Harry Hodges signs pro deal

[Knibbsworth]

Giggs was Mancunian Mark Pedlar, Welsh by nationality but a local Manchester lad nonetheless. Ferguson found him after hearing from a scout that Manchester City had a wonderkid on their books. He did his best to switch his allegiance and the rest is history.

 

[Mark Pedlar]

Giggs was Mancunian Mark Pedlar, Welsh by nationality but a local Manchester lad nonetheless. Ferguson found him after hearing from a scout that Manchester City had a wonderkid on their books. He did his best to switch his allegiance and the rest is history.

OK. So being generous - 4 players. The point is that Manchester United could pick their youth talent from the world including Devon and Cornwall. Let's see us persuade a talented lad from Longsight to sign for Argyle over Man United or Man City. Mark wants to see EVERY lad (or at least 5 per year) who joins Argyle to make it to the first team (although he's not convinced by Lolos) - it's not possible. Even getting 1 or 2 into the first 11 is going to be nearly impossible given that the parents of 99% of local talent will sign for teams above us in the pyramid. The cascade down of premiership trained apprentices alone will over supply youth talent into the football league for years to come. Our youth will be lucky to make the conference.

I wish it wasn't so - but it is. When we get to the second tier then we MAY be able to make parents think twice before signing their off-spring to the likes of Arsenal or Chelsea but until then we shouldn't be surprised that youth players come and go as we search for the 1% that the premiership teams missed or that parents of whom don't believe that little Johnny (or more pertinently) little Trevor will make it big.

 

[Keepitgreen]

Giggs was Mancunian Mark Pedlar, Welsh by nationality but a local Manchester lad nonetheless. Ferguson found him after hearing from a scout that Manchester City had a wonderkid on their books. He did his best to switch his allegiance and the rest is history.

Point of order; Giggsy was born in Cardiff and moved to the Manchester area when he was about 5 or 6 because his father changed rugby teams.

 

[Knibbsworth]

I completely agree Mark Pedlar. However when you see the likes of Trevor Francis come and go, Dan Gosling, Ben Purrington, there are kids as good at football around here as anywhere else.

Most will be Conference level at absolute best, but there will be the odd player who has some proper quality about them.

I agree that there are too many fans who are naive about how young lads become footballers. There is more to it than giving young lads senior appearances and watching them blossom. The key is seeing who has the potential, some youth scouts have the gift and others don't.

I'd certainly trust DA's judgement over my own, I'm one of the many who saw Ashley Barnes at 18 and didn't see a professional player in him. Now he's a successful Premier League striker who gives top defenders nightmares.

 

[Knibbsworth]

Giggs was Mancunian Mark Pedlar, Welsh by nationality but a local Manchester lad nonetheless. Ferguson found him after hearing from a scout that Manchester City had a wonderkid on their books. He did his best to switch his allegiance and the rest is history.

Point of order; Giggsy was born in Cardiff and moved to the Manchester area when he was about 5 or 6 because his father changed rugby teams.

Manchester United found him on their own doorstep, that's my point. They didn't require scouts in Cardiff, even though that wouldn't have been a problem. Bale coming through at Southampton and all that. Ryan Giggs was found tearing defences apart and banging in goals on the school pitches of Lancashire. More recently the MUFC youth team has included the likes of Gérard Pique, Paul Pogba, Giuseppe Rossi and Federico Macheda who probably weren't first seen playing for Lancashire schools!

 

[MarkMatthews]

Giggs was Mancunian Mark Pedlar, Welsh by nationality but a local Manchester lad nonetheless. Ferguson found him after hearing from a scout that Manchester City had a wonderkid on their books. He did his best to switch his allegiance and the rest is history.

OK. So being generous - 4 players. The point is that Manchester United could pick their youth talent from the world including Devon and Cornwall. Let's see us persuade a talented lad from Longsight to sign for Argyle over Man United or Man City. Mark wants to see EVERY lad (or at least 5 per year) who joins Argyle to make it to the first team (although he's not convinced by Lolos) - it's not possible. Even getting 1 or 2 into the first 11 is going to be nearly impossible given that the parents of 99% of local talent will sign for teams above us in the pyramid. The cascade down of premiership trained apprentices alone will over supply youth talent into the football league for years to come. Our youth will be lucky to make the conference.

