, that seems a bit light.

[Snowflake Royal]

For him, it is a good move which will help him in the future. For us, a bad move, I feel that in a few years (or less) we will view him as someone who we wished we had kept.

he's 21 will nearly be 22 by the start of next season and still nowhere near displacing first-team players. he's played what? 1 game? How long are we supposed to keep youngsters for, for goodness sake? it's an Acadamy not a prison. Would he be displacing Yiadom in two years time? doubtful, in fact I would even hang my hat on it and say no. It's quite strange this weird obsession our fans have with our academy products that we never want them to leave.

This isn't a mistake we will not live to regret this. It's a good move for both him and the club and anyone else who thinks differently is just a bit weird

As of August he could very conceivably have been 1 injury or loss of form away from being a first team regular. And from a finances stand point bound to be a cheaper option than Gunter.

I think this is a missed opportunity for us but a good move for him. Still think a loan would have suited us and him better though.

[Nameless]

he's 21 will nearly be 22 by the start of next season and still nowhere near displacing first-team players. he's played what? 1 game? How long are we supposed to keep youngsters for, for goodness sake? it's an Acadamy not a prison. Would he be displacing Yiadom in two years time? doubtful, in fact I would even hang my hat on it and say no. It's quite strange this weird obsession our fans have with our academy products that we never want them to leave.

This isn't a mistake we will not live to regret this. It's a good move for both him and the club and anyone else who thinks differently is just a bit weird

^ agree with ALL this.

The only thing that makes me ☹ is that we have had a crack team of youngsters over the last few years and they haven’t broken through for reasons that are never disclosed (or they are all not good enough). Shame.

TBF, a lot of them have done as well as we might expect. Rino has broken through (though stalled a bit), Richards, Olise. Loader has played loads but not really done too well. And the likes of Barrett, Howe have moved to L1 and Watson and Smith have had some success out on loan.

Its a fairly decent return, the one thing missing is someone really coming through and smashing it - hopefully Olise is that player

Tom McIntyre has done quite well !
I think we may see Jordan Holsgrove stepping up but he essentially would be competing with Swift, Ejaria and Olise

[Nameless]

he's 21 will nearly be 22 by the start of next season and still nowhere near displacing first-team players. he's played what? 1 game? How long are we supposed to keep youngsters for, for goodness sake? it's an Acadamy not a prison. Would he be displacing Yiadom in two years time? doubtful, in fact I would even hang my hat on it and say no. It's quite strange this weird obsession our fans have with our academy products that we never want them to leave.

This isn't a mistake we will not live to regret this. It's a good move for both him and the club and anyone else who thinks differently is just a bit weird

^ agree with ALL this.

The only thing that makes me ☹ is that we have had a crack team of youngsters over the last few years and they haven’t broken through for reasons that are never disclosed (or they are all not good enough). Shame.

TBF, a lot of them have done as well as we might expect. Rino has broken through (though stalled a bit), Richards, Olise. Loader has played loads but not really done too well. And the likes of Barrett, Howe have moved to L1 and Watson and Smith have had some success out on loan.

Its a fairly decent return, the one thing missing is someone really coming through and smashing it - hopefully Olise is that player

Tom McIntyre has done quite well !
I think we may see Jordan Holsgrove stepping up but he essentially would be competing with Swift, Ejaria and Olise

[Hound]

Yes forgot about Tom Mc. There is a very decent player there I reckon

Holsgrove on the limited time I’ve seen him play - ie bits of a couple of pre season friendlies - is definitely one to keep an eye on

[Lower West]

The only thing that makes me ☹ is that we have had a crack team of youngsters over the last few years and they haven’t broken through for reasons that are never disclosed (or they are all not good enough). Shame.

Big step up from U23 football to top level Championship, let alone premiership. Look at Blackett. Once had huge potential. Drifted along. With maturity comes real application. Some players have it and some don't. At least having a good academy will benefit the club financially. That's the model both City and Chelsea have adopted.

Cooper should never have left. Olise has potential. Richards and Rinomhota likewise.

[bcubed]

For him, it is a good move which will help him in the future. For us, a bad move, I feel that in a few years (or less) we will view him as someone who we wished we had kept.

he's 21 will nearly be 22 by the start of next season and still nowhere near displacing first-team players. he's played what? 1 game? How long are we supposed to keep youngsters for, for goodness sake? it's an Acadamy not a prison. Would he be displacing Yiadom in two years time? doubtful, in fact I would even hang my hat on it and say no. It's quite strange this weird obsession our fans have with our academy products that we never want them to leave.

This isn't a mistake we will not live to regret this. It's a good move for both him and the club and anyone else who thinks differently is just a bit weird

As of August he could very conceivably have been 1 injury or loss of form away from being a first team regular. And from a finances stand point bound to be a cheaper option than Gunter.

I think this is a missed opportunity for us but a good move for him. Still think a loan would have suited us and him better though.

Admittedly I've only seen him twice but I tend to agree with you

Shame

[SCIAG]

For him, it is a good move which will help him in the future. For us, a bad move, I feel that in a few years (or less) we will view him as someone who we wished we had kept.

he's 21 will nearly be 22 by the start of next season and still nowhere near displacing first-team players. he's played what? 1 game? How long are we supposed to keep youngsters for, for goodness sake? it's an Acadamy not a prison. Would he be displacing Yiadom in two years time? doubtful, in fact I would even hang my hat on it and say no. It's quite strange this weird obsession our fans have with our academy products that we never want them to leave.

