Author Topic: F.A. Youth Cup 2007 - Where are they now? (Read 10263 times)

James Mac · « **on:** April 8, 2011, 01:15:08 am »

I don't know if this has been done before, but oh well. It's interesting, and quite saddening at times.

We're currently blessed with a vastly talented batch of youngsters in the youth and reserve teams - Jack Robinson, Suso, John Flanagan, Conor Coady, Conor Thomas, Michael Ngoo, Krisztian Adjoran etc.

We last won the F.A. Youth Cup in 2007, with arguably a much less gifted squad. I was wondering where the squad has got to now - I think it's somewhat of a good judge (obviously taking into account that that team didn't have players as good as Raheem Sterling and Adam Morgan) as to how many of the current youth team could potentially graduate to something much greater. This is the team from the final against Manchester United (a team which included Danny Welbeck and Febian Brandy). Score was 2-2 on aggregate, and we won 4-3 on penalties.

FIRST XI

GK: David Roberts

Having been released by Liverpool in Summer 2007, Roberts went on to play at Weymouth F.C., before moving to Aberystwyth Town F.C. in 2008. At Aberystwyth he failed to cement a starting place, and, after allegations of assault in Newcastle town centre, was sent on loan to Newtown A.F.C., also in the Welsh Premier League. He soon signed permanently for Newtown A.F.C, and is still playing in goal for them.

RB: Stephen Darby

Still on the Liverpool F.C. books, on loan until the end of the season to Notts County. Previously been on loan at Swindon in 2010. He featured occasionally for the first team in the 2009-10 campaign, notably against Fiorentina at Anfield, in a dead rubber game. We lost 2-1.

CB: Jay Spearing

Another still at Liverpool, Spearing has featured numerous times this season, include the Merseyside derby. In 2010 he went on loan to Leicester City, where he scored one goal. With a shortage in the centre of the park, Spearing has found himself playing more often in recent weeks.

CB: Michael Burns

Michael Burns played in both the 2006 and 2007 F.A. Youth Cup finals, but was released by the club in the summer of 2007. He was quickly signed by Sammy Lee at Bolton Wanderers, where he made regular appearances for their reserve side. In 2009 he transfered to Carlisle United, after an unsuccessful trial at Gillingham. He made one appearance for the League One outfit, before signing for Stafford Rangers on loan. Upon his return, he joined Newport County in January 2011, but was released after just a month at the club. He is currently unattached.

LB: Robbie Threlfall

His performances for the Liverpool Youth team earned him an U19 cap for England in 2007, and although still technically at the club up until 2010, during the 3 year period inbetween the final and then, he had loan spells at Hereford United, Stockport County, Northampton Town, and Bradford City, before signing for the latter permanently in 2010. Since then, he's made just 6 appearances for their first team.

MF: Charlie Barnett

Charlie Barnett stayed at Liverpool for another season, joining Tranmere Rovers in the summer transfer window of 2008. He played 36 games for the Rovers, scoring 4 goals. In 2010 he transferred to Accrington Stanley, where he has thus far played 34 games, and scored 2 goals.

MF: Jimmy Ryan

Jimmy left the club in August 2007, first for a loan, then permanently, to Shrewsbury Town. He made just 4 appearances, before transferring, in 2008, to Accrington Stanley. He's since been a regular fixture in midfield for Stanley, appearing 123 times, and scoring 19.

AMF: Astrit Ajdarevic

The Swedish attacking midfielder from SFR Yugoslavia left Liverpool on loan to Leicester City in 2009, before joining permanently at the beginning of the 2009-10 season. He didn't feature at all, and was loaned to Hereford United, where he played just once. He was then released by Leicester City, and joined Swedish top league (Allsvenskan) side Orebro SK. He played 13 times in the 2010 season, and when it ended, exercised his right to move club (due to some sort of contractual clause), joining Swedish side IFK Norrkoping. According to Wikipedia, he has yet to play a game for the Allsvenskan outfit.

