Pele10":ajks330l said:
I don't know for certain but I would expect we will know within a couple weeks. I do know that the communications department put the statement about the Development lads and Ryan Lane out pretty soon after they had told them so I expect we will find out pretty soon after they know.
I cant imagine what the lads are going through, I'm filled with trepidation every time I think about it or every time someone asks me my opinion on who will be taken on. As to previous comments about whether I have some sort of standing in the youth setup the answer to that is none what so ever, just a fan who has always took in an interest and a keener one when I started to wonder why I wasn't seeing any Plymothians in the first team.
Small, non vocal crowds (by that I mean no continuous chanting) and being close to the action does mean you see and hear everything that happens on (and off) the pitch and you quickly identify everyone's personalities and character traits, you see the way they hold themselves in the club house after games, there is no swearing, they are all polite and respectful. I find it pretty remarkable given the stereotype and past experience but I cant remember the last player we've had I thought had even an ounce of arrogance about them. Having had the two SWPL campaigns and this season in particular having so many Friday night games has meant I've seen a lot of Calver, Steer and Palfrey. I always wanted them to get on and I felt gutted every time they went out injured and I was gutted and wound up when I heard the news Thursday,when you spend as much time as I have supporting them all as individuals through the highs and lows of it all you cant help but become emotionally invested in their progress. I'm sure people like HC Green and Dick Argyle would agree with that to some extent.
On the squad for next season thread I said I didn't think Adams had any interest in Youth development as an "observation" not a criticism as I didn't wish to hijack the thread down that route so I suppose this is the thread I can post that as a criticism.
Its all very well saying we want to see it but they have to be good enough or whatever it was Adams said. My problem with that is if Adams actually isn't bothered about wanting to see it, then he has the excuse of "they weren't good enough" and the board and fanbase just accept that unquestionably? Most reasonable people on here can debate his tactics and signings in the first team, why not on his judgment on youth. Certainly enough people used it as a stick to beat Sheridan with. Many now seemed to have lost their interest. Adams has let more go than Sheridan did and off the top of my head has handed less game time to each individual than Sheridan did before releasing them.
I take the point that Adams will have forgotten more about football than I will ever know. I don't see why that means I should trust his judgement. Adams was appointed to the job by someone with less knowledge of football than me and almost certainly everyone else on this site! Its his judgement I don't really trust.( I trust he will always run PAFC well in a business sense that's not me trying to make any wider anti- Brent point.)
If I was chairman I would be looking at other clubs handing out pro deals to apprentices, left, right and centre at the moment. I would be looking at them thinking how (at worst,) competitive our apprentices were in games with them and at best how exceedingly better our lads were against them and I would be saying its your job to make them good enough, other managers out there are taking on that task and juggling it with their other targets for the season. The argument about him only here on a short time and it being all about results. He was given a four year extension and has one of the most patient chairman in the Football League! If he was interested he would be doing it. The worry for me is this is now the second manager who doesn't appear interested in even attempting it appointed by the chairman.
It was supposedly one of his criteria, so I think if Mr Brent is interested in it he, would be well within his rights to question him on it and see if there was anything the board could do to help Derek achieve improvement in this area.