Development/Youth Squads 2021/2022 Thread

[Wasyls Pec Deck]

I’m not that clued up about the U23s and academy, but have been to a few Johnstone Paint games in the past. Always thought Darnel Johnson looked very handy and Ndukwu looked very technically gifted and silky. Were they deemed not good enough, or other reasons for their release? 

[sacreblueits442]

21 minutes ago, Wasyls Pec Deck said:

I’m not that clued up about the U23s and academy, but have been to a few Johnstone Paint games in the past. Always thought Darnel Johnson looked very handy and Ndukwu looked very technically gifted and silky. Were they deemed not good enough, or other reasons for their release? 

..just not good enough!!!

Darnel seemed a bit limited in his game, very one dimensional.

   Ndukwu just never seemed to understand the reason why he was on the pitch. He has scored some great goals from the half way line but all the games seemed to pass him by. Little to no effort, failed to engage with his teammates, absolutely carried by the team when watching the U23s. 

  Strange thing was when he shot from the halfway line, he became confident and would then showcase his talents, other than that, you would not notice he was on the pitch.

  Either this was an example of a player who needs confidence in order to express himself or someone who would turn up if he felt like it.

[TJB-fox]

Disappointed to see Ndukwu not kick on over the past few years. Saw him play quite a few times at a younger age and was a really good player. When he was on it he stood out a country mile, guess that was his issue though like a lot of (young) players - consistency. Hopefully can get himself a league two club and kick on. 

[Wasyls Pec Deck]

52 minutes ago, sacreblueits442 said:

..just not good enough!!!

Darnel seemed a bit limited in his game, very one dimensional.

   Ndukwu just never seemed to understand the reason why he was on the pitch. He has scored some great goals from the half way line but all the games seemed to pass him by. Little to no effort, failed to engage with his teammates, absolutely carried by the team when watching the U23s. 

  Strange thing was when he shot from the halfway line, he became confident and would then showcase his talents, other than that, you would not notice he was on the pitch.

  Either this was an example of a player who needs confidence in order to express himself or someone who would turn up if he felt like it.

Interesting. I didn’t watch enough games to make a solid judgement, but gifted players are often a bit lazy aren’t they.

 

Will be interested to see where both end up next.

[moore_94]

3 hours ago, lcfc sheff said:

Jesus we plan on keeping Sam Hughes in the u23s for all his career? 

Has a long term knee injury, I imagine we are offering him a new deal to keep him around a club environment/help him out with recovery until he is ready to go and find a new club

 

Can't imagine he would be on a massive wage anyway

[UniFox21]

Didn't Oli Bosworth win academy player of the year fairly recently? 

[moore_94]

10 minutes ago, UniFox21 said:

Didn't Oli Bosworth win academy player of the year fairly recently? 

2019 and 2020 I believe, but they must not rate him very highly especially with the amount of keepers we have signed recently

[UniFox21]

1 minute ago, moore_94 said:

2019 and 2020 I believe, but they must not rate him very highly especially with the amount of keepers we have signed recently

Something has changed in the last year then, he hasn't kicked on or as you say he was best of an average group. 

[Incognito]

I work with a parent of one of the u23 lads, and they told me Layton Ndukwu is really suffering with his mental health.

 

Might be, at least partially, the reason he has stagnated. I get the impression he has been suffering for a while.

 

Whether he makes it or not in the professional game, I really hope he gets help and comes out the other side.

[The_Rorab]

44 minutes ago, UniFox21 said:

Didn't Oli Bosworth win academy player of the year fairly recently? 

Didn't this also happen with Conor Tee and I think it was Herve Pepe-Ngoma a while back where they won academy player of the year and then promptly got released like a year later?

Edited 5 June 2021 by The_Rorab

[Foxxed]

11 hours ago, Wasyls Pec Deck said:

I’m not that clued up about the U23s and academy, but have been to a few Johnstone Paint games in the past. Always thought Darnel Johnson looked very handy and Ndukwu looked very technically gifted and silky. Were they deemed not good enough, or other reasons for their release? 

Darnell looked decent in his pre-season cameo under, I think, Ranieri. But then had a disastrous loan north of the border, with a red card in his first match and subsequent injury, playing a grand total of one game, after which he had another lackluster loan at Wigan and then eventually went to Wimbledon, where he's had some decent stats but nothing that indicates he's ready to be poached by a bigger team. Ndukwu always had talent and, according to a few unsubstantiated angry posts on this forum had been demanding a loan, and then finally got one with bottom-of-the-league strugglers Southend where he failed to impress. It's been suggested before here but I'm not sure he's fitted to the physicality of the English game.

 

 

Edited 5 June 2021 by Foxxed
edit: Twas Wigan. Thanks Nannypig7

[Ryy]

25 minutes ago, Foxxed said:

Darnell looked decent in his pre-season cameo under, I think, Ranieri. But then had a disastrous loan north of the border, with a red card in his first match and subsequent injury, playing a grand total of one game, after which he had another lackluster loan at Watford and then eventually went to Wimbledon, where he's had some decent stats but nothing that indicates he's ready to be poached by a bigger team. Ndukwu always had talent and, according to a few unsubstantiated angry posts on this forum had been demanding a loan, and then finally got one with bottom-of-the-league strugglers Southend where he failed to impress. It's been suggested before here but I'm not sure he's fitted to the physical English game. He's a bit of a Gray for me; untapped talent with question marks on whether it can be tapped.