MF: Ryan Flynn

Flynn arrived from Falkirk in 2005. In 2008 he was loaned out to Wrexham, and then Falkirk again. He signed permanently for Falkirk in 2009, and played during their last season in the Scottish First Division. They were relegated at the end of the season.

MF: Ray Putterill

Ray was released by Liverpool at the end of the 2008-09 season after a series of injuries and operations (namely: fractured spine, a hip reconstruction, damaged cartilage in his knee and a hernia operation), and he swiftly joined Liverpool County Premier League side Halewood Town. He played their for a season, before being snapped (no pun intended) up by Accrington Stanley in July 2010. He has so far made 23 appearances for the club, including scoring a goal against Newcastle United in the Carling Cup.

ST: Craig Lindfield

After loan spells at Notts County (3 appearances, 1 goal), Chester City (7 appearances, no goals), Bournemouth (3 apperances, 1 goal), and Accrington Stanley (20 appearances, 2 goals), over a 2 year spell following the Youth Cup triumph, Lindfield signed for Macclesfield Town in 2010, having been released by the club in 2009. In between, he had trials with Carlisle United and Morecombe. After 18 appearances and 2 goals for Macclesfield, Lindfield joined Accrington Stanley in June 2010 on a one year contract. After suffering a knee injury, he was loaned out to Conference side Kidderminster Harriers for match fitness, but made just a 12 minute appearance before all Conference games were postponed due to bad weather. He returned to Accrington in December 2010; his contract runs out at the end of this season.

SUBS

GK: Josh Mimms

After leaving Liverpool, Mimms joined York City. However, he failed to make an impact on the first team, and now plays for Evo-Stik League side Retford United.

MF: Sean Highdale

After suffering a horrific car-crash in which two of his friends died, Highdale began the long road to recovery - at times it was thought he would never play again. He made his return in January 2010 against Wrexham in a friendly. He had a loan spell at Oldham Athletic. In January 2011, he was loaned to Newtown AFC of the Welsh Premier League to gain match fitness and experience.

MF: Ben Parsonage

New Zealander Ben Parsonage left Liverpool F.C. in 2008 and joined Caernarfon Town of the Welsh Alliance League. After 3 appearances, he joined the Liverpool County Football side Prescot Cables. He now plays for Hibiscus Coast A.F.C., a semi-professional club competing in the Lotto Sport Italia NRFL Division 2 of New Zealand.

FW: Lee Woodward

Lee Woodward was released by the club at the end of the 2007-08 season, after a series of back injuries. There appears to be no information about him on the internet, so I can only assume he no longer players professionally, or semi-professionally for a club with a website.

DF: Steven Irwin

Steven Irwin is still with the club, although he has yet to make it into the first team.

RayPhilAlan · « **Reply #1 on:** April 8, 2011, 01:29:30 am »

Really interesting read. Thanks for that. As you say, the individuals in that team clearly weren't as good as the ones now at the club, so I presume it was the teamwork that made the difference?

Accrington Stanley must think we're their feeder club

whtwht · « **Reply #2 on:** April 8, 2011, 01:36:15 am »

Accrington Stanley!!!???

Who are they???....... Exactly!

JoeCole · « **Reply #3 on:** April 8, 2011, 01:43:51 am »

Thanks for writing that up.

Accrington love our ex youth players don't they

barneystuta · « **Reply #4 on:** April 8, 2011, 01:48:12 am »

Really interesting read. And shows how far we have hopefully come with our youth set up (and how bad things were just a few years ago). Even with winning the FA Youth Cup, which is not easy, only a handful of them have played in the first team. And not one has made a real impact.

Good to know a few of them are getting on alright with their careers though. Must be tough for any young player these days.

Juan Loco · « **Reply #5 on:** April 8, 2011, 01:50:47 am »

Ajdarevic was so composed in that game. By far and away the most gifted player in that team, although Putterill had the more eye-catching performance in that 2nd game.

