Hamza Choudhury

[Sol thewall Bamba]

The more I see the more I like him. Gunna be mega for us I reckon, proper hero material.

[Foxxed]

That season of captaining the u23s seemed to do him a load of good.

[lcfc sheff]

Hope he doesn't just get thrown to the side now that Iborra and Silva are fit again, i'd like to see him partner Ndidi to be honest.

[Lesta blue]

Surprised Hamza wasn't in the squad tonight. Noticed he is not on the 1st team squad anymore on the club website as well.

[Foxxed]

48 minutes ago, Lesta blue said:

Surprised Hamza wasn't in the squad tonight. Noticed he is not on the 1st team squad anymore on the club website as well.

He's in the first team squad numbers.

 

I wouldn't mind seeing him in the squad alongside Ndidi tbh. And get Ndidi further up the pitch. Not that impressed with Silva tbh. Still off the pace.

[TheMightySystem]

Bit confused as to what has happened with Choudhury. Played one preseason game and hasn't been in the squad since. While Ndidi and Mendy are first choice surely the next player that has a similar style (break up play and cover the wings when the fullbacks push on) is Choudhury, yet Puel seems to prefer Iborra who isn't getting any younger. I wouldn't mind choudhury not being a part of the first team if he went out on loan to get experience, yet both himself and Johnson have been kept at the club to seemingly play U23 football which is below them and don't even make the bench for cup games.

Just confused as he did well stepping in last season when called upon and he needs to continue getting first team football or he will end up stagnating.

[Jjridgewell]

both choudhury and johnson are injured right now.

[Shane]

21 minutes ago, Jjridgewell said:

both choudhury and johnson are injured right now.

Interesting. Maybe that’s why Choudhury has been with the u23s, to get match practice/slowly regain fitness? 

[Suzie the Fox]

2 minutes ago, Shane said:

Interesting. Maybe that’s why Choudhury has been with the u23s, to get match practice/slowly regain fitness? 

I doubt he is in Puels thoughts at the moment, with Mendy doing such a great job. 

 

He did great last season when we were out of options and he was thrown In at the deep end, but I personally don’t think he is the best choice of partner for Ndidi. 

[Bryn]

If he's injured that makes a lot of sense. If not he should have gone on loan, might as well let him get the minutes since we've got King and James cluttering up the place to back up the backups.

[Farrington fox]

James and King should both be loaned out, they are solid Championship players.

[st albans fox]

10 hours ago, Shane said:

Interesting. Maybe that’s why Choudhury has been with the u23s, to get match practice/slowly regain fitness? 

He has played the U23 fixtures and looked a little off the pace with his passing at times. As if he is a little bored with the standard? He may have picked up a knock in the game last week - though I didn’t notice? Hamza was at Saturday’s game suited and booted as if he was a squad member. Silva and vardy looked casual as they knew they weren’t involved.   

 

Johnson certainly picked up a strain of some kind last week. 

[Nick]

I think he's a couple or more players down the pecking order and needs a season of first team football under his belt. For me he should have gone out to a challenging Championship side on loan as a starter.

[Clever Fox]

5 minutes ago, Swan Lesta said:

I think he's a couple or more players down the pecking order and needs a season of first team football under his belt. For me he should have gone out to a challenging Championship side on loan as a starter.

I think Puel would give him his chance if he didn't have to seal with both Iborra and Silva. They become a bit of a headache at the Club, neither are delivering the type of performances expected of them and so no one knows what to do with them.

Personally I'd have let both go in the Summer and create 2 more spaces to fill in the squad.

[Ric Flair]

For all Puel's supposed fascination with bringing through academy players at his clubs, our better youngsters are either out on loan or now further down the pecking order. Whether this is an insight in to what Puel thinks of the standard produced from our academy or not, it does beg the question why we seem so resistent to overhaul in our academy. 

[UniFox21]

6 minutes ago, Ric Flair said:

For all Puel's supposed fascination with bringing through academy players at his clubs, our better youngsters are either out on loan or now further down the pecking order. Whether this is an insight in to what Puel thinks of the standard produced from our academy or not, it does beg the question why we seem so resistent to overhaul in our academy. 

