badgerboy
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This will be a pretty long series of posts, which I've originally posted elsewhere, but thought I might as well "spread the love" and give a few more people the possibility to highlight my probable errors & criticise my ill-considered opinions.
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badgerboy
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Reged: 26/03/2007
Posts: 727
Loc: Bucks, England
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First - some overall statistics for the season.
333 players made 10 or more league starts for a Premier League club during the season. 4 of these did so for more than one club.
Of the 333 - 117 were English - although if you add the English born players that have chosen to represent another country you get to 130, 46 were from the rest of the UK or the Republic of Ireland and 170 from overseas. The 170 overseas players came from 51 different countries.
Including substitutes - 532 players made one or more league starts during the season - with 22 of these playing for more than one club. 181 were English (203 taking into account those born here but representing other nations), 72 were from the rest of the UK or the Republic of Ireland and 279 from overseas - with 62 countries represented.
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badgerboy
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As usual it was a case of "the fewer players used the better" for those teams outside the "big four".
5th placed Everton had 21 different starters during the season, 6th placed Aston Villa just 18 & 7th placed Blackburn 20.
This contrasted with the majority of the other "non-big four" teams - who used at least 26. Only Newcastle (23) & Reading (24) used less - with Derby (perhaps unsurprisingly) having the highest number of different starters - 34. Fulham, Bolton & Tottenham were the next highest - all with 29.
The big difference for Reading with this season compared to last is that last season they managed to get through the season with only 13 players making 10 or more starts - this year it was 18 & I suppose they lacked the strength in depth.
Overall I suppose this is a bit of a chicken & egg question though. What comes first - the bad results that lead to lots of squad tinkering - or too much squad tinkering leading to bad results?
It would be interesting to know what certain managers really think of this. I know any interviewed on TV always say they want "more money" for a "bigger squad" etc. but I'm sure some managers prefer working with a core of quality players who they hope/pray avoid too many injuries during the season.
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badgerboy
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Now to a breakdown of players by age.
Of the 333 key players (those with 10+ league starts) - 48 will be aged 32 or over by 31 August 2008, 140 between 27 & 31, 119 between 22 & 26 and 26 aged 21 or under.
A list of the 26 players under the age of 21 who made 10 or more appearances:
Aaron Lennon 2003-04 M England Tottenham Hotspur 2007-08
Cameron Jerome 2003-04 F England Birmingham City 2007-08
Cesc Fabregas 2003-04 M Spain Arsenal 2007-08
Craig Gardner 2003-04 M England Aston Villa 2007-08
Danny Guthrie 2003-04 M England Bolton Wanderers 2007-08
David Wheater 2003-04 D England Middlesbrough 2007-08
Gabriel Agbonlahor 2003-04 F England Aston Villa 2007-08
Gelson Fernandes 2003-04 M Switzerland Manchester City 2007-08
Joe Hart 2003-04 G England Manchester City 2007-08
Johan Djourou 2003-04 D Switzerland Birmingham City 2007-08
Lucas Leiva 2003-04 M Brazil Liverpool 2007-08
Mark Noble 2003-04 M England West Ham United 2007-08
Mikel John Obi 2003-04 M Nigeria Chelsea 2007-08
Nani 2003-04 M Portugal Manchester United 2007-08
Nedum Onuoha 2003-04 D England Manchester City 2007-08
Ryan Babel 2003-04 F Netherlands Liverpool 2007-08
Tom Huddlestone 2003-04 D England Tottenham Hotspur 2007-08
Anderson 2004-05 M Brazil Manchester United 2007-08
Fabrice Muamba 2004-05 M England Birmingham City 2007-08
Giles Barnes 2004-05 F England Derby County 2007-08
Jonny Evans 2004-05 D Northern Ireland Sunderland 2007-08
Lee Cattermole 2004-05 M England Middlesbrough 2007-08
Micah Richards 2004-05 D England Manchester City 2007-08
Michael Johnson 2004-05 M England Manchester City 2007-08
Victor Anichebe 2004-05 F Nigeria Everton 2007-08
Theo Walcott 2005-06 F England Arsenal 2007-08
The first year shown relates to their first year as a full time footballer. So for example Theo Walcott is the only 19 year old on the list - being born on 16/03/89 and hence turning 17 between 1 September 2005 & 31 August 2006.
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badgerboy
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And some other young players I like the look of:
Jamie O'Hara (21) - perhaps the surprise success of Spurs season since the appointment of Juande Ramos. Very promising central or left-sided midfielder who has just signed a three year extension to his contract.
Mauro Zarate (21) - Argentinian who spent the second half of the season at Birmingham City on loan from Al Sadd in Qatar. Looked for a brief spell like he might "do a Tevez" and save Birmingham from the drop. He might conceivably have managed it too if it weren't for the British mistrust of "flair" compared to grit & hard work. Alex McLeish tended to prefer starting with James McFadden when he was fit & Zarate's impact wained after he was the one taken off during the 5-1 hammering by Aston Villa. Big clubs are said to be after him.
