Will our kids play a bigger part next season?

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.

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

  1. Newkie I can see alot of plus’s for 1 team but I still prefer to be Norn Iron as there is alot of minus’s aswell , But If Norn Iron arnt in an Int game and the ROI are I would cheer them on

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  2. ice,

    you need to have the right balance don’t you?

    All well and good having top talent but you need the players around them to bring them through (Pallister, Bruce, Irwin, Cantona, Robson)

    We have Joey, Nolan, Colo and Shola as more senior members. Are they the role models you want? I would say yes under normal circumstances.

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  3. Jay that could be it mate 😆 the thing that gets me is that ROI had no interest in him and never approached him untill he made it at Manure, and its now the same with our own Fergie the ROI were happy enough to let Norn Iron put all the time, effort and money into coaching these players. Then when they look like they are going to be good they jump in.

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  4. Moreno….Joey, Nolan, Colo, Shola, Smith, all senior players who would help the bairns along. Next season most of them may not be at the club, but I wouldn’t have any doubt that “winners” are good role models, and I feel we have a few of them in the team already.

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  5. MORENO,your also missing one important factor mate TIME.but would most def agree with your last point 😉 ,excecpt shola 😉

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  6. Big Dave-yeah its a good point, one team wouldn’t solve many problems I guess and many would still prefer a straight divide which is fair enough really. Rugby is a pointer as there’s a full Irish team, they play together brilliantly and yet you can still support the old county teams, Munster, Leinster or Ulster ykna? But its different to football I guess because of how few if any of Irelands internationals actually play in Ireland….plus that tart of a president has to come on before every Ireland international to shake hands 😆

    Fairplay to you for supporting the ROI if they’re on though, top man 😛

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  7. @Moreno

    I think it’s really too early to say if the money will be spent or not. We’ll have to see during this window, but I’m not going to make silly claims that we’ll sign Messi/Tevez or else I’ll flash my *** :smile:.

    That said, I won’t rule out a smart buy either. Joys and sorrows of the transfer window 😉

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  8. Thad,

    True mate…time will tell. I think it already has though. Ben Arfa, Tiote, Cabaye….there’s a similar theme to them all and certainly similar fees. Can only see more of the same or certainly cheaper deals. Which I will be happy with, don’t get me wrong.

    Just aren’t too concerned about the 35 million I hear at least 5 times a day 🙄 😀

    Ice, aye mate – time is a huge factor. We already have brought in players like Moyo and Mehdi Abeid (?) whilst we have some good talent so hopefully they will be up to standard and push each other on and in 3 years or so they are our core players which cost nowt.

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  9. What’s the word on Stephen Ireland, anybody know?

    As for the youth development, I’m all for it. Was Ranger really a product of our academy though? Didn’t we buy him in from down south somewhere?

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  10. @JJ

    Well atleast we agree on one item. Atheism.

    Anyone have an idea who our next signing is likely to be ?

    And be realistic. 😕

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  11. Could you guys not wait for me to appear before starting the sectarian discussion?

    I thought that was my gimmick? :mrgreen:

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  12. Brilliant end, even after all those bloody safety cars it was a quality finish 😀 Well done Butts!

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  13. TOONSY ide just like too say this blog is the best around and i cant understand why people should want too comment any where else ,cough cough dog munich 😆

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  14. I’ll be happy for Rangers to win the Champions League this season if that’s what it takes for Scottish football to pull it’s finger out its a**e to sort the sectarian garbage out.

    I mean, Celtic being the first team from Britain to win the European Cup and winning it with a team born solely within 20 mins of Glasgow, it can’t be that hard for Rangers to win it, can it? 😉

    McCoist and Lennon are probably the most inflammatory people possible to manage the Old Firm currently but that may be a blessing in disguise as both men are young enough to have played in Old Firm teams that featured Catholic, Protestant, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, Alien, everything.

    Biram Kayal (Celtic player) is talking a fellow Israel international into signing for Rangers. I am hoping that sort of thing may show the mongos in the crowd how stupid they are.

    I hope I will win the lottery too, though….

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  15. Anyone think Loic Remy is someone we may be interested in? I think someone just mentioned him a few posts above. Young and French seems to be our fetish now.

    Weren’t Stoke close to signing him a few months ago? If he’d look at them, surely we have a shot?