Slightly unfair assessment. He's brought through and developed a lot of young players. Chillwell and Gray were both in the periphery last year and have really developed in the close season. 

 

It's been shown Puel watches the academy games too. You can't honestly tell me Barnes is getting less out on loan at WBA than he would in our u23's? The various others getting game time out there as well after being exposed to the first team last year. 

[coolhandfox]

Let be honest he got game last year because of injuries and suspensions.

 

At the moment he's not going to play ahead of Ndidi or Mendy at DM and do we need another defensive midfielder on the bench.

[Ric Flair]

25 minutes ago, UniFox21 said:

Slightly unfair assessment. He's brought through and developed a lot of young players. Chillwell and Gray were both in the periphery last year and have really developed in the close season. 

 

It's been shown Puel watches the academy games too. You can't honestly tell me Barnes is getting less out on loan at WBA than he would in our u23's? The various others getting game time out there as well after being exposed to the first team last year. 

I think you've misinterpreted my post. It wasn't a criticism of such, I'm not of the opinion that Barnes is better served playing back up to Maddison or Gray and although Choudhury seemed to improve last season remarkably, I can also see how difficult it would be for him to be above Iborra, Silva and Mendy but the point I was making was that Puel is supposedly all about promoting from within. He's been here 11 months and he's barely played any of the academy players, even the back end of last season there was ample opportunity to give Barnes some proper chances and he was reluctant. I think that's indicative of how Puel rates the current crop and I hope he's given more influence in making changes to our academy as they are badly needed.

[UniFox21]

11 minutes ago, Ric Flair said:

I think you've misinterpreted my post. It wasn't a criticism of such, I'm not of the opinion that Barnes is better served playing back up to Maddison or Gray and although Choudhury seemed to improve last season remarkably, I can also see how difficult it would be for him to be above Iborra, Silva and Mendy but the point I was making was that Puel is supposedly all about promoting from within. He's been here 11 months and he's barely played any of the academy players, even the back end of last season there was ample opportunity to give Barnes some proper chances and he was reluctant. I think that's indicative of how Puel rates the current crop and I hope he's given more influence in making changes to our academy as they are badly needed.

But, at the back end of last season, he was seriously at risk of losing his job. Trialling the youth players may have been a risk too far for him?

Think it's such a huge balance with youth players, put them in at the right time and they thrive. The wrong point however, they won't and may be setback. We don't know what goes on behind closed doors in regards to that

[LCCFox96]

14 minutes ago, Ric Flair said:

I think you've misinterpreted my post. It wasn't a criticism of such, I'm not of the opinion that Barnes is better served playing back up to Maddison or Gray and although Choudhury seemed to improve last season remarkably, I can also see how difficult it would be for him to be above Iborra, Silva and Mendy but the point I was making was that Puel is supposedly all about promoting from within. He's been here 11 months and he's barely played any of the academy players, even the back end of last season there was ample opportunity to give Barnes some proper chances and he was reluctant. I think that's indicative of how Puel rates the current crop and I hope he's given more influence in making changes to our academy as they are badly needed.

 

I don't necessarily disagree with that - I liked the inclusion of Chilwell and Choudhury at the end of last season and would have liked to have seen Barnes get some minutes too - but do you no think that had something to do with Puel needing the time to implement his style of play and tactical vision with the seniors? 

[Babylon]

21 minutes ago, Ric Flair said:

I think you've misinterpreted my post. It wasn't a criticism of such, I'm not of the opinion that Barnes is better served playing back up to Maddison or Gray and although Choudhury seemed to improve last season remarkably, I can also see how difficult it would be for him to be above Iborra, Silva and Mendy but the point I was making was that Puel is supposedly all about promoting from within. He's been here 11 months and he's barely played any of the academy players, even the back end of last season there was ample opportunity to give Barnes some proper chances and he was reluctant. I think that's indicative of how Puel rates the current crop and I hope he's given more influence in making changes to our academy as they are badly needed.