This isn't a mistake we will not live to regret this. It's a good move for both him and the club and anyone else who thinks differently is just a bit weird

The absolute state of this post

The highlight is finding a really convoluted way to suggest a player who has just turned 21 is nearly 22.

Would you like to hazard a guess what sort of age our young players tend to establish themselves in the first team?

We’re going to lose Yiadom for at least a month next season (and let’s face it, he hasn’t exactly demanded selection even when fit this season). We have a young full back here who already looks comfortable at this level. Should we use him as cover for Yiadom, keep Gunter in our “prison” on much more money, or gamble on a new player unfamiliar with the club?

It’s a fairly trivial decision, Teddy Howe probably isn’t going to play for England, but it’s still an utterly bizarre decision and no amount of innuendo will change that.

[Spud Gun]

For him, it is a good move which will help him in the future. For us, a bad move, I feel that in a few years (or less) we will view him as someone who we wished we had kept.

he's 21 will nearly be 22 by the start of next season and still nowhere near displacing first-team players. he's played what? 1 game? How long are we supposed to keep youngsters for, for goodness sake? it's an Acadamy not a prison. Would he be displacing Yiadom in two years time? doubtful, in fact I would even hang my hat on it and say no. It's quite strange this weird obsession our fans have with our academy products that we never want them to leave.

This isn't a mistake we will not live to regret this. It's a good move for both him and the club and anyone else who thinks differently is just a bit weird

The absolute state of this post

The highlight is finding a really convoluted way to suggest a player who has just turned 21 is nearly 22.

Would you like to hazard a guess what sort of age our young players tend to establish themselves in the first team?

We’re going to lose Yiadom for at least a month next season (and let’s face it, he hasn’t exactly demanded selection even when fit this season). We have a young full back here who already looks comfortable at this level. Should we use him as cover for Yiadom, keep Gunter in our “prison” on much more money, or gamble on a new player unfamiliar with the club?

It’s a fairly trivial decision, Teddy Howe probably isn’t going to play for England, but it’s still an utterly bizarre decision and no amount of innuendo will change that.

Agree with you SCIAG. I have watched a lot of U23 games over the past couple of years and Howe was nearly always the stand out player and was very consistent. Far more so than Loader & Barrett who seem to have had more opportunities in the first team.

Howe has the potential to be a very good full back at this level and was just starting to show what he could do in the first team. I thought he played well against Blackpool and was going to kick on from there. It seems a very strange decision to sell a young player with potential when Gunter’s contract is running down.

[NewCorkSeth]

If I have learned one thing from HNA? it is that everytime the majority of people think it is a mistake to let a young player leave they never make it and the players that people think the club made the correct decision to let go are the ones who make it.

[Nameless]

he's 21 will nearly be 22 by the start of next season and still nowhere near displacing first-team players. he's played what? 1 game? How long are we supposed to keep youngsters for, for goodness sake? it's an Acadamy not a prison. Would he be displacing Yiadom in two years time? doubtful, in fact I would even hang my hat on it and say no. It's quite strange this weird obsession our fans have with our academy products that we never want them to leave.

This isn't a mistake we will not live to regret this. It's a good move for both him and the club and anyone else who thinks differently is just a bit weird

The absolute state of this post

The highlight is finding a really convoluted way to suggest a player who has just turned 21 is nearly 22.

Would you like to hazard a guess what sort of age our young players tend to establish themselves in the first team?

We’re going to lose Yiadom for at least a month next season (and let’s face it, he hasn’t exactly demanded selection even when fit this season). We have a young full back here who already looks comfortable at this level. Should we use him as cover for Yiadom, keep Gunter in our “prison” on much more money, or gamble on a new player unfamiliar with the club?

It’s a fairly trivial decision, Teddy Howe probably isn’t going to play for England, but it’s still an utterly bizarre decision and no amount of innuendo will change that.

Agree with you SCIAG. I have watched a lot of U23 games over the past couple of years and Howe was nearly always the stand out player and was very consistent. Far more so than Loader & Barrett who seem to have had more opportunities in the first team.

Howe has the potential to be a very good full back at this level and was just starting to show what he could do in the first team. I thought he played well against Blackpool and was going to kick on from there. It seems a very strange decision to sell a young player with potential when Gunter’s contract is running down.

Mmmm, i’ve also watched a lot of U23 and U18 games and frankly Howe was never a standout player. It was only really last season (IMHO) that he really kicked on and went from being very much a squad player to someone who looked a bit closer to stepping up. In terms of being standout he was never even the standout defender - Tom Mc and Osho have been ahead of him in that respect although Osho plateaued.
I do agree that at this point it’s a shame he’s gone because in time he might have become a regular. You can also understand why a 21 year old might opt for first team football now rather than several years on the bench with possible first team football some way down the line.
You can hardly tell an ambitious Young player that we’re going to stop him moving on because he might get a few games this time next year...

[Snowflake Royal]

If I have learned one thing from HNA? it is that everytime the majority of people think it is a mistake to let a young player leave they never make it and the players that people think the club made the correct decision to let go are the ones who make it.

CoughStaceycough