Jacob Blyth - Leamington FC

[Tielemans63]

Why are people assuming this guy's going to be a replacement for someone? Surely we'll bring him in to nurture him because he has some potential - I doubt Pearson and Shakey are thinking 'this is the man to get us into the Prem'.

Some people need to be a bit more rational!

[Babylon]

Love how some people turned there noses up at Yakubu and Jelavic, who wasn't deemed good enough because he played in the SPL. But as soon as we're linked to a young non-league player people instantly froth at the mouth as it's a (typical Pearson player)

Could you point out where anyone frothed at the mouth please, I must have missed it in between all the moans.

[Babylon]

Sure either him or Vardy could play a massive part for us in the next 2 seasons and I could look like a prat but they're strange targets to say the least.

But they aren't going to be the bulk of our transfers are they.

I don't know why people are getting so stroppy over trying out a few lower league players, I can understand Vardy because of the fee, but not guys like this.

We got Morrison from Cambridge and he was a decent player under Pearson and has been again under Powell. Wolves got Keightley and others have signed these types of players. If they make it then great, if they don't you've lost very little.

[Babylon]

As I have already said. If the bulk of the players we are linked with true we have gone from shopping at Harrods to Primark. Already having my doubts. Seems like Pearson only wants young players as he can not handle an ego. Would people reallly be happy if we got rid of Beckford and ended up with this kid or Tyrell?

Shopping at Harrods?

Huddersfield, Leeds, Portsmouth, Palace, Preston, Dunfermline, Reading, Red Diamonds, and some Man City rejects. With one from Everton and one from Liverpool... and one of those has been average.

Would people reallly be happy if we got rid of Beckford and ended up with this kid or Tyrell?

I'll be happy if we don't end up mid table.

[Guest Basildon Fox]

But they aren't going to be the bulk of our transfers are they.

I don't know why people are getting so stroppy over trying out a few lower league players, I can understand Vardy because of the fee, but not guys like this.

We got Morrison from Cambridge and he was a decent player under Pearson and has been again under Powell. Wolves got Keightley and others have signed these types of players. If they make it then great, if they don't you've lost very little.

Simply because I imagine many like me would feel it would be a waste of time to sign him. We do not have a reserve team as it is and if he is not going to play then we already have 3 up and comming strikers at the club. If he is going to play then we may as well not bother next season because he is hardly going to enhance the team is he.

[Guest Basildon Fox]

Shopping at Harrods?

Huddersfield, Leeds, Portsmouth, Palace, Preston, Dunfermline, Reading, Red Diamonds, and some Man City rejects. With one from Everton and one from Liverpool... and one of those has been average.

I'll be happy if we don't end up mid table.

I guess I am talking about who we have been linked with. Let's not forget we tried to sign Owen Hargreaves, Jelavic, CMS & had Gelson Fenandes who is now playing for a team in the TOP 4 OF SERIE A!!

[Happy Fox]

Any Leamington based Foxes want to give us the scoop on this lad?

Simply because I imagine many like me would feel it would be a waste of time to sign him. We do not have a reserve team as it is and if he is not going to play then we already have 3 up and comming strikers at the club. If he is going to play then we may as well not bother next season because he is hardly going to enhance the team is he.

Aren't their plans we are going to have one next season an Under 21 reserve team under Beaghole's tutelage.

[Babylon]

Simply because I imagine many like me would feel it would be a waste of time to sign him. We do not have a reserve team as it is and if he is not going to play then we already have 3 up and comming strikers at the club. If he is going to play then we may as well not bother next season because he is hardly going to enhance the team is he.

Well firstly you don't know if he would enhance the team or not because you have never seen him play and you don't know if he's any better than the "up and coming strikers". The chances are he isn't, but unless the managemetn see him in action regularly against better players they will never know.

If it's a waste of time so what, has it hurt you? It'll cost peanuts and gives the club a chance to see the lad in action. If it turns out well then brilliant, if not what does it matter?

I've seen people moan for years about other teams signing unknowns who become decent players and us not doing it. I'd rather try than not bother at all, because one day you might actually unearth something.

