B Team Thread 22/23 Season

[The_Gun]

I don’t know whether anyone on here is clued up regarding our youth teams these days, but I’ve noticed that a lad called David Abimola seems to score in pretty much every game he plays.

I realise that regional youth football is not necessarily a fantastic standard, and there are plenty of kids who score a hatful at that level and never make it, but I wonder whether this lad might have a chance.

Some folk might have seen him at home games, in the North Stand, as a ball boy. He's frigging huge. Proper unit.

Aye, looks like he’d be physically ready to step up to men’s football. No idea if he’s actually good, and our current manager doesn’t seem inclined to give young players a chance, so maybe we’ll never find out.

[officer_dibble]

How old is he? I’ve we’ve another papa johns coming up we might need to fill the bench (and probably still not bring them on).

[The_Gun]

How old is he? I’ve we’ve another papa johns coming up we might need to fill the bench (and probably still not bring them on).

I think only 17 or 18.

[GhostoftheBok]

and our current manager doesn’t seem inclined to give young players a chance

He's given chances to lots of young players. They've just been loanees.

Even the elite academies don't produce huge numbers of players who are good enough to play in League One at 18. Most need time and loans at lower levels to build themselves up. Our academy has been through the ringer.

Conway has come close and has a loan to show what he can do in men's football.

Hopefully more follow his path and he comes back to push for a first team spot.

[brommers95]

I think Abimbola is the classic case of an 18 year old kid being so much more physically developed than his peers. Some of the defenders he’ll be coming up against in U18 football will be 15/16 year olds who are still very much children physically. It’s a complete mis-match and a lot of the goals he scores will be due to him being too quick and strong for the lads he’s up against, rather than having exceptional technical ability.

I’d love for him to be the next Haaland but I wouldn’t get too excited about it just yet.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Trevon Bryan (19) loaned to seventh-tier Ashton United for a month.
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[Mar]

I think Abimbola is the classic case of an 18 year old kid being so much more physically developed than his peers. Some of the defenders he’ll be coming up against in U18 football will be 15/16 year olds who are still very much children physically. It’s a complete mis-match and a lot of the goals he scores will be due to him being too quick and strong for the lads he’s up against, rather than having exceptional technical ability.

I’d love for him to be the next Haaland but I wouldn’t get too excited about it just yet.

Sounds like he needs a proper test against people that match his own physical level.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Ben Andreucci - still with two underage seasons left - loaned to a sixth-tier team.
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