| Best academy player to have never played for the first team 14:59 - May 28 with 6183 views | Beat93 |
Some great players have been in the town academy but some never played for the first team. The best in recent times has to be Ryan Bennett followed by Macauley Bonne, thoughts? |  | | |  |
| Best academy player to have never played for the first team on 19:39 - May 28 with 1740 views | MattinLondon |
I could well be making this up but did we have a young player who turned down a contract here and signed for Celtic?
Possible around 2005? Could well be completely making this-up as I have forgotten his name or if he played for Celtic. Or if he even existed at all. Or if he did, if he was actually any good.
It’s not the player who was one the dubs bench versus Norwich - again I’ve completely forgotten his name as well. [Post edited 28 May 2020 19:40]
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| Best academy player to have never played for the first team on 19:41 - May 28 with 1735 views | itfcjoe |
| Best academy player to have never played for the first team on 19:39 - May 28 by MattinLondon |
I could well be making this up but did we have a young player who turned down a contract here and signed for Celtic?
Possible around 2005? Could well be completely making this-up as I have forgotten his name or if he played for Celtic. Or if he even existed at all. Or if he did, if he was actually any good.
It’s not the player who was one the dubs bench versus Norwich - again I’ve completely forgotten his name as well. [Post edited 28 May 2020 19:40]
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I think this is all Kundai Benyu |  |
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| Best academy player to have never played for the first team on 20:13 - May 28 with 1700 views | Libero |
| Best academy player to have never played for the first team on 19:41 - May 28 by itfcjoe |
I think this is all Kundai Benyu |
How his agent swung that deal I’ll never know. |  | | |
| Best academy player to have never played for the first team on 21:24 - May 28 with 1654 views | Trequartista |
| Best academy player to have never played for the first team on 17:09 - May 28 by Pendejo |
Similar era - Colin Clarke |
20 league goals in the top flight in 86/87 and scored against Spain in the World Cup - probably the best answer of this thread. |  |
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| Best academy player to have never played for the first team on 22:16 - May 28 with 1628 views | AlexGreen |
| Best academy player to have never played for the first team on 15:09 - May 28 by Nthsuffolkblue |
Based on transfer fee would it not be Charlie Brown or was there another one who left for a reasonable fee more recently?
How do you actually determine it?
Perhaps James Smith who suffered an injury and never played again is the real answer. I suppose academy coaches might be able to shed some light. |
Wow I forgot about Brown. I looked him up and he's 20 now and has played just three games in the Belgian second division.
The decision these boys (and their families) have to make between immediate money at a big club vs staying and playing where they currently are is one that's so hard to get right. Who knows what could've happened to the likes of him and Benyu if they'd stuck around. |  |
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| Best academy player to have never played for the first team on 22:21 - May 28 with 1621 views | BryanPlug |
[content removed at owner's request] |  |
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| Best academy player to have never played for the first team on 23:17 - May 28 with 1586 views | jaykay |
| Best academy player to have never played for the first team on 15:30 - May 28 by flimflam |
The academy staff were said to have stated he was the best they had ever seen come through the academy.
He got rave reviews for Man City U18s last season on their way to the league title and cup final. Sadly I believe he could go on to be the real deal. |
someone very very close to that family reckons zak is the better of the 2 |  |
| forensic experts say footers and spruces fingerprints were not found at the scene after the weekends rows |
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| Best academy player to have never played for the first team on 08:09 - May 29 with 1525 views | itfcjoe |
| Best academy player to have never played for the first team on 22:16 - May 28 by AlexGreen |
Wow I forgot about Brown. I looked him up and he's 20 now and has played just three games in the Belgian second division.
The decision these boys (and their families) have to make between immediate money at a big club vs staying and playing where they currently are is one that's so hard to get right. Who knows what could've happened to the likes of him and Benyu if they'd stuck around. |
I think both made good moves, and Brown's will turn out as so. Benyu's obviously didn't.
People go on about money, but they have a better chance of staying in the game when being offered a 4 year contract at the bigger club, they get a better CV, better loan spells, and a bigger chance of catching on if they do leave.
Brown was behind Morris and Folami in the pecking order here, by quite a distance. Those 2 have had injuries but have managed about 5 1st team appearances between them | |
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| Best academy player to have never played for the first team on 09:35 - May 29 with 1473 views | ChateauWines |
Let's hope there are quite a few that will in coming seasons. Tje best has yet to come | |
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| Best academy player to have never played for the first team on 09:36 - May 29 with 1472 views | MattinLondon |
| Best academy player to have never played for the first team on 08:09 - May 29 by itfcjoe |
I think both made good moves, and Brown's will turn out as so. Benyu's obviously didn't.