Damien Plessis (20) - I don't know that much about this player but - having joined Liverpool from Lyon in the summer - the holding midfielder was obviously deemed reliable enough by Rafa Benitez to stand in for Mascherano on a couple of occasions during the season. This possibly means he's pretty high in the pecking order of the many foreign born players now in Liverpool's reserve & academy squads.
Kelvin Etuhu (20) - Nigerian born striker who is the latest in a long line of players to make their way through the excellent Manchester City Academy.
Chris Gunter (19) - Could potentially have been playing at Wembley this weekend if Spurs hadn't already snapped him up from Cardiff City in the January transfer window. The right back is already a full international for Wales & one of many very promising youngsters at Tottenham.
Gareth Bale (19) - Yet another Welsh youngster at Spurs - & a veteran in terms of experience compared to his compatriot. Would have made a far bigger impact this year but for an injury sustained in early December which led to him missing the rest of the season. Attacking left back who is good at set pieces.
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badgerboy
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A complete list of the players (in addition to Theo Walcott) aged 19 or under who made any appearance at all in the Premier League in 2007-08.
Andrew Carroll 2005-06 F England Newcastle United 2007-08
Chris Gunter 2005-06 D Wales Tottenham Hotspur 2007-08
Elliot Omozusi 2005-06 D England Fulham 2007-08
Emiliano Insua 2005-06 D Argentina Liverpool 2007-08
Gareth Bale 2005-06 D Wales Tottenham Hotspur 2007-08
Jack Collison 2005-06 M Wales West Ham United 2007-08
James Tomkins 2005-06 D England West Ham United 2007-08
Miles Addison 2005-06 D England Derby County 2007-08
Armand Traore 2006-07 D France Arsenal 2007-08
Daniel Sturridge 2006-07 F England Manchester City 2007-08
Freddie Sears 2006-07 F England West Ham United 2007-08
Martyn Waghorn 2006-07 F England Sunderland 2007-08
Scott Sinclair 2005-06 F England Chelsea 2007-08
Mark Randall 2006-07 M England Arsenal 2007-08
Adel Taarabt 2005-06 M France Tottenham Hotspur 2007-08
Felipe Caicedo 2005-06 F Ecuador Manchester City 2007-08
Paris Simmons 2006-07 F England Derby County 2007-08
Jack Rodwell 2007-08 D England Everton 2007-08
Kazenga LuaLua 2007-08 F D.R. Congo Newcastle United 2007-08
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badgerboy
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Next a look at each individual team. Most common/best line-ups are included - quite possibly with quite a few errors/debatable choices (although the list of "key players" - which I've defined as those making 10 or more Premier League starts) should be accurate.
Where my "positional knowledge" is suspect I've garnered a fair bit of assistance from Football-lineups.com.
My favourite - and even more debatable - part of my posts is the "For the Future" section that highlights possible future prospects for each club. My "knowledge" - which is garnered primarily from reports/profiles available from various internet sources and statistics that took me a lot of time to put together - with a little bit from viewing international youth tournaments on Eurosport - varies from club to club.
Any (polite) corrections and especially better/additional information for any individual club would be very welcome indeed.
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badgerboy
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Arsenal
Final position 3rd - 83 points.
-----------------Almunia-----------------
---Sagna---Gallas---Toure---Clichy---
---Eboue---Fabregas---Flamini---Hleb---
---------Adebayor----Eduardo (Van Persie)
Other key players: Senderos(CB), Rosicky (AM), Gilberto Silva (DM), Walcott (WR). I should also mention Nicklas Bendtner - who didn't meet my criteria of starting 10 games but played a lot as a substitute.
An ultimately disappointing season in terms of trophies - Arsenal can still look back on 2007-08 with some pride considering that they had the youngest squad in the Premier League & far exceeded the expectations most people had of them at the start of the season. We'll never know how much the injury to Eduardo at such a vital time cost them.
The star men were probably just about Flamini & Fabregas but the whole team was pretty excellent and it's perhaps easier to highlight the few "flaws".
Eboue I liked a lot as an attacking full back but didn't seem popular with the Arsenal fans in his more advanced midfield role. Senderos also received a lot of criticism at times at Centre Back while Gilberto Silva isn't likely to be more than a bit part player in the future. Replacing Flamini - let alone Flamini+Hleb - will be diificult.
For the future - probably the club with the most "possibles" here. I'm finding I'm writing a lot so will try to be a bit "selective":
Abou Diaby, Alexandre Song, Denilson & Armand Traore are probably already on most people's radar.
Carlos Vela - a star of Mexico's U17 World Cup winning team in 2005 he's been at Arsenal "unofficially" for quite some time. A winger - he spent the current season on loan at Osasuna in Spain and is likely to make the move to England for next season.