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  16. anyone know owt aboot this REMY ime limited what i know about him,but seen his name thrown about from time to time

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  17. If we do sign a couple of African players it would encourage the kids to strive for first team squad place when African cup starts.

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  18. Remy–vaguely remember him being fairly impressive in some Champion’s League match(es) or other.

    Vaguely, fairly, some or other.

    Stephen Ireland–gone with the wind or an extended loan or some other possibility?

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  19. FSOTC if only vaguely and you have seen him,he must not have “done”a great deal then 😉

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  20. Remy is 27?

    Christ on a bike, I thought he was only 22 or something. Shove that then.

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  21. FSOTC thats better noo,now i am wondering if hes the one,rags havent said much about him so likely it is him

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  22. 24 is still older than I thought.

    That age, with his reputation and the fact he is only a year into a contract mean he is gonna be out of our price range.

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  23. Richardson is fu<ked. He's ginger FFS. Sell on value immediately minus 60% due to follicular coloration.

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  24. I think the “mystery international” may well be Remy. His description matches what’s been said so far: French (where 90% of our targets are), around the age of 25, similar scoring record to Gameiro, international player that is on a few clubs’ radars.

    Interestingly enough, Remy is yet another striker with a “ticking time bomb” in terms of a heart defect. I suppose Marseille deemed it to be non career threatening since they signed him for 15m Euro.

    Not saying we’re signing him, just that he may be a target 😉

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  25. Apparently Mark Douglas (Sunday Sun Chief Sports Writer) posted it up on Twitter.

    As close to clutching at straws as you’ll get, but interesting nonetheless for us rumour junkies 😉

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  26. I think us so called “dreamers” deserve a lot more credit than we’re given. We do support Newcastle United after all, so we’re no strangers to disappointment are we?

    Heck, if the likes of Manure and Chelski can dream about Sneijder, why can’t we keep our heads in the clouds a bit longer about the Gervinhos and Demba Ba ba black sheeps of this world?

    Just saying 😉

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  27. Aye Thad, I’m only messin like, I’m probably more on the dreamer side meself, just can’t help being optimistic like, its a happier way of life 😛 Although I do like to keep a healthy balance-still, I did think we had a chance if ever so slight for Gervy, and we certainly have a chance of Ba 😛

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  28. Might have already been said but there’s some sort of positive development regarding Enrique in tomorrows Chronicle 🙂

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  29. I dunno bout all of them Newkie.

    some of them are Journalists who do have contacts and plug their articles to generate more interest.

    They are all obsessed with breaking stories first and now and again they do actually get reliable info.

    Wouldn’t trust the likes of cwarr and that though…

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  30. There is a possibility that the mystery international is Toivonen from PSV . A few months ago we were reported to be looking at him here in Holland

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  31. Moreno-Aye well I was mainly on about Cwarr because he’s usually the one cited, simply as he’s managed to get one guess out of a hundred. Some of them must have some “sources” and obviously they do better research than me, but its all word of mouth and I’d never take a word as Gospel. Will admit it spices up transfer talk, but its more of the same we get from our trashy press 🙄

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  32. @Moreno

    Very true, although it is the silly season, so journos can to pass off figments of their imagination as news and get away with it.

    Isn’t it amazing that Sundays, the one day of the week that we know that no one is working and there’s no transfer to be announced… that’s the most “eventful” day of the week in terms of transfer talk?

    I can’t even remember the days when clubs used to be able to do transfers all year round. Was it this hectic then?

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  33. Newkie he actually is really reliable. I asked him on friday when will Cabaye sign he told me 15 minutes and he was spot on, got some good contacts with the club.

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  34. The guy from the Mirror was claiming he was speaking to Lllambias on talksport…and that Jamie Dalton’s good for interpreting the French press and club statements…

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  35. Hmm fair enough then, cheers for the tip lads 😀 I guess being the Chief he has to know summit eh

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  36. Speaking of Mark Douglas…he is now following the blog on twitter 😉

    Always thought he was alright

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  37. Moreno, is that Smudge1962?

    If so he is quite reliable like, doesn’t tweet often but when he does it’s usually spot on.

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  38. nah mate
    @MsiDouglas
    @JamieDalton82

    Never seen that Smudge fella…..he worth his salt like?

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  39. ah right Dan, you mean the bloke fae the Mirror…aye i think that’s him who was on talksport wasn’t it?

    Seemed a bit of a know it all on the radio like! Lol

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