People go on about money, but they have a better chance of staying in the game when being offered a 4 year contract at the bigger club, they get a better CV, better loan spells, and a bigger chance of catching on if they do leave.
Brown was behind Morris and Folami in the pecking order here, by quite a distance. Those 2 have had injuries but have managed about 5 1st team appearances between them |
I seem to remember a poster on here stating that Ben Knights didn’t actually want to leave Town but in the end Man City made a deal so unbelievably good that he - and his family - has no real choice.
You can’t blame younger players for leaving - better coaches, better facilities and better everything apart from first team chances. Seeing that the big boys want success then-and-now plus they can cast their net worldwide it’ll be interesting to see how he gets on.
If he had stayed here do you think Knights would have been a first team regular by now? | | | |
| Best academy player to have never played for the first team on 14:46 - May 29 with 1413 views | itfcjoe |
| Best academy player to have never played for the first team on 09:36 - May 29 by MattinLondon |
I seem to remember a poster on here stating that Ben Knights didn’t actually want to leave Town but in the end Man City made a deal so unbelievably good that he - and his family - has no real choice.
You can’t blame younger players for leaving - better coaches, better facilities and better everything apart from first team chances. Seeing that the big boys want success then-and-now plus they can cast their net worldwide it’ll be interesting to see how he gets on.
If he had stayed here do you think Knights would have been a first team regular by now? |
No, he's a supremely talented kid, but is way too small for senior football - he probably weighs about 8.5 stone. | |
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| Best academy player to have never played for the first team on 14:59 - May 29 with 1397 views | Libero |
| Best academy player to have never played for the first team on 14:46 - May 29 by itfcjoe |
No, he's a supremely talented kid, but is way too small for senior football - he probably weighs about 8.5 stone. |
Kieron Dyer couldn't have weighed much more than that when he made his debut? | | | |
| Best academy player to have never played for the first team on 15:46 - May 29 with 1372 views | clive_baker |
| Best academy player to have never played for the first team on 09:36 - May 29 by MattinLondon |
I seem to remember a poster on here stating that Ben Knights didn’t actually want to leave Town but in the end Man City made a deal so unbelievably good that he - and his family - has no real choice.
You can’t blame younger players for leaving - better coaches, better facilities and better everything apart from first team chances. Seeing that the big boys want success then-and-now plus they can cast their net worldwide it’ll be interesting to see how he gets on.
If he had stayed here do you think Knights would have been a first team regular by now? |
That was probably me. It was a disgusting offer that they received really, and one that really highlights the gulf between the haves and have nots in British football now. Man City offered to buy his parents a stonking house in Cheshire to help him settle in, which they declined as they didn't want to leave Cambridgeshire, so they paid down their mortgage instead. His uncle has been 'employed' by Man City as a scout, and moved up there instead. As for Ben, he's paid more than anyone in our current senior squad. It's madness, to be honest, but not one that should be held against him at all. He's a bright kid, more cerebral than your typical footballer and a great family. It was a real no brainer for him to move and having seen a lot and worked with a lot of footballers I wouldn't bet against him going all the way, he's that good. I can see why ME was so p1ssed to have him nabbed from under our noses. |  |
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| Best academy player to have never played for the first team on 16:09 - May 29 with 1352 views | MattinLondon |
| Best academy player to have never played for the first team on 15:46 - May 29 by clive_baker |
That was probably me. It was a disgusting offer that they received really, and one that really highlights the gulf between the haves and have nots in British football now. Man City offered to buy his parents a stonking house in Cheshire to help him settle in, which they declined as they didn't want to leave Cambridgeshire, so they paid down their mortgage instead. His uncle has been 'employed' by Man City as a scout, and moved up there instead. As for Ben, he's paid more than anyone in our current senior squad. It's madness, to be honest, but not one that should be held against him at all. He's a bright kid, more cerebral than your typical footballer and a great family. It was a real no brainer for him to move and having seen a lot and worked with a lot of footballers I wouldn't bet against him going all the way, he's that good. I can see why ME was so p1ssed to have him nabbed from under our noses. |
A seventeen year old who hasn’t paid one second of senior football earns more than an established first teamer here- madness. Even taking into account the L1 thing.
You have to be really dedicated to want to improve rather than simply being complacent.
If he’s on say 5k pw then their total wage bill must be ridiculous | | | |
| Best academy player to have never played for the first team on 17:13 - May 29 with 1297 views | Swansea_Blue |
| Best academy player to have never played for the first team on 16:56 - May 28 by rickw |
Richard Keogh? 26 Ireland caps |
I had no idea he'd been with us. It must have been mentioned when he was linked (or at least talked about) back in the Mick, but I hadn't twigged. |  |
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