Zaffarious · « **Reply #6 on:** April 8, 2011, 01:52:26 am »

goes to show, winning games at this level doesnt mean shit, its all about devloping players correctly. yes a winning mentality needs to be installed, but young players need to realise the long term goals.

mbyx6cg2 · « **Reply #7 on:** April 8, 2011, 01:54:33 am »

Didn't realise Spearing played CB for the under 18s! How did that work? He's tiny.

horne · « **Reply #8 on:** April 8, 2011, 01:56:26 am »

i cant help thinking that if given a run of games and training day in day out, with full time pros, some of them could have achieved more.
sometimes the politics gets in the way?
was adam hamill in that group

Juan Loco · « **Reply #9 on:** April 8, 2011, 02:02:28 am »

Quote from: horne on April 8, 2011, 01:56:26 am

i cant help thinking that if given a run of games and training day in day out, with full time pros, some of them could have achieved more.
sometimes the politics gets in the way?
was adam hamill in that group

Think Hammill was on loan at Dunfermline at the time. He was in the team that won it the year before.

buttersstotch · « **Reply #10 on:** April 8, 2011, 02:07:47 am »

To me it just highlights how many players at top clubs actually make it. Only a handful of these players will even be playing in the football league come next season. It's quite sad really.

Too much emphasis is placed on the FA Youth Cup imo. Yes it breeds a winning mentality, but it's all about the individual players and not the team. Good teamwork gets you very far in football especially if the players are average to good, but at youth team level that counts for nothing.

XabiArt · « **Reply #11 on:** April 8, 2011, 02:13:52 am »

Quote from: James Mac on April 8, 2011, 01:15:08 am

GK: Josh Mimms

After leaving Liverpool, Mimms joined York City. However, he failed to make an impact on the first team, and now plays for Evo-Stik League side Retford United.

Heh, thats my little old town that is.

Popcorn · « **Reply #12 on:** April 8, 2011, 02:52:01 am »

Sad in a way, shows how ruthless football can be on a young lads career

DaveCharlie · « **Reply #13 on:** April 8, 2011, 03:09:53 am »

Amazing. Remember thinking the future was bright when we won this. Now its only really Irwin and Spearing we can hold any hope for as I don't see Darby making it in the PL.

MolbyLovesGravlax · « **Reply #14 on:** April 8, 2011, 03:41:37 am »

Quote from: whtwht on April 8, 2011, 01:36:15 am

Accrington Stanley!!!???

Who are they???....... Exactly!

That is what was running through my head as I read the original post.

w86 · « **Reply #15 on:** April 8, 2011, 07:26:37 am »

I fear the same thing is gonna happen to the current youth squad if they are not given a chance in the 1st team next season . What we generally do is take some players from the youth teams , put them on the bench for a few games and are quick to loan them out when some small club comes knocking and eventually sell them .
What it does is send out the wrong message to the young prospects , who therefore choose Arsenal over us !!

youll never walk alone it · « **Reply #16 on:** April 8, 2011, 07:44:36 am »

It just shows dont it? people think oh weve won the youth cup again great, an it is at the time, but noone comes through which is the whole point of it.
Keep hearing how bright our present kids are an yes they look great but seriously how mnay of these will make it to the 1st team an hold down the place?
Time will tell.

Stanfo · « **Reply #17 on:** April 8, 2011, 07:55:55 am »

What this thread highlights is how little most people know about academy/youth football and what is expected of it by the clubs in comparison to the fans.

The reason people think our current crop is so much more talented than these lads is exposure, both on LFC tv and more importantly on forums such as this to the lads. The 2006 and 2007 sides went generally unnoticed apart from a few people, until they reached the latter stages of the Youth Cup, the games they played every week weren't dissected in minute detail in threads such as this, which was what the club at the time wanted so the lads could develop without being hyped/slagged off by fans.

There is no doubt our youth set up is so much better now in dealing with the lads from the U16's and U18's (I'm not convinced about the younger ages) and that we do have a number of talented lads who are better than the youth cup winners, however I think if you do the same exercise in 5 years time many will be asking similar questions. That is not a fault with our system or indeed the lads, just the nature of youth football.