Fran Merida - along with Bojan a member of Spain's U17 side at last year's World Cup. A little bit outshone by Bojan at that tournament he was still Spain's next best player. Spent time on loan at Real Sociedad during the latter part of the season. Plays centre or left midfield. Maybe more "loan time" next season but considering Bojan's impact at Barcelona first team opportunities at the Emirates sooner rather than later shouldn't be discounted.
Nacer Barazite - attacking midfielder/second striker signed from NEC in Holland at age 17. Now a second year scholar (aged 18) he finished joint top scorer for the U18s (13 goals in 17 games) and top scorer for the reserves (6 in 15).
Havard Nordtveit - centre back who came from Haugesund in Norway at the start of the season & was immediately made captain of the reserves. Apparently has a "big reputation" & made the bench for Arsenal's final league game of the season. If the pressure to "buy, buy, buy" isn't too great he might get a decent chance to impress in pre-season & might just be a ready made alternative for Arsenal in the centre of defence.
Believe it or not Arsenal do have some promising English youngsters too:
Mark Randall - 18 y.o. central midfielder who spent time out on loan at Burnley in the Championship. Also a substitute in Arsenal's last game of the season. Arsenal's young players in general are more advanced (in terms of playing regularly in the reserves & getting senior chances) than those at other clubs.
Kieran Gibbs - another 18 y.o. central midfielder who can also play wide left. His loan spell was at Norwich. My guess would be that both Randall & Gibbs might go on long-term loans next year (either to another Premier League club or a top Championship team - Birmingham again maybe?)
Henri Lansbury (CM/WR) & Rhys Murphy (F) - I saw both of these players play for England at the last U17 World Cup. Both are only 17 and it's probably difficult to judge their "potential" at the moment - especially as both seemed to have missed a fair part of the season (presumably through injury). Lansbury did manage 5 goals in 8 games for the U18s though and Murphy 3 in 6 games (only 2 as a starter) for the reserves.
Jack Wilshere - Could he be the most promising of all? Still a schoolboy (U16) he joint top scored with Barazite in the U18s and also scored twice in four games (2 starts) when he made the step up to the reserves late in the season.
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badgerboy
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Aston Villa
Final position 6th - 60 pts
---------------------Carson--------------------
---Mellberg---Laursen---Knight---Bouma---
---Petrov---Reo-Coker---Barry---Young---
-------------Carew---------Agbonlahor--------
Other key players: Gardner, Maloney.
A good mix of experience in defence and youthful vigour in attack Villa also have one of the smallest squads in the Premier League and this year were pretty lucky with injuries and consistent with team selection - only 13 players made 10 or more starts in the league.
For me Villa have two of England's most promising youngsters in Ashley Young (originally at Watford) and Gabriel Agbonlahor (a Villa youth product). I also liked the look of Reo-Coker at the U21s last year but haven't seen so much of him at club level - either at West Ham or Villa.
Mellberg is off to Juventus & will be missed although Craig Gardner - another Villa academy product - has done well filling in at right back during the season. He's mainly a midfielder.
For the future:
Zoltan Steiber (Hungarian winger/deep lying forward), Tobias Mikaelsson (Swedish forward), Chris Herd (Australian central midfielder) - all had spells out on loan during the past season. All three are 19 & will be entering their fourth "full-time" season next year so I would expect them either to be shipped out in the summer or to move closer to first team involvement. Mikaelsson was top scorer for the reserves (8 goals in 9 games).
Nathan Delfouneso - just 17 but deemed good enough to be allocated a first team squad number in 07-08. Striker who is also part of the England youth set-up (a year behind the likes of Murphy & Lansbury). A reserve team regular as well as netting ten times for the U18s.
Harry Forrester - another promising English youngster - plays in midfield & was signed from Watford last summer.
James Collins & Andreas Weimann - I haven't read or heard much about either of these players - but Collins scored 22 goals for the U18s (top in the whole league I believe - which runs for 28 games). Weimann - an Austrian signed from Rapid Wien last summer - was second best for Villa - with 14.
By the way Villa were Champions of both the reserve and academy leagues - so pretty impressive at those levels too.
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badgerboy
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Birmingham City
Final position 19th (35 pts)
-------------------Taylor--------------
---Kelly---Ridgewell---Jaidi---Murphy/Queudrue---
---Larsson---Muamba---Johnson/Nafti/Kapo---McSheffrey---
--------------Forssell/Jerome-----McFadden---
Other key players: Schmitz (CB), Djourou (CB) - on loan from Arsenal until January.
Sebastian Larsson (who scores some wonderful free-kicks) and Fabrice Muamba - both began their careers at Arsenal & were both among Birmingham's most important players. Stephen Kelly started every league game (mostly at right back) - pretty rare in the PL these days.
Also a mention for Mauro Zarate - the Argentinian youngster who was pretty exciting for Birmingham near the end of the season - and in my view should've been used more. He should be playing at the top level somewhere in Europe next year even if Birmingham wont.