[Babylon]

I guess I am talking about who we have been linked with. Let's not forget we tried to sign Owen Hargreaves, Jelavic, CMS & had Gelson Fenandes who is now playing for a team in the TOP 4 OF SERIE A!!

But they didn't sign did they. CMS chose Brighton and has been a bigger flop than my knob after too many beers. Ferandes didn't even get picked by Sven half the time and joined from a team who were near the bottom of the french league at the time. Scratch the surface and they aint all that.

[Raw Dykes]

Simply because I imagine many like me would feel it would be a waste of time to sign him. We do not have a reserve team as it is and if he is not going to play then we already have 3 up and comming strikers at the club. If he is going to play then we may as well not bother next season because he is hardly going to enhance the team is he.

I don't understand your thinking. Obviously, the scouts think this youngster could be a good Championship player one day, and that he'd be worth the investment. Why would they say, "Probably best to leave it - we've already got 3 young strikers at the club"? So, say, Crystal Palace pick him up instead, in a couple of years he breaks into their first team, attracts interest from PL clubs, and is sold on for millions. "Well, at least he wasn't here taking up space and getting in the way. We've got plenty of money, anyway. You can have too much."

I don't think you get how it works. I don't know why you want the club to not go for players they think are good investments. Are you saying, "It's not fair for us to have all the best young strikers. Give the competition a chance!"? If we get more young players with potential, then there's more chance of us having one that turns out to be a great player who can either do well for us, or make the club a lot of money. I don't think you can have too many good young players. So, we've got 3 young strikers with potential. Has it occurred to you that the scouts reckon this player has even more potential than them? Believe it or not, coaches and scouts can make judgements on the future ability of players. They don't see all young players as one day ending up the same level as each other. They see some being great one day, some good, some average, some poor.

As someone else mentioned, we're having an u-21s team as of next season. I'm guessing that's as well as an u-18s. Obviously, there's also the option of loaning these players out. These sort of players cost very little, relatively speaking. There's potentially a huge amount to gain, and very little to lose, so why would you want the club to stop going after young players they think have potential?

[Guest Basildon Fox]

Well firstly you don't know if he would enhance the team or not because you have never seen him play and you don't know if he's any better than the "up and coming strikers". The chances are he isn't, but unless the managemetn see him in action regularly against better players they will never know.

If it's a waste of time so what, has it hurt you? It'll cost peanuts and gives the club a chance to see the lad in action. If it turns out well then brilliant, if not what does it matter?

I've seen people moan for years about other teams signing unknowns who become decent players and us not doing it. I'd rather try than not bother at all, because one day you might actually unearth something.

Well firstly the chances through logic alone would be that if he was special he would (a) be playing for a higher standard and (b) scoring more goals at the level he is playing at. I am sure that people will come up with players who have made the big step up in the past but I could counter that with hundreds who have not.

This has Aman Verma written all over it again if it happens...

[Guest Basildon Fox]

I don't understand your thinking. Obviously, the scouts think this youngster could be a good Championship player one day, and that he'd be worth the investment. Why would they say, "Probably best to leave it - we've already got 3 young strikers at the club"? So, say, Crystal Palace pick him up instead, in a couple of years he breaks into their first team, attracts interest from PL clubs, and is sold on for millions. "Well, at least he wasn't here taking up space and getting in the way. We've got plenty of money, anyway. You can have too much."

I don't think you get how it works. I don't know why you want the club to not go for players they think are good investments. Are you saying, "It's not fair for us to have all the best young strikers. Give the competition a chance!"? If we get more young players with potential, then there's more chance of us having one that turns out to be a great player who can either do well for us, or make the club a lot of money. I don't think you can have too many good young players. So, we've got 3 young strikers with potential. Has it occurred to you that the scouts reckon this player has even more potential than them? Believe it or not, coaches and scouts can make judgements on the future ability of players. They don't see all young players as one day ending up the same level as each other. They see some being great one day, some good, some average, some poor.

As someone else mentioned, we're having an u-21s team as of next season. I'm guessing that's as well as an u-18s. Obviously, there's also the option of loaning these players out. These sort of players cost very little, relatively speaking. There's potentially a huge amount to gain, and very little to lose, so why would you want the club to stop going after young players they think have potential?