 

 

Wigan not Watford I’m pretty sure 

[majaco]

17 hours ago, moore_94 said:

Retained List

The following players have had their contracts extended:

 

Josh Knight (23)

Kasey McAteer (19)

Admiral Muskwe (22)

Tyrese Shade (20)

 

The following players have been offered new/professional contracts (yet to sign):

 

Sam Hughes (24)

Sidnei Tavares (19)

Ethan Fitzhugh (18)

Wanya Marcal-Madivadua (18)

Tawanda Maswanhise (18)

Will Russ (18)

 

The following players have been released:

 

Darnell Johnson (22)

Layton Ndukwu (22)

Oli Bosworth (18)

Darragh O'Connor (21)

Dempsey Arlott-John (19)

Azeem Abdulai (19)

Bailey Aisthorpe (18)

Johnson Gyamfi (19)

Adam Leathers (19)

Daniel Obi (18)

Johnly Yfeko (17)

 

https://www.premierleague.com/news/2163099/?sf246496962=1

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/leicester-city-retained-list-published-5493942

Does this mean Knight and Muskwe stand  to be part of the first team squad?  At their age, surely they are not being retained to be sent out on loan or play for the U23s.

 

If Sam Hughes signs, will he be a back up centre back?

[Foxxed]

Yfeko, Bosworth and Gyamfi’s younger brother released? Never saw Gyamfi but Yfeko looked good and Bosworth won an award. This next season we’re going to have to give a good few minutes to some youngsters to keep up the academy’s reputation for players getting into the first team. If Sid stays I suspect he’ll get a good few mins at least in the FA cup and League Cup if we’re concentrating on Europa.

[Bubby]

Obviously Ewing is not the only one to participate in the challenge

[moore_94]

3 hours ago, majaco said:

Does this mean Knight and Muskwe stand  to be part of the first team squad?  At their age, surely they are not being retained to be sent out on loan or play for the U23s.

 

If Sam Hughes signs, will he be a back up centre back?

Knights contract extension was an additional year we could activate, so we can get some money for him

 

Muskwe will probably be out on loan again

 

Hughes has a long term knee injury, probably just us doing him a favour to help him rehab and can then find a new club

[sacreblueits442]

7 hours ago, Incognito said:

I work with a parent of one of the u23 lads, and they told me Layton Ndukwu is really suffering with his mental health.

 

Might be, at least partially, the reason he has stagnated. I get the impression he has been suffering for a while.

 

Whether he makes it or not in the professional game, I really hope he gets help and comes out the other side.

....absolutely no surprise!!!!

He looks like he should not be on the pitch and I have previously said that he needs to evaluate if playing football is what he really wants to be doing. It will be a difficult situation should his regression in his career feeds into his perception of who he is.

  Counselling needs to be a big part of how he moves forward, and football will need to take a back seat, as if it was an outlet for him to be himself for periods when he is playing or partaking in training, then it will have some value in his life.

   I have no idea where his issues stems from and getting to the root cause is a journey which could take a long time and he needs to want to be willing to take the necessary steps. Regression Therapy is viewed as a more aggressive approach, and it has been said to me (by someone who has worked within the environment, in a clerical capacity) that there are about two people in this country who have the skills to do this, although several people legally practice the method.

[Red Squirrel]

On 04/06/2021 at 08:33, happy85 said:

 

Apart from his obvious talent, he comes across as very mature and speaks intelligently. 

At the end of the day its the mentality which seems to be the determining factor to make ir as a professional -  Oli looks a very promising prospect and wish him the very best in his career/. 

The same for Will Alves - we've got some exciting midfield talent coming through.

 

[Ric Flair]

5 hours ago, Bubby said:

Obviously Ewing is not the only one to participate in the challenge

That's Wanya Marcal-Madivadua I think!, contract up this summer and is rumoured to want out. We have offered him new teems though.

[Wasyls Pec Deck]

5 minutes ago, Ric Flair said:

Wanya Marcal-Madivadua

What’s the chant for that fella? 

[moore_94]

11 minutes ago, Ric Flair said:

That's Wanya Marcal-Madivadua I think!, contract up this summer and is rumoured to want out. We have offered him new teems though.

Quite worrying how many decent young players seemingly don't want to stick around

[Wasyls Pec Deck]

8 hours ago, moore_94 said:

Quite worrying how many decent young players seemingly don't want to stick around

And odd? Because there seems to be a good and established path from academy to first team 

[Lesta2014]

9 hours ago, moore_94 said:

Quite worrying how many decent young players seemingly don't want to stick around

The way beaglehole runs the u23s? If not in first team having to wait until your 21 for a loan? 

[Ric Flair]

10 hours ago, moore_94 said:

Quite worrying how many decent young players seemingly don't want to stick around

I think this one is more he wants to go back to Portugal than because of disillusion with Beaglehole and the jobs for the boys brigade.

[Simon alex]

On 04/06/2021 at 23:07, Ric Flair said:

Surprised they released Yfeko, not long had him and he did fairly well by all accounts. Not flush with left footed defenders either at that level.

Shane Flynn???