For the future:
Krystian Pearce - for me the best player in England's U17 World Cup team. Plays at Centre Back. Had a couple of short loan spells during the season to gain experience. Ironically Birmingham's relegation probably increase his chances of stepping into the first team.
Sone Aluko - one swallow might not make a summer so he might not be as promising as the goal he scored for Aberdeen against Bayern Munich suggests.
Jordon Mutch - schoolboy who was due to make his debut for Birmingham in the league cup this year at age 15 -but it was discovered that FA regulations no longer allow this.
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badgerboy
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Blackburn Rovers
Final position 7th (58 pts)
----------------------------Friedel--------------------
---Emerton/Ooijer---Samba---Nelsen---Warnock---
---Bentley-----Dunn-----------Reid----Gamst Pedersen---
----------------Santa Cruz--------McCarthy------------------
Other key players: Tugay (CM), Khizanishvili (CB), Roberts (FW).
A steady season for Blackburn - who just missed out on European football for next season.
Blackburn's star men in attack were definitely David Bentley (another ex-Arsenal man finally fulfilling his promise elsewhere) & Roque Santa Cruz - probably one of the best "imports" last summer. Moten Gamst Pedersen has also been performing consistently well for the club for some seasons.
Defensively they seem to lack a recognised right back (Emerton is more of a midfielder & Ooijer a centre back). Like a number of other clubs (Everton, Villa, Tottenham) their next step is challenging for a Champions League spot but that looks like it's going to be pretty difficult.
For the future:
No names leap out at me at the moment. 4th & 5th year professionals (players aged 20 & 21) sitting in the reserves & showing little immediate sign of moving up into the first team seem pretty common at Blackburn. And the players being loaned out were mostly to League Two clubs so I wouldn't bet on them staying.
Aaron Doran - an Irish forward - is the top scorer for the U18s while I know Gavin Gunning (another of the few 17yo's to play for the reserve side) played for the Republic in the recent U17 European Championships.
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badgerboy
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Bolton Wanderers
Final position 16th (37 pts)
-------------------Jaaskelainan------------
---Steinsson---O'Brien(A)---Cahill---Gardner---
---------------Campo(Guthrie)---------McCann-----------
------Diouf----------Nolan------Taylor--------------
----------------------Davies--------------------------
Other key players: Hunt (RB), Meite (CB), J. O'Brien (RM), Samuel (LB), Al-Habsi (GK), Speed (until Jan), Anelka (until Jan).
Bolton - unsurprisingly for a team in trouble who changed managers during the season - also changed a lot in January. Gretar Steinsson, Matt Taylor and Gary Cahill were all important signings in the window who became regulars in the second part of the season.
I heard a few people singing the praises of Steinsson - who adapted quickly to the Premier League. I also heard good things of Al-Habsi - who was an able stand in for Jaaskelainan at the business end of the season.
Overall Bolton followed the trend that clubs who part company with a long standing manager often struggle. Unlike Charlton the previous season though, they survived - & will hope to improve next season.
For the future:
Bolton finished bottom of their reserve league and 9th of 10 in their academy section. Their official site is also notable for a complete lack of information about their reserve & youth players.
Temitope Obadeyi - English youngster who apparently created some excitement amongst those who follow the Bolton youth team when he was signed from Coventry City at the start of the 06-07 season. Finished joint top scorer for the reserves - but that was with two goals - so the jury is still out.
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badgerboy
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Chelsea
Final positon 2nd (85 pts)
----------------------------Cech----------------------------
---Belletti/Paulo Ferreira---Terry---Carvalho---A. Cole---
--------Ballack------Essien/Makelele----Lampard------------
--------J.Cole-----------Drogba-------Kalou/Malouda-----
Other key players: Alex(CB), Cudicini(GK), Anelka (FW), Wright-Phillips (RW), Ben Haim (CB), Obi Mikel (M)
Lots of key players (20) and a very changeable line up for Chelsea. Almost too many good players available - as highlighted by the late season persistence with playing Essien at right back - possibly because Avram doesn't quite fancy either Belletti or Paulo Ferreira (backed up by the purchase of Bosingwa) but also perhaps the desire not to leave a player as good as Essien (or Makelele, Lampard, Ballack etc.) out.
Drogba - despite his recent demeanor - will be hard to replace. I'm not sure - yet - if Anelka is the man to do it. And Kalou looks unlikely to step up from his supporting role. Elsewhere Malouda has been a disappointment since he arrived from Lyon & Wright-Phillips seems to have become a peripheral figure again after a good start to the season.
For the future:
Chelsea reached the Final of the FA Youth Cup (considered the most prestigous competition in the country at youth level) but their team of expensively gathered (for youth football) stars did only finish 7th in their Academy league section.
Franco Di Santo - Argentinian striker bought from Audax Italiano in Chile in January. 7 goals in 8 reserve games since shows a lot of promise.