If you can get one or two lads through to the 1st team squad every year you have achieved your goal, as there will only be a finite number of places in the squad, most of which are taken by established players and new big money signings. How are we going to get the 5 or 6 genuinely talented lads from this youth team into our 1st team in the next year or so plus the likes of Pacheco, it just isn't going to happen, especially as many of our less realistic fans also have a long wish list of world talent that we hope our new owners will buy for us in the summer. That's maybe 9 or 10 new spaces needed in our 1st team squad to enable us to bring through all our stars, it just won't happen sadly.

Discipline · « **Reply #18 on:** April 8, 2011, 08:00:22 am »

Quote

Jay Spearing

Another still at Liverpool, Spearing has featured numerous times this season, include the Merseyside derby. In 2010 he went on loan to Leicester City, where he scored one goal. With a shortage in the centre of the park, Spearing has found himself playing more often in recent weeks.

BobbyDavro · « **Reply #19 on:** April 8, 2011, 08:10:52 am »

It's a recurring question.
Were Beckham, Scholes, Nevilles, Butt etc destined to be as good anyway, or did they take a massive leap forward in their development when the drunk played them week-in, week-out in the first team?

It's tempting to say they were a freak bunch of players to come through at once, but I do think players improve exponentially when they're with better players with higher expectations on them.
If you don't play them, they don't make that leap, and then the evidence is there to prove that you were right all along not to play them. Look, they didn't turn out that well, we were right.

I think, as examples, Le Tallec and Pongolle never acheived anything like their potential because they simply never got enough of a chance.

BobbyDavro · « **Reply #20 on:** April 8, 2011, 08:18:30 am »

Quote from: Stanfo on April 8, 2011, 07:55:55 am

What this thread highlights is how little most people know about academy/youth football and what is expected of it by the clubs in comparison to the fans.
.....

That's maybe 9 or 10 new spaces needed in our 1st team squad to enable us to bring through all our stars, it just won't happen sadly.

Good points all, but there should - in my view - be an alternative approach on filling the first team squad.
18 top players and the rest filled by your academy/reserves.
Keeps the wage bill down (Henry's right - our squad is massively bloated and by and large, shite).
Means you can spend more (wages and transfers) on the players you do have and attract the very best.
Gives chance to the young players whenever 'first' teamers get injured or need a rest.
Shows the world's young players that this is a club where they've got a realistic chance of being tested.

Chivasino · « **Reply #21 on:** April 8, 2011, 09:10:24 am »

Cheers for that.

James Mac - One for the General Sports forum, but the Ajax CL winning teams from the mid 90s would be a great one to do.

MiserableP15 · « **Reply #22 on:** April 8, 2011, 09:17:45 am »

That team must not have drunk their milk. (For those of you that remember).

andy in warrington · « **Reply #23 on:** April 8, 2011, 09:20:03 am »

Getting to the FA Youth Cup Final or even winning it is perhaps no guide to the overall quality of the team; it is a knockout competition with luck of the draw etc.. playing a part.
I remember that it was thought that very few of that team had a chance. The current crop look to have more chance.

stewy17 · « **Reply #24 on:** April 8, 2011, 09:25:45 am »

This report pretty much sums up how difficult it is to make the step up from Youth Team to first team.

Crazy to think that Spearing is cream of that crop.

Il Nina · « **Reply #25 on:** April 8, 2011, 09:53:00 am »

Great read thanks for that

. Sad seeing the players who have gone on to be unplayed or unattached to a club. Just shows how difficult it is.

latortuga · « **Reply #26 on:** April 8, 2011, 09:57:57 am »

I think it would be interesting to find out if any of the clubs we played during our F.A. Youth Cup win in 2007 ended up producing anyone decent.

Looking at the other top teams I can't really think of any established player that would have been in their clubs youth team in 07.

United - maybe Evans? but he's neither established nor any good.
Arsenal - Too early for Wilshere
Chelsea - No chance.
Man City - No chance.
Tottenham - Huddlestone? Lennon?...what age was he bought from Leeds? Can't think of anyone else.