Don't we know pretty much have one of the youngest teams in the league, and that's before Calgar starts even getting in the squad. I think it's asking a bit much to chuck too many in at one time!

[Koke]

Read somewhere we are the second youngest team in the league, and thats before Soyuncu starts. Puel has brought down the age of the team significantly. Huth, Fuchs, Simpson and soon Morgan as well are gone out of the starting 11. Silva & Iborra can't get into the team.

 

Hamza would not get ahead of Ndidi or Mendy, and probably not Iborra and Silva either tbh. We should have loaned him out.

[Foxy-Lady]

I think Hamza was all lined up for a loan move....and then he got injured in last weeks U23 game Ve Blackburn. Looked quite a bad injury which is probably why they couldn't get him out on loan

 

Frankly, i was very surprised they kept him on the pitch after he got injured as he spent the next 10 mins trying to run on one leg and was clearly in some pain and difficulty.  Cant imagine those extra 10 minutes have done him any good whatsoever and potentially made the injury worse and extended his recovery period...!!  :

[Guest]

2 hours ago, Ric Flair said:

For all Puel's supposed fascination with bringing through academy players at his clubs, our better youngsters are either out on loan or now further down the pecking order. Whether this is an insight in to what Puel thinks of the standard produced from our academy or not, it does beg the question why we seem so resistent to overhaul in our academy. 

Surely he has put Chilwell and Gray front and centre and brought in Maddison .

 

along with Ndidi, Iheanacho etc... We have an incredibly young group of PL players.

[Ric Flair]

3 hours ago, UniFox21 said:

But, at the back end of last season, he was seriously at risk of losing his job. Trialling the youth players may have been a risk too far for him?

Think it's such a huge balance with youth players, put them in at the right time and they thrive. The wrong point however, they won't and may be setback. We don't know what goes on behind closed doors in regards to that

As I've said before, he comes with a reputation of promoting from within. I don't know of a more comfortable time when you're team is safe from relegation to try a few of them. Choudhury played because there was literally nobody else available. Albrighton had been off form for a while and Barnes could and probably should of had a chance. He had the likes of Hughes, Ndukwu and Thomas on the bench at times and in games when we'd pretty much lost, he could have given them minutes but chose not to.

 

There'll be valid reasons why this occurred but it goes against his reputation as a manager who is very insistent on promoting youth players from the academy.

 

3 hours ago, LCCFox96 said:

 

I don't necessarily disagree with that - I liked the inclusion of Chilwell and Choudhury at the end of last season and would have liked to have seen Barnes get some minutes too - but do you no think that had something to do with Puel needing the time to implement his style of play and tactical vision with the seniors? 

Possibly, but I've read before that Puel finds it easier to implement his vision and style with young players who are more adaptable. It was quite clear last season he was trying to evolve our squad with players unsuitable, who'd be replaced come this summer and I'm surprised he didn't look to the academy to see if some of the youngsters could have adapted to his style in the meantime.

 

3 hours ago, Babylon said:

Don't we know pretty much have one of the youngest teams in the league, and that's before Calgar starts even getting in the squad. I think it's asking a bit much to chuck too many in at one time!

100% we have recruited some superb young players, but that's been it. They've all come from outside the club and is that an indicament that the academy isn't up to scratch for Puel? He's always quite hands on at previous clubs with the running of the academy and I'd love to know his thoughts on ours. It's long been a gripe of mine that it's not been freshened up like pretty much the rest of this club has. Puel is taking us in a new direction and with a new state of the art training ground and expansion on it's way, should we place a large amount of focus on a source of producing talent in the academy. It's a no brainer.

 

2 hours ago, FIF said:

Surely he has put Chilwell and Gray front and centre and brought in Maddison .

 

along with Ndidi, Iheanacho etc... We have an incredibly young group of PL players.

As mentioned above, I'm raising the point that Puel has a very good track record of bringing through players from his clubs academy. When you scratch the surface he's brought very little through but that's not denying what he's doing with the recruitment of young players. I'm just merely pointing out the lack of progression of our academy which I've long wanted overhauling anyway. Would love to know if Puel wants changes too.