Will our kids play a bigger part next season?

toonsy

Shane will surely play a bigger part next season.
With all of the talk and speculation on the transfer front at the moment, which is understandable I may add, it is kind of easy to forget about other aspects of the club.

The aspect I’m going to focus on in this article, as you may have guessed by the title, is the youth aspect. It’s an interesting subject that pretty much everyone has an opinion on, but with the club putting so much effort into their youth setup it kind of leaves me wondering just when we’ll start to reap the rewards of developing our own players. We’ve done it with Andy Carroll in recent years, but who is going to be the next one, or two, or three even, to make the step up to the first team?

Well I guess the obvious one has to be Shane Ferguson. Towards the back end of last season we saw him get more minutes on the pitch, and he didn’t let us down! We saw pace, technical ability and intelligence from the young lad from Northern Ireland as he put in a string of superb performances. Left-back or left-wing – you decide, but young Fergie is equally adept at playing both positions. I expect to see more of him next season.

Michael Richardson is highly-rated at NUFC, so perhaps he could be in with a shout? I very much doubt he will get thrown in at the deep end, although I do expect that we’ll see a bit more of him next season, either in the league as a late sub at some point or in the early rounds of the Carling Cup providing circumstances allow.

How about Phil Airey? The lad has been prolific for the reserves, even if he does look a bit waif. He made his debut last season in that horrible game against Stevenage, but I expect we’ll see more of him again next season especially with Nile Ranger seemingly heading for the St James’ Park exit door.

Another two who really should be making their mark on the first team next year are Haris Vuckic and Tamas Kadar. I really feel for these two lads as I feel that their formative years have been ruined by serious injuries. Both players have suffered broken legs and other niggles, but both have undoubted talent and will no doubt show that in time.

Tim Krul isn’t really a kid as such, although in goalkeeping terms he is. Krul is now a full international and my money is on the Dutchman to be our No1 next season. Believe it or not, but it’s been five years since Krul joined us as a starry-eyed youngster, but now could be his time to shine.

I’ll be honest, I really thought I would struggle to write this article and I only had a bash at it because I know some of you guys like talking about our youngsters. In actual fact I was pleasantly surprised with how easy it was to write, and how easy it was to think of players who are coming through our academy that could end up getting a chance in the first team in the very near future. In fact I’ve probably missed a few!

So how about that for something positive eh? I’m not saying that we should throw them all in now and have a team full of youngsters – Ossie Ardilles tried it through necessity and it very nearly backfired on us. However there is nothing to say that we can’t play one or two here and there to give them some experience and see if they really can make the grade.

This youth setup could be about to start paying us back!

About toonsy

A lifelong Newcastle fan and current webmaster of this very 'blog who has the sole aim of creating a place by Newcastle United fans, for Newcastle United fans.

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169 thoughts on “Will our kids play a bigger part next season?”

  3. Nice views Army 69 😉 And good job Toonsy! Nice to think of something positive!

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  9. Non of them have shown us anything to suggest their either good enough for the first team or ready.

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  10. @toonsy

    600 comments today.

    I must take some credit. 😆

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  11. You hear about ‘the Arsenal model’ and the ‘Spurs model’

    2 teams who have won nowt in years.

    The most successful ‘model’ in Premier League history has to be the influx of youngsters into Manchester United.

    Scholes, Beckham, Keane, Giggs, ****, Neville’s all coming through with the experienced heads around them dominated the Premier League for years. That’s the proven success story we should be trying to emulate.

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  12. I feel ferguson is a long way off regular first team football and he’s regarded as one the best in the reserves.

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  13. Stuart79
    Posted June 12, 2011 at 8:42 PM

    “Non of them have shown us anything to suggest their either good enough for the first team or ready.”

    But how do they show us if they don’t get a chance?

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  14. And before we get further, as I said in the article, I’m not on about throwing them all in blindly, but more about giving them more of a chance to show what they are made off.

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  17. I think Ferguson showed more promise in the little he played that Routledge did during any premier league game! Wonder what’s going to happen with him, anyone know?

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  18. Toonsy. Which do you prefer quantity or quality, I can spout 600 comments of BS everyday if you like and I wont come on asking for the credit.

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  19. Jay Jay, whats the difference between and brick and a ginger? 😉

    Goodness, Fergie looks about five in this photo!!!

    I’d like to see Vuckic come through and forfil this “potential” we’ve heard so much about…

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  21. think we will get 2/3 kids throw in,but will be in 20/30min spells,young fergie will get the loins share imo

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  23. More twitter stuff, but news for tomorrows papers

    MsiDouglas Mark Douglas
    Spoke to Pardew earlier. Bullish as ever. Interesting transfer update in the Journal – an Enrique development in the Chronicle… #nufc

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  24. @ice

    There has been alot less speculating since some of the crew embarrassed themselves regarding Gervinho and Gamerio. 😳 😆

    I do enjoy the laugh though as well. 😆

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  25. Speaking of younguns, think our U-21s are doing well against the Spanish atm, especially considering Wilshire isn’t involved (standard England really)

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  27. I think the fact that some of them are getting international games for their countries indicates that they are good enough at least as back up. Hate to see them as first choice, but must be willing to throw them on when the opportunity presents.

