Keane: Griffiths and Other Youngsters Now Need to Kick On
Tuesday, 2nd Nov 2010 10:30

Boss Roy Keane says Jamie Griffiths and Town’s other youngsters now need to kick on and establish themselves in his first team squad. Griffiths, 18, made his senior debut as a late sub in last week’s 3-1 Carling Cup victory over Northampton.

Keane says he was pleased for the left-sided midfielder: “It was good for Jamie to come on against Northampton and he played about 89 minutes on Wednesday for the reserves. It was just as important that he did well on Wednesday night.

“That’s how we judge the players, not on how they are when they get in the first team but how they respond to it. He should have scored a couple on Wednesday, but it was nice for him to get on the pitch against Northampton.”

Bury St Edmunds-born Griffiths is by no means the only youngster currently in and around the Town first team with Tom Eastman and Luke Hyam both having made a significant impression this season. Reggie Lambe and Ronan Murray have also broken into the squad during 2010/11, while Shane O’Connor, Troy Brown, Billy Clark and Jack Ainsley made their debuts in the last campaign.

Griffiths was handed a professional contract in the summer when for the first time all seven of last season’s second-year academy scholars were kept on. Griffiths, Hyam, Eastman, Murray, Clark and Irish midfielder David Cawley were handed one-year deals, while Ipswich-based full-back Seb Dunbar was given a short-term contract to September, which has subsequently been extended to January.

Keane says that the youngsters who have made their debuts now have to make themselves indispensable members of his squad: “When we look back over the last few months, some of the younger boys have got a bit of a taste of it but they have to kick on now.

“A lot of them are only on one-year contracts, so it’s up to them to show a desire to get in the first team and stay there.

“We’ve brought in competition for Luke Hyam with Jake Livermore and Jack Colback, and for Shane O’Connor as well, and they have to respond to it. But I have to say, so far they have responded very well. They’re good lads with good attitudes.”

The Blues boss was reasonably happy with last week’s reserves performance at Stevenage, despite the match ending in a 2-2 draw: “It wasn’t a bad game. It was a good goal for Luca with his right foot.

“We were short of one or two, Luke Hyam played at centre-half. The young kids played some good stuff but should have won the game, they missed a few chances.”

Photo: Action Images

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blue_jim added 10:51 - Nov 2 It is the way forward to use youngsters, they are enthusiastic, and can only get better. Keep it going Keano.
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blue_em_away added 11:01 - Nov 2 Yeah quite agree. Nice to see the club using players that do not cost much and are hungry to do well. Just a shame our reserves don't play better teams, therefore making the step up not so big.
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Wallingford_Boy added 11:04 - Nov 2 In my opinion only Hyam and Eastman are likely to make any serious impression out of that bunch, the rest will go the route of many others at FPR I'm afraid.... Div Two/Blue Square footy beckons!!
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blue_em_away added 11:11 - Nov 2 Take your point, kinda, wallingford boy. Murry is much better than you give him credit for. I think he has more going for him than Eastman. Can't comment on the rest as I've seen very little of them.
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meekreech added 11:14 - Nov 2 Wallingford Boy We have seen plenty of your opinions in other posts and they are not really worth reading as they contain nothing of any value ( they are so negative regarding anything about ITFC ) to any true supporter !
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bobble added 11:34 - Nov 2 top story
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dobbie73 added 11:34 - Nov 2

I like the fact that Keano is blooding the youngsters rather than jumping into the transfer market constantly. It doesn't matter how young they are - if they are good enough and can fit into the team, then they should be playing. But we have to be careful not to overstretch them and burn them out - physically or mentally. It seems that Keano is doing the right things here.

Does anyone know what's up with Shane O'Connor though....?

groovyASH added 11:41 - Nov 2 Dobbie73, LOVE yer pic! Hello Sam, how are you today? Oh dear... Not very happy... Is it Gene Hunt? Is he beating up a nonce? lmao I miss Life On Mars!
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dobbie73 added 11:54 - Nov 2 Lol, me too groovyASH!
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Wallingford_Boy added 12:20 - Nov 2 meekreech - quite the opposite, I'm one of the few on here that isn't constantly moaning. I'm very positive about the current set up, just saying that the current bunch of kids are unlikely to make any real impression because, to be honest at 18/19 if they were any good, they'd be playing a lot more by now.
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brian_a_mul added 12:20 - Nov 2

Dobbie73: O'Connor was injured recently and lacking fitness as far as I know.
Keane also refers the flat back 4 at present. He like his back 4 to be tall and strong (slight lack of mobility).
Kennedy coming back from injury so hopefully Keane will put him back in the team.
Is it just me or is Peters getting a bit of a raw deal. When he plays he is fantastic but than is dropped for Eastman at RB?