Gael Kakuta - highly-rated French youngster bought from Lens in the summer. The U18s shared the goals around a bit - but he got six of them from an attacking midfield position and was also an important player for France in the recent U17 Euros.
Danny Philliskirk - U17 player bought from Oldham last summer. Attacking midfielder or support striker. Stepped up to the reserves late in the season but it perhaps should be a worry that - even at this level - Chelsea's depth of (mostly overseas) striking talent - means he took no part in their Youth Cup campaign.
Jacob Mellis - Chelsea's other big young English purchase of last summer & another attacking midfielder - this time from Sheffield United. Same age group as Philliskirk but involved in the reserves sooner and heavily involved in the Youth Cup run. Six goals for the U18s.
Michael Woods - part of England's U17 squad last summer & bought from Leeds in summer 06. Plays in central midfield.
Nana Seth Ofori-Twumasi - Attacking right back who was another member of England's U17 squad.
Miroslav Stoch - Slovakian who plays wide right or as a second striker. Top scorer for the U18s (8 goals) and heavily involved in the reserve set up now.
Jeffrey Bruma - Dutch centre back who can also play in midfield. Signed from Feyenoord last summer. He's only 16 (so he'll only be a first year scholar from September) but has been a regular in the U18s all season and has already played for the reserves.
Frank Nouble - actually a homegrown player - another schoolboy who can play on either wing or as a striker. Scored six for the U18s and made one reserve team start this year.
Jacopo Sala - Italian forward bought from Atalanta at 16 (much to the displeasure of the Italians) and he's mainly been playing for the U16s (about which I have no information) this year. Expected to make a big impact on the U18s next year though.
At a slightly more advanced level I ought to mention Scott Sinclair & Ben Sahar too. Both have already had some first team involvement & both spent periods of 2007-08 on loan in the Championship.
Reports suggest Ben Sahar may have struggled to cope with such high expectations at a young age. Sinclair - who originally came from Bristol Rovers - I like a lot. Whether he can make it at Chelsea - given their spending power - is a difficult question. But if he doesn't he ought to have a chance at Premier League level somewhere.
And Michael Mancienne won the young player of the year award at QPR (where he spent the season on loan) as well as receiving rave reviews from Stuart Pearce for his recent performance in a strong England U21 team.
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badgerboy
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Derby County
Final position 20th (11 points)
----------------------Carroll-------------------------
---Edworthy---Moore---Leacock---McEveley---
---Sterjovski---Savage---Jones---Lewis--------
----------Earnshaw-------------Miller--------------
Other key players: Fagan (RM), Todd (CM), Davis (CB), Mears (RB), Pearson (CM), Barnes (M), Hossam Ghaly (CM), Howard (F) - to Jan, Oakley (M) - to Jan, Griffin (LB/RB) - to Jan, Bywater (G) -to Jan.
Derby were so bad all season that identifying their best line-up is a bit of a misnomer. The only game I remember them playing well in was the 1-0 defeat to Manchester United so I've given the line-up for that game. The players in italics didn't actually make 10 appearances for them so aren't strictly speaking key players.
Another note about Derby. I always rated Paul Jewell very highly at Wigan. But with the club virtually admitting they were down at Christmas I was pretty surprised by his policy of bringing in players like Robbie Savage (33), Eddie Lewis (33), Laurent Robert (32) & Alan Stubbs (36).
Surely better to bring in younger players who would benefit from Premier League experience - stay with the club in the Championship & then potentially form the bedrock of the side in the Premier League should they manage to be promoted again.
For the future:
Giles Barnes is perhaps the one bright spot of Derby's season & for their future. Although it might be the transfer fee he will fetch - rather than his contribution to their long-term future - that they benefit from. 20 year old who can play anywhere across the midfield. Already a regular for them in their two previous seasons in the Championship.
Paris Simmons - his 13 goals for the U18s was rewarded with a substitute appearance for the first team on the last day of the season.
Overall though the reserves season was on a par with that of the first team. They did win their last game but prior to that had been on a run of 12 straight defeats (including a 5-1, a 5-0 a 6-0 & an 8-0).
According to one statement Derby have already spent their "parachute payment" for next season - although I can't imagine on what (I'm assuming the statement was missing the punchline: "don't worry though we haven't touched the £30M+ from this season yet). Otherwise you'd be surprised if they were back in the Premier League for a very long time indeed.
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badgerboy
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Posts: 727
Loc: Bucks, England
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Everton
Final position 5th (65 points)
--------------------------Howard----------------------
---Hibbert/Neville----Yobo----Jagielka----Lescott-----
-----Arteta-----Cahill------Carsley-------Pienaar-----
---------------Yakubu----------------Johnson------------
Other key players: Osman (M), Baines (LB), Anichebe (F).
Actually Leon Osman was a very important player who played anywhere across the midfield, covering when Arteta & Cahill especially were missing. With Carsley having been sold - pending any summer purchases I guess he will be very much a first choice next year.
