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Thread | Youth getting opportunities in the Premier league
at 08:25 22 Jun 2017
Reece Oxford, played a couple of games last year (15-16 season) for West Ham, and even though he was England U17 captain was pulled out of the U17 World Cup squad by West Ham.
During the whole tournament, he didn't play one minute of football for West Ham in any competition. And he hasn't played a minute in 16-17
Recently David Gold, the West Ham owner, came out with a tweet along the lines of how it is very unlikely that teenagers will play for West Ham whilst they have 'seasoned internationals' in their team. Which on the face of it, is probably a fair point but does beg the question of the point of them having an academy at all.
Oxford has now gone to the German league and signed a years loan contract with Borussia Mönchengladbach who are arguably a better side than West Ham.
How does that work? How do English kids have a hope in a PL academy if they aren't going to get any opportunities?
The Premier League TV deals and EPPP has created a situation where we are now as a country creating better and better players, and they are getting fewer and fewer opportunities |
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Thread | Season ticket holders love a moan....
at 08:19 13 Jun 2017
Season tickets are still cheaper
Your seat is guaranteed for every match
You have higher ticket priority for away and cup/play off games
You contribute more to the club you support.
This is a positive step for the club, one that is long overdue and one I've spoken about for years (despite being a ST holder).
Get over it, and be pleased that the club are trying to attract fans - everyone wants a full Portman Road. |
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Thread | This election is thoroughly depressing
at 08:08 7 Jun 2017
The electorate are treated like idiots and they lap it up.
This country has a real issue with critical thinking and decision making.
EDIT - I don't think every one voting Tory is an idiot, I have myself in the past and may do again in the future. But the campaigns run by likes of the Mail are getting people that ware going to be adversely affected by Tory plans, and who would benefit massively from the Labour manifesto to vote Tory - it's an utter embarrassment [Post edited 7 Jun 8:09]
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Thread | Politics is so frustrating....
at 08:59 31 May 2017
....every time I start to feel a bit engaged I remember that my vote is utterly worthless in my constituency. [Post edited 31 May 8:59]
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Thread | Marcus Evans - 5 point plan. How is it going?
at 09:13 30 May 2017
1 – ‘To provide a significant ongoing financial commitment to the club’s academy, enabling a steady flow of players into the first-team’
I think that's fair and we are, if you look at the goals of the academy then we have achieved them this season*
2 – ‘To provide a sustainable and competitive squad salary budget’
These are words that are very open to interpretation - but for me the 18th highest wage bill may be sustainable but is not competitive
3 – ‘To make annual investment funds available to purchase players in the early stages of their career and to assist in their development’
With the signings of Ward, Webster and even Rowe then this one appears to have been completed
4 – ‘Maintaining a stable management and coaching team’
A resounding yes, much to a lot of fans annoyance
5 – ‘To develop a team to play attractive and exciting football’
The football has been poor for the majority of the last 18 months, but does feel as though the squad has got technically better in this team. Just needs Mick to trust these players and allow them to play a better style of football. Feels unlikely at the moment.
Overall
We aren't far off the plan, just needs a bit more investment and better football. Will we see either? I doubt it. Will the plan lead to success? I doubt it.
Oh well, ITID.
* http://www.itfc-academy.com/our-club/
To produce one player per season who makes a minimum of 5 appearances in the 1st team
To produce one player per season who (as a loan player) makes regular appearance in the 1st team of a Football League Club
To ensure that 3 players graduate from U18 squad to PDL squad
To ensure a minimum of 60% of Scholars have come from Ipswich Town’s Academy registered schoolboys |
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Thread | Is Mick giving youngsters enough game time?
at 12:59 25 May 2017
I hear all this talk about Mick not giving youngsters a chance, and it seems too many posters aren't looking at the league as a whole. So I have tried to....
All stats are minutes on the pitch in the league only, and all ages are at today's date
U20 players
Barnsley - 6,750 minutes (5,063 by loanees)
Nottingham Forest - 5,185 minutes
Bristol City - 3,844 minutes (3,425 by loanees)
Birmingham - 3,680 minutes (1,007 by loanees)
Huddersfield - 3,513 minutes (2,310 by loanees)
Ipswich - 3,399 minutes
So only 5 clubs have players U20 getting more game time than at Portman Road, and only 1 club (Forest) has more game time given to U20 players that aren't on loan at the club.
Players aged 21-22
Preston North End - 8,412 minutes (682 by loanees)
Forest - 8,129 minutes (1,649 by loanees)
Reading - 6,811 minutes
Leeds - 5,854 minutes (1,284 by loanees)
Ipswich - 5,465 minutes (295 by loanees)
So only 4 teams have given more minutes to 21 and 22 year olds, and if you take loan players out of it we move to 4th
Overall - all players U22
Forest - 13,314 minutes (1,649 by loanees)
Barnsley - 10,573 minutes (7,201 by loanees)
Ipswich - 8,864 minutes (295 by loanees)
So overall only 2 clubs are given youngsters more game time than us, and 1 of them is mostly using loanees.
The reality is that Notingham Forest are the only side who are getting more minutes out of young players than we are at all ages, when you take out loan players - other than them we are right up there in every category.
For the purpose of this exercise our young players are Dozzell, Emmanuel, Kenlock, Bishop (U20) and Grant, Digby, Webster and Ward (U22) - so a mixture of academy products and signings, but most importantly nearly all of them are tied down for at tleast the next couple of years.
Mick has many faults, but the stats show it is unfair to accuse him of not giving youngsters game time.
 [Post edited 25 May 13:02]
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Thread | Old classic football shirts...
at 12:20 24 May 2017
....not as in really old - but last 20 years or so.
Started buying a few on eBay to wear when out running - got myself a Greece national team, Olympiakos and Ajax shirt this week, ideally I like them with a name and number of a random player on the back.
Anybody else suitably weird?
Also like to keep my eye on ITFC ones, some people try and sell some rubbish for top whack - shirts personalised to themselves being main example! One bloke wants £25 plus P&P for a terrible old Punch away kit with his name on the back and describes it as 'Very rare', which i suppose is true..... |
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Thread | Baltic Cruise
at 12:53 19 May 2017
Anyone done one before - recently booked one but isn't until next September.
Southampton to St Petersburg with lots of stops in between, |
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Thread | Nasty Party, Evil, taking pride in f*cking over the poor and needy....
at 13:31 18 May 2017
...and countless other examples.
Until the hard left drops this pathetic talk then they are not going to win over the floating voters.
All it does is further put up the shields for those who have or do vote Tory. The Tories want the best for the country but just have a different way of going about achieving that. |
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