Cook & Elphick

[Bold Seagull]

I'm not defending the club for doing it. Tony Bloom might be sitting there this morning cursing Gus for letting em go for all i know. I'm just saying a) there were sound justifiable reasons for doing it that many on NSC accepted at the time b) and that its very rare for Albion, in recent times, to let go youth prospects like this that then go onto have more successful careers...They are probably the only two.

Well, you've hit the nail on the head there - how many youth prospects have we produced that go into our first team or elsewhere each year!? Two is actually a big number to have let go compared to how many you actually bring through for that possibility. They're incredibly hard to discover and nurture, finding young local talent to be good enough to play at the top level. We just happened to have let two go for pretty much nothing. There is real justifiable reasons for being very upset for this happening, while we end up getting in a load of shite into the squad like those you've also listed above.

I am delighted for both of them. I actually knew Tommy's brother Gary while he was playing at Havant&Waterlooville, and saw Cook play when he was on loan there as a really young lad when Charlie Oatway was player/coach. You watch Southampton bring youngster after youngster through, and you realise that you have to take risks and trust your young players, because they are hungry, full of desire and loyalty for their clubs.

 

[chaileyjem]

I didn't realise that Ince had signed a new contract. Does it last beyond the end of 15/16 now?

Oops. My mistake. Ince signed that in Jan 2014. so yep. until end of next season.

 

[Bold Seagull]

PS: In the last 6 months the club have admittedly protected their investment/the prospects in the squad by granting expensive new extended contracts to Solly March (20), Christian Walton (19), Glen Rea (20), JFC (21), Dunk (23), Ince (22) and Lua Lua (24). Perhaps mindful of the Cook/Elphick precedent.

Well hopefully they have learned a lesson then - that is all I'm pointing out. They won't learn from it if they still think it was the right thing to do at the time. TB will know who made the calls, who advised him, so he too will know how wrong we got it. That is all I'm saying really. I don't think there were justifiable reasons, I think we just got it wrong. If you are right with the above, then great.

 

[chaileyjem]

we end[ed] up getting in a load of shite into the squad like those you've also listed above..

deleted. BS responded already above.

 

[Bold Seagull]

PS: To confirm. In your view. Ince, March, JFC, Lua Lua, Walton, Rea and Dunk... are a "load of shite".

You know full well what I meant. - you know, all the crap we bought in / loaned in.

 

[symyjym]

................. you have to take risks and trust your young players, because they are hungry, full of desire and loyalty for their clubs.

This is key. Years of work went into Cook and Elphick and their passion for this club was priceless.

 

[chaileyjem]

You know full well what I meant. Let's not get silly.

Yep. Deleted it !! Got the very wrong end of stick Apologies.

 

[Bold Seagull]

Yep. Deleted it !! Got the very wrong end of stick Apologies.

Yeah, I could see why it read that way though - partly my fault.