Development Squad - what is the right way forward?

[DJB]

I appreciate the 5 sub rule has limited GP's options in terms of blooding some of the DS players but given that chances appear limited at present what should be done with them.

(1) Should they stay within the albion set up and be coached in the GP way albeit playing reserve level football;

or

(2) Be loaned out risking that they are exposed to inferior coaching (despite the albions best efforts to find like minded clubs for them);

I just feel for some of the guys as they appear to have undoubted potential but I just wonder do they have a future at the club. The attempt to Sign BP from Leeds must have been a real kick in the teeth for the likes of TA for instance. In a strange way it is a meassure of how far the club has come given the money that we are spending on players and the calibre of reserve players that we now have - all positive I suppose.

 

[The_Real_SussexSeagull123]

Be interested to know people's opinion on this also..

 

[Bexhillian]

Having watched Charlton v Sheff Wed tonight i would rather they stayed & developed here than go on loan & be forced to play hoof ball - it was shocking! I think loaning would only be beneficial at the right clubs e.g.. Mk Dons, somewhere with a forward thinking manager who at least tries to play in a similar way to us.

 

[Arkwright]

I've heard that Gus is reluctant loan players out to sides who play long ball and not the "Brighton Way". I can understand that but at the same stage some players surely need first team match practice and if they aren't going to get that at the Albion they need it somewhere. That said the Academy seems to play against some really strong opposition, the Notts Forest side had several first teamers in it.

I think the 5 subs ruling has pissed on Gus's Fireworks, this can only lead to squad rotation which is something we have near had the luxury of before. Should Gus play his best eleven or chop and change for each game and try to keep the squad happy?

 

[SI 4 BHA]

I have wondered why the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool etc bother with a youth set up at all. It is very rare for truly top class players to come through from the youth team these days and they just go out and buy anyone they want. They let so many players go without giving them a chance, just look at Bridcutt and how he has progressed once he got regular games. He may not be Champions League standard, but I do think he could hold his own in the Prem.

I know we have a couple of injuries to the first team squad at the moment, (El abd and Elphick), but at moment only Dunk is getting a regular game having come through the youth set up and we have never ever produced a top class striker from the youth team. You could certainly question whether we get value for money from a youth/development squad. As long as the big boys let go off so many decent players who are not necessarily top of the Prem standard, we may be better off just picking them up on the cheap rather than hoping that we will develop our own superstar. Even Caskey can't get a look in at the moment as we have brought in so many players from outside, so it is a valid question to ask what is the point of a development squad.

Personally I like the idea that we are trying to develop home grown players, but it seems to be a very hit and miss excercise and maybe the money would be better spent on bringing in young players who have had a good football education at the bigger clubs? I guess the club weigh up the costs of running our own academy against the possible rewards that having an academy can bring and for the moment it is cost effective.

Some will say we need the academy and development squads so they can learn our style of play and will be ready to play for the first team when eventually needed, but at some stage Gus will almost certainly move on and a new manager may have a different style that doesn't fit in with the way the development squad are being taught. What happens than? Do we start all over again with a new set of development players?

 

[Lush]

Should Gus play his best eleven or chop and change for each game and try to keep the squad happy?

He will play the best eleven to play our game and cope with how the opposition are likely to play, and bear in mind that some players may have minor injuries that need a rest, otherwise they will do worse damage and be out for weeks.


I would imagine.

 

[severnside gull]

Of the Development Squad players since the concept began last year:-

Agdestein & Branco are overseas signings
Simmonds came from Aston Villa
Kasim came from Spurs
Bridcutt (initially considered to be for the DS I think) Sampayo and Rodgers came from Chelsea
East came from Wolves

Dunk, Walker, Strong, Hall, Cook, Barker, Redwood, Haward and Forster-Caskey are the home grown talents.


So 50% are "imports".

Dunk and Bridcutt are first team regulars (10%)
Kasim, Forster-Caskey, Walker and Cook and Agdestein (a further 25%) have made at least one first team appearance or sat on the bench although of these only Cook could currently be considered to be "near" the first team.