Arteta is Everton's creative genius while the presence of Tim Cahill is also extremely important to their attacking potency. Lescott (who also plays Centre Back) got his England break but possibly the surprise of their season defensively was Phil Jagielka - who did very well after coming in from Sheffield United.
For the future:
Already a key player Victor Anichebe is a very promising young striker - very effective as a substitute (especially in Europe this season).
James Vaughan is another highly thought of striker who has been at Everton since he was 9. He's only be a substitute in the league so far but was used in Everton's UEFA Cup campaign.
Lucas Jutkiewicz - another striker - English born but of Polish origin (and will play for them internationally apparently). Actually bought from Swindon Town in summer 07. Spent a brief spell on loan at Plymouth.
Jack Rodwell - highly-rated 17 year old Centre Back who made two substitute appearances for Everton in the Premier League this season - plus one against Alkmaar in the UEFA Cup.
Jose Baxter - England schoolboy international striker who is already a regular in Everton's U18s and was promoted to the reserves towards the end of the season.
Statistically Lewis Codling (12 goals for the U18s) and Kieran Agard (11 goals for the U18s & 3 for the reserves) have been doing well - but other than those stats I know little more about them.
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badgerboy
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Posts: 727
Loc: Bucks, England
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Fulham
Final position 17th (36 pts)
--------------------------Niemi/Keller---------------------
--Stalteri/Baird--Hughes--Bocanegra/Hangeland--Konchesky---
---------Davies-----Bullard-----Murphy-----Dempsey/Bouazza
------------------Kamara/Healy---------McBride-------------
Other key players: Davis (CM) - until Jan. (when went on loan to Rangers), Smertin (CM), Stefanovic (CB).
Although I was keen to see them relegated (just because they're a London club really) I thought Fulham played better than their position suggested for large parts of the season. Roy Hodgson did a great job after taking over as manager - although their survival was undeniably aided by the return to fitness of both Jimmy Bullard (out for 16 months after being injured against Newcastle in September '06) - and Brian McBride (who only missed six months!). Brede Hangeland was also a pretty good January purchase.
For the future:
Elliot Omozusi - made 8 first team starts at right back during the first half of the season. Didn't feature under Roy Hodgson though.
Matthew Briggs - a centre back whose name I noted last season because he was given a first team debut on the final day of the season despite only being a schoolboy. Played in the reserves in 2007-08.
Lewis Smith - top scorer for the U18s (or top scorer from the info. I have -which is incomplete) with 8 goals playing from a central midfield position.
Karim Laribi - Tunisian born defender & Luca Moscatiello - Italian midfielder - two players who came from Internazionale's academy last summer.
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badgerboy
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Loc: Bucks, England
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Liverpool
Final position 4th (76 pts)
---------------------Reina----------------------------------
--Finnan/Arbeloa--Carragher--Skrtel/Hyypia--Riise/Aurelio--
---------Mascherano------------Alonso----------------------
-----Kuyt-----------Gerrard------------Benayoun/Babel---
--------------------Torres------------------------------
Other key players: Voronin, Lucas(HM), Pennant(RW).
When they played 4-4-2 Kuyt usually partnered Torres up front with either Gerrard or Pennant on the right.
Liverpool yet again disappointed the vast majority of their fans by failing to mount a serious challenge for the Premier League title. On paper they have at least as strong a centre as anyone else - Torres, Gerrard, Mascherano, Carragher & Reina - whilst early indications are that Martin Skrtel is a very good addition to this central core.
They also have players of great promise - primarily Ryan Babel & Lucas Leiva - already heavily involved in the first team. But somehow something is missing. Maybe Benitez does tinker too much. Maybe the fringe players either aren't good enough or aren't quite experienced enough. On paper - yet again - it will be difficult to discount Liverpool from the title race next year (at least as long as their core remains - & I see no evidence that it wont). But for many years now: "on paper" & "on the pitch" have been very different things - at least domestically.
For the future:
Damien Plessis - a defensive midfielder bought from Lyon last summer and Emiliano Insua - a left back who originally came on loan from Boca Juniors - both received first team opportunities towards the end of the season.
The transfer activity in the summer will tell us more but - with Alonso apparently to be sold - Plessis could be vying with Lucas for the second defensive midfield slot alongside Mascherano when Liverpool play that way. And perhaps Insua could share left back duties with Aurelio & Arbeloa (who seems to play on either side) if the Liverpool fans who want Riise gone get their wish.
Otherwise - Liverpool - like Chelsea & Arsenal have been scouting far & wide for their reserve & youth team players. Again I'll try to be selective:
Krisztian Nemeth - Hungarian attacking midfielder/striker who top-scored for the reserve side (9 goals). Ought to be one to get a first team chance pretty soon & might be more content with a subordinate role in the first team hierarchy than either Crouch or Voronin.
