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Lack of Teenage "Superstars".


Optimistic Nut

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Was thinking this for a while, then with the Campbell & Sammy Ameobi threads thought it was worthwhile posting, but what's happened to teenagers breaking through and making a name for themselves these days?

 

Sure, there's the odd exception, Rooney, Milner, Walcott, Bale, Chamberlain & Wilshere as examples, over the last 10 years, but there doesn't seem to be many 18-19 year olds really breaking through in recent years and making you sit up and take notice like people like Owen, Fowler, even to lesser extents Jeffers and even Cadamarteri in their teens.

 

We're talking about players like Ferguson & Ameobi going out on loan but they're at the age now where they should be starting in the Premier League or good enough for the first-team. Has the financial pressures of relegation forced clubs to go for a quick fix and this is hindering development? Or is 21-22 the new 18-19?

 

Probably not worthy of a thread but was just wondering if others have noticed this and wondering what people's thoughts were.

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Sterling broke through to a lot of hype, then almost just as much negativity came at his door when he didnt run the show every game.

 

Think we expect too much, put too much pressure on and of course their is a distinct lack of talent on these shores.

 

 

In terms of our very own we ruin them by not loaning them out quickly enough. I hope JFK with his pick up a phone and speak to anyone ability can open a few doors for the youth players and get them some experience and exposure which is more important than anything IMO at that level.

 

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You listed more examples of "current" teenagers than old ones.

 

I know but that's over the course of 10 years. Not many top-class Premier League teenagers compared to years gone by?

 

Also it's easy to give top class examples from the past because they've already done it. Only way to judge this lot coming through is in ten years time.

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Clubs have more money and therefore can buy talent rather than nuturing it?

 

No surprise many of the 'wonderkids' often play for teams that can't afford to spend £5-20m here, there and everywhere.

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Sterling broke through to a lot of hype, then almost just as much negativity came at his door when he didnt run the show every game.

 

Think we expect too much, put too much pressure on and of course their is a distinct lack of talent on these shores.

 

 

In terms of our very own we ruin them by not loaning them out quickly enough. I hope JFK with his pick up a phone and speak to anyone ability can open a few doors for the youth players and get them some experience and exposure which is more important than anything IMO at that level.

 

Is the correct answer.

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You listed more examples of "current" teenagers than old ones.

 

I know but that's over the course of 10 years. Not many top-class Premier League teenagers compared to years gone by?

 

Also it's easy to give top class examples from the past because they've already done it. Only way to judge this lot coming through is in ten years time.

 

And he still had to resort to Jeffers and Cadamartieri. :)

 

Personally I don't think there's such a lack of "teenager superstars". I don't think there were that many to begin with.

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You listed more examples of "current" teenagers than old ones.

 

I know but that's over the course of 10 years. Not many top-class Premier League teenagers compared to years gone by?

 

Also it's easy to give top class examples from the past because they've already done it. Only way to judge this lot coming through is in ten years time.

 

Two of the people I mentioned were Jeffers & Cademarteri though. They were starting pretty regularly and had a big impact on the league in their teens. Don't really see that now.

 

 

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I think a lot of it is players earning too much too soon, not being taught from a very young age the right skills to excel at the highest level, and another factor may be the fact pretty much everyone in the premier league is expected to be extremely fit and a full on athlete, young players won't develop this level of fitness till a bit later generally and so can't cope with the speed of the game, whereas in years gone by when you didn't quite need to be so fit young players may have a turn of pace on everyone else.

 

That theory might be total bollocks mind.

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Any player that's close to good enough gets snapped up by the elite by the time they're 18. I bet Rooney, Milner etc would've been signed dead young by Chelsea and loaned out continuously. They might still have got to where they are but there's a good chance they'd float round like McEachran.

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Any player that's close to good enough gets snapped up by the elite by the time they're 18. I bet Rooney, Milner etc would've been signed dead young by Chelsea and loaned out continuously. They might still have got to where they are but there's a good chance they'd float round like McEachran.

 

Didn't Rooney move to Manu at 18 and Milner to us at 16?

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Was thinking this for a while, then with the Campbell & Sammy Ameobi threads thought it was worthwhile posting, but what's happened to teenagers breaking through and making a name for themselves these days?

 

Sure, there's the odd exception, Rooney, Milner, Walcott, Bale, Chamberlain & Wilshere as examples, over the last 10 years, but there doesn't seem to be many 18-19 year olds really breaking through in recent years and making you sit up and take notice like people like Owen, Fowler, even to lesser extents Jeffers and even Cadamarteri in their teens.

 

We're talking about players like Ferguson & Ameobi going out on loan but they're at the age now where they should be starting in the Premier League or good enough for the first-team. Has the financial pressures of relegation forced clubs to go for a quick fix and this is hindering development? Or is 21-22 the new 18-19?

 

Probably not worthy of a thread but was just wondering if others have noticed this and wondering what people's thoughts were.

All four or the players you mentioned had careers that fell apart at some point during their mid to late twenties. Maybe clubs have learned how to better develop and nurture young growing talent.

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BTW it doesn't seem to harm Spain especially when the top clubs seem to also hoover up all the top talent young. Even in Italy, they spend most of their careers out on loan.

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Any player that's close to good enough gets snapped up by the elite by the time they're 18. I bet Rooney, Milner etc would've been signed dead young by Chelsea and loaned out continuously. They might still have got to where they are but there's a good chance they'd float round like McEachran.

 

Didn't Rooney move to Manu at 18 and Milner to us at 16?

 

They were both 18, so maybe I should've stuck with 16 ;D

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BTW it doesn't seem to harm Spain especially when the top clubs seem to also hoover up all the top talent young. Even in Italy, they spend most of their careers out on loan.

 

It's pretty rare that a teenager plays regularly for their first team in Spain, since they can get competitive football playing for the B-team and not rush their development (or hamstring it if they can't get a game).

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Guest Lalasialex

English players aren't that good either, but the pressure to succeed right away is huge... The clubs need result, young players don't get the chance over a period of time...unless it's a success!

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A few years ago, the top division was only drawing talent from Britain. Now it's from all over Europe and indeed the world. The standard has gone up and it's consequently a lot tougher for young British players to break into the top sides.

 

Having said that, I think the raising of standards has inspired a select band of young players to really hard work on their skills in order to break through. The likes of Oxlade-Chamberlain, Wilshere and Barkley are as good as any young talent I've seen emerge in this country.

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The problem is money. Youth development has been put on the back burner in this country as the 'quick fix', to simply buy who you want, has come in. Youth development is a big problem in this country, our strategy compared to the likes of Germany's is a joke.

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A few years ago, the top division was only drawing talent from Britain. Now it's from all over Europe and indeed the world. The standard has gone up and it's consequently a lot tougher for young British players to break into the top sides.

 

Having said that, I think the raising of standards has inspired a select band of young players to really hard work on their skills in order to break through. The likes of Oxlade-Chamberlain, Wilshere and Barkley are as good as any young talent I've seen emerge in this country.

 

Have a feeling Jack Barmby at United could be special too.

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