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  28. Moreno
    Posted June 12, 2011 at 8:43 PM

    Keane was a record buy at the time. Ferdinand was a record buy too for a defender, Ruud Van N was another big buy, Carrick, Ronaldo, Rooney, Berbatov, Anderson and they’ve just spent £16m quid on a centre back.

    Money makes the world go round and it certainly helps you succeed in football.

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  30. Until we see a marked improvement in the reserves results, I wont be convinced they are ready yet.
    Manure won the reserve lge yet again, but their reserve set up is far better than ours.
    Just want to add, not all the reserves/youth have to break into the 1st team squad, maybe some are developed just for sale and to raise money for the club.

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  31. @premandup

    So what Toonsy is saying he also enjoys your BS despite you don’t post as much.

    I see what you did there. Gained praise without asking for it. Very, very clever. 😆

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  33. Stu, every single player you mentioned there signed after the year 2000.

    Every player I mentioned started with the club between 1991-1993.

    We aren’t on the same hymn sheet here obviously.

    United won their first league title for donkeys in 1993 thanks to those young players and the reason they could afford the Rooney’s and the Ronaldo’s was because of that success.

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  34. The Manure players who don’t make the first team tend to be loaned out elsewhere…and even then don’t necessarily get bought by the clubs they’re loaned too. Unless your widow twanky at Sunderland…who tries to buy most of the Man U third team..

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  35. Head out the coffee guys & smell the sand…

    They’re either won’t be good enough & won’t make it or they’ll be sold for huge profit. You guys just keep dreaming that our youth strategy will pay dividends…it won’t & you’ll see I’m right, I always am 🙄

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  36. Did you see the abuse Darren Gibson got off his own Manure fans 😯

    He started twitter and they absolutely slated him calling him worse than *****.

    Just shows, you can win trophies and still be a set of fickle b*stards

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  38. must admit, Man U lived for years on the back of the Beckham, Scholes, Giggs, Neville etc team…. They also spent a shed load of money too in later years on Ferdinand, Rooney, Ronaldo, Berbatov etc. But all of that later success was achieved on the back of that youth team..

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  42. MM,

    exactly, that’s been the most successful model to follow in Premier League history but it’s obviously not easy getting so much quality through at the same time.

    Instead of paying 50k per week for the likes of Xisco, we should spend more money on youth scouting and development. Tried and tested formula which doesn’t break the bank.

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  44. toonsy,

    ah right. didn’t know that.
    Just looked, born in Derry, plays for republic….shocking.

    That’s not why he was getting abuse off man utd fans though….it’s cos he wasn’t up to their high standards

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  46. I have to say that we have solid youngsters coming through. I don’t mind us selling a Carroll every now and then for 35m, if there are more Fergusons and others coming through 🙂

    Honestly, I felt sick when he left but the more I think about it, the better the deal I think it’s turned out to be. After all he was injured most the second half of the season and who’s to say we’d be any better off with him? And would liverpool really have paid us 35m in this window? I doubt it.

    Good luck to him, though I doubt he’ll ever live up to the price tag.

    Howay the youngsters!

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  47. Moreno yeah as Toonsy said he turned his back on his homeland of Norn Iron the fuking traitor.

    Bobby dont forget you did get one wrong 😉

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  51. Ah right Dave, bit of an education there then.

    Londonderry it is 😉

    I try to stay away from wikipedia like but sometimes you can’t help it 😳

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  52. To be fair Gibson is a catholic, and I wouldn’t hold it against players who felt more affinity to the Republic…meh.

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  53. @big Dave

    Youre right. I also made a mistake in 1994 I think it was. Can’t remember what it was now cos it was so trivial. 😀

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  54. Moreno@42, it looks like we’re maybe trying it with the current youth team , though obviously none of them, apart from young Fergie, and maybe Ranger are considered good enough. We did get something right with Andy Carroll but sadly sold him on for a humongous profit. I’d like to hope that if we have good bairns coming through they will get a chance, but obviously they have to compete against the big money signings to get a break. If they can manage that then they are well worth the chance.

    I reckon that Man U youth team that came through is a real one off which will NEVER be bettered. How many players actually make it throught the ranks to become first team players, maybe 2 per season. All these players at Manure went on to play over 50 games for Ingerlund FFS….immense….

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  55. Moreno
    Posted June 12, 2011 at 9:01 PM

    They won their first title without Beckham, Scholes, Nevilles and Keane. Although Keane was a record buy.