Jordy Brouwer - second top scorer for the reserves (8 goals). Dutch striker signed from Ajax in the 2007 January transfer window.
Sebastian Leto - left-sided Argentinian bought from Lanus last summer. He's already 22 so I'd expect him either to be sold on soon or to get more first team opportunities.
Mikel San Jose Dominguez - Spaniard who came from Athletic Bilbao. A centre back who also plays in midfield. Almost an ever-present in the reserve side and made it as far as the first team bench.
Jack Hobbs - another centre back & perhaps one of Liverpool's brightest local hopes. Did make it into the first team before being shipped off to Scunthorpe on loan.
Daniel Ayala - Spanish centre back from Sevilla, Gerardo Bruna - Argentinian attacking midfielder from Real Madrid, Daniel Pacheco - Spanish striker from Barcelona. Three 17-y-o's whose signings received relatively high publicity for the game at youth level. And perhaps show where Liverpool's youth policy is pointing under Rafa (as Arsenal goes French - Liverpool goes Spanish). All three players are deemed far enough along in their development to spend a fair amount of time in the reserves this season.
Marvin Pourie - 17 y.o. German striker who came from Borussia Dortmund in the summer. Prolific for the U18s early in the season - he looked set to step up to the reserves (he's made one substitute appearance for them) when he was sent off in an U18 game. His stats are much less impressive since then.
Nathan Eccleston - Maybe another local hope. Top-scored for the U18s with 15 goals. Only one substitute appearance for the reserves so far though.
Lauri Dalla Valle - Finnish attacking midfielder from JIPPO & Pajtim Kasami - Swiss defensive midfielder/centre back from Grasshoppers. Two more recent "high profile" youth signings - both still equivalents of schoolboys - so will be first year scholars for next season.
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badgerboy
member
Reged: 26/03/2007
Posts: 727
Loc: Bucks, England
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Manchester City
Final position 9th (55 pts)
----------------------Hart----------------------------
---Corluka---Dunne---Richards---Garrido/Ball---
---Ireland---Hamann---Johnson/Fernandes---Petrov---
----------------------Elano---------------------------------
---------------------Benjani--------------------------------
Other key players: Onuoha (RB/CB), Vassell (FW).
City usually played with just one main striker - Benjani being the regular choice after his signing in January. The formation behind was more varied - 4-2-3-1 being the other common option - in which case Vassell would usually be one of the three.
How unpredictable is football? And how fickle/lacking in long-term memory are most of it's fans? Who could've dreamt two years ago that the majority of English football fans would end the 2007-08 season something close to "outraged" at the terrible treatment being dished out to poor old Sven Goran by a fickle club owner from Thailand?
On the pitch City started well - perhaps too well because expectations for some were raised too high - & then faded. Sven bought an awful lot of players at the start of the year but impressively integrated them with the home grown talent already available at the club.
The future is uncertain. If Sven stays - and is allowed to work unhindered - City's name should perhaps be added to the list of clubs regularly challenging for Europe but needing something more to step up for the 4th place battle. If he goes (which seems pretty likely) then the identity of the replacement would be key (could Jose be tempted by a team like City should none of the "top jobs" become available?) - but whoever comes in more rebuilding - & a longer period of transition - is likely.
For the future:
Well the City first team is already looking pretty good in this regard. Stephen Ireland is 22, Joe Hart (originally at Shrewsbury Town) & Nedum Onuoha are both only 21 and Micah Richards & Michael Johnson 20. A number of last season's summer purchases - Javier Garrido (23), Gelson Fernandes (22), Vedran Corluka (21) & Felipe Caicedo (19) have youth on their side too.
Kelvin Etuhu (20) and Daniel Sturridge (18) - two forwards who both stepped up to the first team during the season.
Sturridge is seen as one of those with the greatest potential from City's very good academy. They won the FA Youth Cup & their Academy League section (losing in the play-off Final to Aston Villa).
Vladimir Weiss - Slovakian right-sided attacker who received rave reviews after City's youth cup run.
David Ball - scored 18 goals for the U18s and was rewarded with a step up to the reserves.
Robert Mak - Another Slovakian who was second top scorer for the U18s with 12 goals. Also proved an able replacement for Sturridge (who was injured) in the second leg of the Youth Cup Final.
I suspect there are a few more names with great potential at City too - I'm just not sure which one's they are. It's interesting to note though - given the general success of their academy at bringing through young players - that they don't seem in any hurry to bring players through to the reserve team. Maybe they simply don't rate the reserves as a decent route for their best players?
Sturridge for example - apart from his first team games - took no part in the reserves & only played for the U18s in their Youth Cup games. And whereas - at most clubs - you would expect quite a few second year scholars having some involvement with the reserves - City's had almost none.
This might be because City are the only Premier League team to also field a team in the Pontin's Holiday League (primarily the reserve league for Football League teams in the North & Midlands). I didn't look at the stats from this league but it seems that City use it either as an alternative to the Premier Reserve League or as a stepping stone between it & the U18s.