You would have to be retarded to not know how it works. I am stating that we simply do not need to be taking a chance on some kid who is lets face it hardly setting record in the 7th or 8th tier of football when we have 3 fantastic prospects here in the first place. Would you not be pissed off if one of them leaves and becomes a star elsewhere due to lack of opportunity?

[Raw Dykes]

Well firstly the chances through logic alone would be that if he was special he would (a) be playing for a higher standard and

You don't know what you're talking about. What do you think he'd be doing if we bought him? Playing at the same level or lower? Why on Earth do you think you know more about him than our scouts?

(b) scoring more goals at the level he is playing at.

The scouts might see something in him that he isn't displaying yet. They might think that with the right coaching, he could be far better in the future. It's called potential.

I am sure that people will come up with players who have made the big step up in the past but I could counter that with hundreds who have not.

Do you think we just arbitrarily pick a lower league player and go after him? That is not how it works.

This has Aman Verma written all over it again if it happens...

Why? Why not Ian Wright, Steve Morison, Grant Holt or Rickie Lambert? Again, he'll cost very little, and could be worth a fortune one day. If not, who cares? At the very worst, we lose a very small amount of money.

[Raw Dykes]

You would have to be retarded to not know how it works. I am stating that we simply do not need to be taking a chance on some kid who is lets face it hardly setting record in the 7th or 8th tier of football when we have 3 fantastic prospects here in the first place. Would you not be pissed off if one of them leaves and becomes a star elsewhere due to lack of opportunity?

Why would the club go after him if they didn't think he might be a better prospect than the players we've already got, or is a player who could one day be sold on for a profit? Young players can be loaned out. There are plenty of lower league clubs who would want to borrow these players if they're any good, so you don't need to worry about them not getting any opportunity to play.

[Babylon]

Well firstly the chances through logic alone would be that if he was special he would (a) be playing for a higher standard and (b) scoring more goals at the level he is playing at. I am sure that people will come up with players who have made the big step up in the past but I could counter that with hundreds who have not.

This has Aman Verma written all over it again if it happens...

So what if he is another Verma, if you don't try you will never find someone.

It makes me laugh that you mention CMS as a Harrods kind of signing. You're happy paying Peterborough £2-£3m for him judging by that remark. Would you not have preferred to sign him for peanuts from conference side Dagenham and Redbridge for almost nothing as Peterborough did?

You're happy to pay huge fees for players found by other clubs, but not happy to try and find them yourself.

[Babylon]

You would have to be retarded to not know how it works. I am stating that we simply do not need to be taking a chance on some kid who is lets face it hardly setting record in the 7th or 8th tier of football when we have 3 fantastic prospects here in the first place. Would you not be pissed off if one of them leaves and becomes a star elsewhere due to lack of opportunity?

What are you basing your opinion that we have "3 fantastic prospects" on exactly? How many times have you see them play?

If we have under 18 and under 21 teams as people are mentioning then they will all be getting game time. The management get to see them all in training even if they aren't. If he's better than the other 3 he will be ahead of them, if he's not then he won't.

[FoxLAD]

I agree with that!! we sign them if they dont quite sparkle with us we can just loan them out to a league 1 or 2 club to get vital game time..

[Raw Dykes]

This club is one of the richest, if not the richest, in the division. They'd have to be stupid or mad not to invest in a scouting set up to match that. I'd be surprised if our scouting network isn't, or won't soon be, one of the best in the division since our new found wealth. These sort of signings could be evidence of the scouts ability to spot gems.

With the new FFP rules coming in, and our planned u-21 squad, the sensible thing to do would be to go out and find lots of the best cheap, young players that the scouts can find to fill these youth sides with as much potential as possible. We can't have too many players who the club thinks can one day be great. If we can find any decent youngsters, which we certainly can, lower league sides will borrow them, leaving another place available in our youth sides.

We can't go on throwing money around at expensive Championship players and PL rejects, and after seeing how well this season turned out, why would any of us want to see the club do that again?

All great players were worth a lot less money earlier in their career. Surely it's far better to buy them when they're cheap, at the beginning of their career, for every reason imaginable? Obviously, they cost less, and when they're sold on, it's usually because they've become too good for the club, so they're worth more and the club makes a profit. Also, their wages are much lower.

