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Youth football at all levels should not be about winning, it should be about player development only. Agbonlahor probably has a couple of hundred winners medals at home, but he'll never have a WC one.
11-23-2007, 12:57 PM
"Put Rooney et al in the under-21's" Gerry Francis Post #43
Originally posted by Razzler:
I wouldnt necessarily say so with Rooney but i think he has a point (if he's saying what i think). Just cause someone features in the full side it doesnt mean they should leave the under-21 set up. If Agbhonalor gets a full call up dont think of it as a demotion if he drops back into the under 21 for vital qualifiers or even go to the tournament.
I dont see a problem with that, Rooney is a particularly exceptional player though so slightly different but anyone performing well in the under 21 should still carry on through to the tournament they are qualifiying for even if they receive full call ups.
I also think it's good for these players, even after having a taste of first team, to go overseas and play a tournament. The experience of being away in a squad situation for a few weeks, games 3 or 4 days apart and knock out phases, etc. Good experience and when they step back up to first team hopefully the experience if they are in a full squad would have been somewhat useful.
I think even if the likes of Gabby started getting into full side regularly i wouldnt think it's silly for them to drop back down solely to go to a summer tournament.
If players are on the fringes of the senior squad, there's nothing wrong with them moving between the two for a short time. However, once they've established themselves in the senior squad, that's the job of the U-21's done for them, and there's nothing to be gained for them to drop back down again.
In terms of the squad as a whole, the extremely negligible benefits the rest of the squad would gain by playing and training with someone like Rooney would be more than offset by the loss of experience of the players who would be forced out of the team and the squad.
Not to mention the fact that one of the few silver linings of not qualifying would be the chance of the senior players to have a summer off that they wouldn't otherwise have had, something that is even more important to the youngest members of the squad.
11-23-2007, 04:25 PM
"Put Rooney et al in the under-21's" Gerry Francis Post #45
Yes, the likes of Agbhonalor, Bentley, Young are not established members of the First Team Squad, that's why I said I dont think we should consider it a demotion to drop them back down for Under 21 duty or even a tournament after having a taste of first team action.
I cant think of an established First Teamer that I would want to drop back into the Under 21s and dont want someone like Rooney involved in it at all.
11-23-2007, 04:38 PM
"Put Rooney et al in the under-21's" Gerry Francis Post #46
Basepo- it goes from the start date of the qualifying campaign (domestic season if it's a friendly). Hence why Leighton Baines, Leroy Lita, David Nugent, NRC, Scott Carson and Liam Rosinor were allowed to play in trhe summer.
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