Development/Youth Squads 2025/2026 Thread - U18/U21

[goog]

55 minutes ago, honeybradger said:

Neither were rated as highly as Evans, they didn't even make their first team debut. I dont remember there being that much fervour around them?

I think you will find many at the club rated then very highly. 

Or is the "Highly rated ceiling" only yours that counts? 

Edited 6 September 2025 by goog

[Greg2607]

1 hour ago, Sly said:

 

Good points! 
 

Overall, not a bad trophy county from our academy players! 

That can't be right.... Our academy is shit remember. 

[honeybradger]

11 minutes ago, goog said:

I think you will find many at the club rated then very highly. 

Or is the "Highly rated ceiling" only yours that counts? 

I feel like im in the upside down world.

 

We're talking about a player who was playing in the u16s just over a year ago and has now been training with the first team for almost half a season. I dont think Ndunkwu or Connor Tee were ever on the outskirts of the first team in their time here despite being with the academy to an older age than Evans is now.

 

It's not just my evaluation of him, Evans's CV alone for a player his age speaks for itself, it's outstanding. I cant believe people are comparing him to players who were only ever decent for us at youth level.

[ACF]

Would like us to stop talking only about the players ceiling when it comes to potential, and think about the floor of their ability.

 

Example, Monga at his very best, and everything going right, could be top top top. If everything doesn’t go right, there’s still a Prem quality winger there.

 

It’s of course exciting to think about what a player could be, and their training/development should be maximised to reach that. But we need to try and be a little realistic.

 

Braybrooke was going to be England’s Modric if everything went smoothly. He’s on loan to Newport. I think his current floor is probably a championship level midfielder, which is nothing to be sniffed at all. 

[LCFCJohn]

9 hours ago, honeybradger said:

I feel like im in the upside down world.

 

We're talking about a player who was playing in the u16s just over a year ago and has now been training with the first team for almost half a season. I dont think Ndunkwu or Connor Tee were ever on the outskirts of the first team in their time here despite being with the academy to an older age than Evans is now.

 

It's not just my evaluation of him, Evans's CV alone for a player his age speaks for itself, it's outstanding. I cant believe people are comparing him to players who were only ever decent for us at youth level.

We just have a lot of fans who go to such lengths to justify the non-inclusion of academy players. Same with Nelson where people are clamouring for Vestergaard and Faes ahead of him.

 

KDH and Barnes took loads of criticism when they were young coming through. Thomas was given all of about 2 games before fans wrote him off and his confidence tanked. Chilwell as well. 3 of those combined raised £125mill or so when sold but if our fans had a say, they’d have been left in the reserves in the first place as they ‘weren’t ready’. And yet when Nelson for example, walks for free when his contract end, these people will be moaning the club is clueless and can’t raise big fees any more!

 

I’m all for bringing players through. For balance, whilst agreeing with your posts on the subject mostly, maybe your expectations are slightly too high but only in the debate as to whether they start or get minutes from the bench. In Evans case, if we aren’t offering the latter, why would he want to stay?

 

We do have such an odd fanbase in many ways but the lack of pride in bringing our own through is quite bizarre. Most clubs and their fans love seeing their own make it whereas ours are constantly pulled down.

[goog]

2 hours ago, LCFCJohn said:

We just have a lot of fans who go to such lengths to justify the non-inclusion of academy players. Same with Nelson where people are clamouring for Vestergaard and Faes ahead of him.

 

KDH and Barnes took loads of criticism when they were young coming through. Thomas was given all of about 2 games before fans wrote him off and his confidence tanked. Chilwell as well. 3 of those combined raised £125mill or so when sold but if our fans had a say, they’d have been left in the reserves in the first place as they ‘weren’t ready’. And yet when Nelson for example, walks for free when his contract end, these people will be moaning the club is clueless and can’t raise big fees any more!

 

I’m all for bringing players through. For balance, whilst agreeing with your posts on the subject mostly, maybe your expectations are slightly too high but only in the debate as to whether they start or get minutes from the bench. In Evans case, if we aren’t offering the latter, why would he want to stay?

 

We do have such an odd fanbase in many ways but the lack of pride in bringing our own through is quite bizarre. Most clubs and their fans love seeing their own make it whereas ours are constantly pulled down.

Constantly pulled down you say? 🤔

Only By a very small % in reality.

Unfortunately it's only the moaners who moan and who you hear. 

 

it's almost the opposite of what you are saying.

 

Fans are desperate to see one of our own successfully wearing the shirt.

 

However when expectation levels are not achieved ,fans are disappointed as they so desperately want them to succeed. 

 

Yes you get the odd numpty who writes them off after a handful of games but generally most will back them. 

 

I don't think our fanbase is any different in that respect to any other teams.  

 

[LCFCJohn]

48 minutes ago, goog said:

Constantly pulled down you say? 🤔

Only By a very small % in reality.

Unfortunately it's only the moaners who moan and who you hear. 

 

it's almost the opposite of what you are saying.

 

Fans are desperate to see one of our own successfully wearing the shirt.

 

However when expectation levels are not achieved ,fans are disappointed as they so desperately want them to succeed. 

 

Yes you get the odd numpty who writes them off after a handful of games but generally most will back them. 

 

I don't think our fanbase is any different in that respect to any other teams.  

 

It’s things like Barnes getting criticism for ‘doing nothing else’ despite getting into double figures for goals in the PL.

