Views from the Sieve

Lost to Woodbridge Town on Pens. It never ends at the moment

4-4 isn't a terrible score though, and pens are simply a lottery.

A professional football academy vs the youth team of an eastern counties side. Christ that is poor.

And that, im afraid is another reason we have to go to QPR, Charlton & WHU for any young players.

If I was cynical id mention something about the inclusion of the manager and assistant managers' sons in the academy team.........

But I wont

:)

Let's put this result in some context.

Woodbridge Town play in the Eastern Junior Alliance Suffolk Division. They are currently bottom of that with no points.

This is the same level my boy plays at for Aveley. While Aveley haven't started the league well this season, they won the u18 league cup last season as an u17 team and are very good at that level.

They got beaten on Monday by Stevenage 3-0 in the FA Youth Cup. While the game was much closer than the score suggests, they were no match for the fitness of a team that is training every day and contained youth international players. When Stevenage went down to 10 men (they also have the traits of their first team) at 1-0, the superior tactical awareness of a pro side meant they actually looked better from that point on.

Last night was 120 minutes plus penalties, and our Academy side lost. FFS! I have been told that the Daggers Academy is what is going to turn it all around for the club.

Did Burnett and Hackett junior both play last night? It's all a bit Sunday League isn't it?

dagger4eva wrote:
If I was cynical id mention something about the inclusion of the manager and assistant managers' sons in the academy team.........

But I wont

:)

Well you just did.

Don't you mean if you were sick ? How can you dig out the managers family ? A kid by the way.Hate the manager by all means but you gone just a leeeeeeetle bit too far here.

You aint gone up in my estimation put it like that.

ARNU wrote:

dagger4eva wrote:
If I was cynical id mention something about the inclusion of the manager and assistant managers' sons in the academy team.........

But I wont

:)

Well you just did.

Don't you mean if you were sick ? How can you dig out the managers family ? A kid by the way.Hate the manager by all means but you gone just a leeeeeeetle bit too far here.

You aint gone up in my estimation put it like that.

Never seen our academy play, but I see the results and in general they aren't great.

Do Burnett and Hackett junior cut it in that side? I'd be genuinely interested to know.

We are a professional club. No room for sentiment.

dagger4eva wrote:And that, im afraid is another reason we have to go to QPR, Charlton & WHU for any young players.

If I was cynical id mention something about the inclusion of the manager and assistant managers' sons in the academy team.........

But I wont

:)

I have no idea on the ability of those boys but it is fair to presume that lots of players throughout the Daggers youth setup have been selected on mates rates basis.

I'm not digging out the family - or the kids themselves in the slightest.

Not watched either of them (or the entire academy team play) and have no real desire to do so tbh ...

If they are actually there on merit then fair play but as Mike says, no room for sentiment :roll:

Give me strength.....

By the way Arnu - can I just clarify that I do not hate the manager.

A world of difference between thinking he is way out of his depth and wanting him replaced as manager to actually hating the bloke.

Mike the Dagger wrote: Woodbridge Town play in the Eastern Junior Alliance Suffolk Division. They are currently bottom of that with no points.

OK, i take that back, Woodbridge seem to have two U18 sides, and it seems that this one plays in the Thurlow Nunn Youth League where they are unbeaten. Dereham Town, also from the same league also won, beating Posh.

We still lost to an Eastern Counties League side though.

Saw a bit of the kids in the squad friendlies during the summer.

Hackett's kid has a lot of pace and looks alright at that level.

Burnett's kid seems to play a Boucaud type game of playing a lot of 5 yard sidewards passes.

To put a bit of context see the link bellow

http://www.thefa.com/news/competitions/ ... -redbridge

Mark wrote:A professional football academy vs the youth team of an eastern counties side. Christ that is poor.

Sounds like a poor result especially as Jodi played, but for god sake the academy has surely proved its worth by producing three players who have gone onto much better things and another who we sold for a fee last season.

Our academy is hardly failing having produced one International footballer, one who is alleged to have stirred any amount of interest from a number of teams, another is playing at a higher level and an even younger lad that we sold to Reading last season .

FFS that's four players I know of that have been through our academy, two that have generated income. What more a we expecting.

The continued cheap shots at the Management at every given opportunity is now going to ridiculous lengths