    They spent a fair bit of cash to win their first title. Pallister was a record for a defender, Parker, Robson was a record when they bought him, Schmeical was another big buy at the time, Hughes and Ince also big buys. This was all before their young kids came through.

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  56. Newkie
    Posted June 12, 2011 at 9:19 PM

    That’s just a fcking ridiculous thing to say!

    So we should start picking national teams based on their relgion? That’s ok then, I’m sure the Republic of Ireland will be delighted to have Messi playing for them just because he’s Catholic!

    Ridiculous!

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  57. well although i dont like change,but something has to,when i look back over the years with my eyes as well as my dads since the 50s everyone who ran/owned nufc did so to fill there own pockets and fill the fans with rubbish there move was to give the fans a wow signing or two to keep us happy and throw scorn on the manager when it didnt happen we had a plimp in 69 and won something,then nowt since,we got there for a while with wor bobby but alas age got to him (and FFS)guess what ime saying is dont expect too much,just to creep forward step by step,we might not like it but belive me its better than we have had.

    the KK years was short but sweet too,but that couldnt last either,it was a change in which club went(stock market) which KK didnt seem to like at that time.
    end of rant

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  58. I know I’m going to get stick for this, but I believe in the club and the people running it. They’ve made their mistakes, but every business owner does, as long as they’re learning that’s fine. Tiote, Cabaye, HBA and Best tells me that they are.

    How much would you rate Carroll for? I wouldn’t say 35m, if you think about what we paid for Shearer. People will say that 35m can’t score goals, but we’ve got through the season without him just fine and now we’re in the driving seat with our transfers. There’s two months for us to pick someone on par with him or even better. I wouldn’t jump to conclusions just yet…

    And even if we only did spend 10m, don’t forget legends like solano only cost 1.5m. It’s the flops like Luque, Owen and Boumsong that flattered to deceive.

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  59. Playing for ROI doesn’t make him a traitor, just means he respects history and his true homeland before the greedy british took over his country, fairplay to the lad 😉

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  62. Bobby @ 53 well if you cant remember what it was it mustn’t have been a big mistake so we wont worry about that one mate 😉 .
    Newkie I agree mate its his choice I just feel that you should play for the country your born and breed in 😉

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  63. Stuart, well I get your point, and if he really felt inclined then he shouldn’t have played for the North in the first place if he was actually bothered, his choice is all football. Still, the point still stands in that I wouldn’t begrudge someone born in the North playing for the Republic, or visa versa. Are invisible borders and a metre of earth more important than family, blood, culture and yes-religion? I won’t claim anything, just think its up to the individual. Really, they should just make a national Irish team, don’t understand why they can’t if I’m honest.

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  64. icedog@57…spot on mate… Bill McGarry, Willie MacFaul, Richard Dinnis, Ossie Ardiles…’kin el …

    We rode the wave, Keegan, SBR, Champs League, it was great while it lasted. Pity that we didn’t manage to stay up there with the big boys, the club were hoying money aboot, but we couldn’t find a freakin decent manager who could keep it all steady for us… 🙁

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  65. @JJ

    is that you bringing religion into a football forum?

    🙄

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  67. Big Dave-Aye its a toughie 😕 Would you be in favour of a united Irish team out of interest? Think it would be great myself but I’m not Irish myself, just got some blood from mothers side.

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  68. @newkie
    You say;
    Are invisible borders and a metre of earth more important than family, blood, culture and yes-religion?

    If it’s that metre of earth which divides Tyneside and Wearside- yes!

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  69. Stuart,

    Fair enough the 1993 thing, only Giggs was a first team regular, the rest were youth and reserves.

    Can’t deny that the model of bringing through a group of players who play with each other at youth and then reserve level for years worked a treat.

    Scholes, Giggs and Neville’s have been completely instrumental for years. As was **** and Beckham at the time.

    As I said ” all coming through with the experienced heads around them dominated the Premier League for years. That’s the proven success story we should be trying to emulate.”

    The experienced heads cost money, fair enough…..but the young uns were there long after them – for no initial outlay. then they became the experienced heads to teach the Rooney’s how it is done – again….no initial outlay.

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  74. Thad,

    The reason I ask is because if he doesn’t spend the money he earned on the team/club, doesn’t that make it irrelevant how much we actually sold him for to me and you?

    Would I have sold him for that……no. If he handed in a transfer request…..yes. I’d have packed his bags meself, the wee *****.

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  75. MM aye mate you got my point,all goes down to dir/owners havent got a clue how to run a footy club,love him or hate him fergie runs m/ud and does it well,think the gunners manager does too but his own pride has stopped the club moveing up more,doesnt matter how good the manager is if you dont trust him and give him the tools he needs he will fail,then your back on the round-about imo

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