Anyway it provides a little perspective on things when you see that other clubs haven't really produced any good talent either. Reinforces the point above about how few really make it.

lionel_messias · « **Reply #27 on:** April 8, 2011, 10:11:16 am »

Quote from: Lethal on April 8, 2011, 02:52:01 am

Sad in a way, shows how ruthless football can be on a young lads career

I was just thinking that, for all of those fellas at the time they must have dreamed they would make it in top flight football, make it at Liverpool. And at various points in time they had to be honest with themselves that it wasn't going to happen - but still still they have to fight on at these lower levels and try their best: such is life.

Still, happy friday.

Rafa's Red's · « **Reply #28 on:** April 8, 2011, 10:29:02 am »

Scott Dann should be a role model for young players that aren't picked up, or released by their clubs. They will no doubt know what they have to do to make it at a top club but when there released they must feel a bit angry or depressed that all them years they have grafted have come to nothing really. I think ultimately the players with the most hunger and who want it more will get to the top after the dissapointment of being released.
Its a long road and of course like anything in life your always coming up against new/younger people looking to take your place.

James Mac · « **Reply #29 on:** April 8, 2011, 11:11:48 am »

Quote from: Chivasino on April 8, 2011, 09:10:24 am

Cheers for that.

James Mac - One for the General Sports forum, but the Ajax CL winning teams from the mid 90s would be a great one to do.

Elzar has been doing lots of those - I got the idea for this from him. Here's the Ajax one.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Anyway, interesting little coda on the subject of youth football. I was speaking to my friend, who, at various times in his short career was an academy member at Chelsea, Fulham and Watford, between the ages of about 12-16. He wasn't ever offered a full contract (apprenticeship? not sure on the U16 terms for it), despite being one of (according to him) the most technically gifted players at most of the academies. But because they were packing the youth sides full of big, muscular players, and also because of the large amount of foreign kids (even at 12-16!) in the teams, he never got a look in. For a guy who had big dreams of playing football, and probably could have made it, it would have been hard for him playing semi-pro, so he simply quit, and hasn't kicked a ball since - the hunger to play has left him.

Daintstar · « **Reply #30 on:** April 8, 2011, 11:44:50 am »

This is actually such a sad read. So much shame, having known what it feels like to be released from a club from my evo-stick league only God knows what it feels like to be released from a Premier division club. Shame none of them went on to bigger things.

Vulmea · « **Reply #31 on:** April 8, 2011, 12:23:16 pm »

Quote from: Stanfo on April 8, 2011, 07:55:55 am

How are we going to get the 5 or 6 genuinely talented lads from this youth team into our 1st team in the next year or so plus the likes of Pacheco, it just isn't going to happen, especially as many of our less realistic fans also have a long wish list of world talent that we hope our new owners will buy for us in the summer. That's maybe 9 or 10 new spaces needed in our 1st team squad to enable us to bring through all our stars, it just won't happen sadly.

The current 25 has half a dozen u21's:

Gulacsi
Kelly
Wilson
Shelvey
Pacheco
Ngog

with Spearing and Darby who came through the ranks both were given chances
Eccleston and Ayala have also featured in the first team again both had a chance to impress

I think part of it is down to the young lads seizing their oportunities - if Pacheco had performed well against Northampton then its likely he would have played more even under Hodgson..

If Ngog had carried on his early season form then we wouldn't be saying we are short a back-up striker.

There will be opportunities for one or two to come through every year - one of the reasons for making the europa cup would because of the opportunities it allows the youngsters - were some strike it luckier than others is when injury increases the number of chnaces they get and the time they have to impress.

what i'd like to see is the league cup change to a european home and away mini group format - guarantee the youngsters some games - guarantee small clubs some revenue

the new league and european rules should help youngsters make the 25 - once in there its up to them to make the most of their opportunities.