Of course, it is possible that these sorts of players never reach the level of ability that the scouts thought they would, but they didn't cost the club much money in the first place, so there's no real loss.

Maybe some of you think we're going backwards because we're looking down the leagues for talent, rather than spunking silly money up the wall on players like Mills and Beckford. Have you not considered that the club is investing that money into scouting and developing youth players, instead? I think there's a good chance that the owners have now abandoned their gambling on instant success, and are now looking at the long term plan. I couldn't be happier if this is the case. Investing in scouting and developing young players is by far the best way to go about taking a football club forward. Sure, it can take longer to get where you want to go. It is a slower process in terms of seeing results than buying the finished article can be, but it costs a lot less, and there is massively more potential for profit. It's also far more sustainable for a club to have a policy of buying cheap players than expensive ones. I want to see the club follow Norwich's or Swansea's model for success. What you're after is QPR's.

[Guest Basildon Fox]

What are you basing your opinion that we have "3 fantastic prospects" on exactly? How many times have you see them play?

If we have under 18 and under 21 teams as people are mentioning then they will all be getting game time. The management get to see them all in training even if they aren't. If he's better than the other 3 he will be ahead of them, if he's not then he won't.

Are you being serious? One of them was young player of the year, who also scored a hat-trick on his full debut. Another scored on his debut and was voted academy player of the year and another has made the first team squad on numerous occasions at the age of 18. Are we so shit that we have to play them and they are wank?

Has the U21 been confirmed or is it just heresay at the moment?

[Raw Dykes]

Are you being serious? One of them was young player of the year, who also scored a hat-trick on his full debut. Another scored on his debut and was voted academy player of the year and another has made the first team squad on numerous occasions at the age of 18. Are we so shit that we have to play them and they are wank?

Has the U21 been confirmed or is it just heresay at the moment?

Are you seriously using our young player/academy player of the year awards to judge how good they are? Do you realise that those awards mean, "best young player at this club", and, "best player in this club's academy"? Someone at the club has to win those awards, even if every single young player at the club is mediocre. Those awards tell us sweet FA about how those players compare to other club's players, or how much potential they have.

I don't want to take anything away from Schlupp's hat-trick, but it was for a Championship side against a League 2 club. Also, I was pleased to see Panayiotou score on his debut, but you have to admit, there was a huge element of fortune involved. I really don't think he knew much about it when it happened. As for Hopper, he might not have been involved so much if we hadn't had so many injuries to strikers throughout the season.

I don't want to take any credit away from these players. They may turn out to be as good as you seem to think they will, but let's not get carried away.

Whether our players have potential or not shouldn't influence our recruitment policy. If the club thinks there are bargains out there who could one day be great players, then they should go out and try to get them, regardless of how many good young players we already have.

I don't know why you want the club to risk missing out. Would you prefer it if the club stopped "wasting" money on scouts altogether?

[LCFC FOX]

Never herd of him. But he will just in the academy or just get sent out on loan. People are you really worried that he will be our main striker

[RyanB89]

unhappy, just means less oppurtunities for our own youngsters.

[Leicester_Loyal]

unhappy, just means less oppurtunities for our own youngsters.

And if hes better than our 'own' youngsters? Would you rather we carry on with our own youngsters even though they won't turn out to be as good as this guy (They might, I'm just using this as an example)

[Babylon]

Are you being serious? One of them was young player of the year, who also scored a hat-trick on his full debut. Another scored on his debut and was voted academy player of the year and another has made the first team squad on numerous occasions at the age of 18. Are we so shit that we have to play them and they are wank?

Has the U21 been confirmed or is it just heresay at the moment?

Am I being serious? Are you being serious more like. Thankfully Raw Dykes saved me the trouble.

Louis Dodds won academy player of the year and was probably more prolific than any of them at youth level.... remember him.

unhappy, just means less oppurtunities for our own youngsters.

Why?

[RyanB89]

Well yes because we wouldnt find out if he is going to be better than schlupp for a few years, during which time schlupp could be getting game time off the bench

Why?

For the reason i sed