Edited by badgerboy (24/05/2008 15:51)
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badgerboy
member
Reged: 26/03/2007
Posts: 727
Loc: Bucks, England
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Manchester United
Final position 1st (87 pts)
-------------------------Van der Sar---------------------
-------Brown-----Ferdinand-----------Vidic---Evra---------
--Ronaldo--Carrick/Hargreaves--Scholes/Anderson--Giggs/Nani-
-----------------Rooney---------------Tevez----------------
Other key players: O'Shea (versatile option in defence).
United's success was undeniably helped by the fact that they were able to field a pretty settled team - especially defensively. Indeed if you take Giggs, Scholes & Gary Neville (who was out virtually all season with injury) out of the equation due to their age (they surely don't have too many seasons at the top level left) it's debatable how much "strength in depth" United actually have if they were hit by a real injury crisis.
Park Ji Sung also missed most of the season but was a key player - especially in European games - when he came back - possibly putting in some of his best performances in a United shirt.
For the future:
Fraizer Campbell - Whether he'll make the grade at United must be debatable but he's been a key factor in Hull's promotion bid whilst on loan (15 goals) and if he isn't going to have a career at Old Trafford I'd expect him somewhere else in the Premier League (whether that's Hull or elsewhere) sooner rather than later.
Jonny Evans - Perhaps best known for some pretty unpleasant allegations after United's Christmas party he went out to Sunderland on loan afterwards. A centre back he's in a similar situation to Campbell. My guess is that his move to Sunderland will become permanent but he's a promising player nonetheless.
Chris Eagles - I'm not sure how promising this attacking right-sided midfielder really is. But his situation perhaps highlights the difficulty for all the players in this section to "make it" at Old Trafford. Eagles is already at the end of his 6th full-time year (so he's 22). He finally got his first team chance at the start of this season (when he made one league start & three substitute appearances) and then promptly (& with the exception of the CL game with Roma) disappeared back into the reserves.
Febian Brandy - Striker who scored the winning goal for United in the Champions Youth Cup last year. Went to Swansea on loan for the second half of the season after scoring 4 goals in 9 reserve team games.
Sam Hewson - Attacking midfielder for the reserves. Made the first team bench. Unless he's ready to step up to the fringes of the first team (which I doubt) a decent loan next year should be expected.
Danny Welbeck - Possibly one of United's most exciting prospects. A member of England's squad at last year's U17 World Cup. 8 goals in 13 games for the U18s and 5 in 11 for the reserves (where few of United's first years were involved). Highly thought of enough to make the first team bench too.
Federico Macheda - Unlike the other "big four" clubs United don't seem to go crazy with their cheque book for "young talent" from around the globe - perhaps because they can afford to buy them fully developed. So perhaps their purchase of this young Italian striker from Lazio should be noted. 11 goals in 19 games for the U18s and one in his first full start for the reserves suggest so.
Fabio and Rafael - these two exciting Brazilian twins (left & right backs respectively) apparently signed for United before last year's U17 World Cup. Fabio looked like a very exciting prospect for his age. I'm not sure what the situation with them is though. I think they are still in Brazil - and unless they already have EU passports - I would imagine they would need a lengthy spell on loan somewhere in Europe (probably Spain or Portugal) to get their EU citizenship.
Rodrigo Possebon - box-to-box midfielder signed from Internacional in Brazil in January. He's 19 already - so given United's success with bringing both Nani & Anderson straight to the first team it seems unlikely that he will remain a "reserve team only" player for too long.
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badgerboy
member
Reged: 26/03/2007
Posts: 727
Loc: Bucks, England
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Middlesbrough
Final position 13th (42 pts)
----------------------Schwarzer---------------------
---Young---Wheater---Woodgate/Pogatetz---Pogatetz/Taylor
---O'Neil---Boateng---Rochemback/Arca---Downing---
-------------------Alves-------Aliadiere/Tuncay----------
Other key players: Cattermole (CM). The central midfield three (four with Cattermole) were actually pretty interchangeable.
Middlesbrough are one of those teams it's pretty hard to see progressing too much further upwards. That's really a shame because they have a promising young coach (in Gareth Southgate) and a good reputation for bringing young players through their academy - Stewart Downing, David Wheater, Andrew Taylor & Lee Cattermole all came via that route.
For the future:
Quite a few more of Middlesbrough's third & fourth year professionals had some involvement with the first team and/or went out on loan this season. Perhaps the most notable though was Ben Hutchinson - bought by Celtic (much to 'Boro's displeasure) in January.
Nathan Porritt & Jonathan Franks - two more members of England's U17 squad last year. Porritt plays as a striker & Franks on the right wing.
Ashley Corker and Richard Smallwood - defender & midfielder respectively who were the 17 year-olds given the most chances in 'Boro's reserve side this season.
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