 

KDH, when he was on like nearly 30 goal contributions and our most important player in the Championship, people ran out of opportunities to criticise him on the pitch so it because about he’s not one of our own because he’s from Nottingham (born in Nottingham but grew up in Shepshed so yeah, ok) and supports Man U. 
 

The bizarre prejudice is there. Maybe as you say, a minority compared to the overall fan base but still a larger minority than it should be. 

[Ryy]

Mirsad Ali & Kevon Gray Nominated For PL2 POTM Award

[Ryy]

1 hour ago, Ryy said:

Mirsad Ali & Kevon Gray Nominated For PL2 POTM Award

 

[Tiny earl]

Wow that lad from arsenal had a hard paper round!

[AKCJ]

2 hours ago, Ryy said:

 

I assume that that is Archie Gray's little brother? Looks just like him.

[AjcW]

7 minutes ago, AKCJ said:

I assume that that is Archie Gray's little brother? Looks just like him.

Indeed! Been on the bench a few times this season for Leeds

[filbertway]

At what point has someone in the Gray family had it away with a Giraffe? That neck is insane.

[AKCJ]

1 hour ago, filbertway said:

At what point has someone in the Gray family had it away with a Giraffe? That neck is insane.

The Chelsea lad top right gives him a run for his money.

[filbertway]

1 hour ago, AKCJ said:

The Chelsea lad top right gives him a run for his money.

We could have stumbled on a way to easily identify young footballing talent here

 

Neck length needs to be added in to FM 26!

[goose2010]

2 hours ago, filbertway said:

At what point has someone in the Gray family had it away with a Giraffe? That neck is insane.

You could Chinese burn that! 

[Sol thewall Bamba]

5 hours ago, Ryy said:

 

Are they two of the lads that signed pro contracts last week, or are they a bit older? 

[honeybradger]

11 minutes ago, Sol thewall Bamba said:

Are they two of the lads that signed pro contracts last week, or are they a bit older? 

 

On 05/09/2025 at 10:09, Ryy said:

Will Lawrence, Bartosz Kosiorek, Kevon Gray, Lorenz Hutchinson, Alfie Fisken, Jake Donohue, Kristen Otchere, Ryan Donnelly, Reiss Khela, Bless Alkobire, Riley Carr and Olaolawa Omobolaji have all signed their first professional contracts 

Gray is, Ali is a bit older so assume he already has a contract.

[davieG]

Burnley Aces ·

Follow

dsSponoetrht73ahma224gglgim9u273c00mtm5006a6au483ii370i1tcmi ·

 

 

Manchester City has signed attacker William Stanley-Jones, 14 years old, from Burnley for £500,000.

[Mungongo]

Jaden Joseph starting tonight for Tranmere.

[lcfc sheff]

21 minutes ago, Mungongo said:

Jaden Joseph starting tonight for Tranmere.

Fingers crossed he shows them what he can do. I was so impressed in preseason with him and shocked to see he hasn’t made his way into our team!

Edited 9 September 2025 by lcfc sheff

[Foxy-Lady]

On 06/09/2025 at 18:26, goog said:

Ndukwu

And

Connor Tee 

 

We're arguably rated just as highly and that didn't turn out too well.

 

Prospects are exactly that, Prospects .

The highly rated one's don't always make it. 

The issue with these two was that they didnt fit the Beaglehole mould at that time of physicality and hoofball.

 

Connor Tee was a technically gifted player but not overly outstanding even in his own age group and his size was always going to be an issue, especially when he stepped up to U23s.....even without sgt-major Beaglehole choosing never to play him 

 

Ndukwu was a different story altogether and a far far better player than Barnes. He was widely regarded as one of the most naturally gifted players of his generation......he just needed better guidance and coaching and the LCFC Academy coaching staff at U23 level at that time were simply not good enough to develop naturally talented players as JR & Beaglehole were totally focussed on physicality, long-ball and not losing.

 

I do often wonder how Ndukwu would have progressed at a more forward thinking academy with a record for developing technically gifted players?   Sadly, I think for him it will always be a case of "wrong place at the wrong time"

 

 

[shen]

I see our U21s are playing Juventus tonight. Will it be streamed anywhere?

[Tiny earl]

2 hours ago, Foxy-Lady said:

The issue with these two was that they didnt fit the Beaglehole mould at that time of physicality and hoofball.

 

Connor Tee was a technically gifted player but not overly outstanding even in his own age group and his size was always going to be an issue, especially when he stepped up to U23s.....even without sgt-major Beaglehole choosing never to play him 

 

Ndukwu was a different story altogether and a far far better player than Barnes. He was widely regarded as one of the most naturally gifted players of his generation......he just needed better guidance and coaching and the LCFC Academy coaching staff at U23 level at that time were simply not good enough to develop naturally talented players as JR & Beaglehole were totally focussed on physicality, long-ball and not losing.

 

I do often wonder how Ndukwu would have progressed at a more forward thinking academy with a record for developing technically gifted players?   Sadly, I think for him it will always be a case of "wrong place at the wrong time"

 

 

You clearly have more knowledge of the youth set up than I do but why does Barnes, in the same coaching set up,

with lnferior ability make it?

Surely the individual has to take a fair portion of the responsibility 

 

[davieG]

4 minutes ago, Tiny earl said:

You clearly have more knowledge of the youth set up than I do but why does Barnes, in the same coaching set up,

with lnferior ability make it?

Surely the individual has to take a fair portion of the responsibility 

 

Barnes' dad was a professional footballer not sure about Ndukwu but would surely have had a big influence, contacts and support in ensuring progress.