It will be very interesting this summer to see how much faith we place in the kids - it would be easy to run squad of 30 rather than 25 with the kids making up the extra places given U21's dont need to be regsistered but I dont think we will

Its also back to the reason for the academy - is it there to help the best local talent achieve its potential or to groom players for the first team - the two goals are not the same.

rappcats · « **Reply #32 on:** April 8, 2011, 01:25:43 pm »

Only Spearing made it to the first team, shocker

Anyone of them didn't get a spot even on Championship level

Corkboy · « **Reply #33 on:** April 8, 2011, 02:53:12 pm »

Good piece, thanks.

Quote from: mbyx6cg2 on April 8, 2011, 01:54:33 am

Didn't realise Spearing played CB for the under 18s! How did that work? He's tiny.

That jumped out at me, too.

AJ4Seven · « **Reply #34 on:** April 8, 2011, 03:06:04 pm »

Quote from: MushyP15 on April 8, 2011, 09:17:45 am

That team must not have drunk their milk. (For those of you that remember).

Exactly

scared_person · « **Reply #35 on:** April 8, 2011, 03:34:31 pm »

At the risk of sounding like Rafa, the key thing must be mentality. There's a few of those player who were definately gifted enough. I remember that Ajdarevic in particular was thought very talented, but to succeed at the top level you've got to have football talent, a winning mentality and you've got to work your arse off. How many ordinary people you meet are very hard working and how many have a winning mentality? The answer is not many, and talented young footballers are no different.

There must be hundreds of semi pro players who had twice the potential of someone like Dirky or Carra but never made it because they didn't put in the hard yards.

Corkboy · « **Reply #36 on:** April 8, 2011, 03:38:26 pm »

Quote from: scared_person on April 8, 2011, 03:34:31 pm

There must be hundreds of semi pro players who had twice the potential of someone like Dirky or Carra but never made it because they didn't put in the hard yards.

True. I remember reading Ashley Cole saying that there were players he came up with who had twice his ability but he worked a lot harder than them.

scared_person · « **Reply #37 on:** April 8, 2011, 03:47:04 pm »

Quote from: corkboy on April 8, 2011, 03:38:26 pm

True. I remember reading Ashley Cole saying that there were players he came up with who had twice his ability but he worked a lot harder than them.

Its no different to any other walk of life. I knew kids at school and kids at uni who were much much smarter than me but they're now professional doleys.

Cybertom · « **Reply #38 on:** April 8, 2011, 05:33:00 pm »

As much as i hate it; Work and Determination > Ability.

Stanfo · « **Reply #39 on:** April 8, 2011, 05:33:58 pm »

Quote from: Vulmea on April 8, 2011, 12:23:16 pm

Its also back to the reason for the academy - is it there to help the best local talent achieve its potential or to groom players for the first team - the two goals are not the same.

That is spot on mate and is at the heart of the whole youth football conundrum.

If you read up on the subject, academies were designed by the Premier and Football Leagues to develop football in this country, based on strict geographical boundaries, related to the 70 or 80 member teams with youth set ups. Initially this was the case right up until youth team level at U18, however over the years the geographical divisions have been eroded to the point were recently it has been proposed to do away with them altogether and make it a free for all from the age of nine (or in reality six).

The classic model for developing talent for the national team would be for clubs to coach local kids, the best of whom would move to regional centres, with the elite of maybe 25 each year attending a national centre, similar to the model France used to develop it's so called golden generation under Houllier. In this country however we have decided that individual clubs should be able to take any kid from nine up, possibly relocate them, disrupt their education and then spit maybe 90-95% back out at 16 to fend for themselves. It could be argued that rather than player development this is in fact exploitation, all in the name of finding two kids a year like Jay Spearing

who can make a living out of the game.

You may say I am being overly negative, however I am talking from the experience of having been part of the system through my son for the last 6 years, having seen the impact the whole process has on kids from 9-16, at both Liverpool and now Blackburn. Luckily my son loves the whole experience and has realistic expectations of what will probably occur at some point in the future. It does sadden me though when people on forums such as this are so derogatory of someone like Spearing, who since the age of nine has represented the club and through no fault of his own is not quite world class and hence in their view shite.