BlueVelvet added 12:43 - Nov 2 The whole reserve team games league needs sorting out once and for all. ME knows he has to make a capital return on the product of the academy and the only way to do that is to bring on players to the first team and then sell them.
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bluelady added 12:57 - Nov 2

Brian totally agree about JP, for me one of our most consistant players and a must against a pacey left winger or we will be caught out totally. Think four centre backs against a direct and physically strong team works, but against a team that keeps it on the ground and plays down the wing we will be caught everytime. Wallingford, i do have to disagree with you, Murray is a great talent and when he came on with Wickham saturday they really showed how a good strike partnership should be - read each others game so well and if we can keep both bodes really well for 12/18 months down the line when both physically stronger. Also i like O Connor and Troy Brown and feel they will both get a chance again in the first team. clark was flavour of the month last year but hasnt even made the bench this, assume he is not training well??!

onlybluesandhorses added 13:16 - Nov 2

As usual Keane says one thing one week and then the opposite the next.

After we made a good start he said it was good that the young players were coming through. After the third loss on the spin he said we had too many young players in the team and that he had not had enough money to spend in the summer i.e the losses were not HIS fault. Now we have won two games he is encouraging the younger players to get into the team.

And of course after the Coventry loss he said critics of one up front "knew nothing about football". So now we have won against Millwall by, yes, playing 442.

Karlosfandangal added 13:21 - Nov 2

Not sure of this age thing, Lads too young still learning the trade, need to be rested etc.
The Osman's Butcher's Brazil's Wark's Burley's, Stockwell's Yallop's etc never seemed to young to play top league football and played week in week out.

I know the club will play a min of 52 games this season but the young lads are full of enthusisium and recover quickly.
Hyam has played really well for us and now he is playing Reserve football as he has been replaced by Colbeck and Livermore.
Colbeck and Livermore are doing a great job for us, However are we developing these players just to send them back to Tottenham and Sunderland at the expencive of developing Hyam and the other younger lads.
Hard to get the right balance

Keaneish added 13:51 - Nov 2 Growing to be a fan of Murray. Anyone who is as busy and works as hard as he does can grace a blue shirt. Hooping he can start netting a few and gets more of the game like a solid 20 - 25 minutes than fleeting cameo roles.
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dreblue added 14:06 - Nov 2 Whats happened to Luke Hyam???!! (have i missed something?)
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AwayDays added 14:31 - Nov 2

Wallingford boy: in repsonse to your comment about Jamie Griffiths, i understand that you probably have not seen much of the lad and you are going by previous experience but i felt that i had to make you aware when reading your post that i cannot see this lad not making it at ipswich town and at championship level (or higher). he truly is a special player and puts in top top performances week in week out in the reserves. I, like others, feel that he and other youngsters should be given more of a chance in the first team rather than the odd 2 minutes at the end of a cup game. i can asure you that when Griffiths is given the chance he will make a great impact and can truly become a star of the furture for Ipswich Town. fingers crossed he gets the opportunity he so rightly deserves. oh and the fact i played against him at suffolk and school level really stregthens my point as he ran rings around me and the rest of the back four! Griffo for ENGLAND! COYB!

bluechick added 15:17 - Nov 2 We were doing far better at the start of the season with our own youngsters than we have been recently with all the loanees. Shame there is no decent reserve league for these lads to play top class opposition from the Premier league. (another sheepshanks disaster)
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bluelady added 15:58 - Nov 2

i dont see that Hyam has been replaced by Colback or Livermore, Hyam is a natural in the holding midfield role and if anything its going backto a 442 that has seen him dropped. Although i appreciate we did play a couple of games with one up front and in those Leadbitter took the holding role (and didnt do as well as Luke). Blue Chick a majority of the loanees play in differant positions, i.e Townsend on the wing, Livermore an attacking midfield role, its really only colback who could potentially play the holding role (but for some reason has replaced our the natural winger Townsend). I do think we have too many midfielders, ok we need to compete for places, however he wont drop Norris or Leadbitter as they are 'experienced' and so its really only the wings that have any openings..... would like to see a settled side rather than all this fighting for places and mixing the team up. Not moaning just observing really!

Tractorog added 15:59 - Nov 2 Bluechick makes a good point about Sheepshanks and the utter failure of the league to do anything about improving the quality reserve football. It is an utter disgrace.
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whoppit added 16:09 - Nov 2 I hope they do well. The youth team at this club have always produced some good players and long may their good work continue !!!!!
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Sindre94 added 16:13 - Nov 2 nice to see keano put some healthy pressure on our youngsters! :) anyone knows how Luca is doing?
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devontractorboy added 16:54 - Nov 2

Have been saying for ages it's an utter disgrace that the football league have no provision for reserve team football.
All we hear is how GB teams don't produce enough quality anymore, well give the youngsters and recovering players a good standard league to play in! No wonder clubs look abroad to buy players, for a quick fix, if we had good quality reserve football across the leagues, our home nations might be able to produce players to give us back some club and national pride.
Come on Sheepy sort it out!!!!