I wish it wasn't so - but it is. When we get to the second tier then we MAY be able to make parents think twice before signing their off-spring to the likes of Arsenal or Chelsea but until then we shouldn't be surprised that youth players come and go as we search for the 1% that the premiership teams missed or that parents of whom don't believe that little Johnny (or more pertinently,) little Trevor will make it big.

I resent the insinuation regarding Lolos. I like him as a character, I would love to see him make it. Just because I don’t think he is as good as Battle, Fletcher, Louis Rooney or Harvey, (and you can replace his name with Luke Jephcott’s [a Westcountry boy, through and through] and I feel exactly the same.)it doesn’t mean I don’t want to see them get chances if they are taken on.

As for signing some one from some Northern provincial town, I’ve been very impressed with Andrew Burn, the very first time I saw him was when he was still a trialist, he was that comfortable and commanding, I actually assumed he was a year older. At the time the position looked crowded but now with Callum, Elliott and Harry Downing all gone, I sincerely hope Andy is a name we hear a lot more of, a very good player and seems a really decent lad to.

I don’t necessarily want a specified number in the first team, what I want is fairness. I only really ever argue for people the the first team management, have taken on to the senior ranks to be given their fair chance. In recent years with the new DP contracts, I’ve only ever argued for impressive performances to be recognised by stepping up, be it through training, match day squads or playing, there should be an obvious succession ladder for them to climb.

 

[Knibbsworth]

What do you mean by fairness Mark Matthews?

Who is the better centre midfielder out of David Fox, Antoni Sarcevic or Cameron Sangster?

Who is the better striker out of Ryan Taylor or Alex Fletcher?

I once highlighted DA's faith in youth in selecting Fletcher up front at home against the league leaders Shrewsbury. You said at the time Fletcher 'forced his hand as the club's top scorer', as if Adams resented having to pick him but the public clamour for Fletcher was too great. It's comments like that which make it hard to take you seriously.

Compared to the senior professionals, these 18 year olds don't compare, physically, for height, strength, cardio vascular capability, experience or intelligence. If you bring fairness into it, Adams is being completely fair by not playing them when he has two better players in every position.

What is your interpretation of being fair? Presumably by giving all the teenagers at least six starts each so everyone can be double certain they are not quite League One level. Can that not be fairly well ascertained from reserve games and training with the first team squad which Adams and his team regularly attend? If a cracking young talent like Dan Gosling comes along again, standing out in training, I'm sure Adams won't be shy about throwing him in if he's ready. The question is, how often does our youth set up deliver a lad who is genuine Football League quality?

 

[Pele10]

Totally agree about Rio Garside MM. Great to see a clever player amongst safe players & workers, every team needs it

 

[Pele10]

https://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/sport/ ... ng-1680108

:crazy:

 

[PL2 3DQ]

It's worth pointing out that six players who came through the Argyle youth set up played in the first team last season and four of those are local lads.
Michael Cooper was living in Exeter when he joined Argyle's Centre of Excellence.

 

[briangreen]

I'd loved to be proved wrong Steve - give it two years and Cooper won't be with us.

mark.i feel you have something against locally born players doing well at argyle.a strange reluctance to encourage.

I think it's called a dose of reality. You would struggle to find a team that survives on local talent for more than a minority of players.

The more so the higher up the league you go. The days of a Carragher playing his entire career for his local side are in the romantic past.

So what happened with Ferguson's man utd team of local talent? Don't tell me a one-off.....

Schmeichel - Gladsaxe, Denmark
Neville - Bury, England
Johnsen - Sandefjord, Norway
Stam - Kampen, Netherlands
Irwin - Cork, Eire
Giggs - Cardiff, Wales
Beckham - Leytonstone, England
Butt - Manchester, England
Blomqvist - Tavelsjo, Sweden
Yorke - Canaan, Tobago
Cole - Nottingham, England

All local lads....

Nicky Butt born Gorton, Manchester.
Paul Scholes born Pendleton, Salford.
Gary Neville born Bury, Manchester.
Phil Neville born Bury, Manchester.
David Beckham born Leytonstone, London. At United from 1991 (16yrs)
Wes Brown born Longsight, Manchester.
These are the players I was referring to.