Still that is a minimum15% success rate which in real terms is a very reasonable return

 

[DJB]

watfordobserver.co.uk/sport/8888855.Stephenson_to_leave__roller_coaster_ride__for_Brighton_challenge/

Thought this was an interesting article given his departure after such a short tenure. I think this is a high class problem for the club should they get promoted this season but what is the club doing to support GP because he surely can't focus on his day to day duties and focus on putting this type of infrastructure in place (as detailed in article). The Dev. Squad falls into all of this too and it would be interesting to hear somebody from the club come forward to let us know where things are going outside of the first team as it is integral that a sound foundation is put in place from youth through to scouting in order to equip BHA with the proper tools in order to have a long term future in the top flight.

 

[DJB]

watfordobserver.co.uk/sport/8888855.Stephenson_to_leave__roller_coaster_ride__for_Brighton_challenge/

Just thought this was an interesting article given his departure after such a short tenure. I think this is a high class problem for the club should they get promoted this season but what is the club doing to support GP because he surely can't focus on his day to day duties and focus on putting this type of infrastructure in place (as detailed in article). The Dev. Squad falls into all of this too and it would be interesting to hear somebody from the club come forward to let us know where things are going outside of the first team as it is integral that a sound foundation is put in place from youth through to scouting in order to equip BHA with the proper tools in order to have a long term future in the top flight.

 

[finlaych]

Of the Development Squad players since the concept began last year:-

Agdestein & Branco are overseas signings
Simmonds came from Aston Villa
Kasim came from Spurs
Bridcutt (initially considered to be for the DS I think) Sampayo and Rodgers came from Chelsea
East came from Wolves

Dunk, Walker, Strong, Hall, Cook, Barker, Redwood, Haward and Forster-Caskey are the home grown talents.


So 50% are "imports".

Dunk and Bridcutt are first team regulars (10%)
Kasim, Forster-Caskey, Walker and Cook and Agdestein (a further 25%) have made at least one first team appearance or sat on the bench although of these only Cook could currently be considered to be "near" the first team.

Still that is a minimum15% success rate which in real terms is a very reasonable return

Top stats

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

Of the Development Squad players since the concept began last year:-

Agdestein & Branco are overseas signings
Simmonds came from Aston Villa
Kasim came from Spurs
Bridcutt (initially considered to be for the DS I think) Sampayo and Rodgers came from Chelsea
East came from Wolves

Dunk, Walker, Strong, Hall, Cook, Barker, Redwood, Haward and Forster-Caskey are the home grown talents.


So 50% are "imports".

Dunk and Bridcutt are first team regulars (10%)
Kasim, Forster-Caskey, Walker and Cook and Agdestein (a further 25%) have made at least one first team appearance or sat on the bench although of these only Cook could currently be considered to be "near" the first team.

Still that is a minimum15% success rate which in real terms is a very reasonable return

Barker was on the bench against Sunderland (when we were allowed 7 subs) suggesting he might be closer than Agdestein to the first team.

We haven't had a development squad for very long, so we have to give it some time. It can be hit-and-miss anyway, if El-Abd had been fit Dunk wouldn't have played this season, and may have had to go out on loan

 

[Rugrat]

The concept of dev squad is perfect for us and if it gets the right focus I think more will come through.

The prob (as raised by the OP) is that these guys are getting little to motivate and test them in terms of real games. The Prem have a really good reserve match schedule and if the suits responsible for the Championship (Football League) could get off their arses and organise similar it might well overcome these "what do we do with them" concerns. I guess money is an issue, but a bit of travel doesn't sound huge in the scheme of things

 

[Brovion]

If you're only going to judge 'success' by the number of first team players a club's youth scheme produces then no club, from Manchester Utd to Macclesfield Town, can be said to have a truly successful youth system; the percentage of home-grown players in the squad of every league club is always dwarfed by the imports. By the logic of some on here (not necessarily those who have posted on this thread) every club, with the possible exception of Arsenal, ought to wind up its youth scheme as they don't produce a steady stream of players with a nice balance of forwards, midfielders and defenders. Then who will develop the players? They'll be left in the hands of the local boys' teams and we can kiss goodbye to England ever winning a tournament ever again! The current 'food chain' system works quite well as the players who don't make the grade at places like Chelsea come to teams like us, and our unwanted graduates find homes at lower clubs.

To answer the original question I think the older DS members who are ready for League action should go out on loan, but to the right team (easier said than done I know). MK Dons was a good shout, but they're not top of League One without reason and our lambs might not be good enough to play. Sending them to a hoofball team might toughen them up but it might do more harm than good.

So I dunno really!

 

[severnside gull]

good win tonight 3-1 at Torquay

Agdestein, Barker and Simmonds (plus 2 assists)