Olibeak

I rarely check out or comment on Owlstalk these days because of the ludicrously inaccurate assertions of the itk bar-room bull shiners, but as I've posted elsewhere, I know from a very reliable source (please, don't be daft enough to ask me to name who it is! I'm not going to drop them in it) Clare was brought back from his Gillingham loan, offered a one-year contract (with a one-year option in the club's favour), and £750 a week - eventually doubled to £1500 pw and two years after he made his impressive first team breakthrough -- because of a raft of injuries. That's hardly a life-changing offer for someone aged 21 who, at the time, had 40 League games under his belt. Nor is it a ringing endorsement of his potential by the club. Clare, Hirst and Penney went with the first team on their pre-season jolly to Portugal two years ago, and Clare even played the full 90 mins against Portimonense. What message do you think they took from CC and the club not even taking them on the last pre-season tour? Despite Clare having established himself in the Accy first team before an ankle stress fracture ended his season early. I'm as frustrated as anyone about losing young talent such as Hirst and Clare, but fully understand why they would be inclined to move to a club where they feel really rated and wanted. And good luck to them, as we'd almost certainly do the same in our jobs. In football, you have to back your judgement. Sometimes you'll be right, sometimes wrong. I really hope, and believe, that the combination of Jos and Katrien will convince DC that securing development and progression of our good young uns is the way forward -' especially in these days of FFP. Sadly, I think it's come too late for us to repair the situation with the likes of Hirst and Clare. They will move on (I understand why, and don't wish them ill, as I'm sure they're not the stereotypically nasty money-grubbing little gits they're accused of being on OT), and hopefully so will our youth policy. UTO

Five second div games (four starts, and one sub against they who shall remain nameless) doesn't tell the whole story, m'lud. Compare these stats with those of the other young uns who've accepted offers. And also compare the ages. (Clare will be 22 in September -- hardly an academy kid in a profession where the estimated period for real earning power is roughly only eight years.) https://www.transfermarkt.com/sean-clare/leistungsdaten/spieler/425456 As for some of the other comments in this thread about players thinking they are better than they are, I can't name any top sportsperson who achieved anything without believing in their own ability. Much as it pains me, the club has been way off the mark in recent years in terms of pushing good young uns through to the first team (can you imagine Hirst or Clare signing for a team "managed" by CC?). Let's hope that Jos and Katrien can convince the chairman that there really is another way.

Sorry to gainsay you, m'lord, but I've just returned from a trip to the north Kent coast on distant family business, and have unearthed some evidence to the contrary while digging about to find out what all the fuss is about Clare. None of us likes to lose any of our promising young uns, and I've no idea if the latest rumour is true, but according to a Kent Messenger interview this particular lad is certainly no knuckle-dragger. http://www.kentonline.co.uk/medway/sport/sean-clare-gillingham-charlton-return-157705/ Heard that he was offered a university place before being selected at the global trials for the Nike Academy (then playing against academy teams from the likes of Barcelona, PSG, AC Milan, Prem clubs, and even first teams of the likes of Burton, while our lads were pitting their skills against Dog & Duck equivalents). Previously played in a very strong Charlton academy team with the likes of Joe Gomez and Kasey Palmer. But here's the real killer: heard that he was recalled from his Gills loan and offered a one-year contract on £750 a week (development squad dosh for someone who by then had played 40 first team games in leagues 1 and 2). Hardly a ringing endorsement of his potential by the club. After his Owls breakthrough, it was then upped to 2 years and doubled to 1,500 notes, which is what Gills were offering when they tried to sign him in the Jan transfer window. Wtf are we playing at trying to get our good young uns on the cheap? In fact, we might just owe Hirsty and Clare a big thanks in the future, as Katrien has come in, seen what's been happening, and we now appear to be getting our promising young uns signed up on longer contracts than the derisory one-year tosh. Halle-bloody-leujah!

Jos blaming Clare for a goal should not even be an issue for debate on here. It should all have been handled in-house. End of story. Instead, he doesn't just simply make the "shock horror" statement that Clare (aged 21) still has a lot to learn (the same would also appear to apply to players a lot older than him) and leave it at that, but goes on unnecessarily, and at considerable length and in training-ground detail, about what he should have done to prevent the goal. Looking at Clare in interviews and at his general intelligent play on the pitch, he seems like a bright, grounded lad who would know full well and be angry that he'd been cleverly blindsided -- by a highly experienced player (aged 34) with 500-plus games (mostly in the Prem) and 80-plus international caps for Eire. Yes, he's undoubtedly got a lot to learn (who hasn't?), and i'm sure he'd recognise that, but he doesn't need to be given lessons in public. (We've all dropped round uns at work -- imagine what our reactions would be if the boss decided to tell the media about them!). Any sportsperson would tell you that one of the keys to high performance is confidence. This will have done nothing for Clare's confidence -- especially the gibberish bit about "sometimes when you are too positive as a player you miss how you can improve". Hope there's not a contract-related hidden agenda in Jos's extravagant public criticism -- and that it doesn't lead to us losing a promising talent. Looks to me like Jos (aged 54) also still has a lot to learn.

I tried and miserably failed (I'm crap at this techie stuff, which is why i rarely post or comment) to start a new post yesterday called No "kidding", please! I was prompted by Sean Clare's recent performances v Derby and Villa, and the old adage that if they're good enough they're old enough. As a club and a nation, we should get away from "one size fits all" labelling of promising young uns as "academy kids" who it's risky to play as they might make mistakes. Of course, young players will make mistakes. But so do old uns. (Who was supposed to pick up Referee Terry for the first goal? Boyd -- who i thought had a good game -- should have been alive to blocking Hourihane for the third and should never have got skinned by Snotgrass in such a tight space leading up to the pen.) Klopp plays "kids" like Gomez and Alexander-Arnold in much bigger games than we're involved in. And sticks by them when they make costly mistakes (nowhere near as many major blunders as a seasoned international like Lovren) and doesn't highight their mistakes publicly. He generally leaves that counter-productive crap to mouthy Mourinho. I was also prompted to do a bit of googling malarkey to find out a bit more about Clare's background. For a start, he's now played 40-plus first team games (mostly League One); he played for five years at a top academy team (including players such as Gomez and Kasey Palmer) when Charlton were playing against Prem clubs before the academy system was restructured; left of his own accord to pursue his education (see interview at Gillingham below -- comes across as a pleasant, intelligent young man, rather than a cocky Billy Big Boots), before being picked up by the now-defunct Nike Academy, playing Barcelona u-19s home (scoring at Wembley) and away (hits the post with back-header and involved in setting up two goals) and at PSG, AC Milan, Prem club u-23s and first teams such as Walsall and Burton. Not a bad CV -- and probably explains why he didn't look fazed at all stepping out at Hillsborough against top Championship teams. I've also had the chance to visit the Nike set-up at St George's Park, and it was light years ahead of most league club academies in terms of facilities, coaching, sports science, diet, fitness and speed training, video analysis etc. Anyway, have a gander at some stuff my google trawl threw up, and let's hope the club treats every one of our excellent crop of young prospects on individual merit, not age, and helps give them the confidence and contracts that will see them flourish -- hopefully, in the blue and white stripes of Wednesday! https://www.gillinghamfootballclub.com/ifollow/video-archive/?&player=Sean Clare

ĢSorry, Kivo, but it's nothing to do with injury. Clare apparently was due to be on the bench today, but was made to sit on the naughty step instead as he won't sign the crap one-year contract extension he's been offered. (The club seems to have more leaks at the moment than a colander -- a sure sign of discontent behind the scenes). The irony/hypocrisy/stupidity of the club's stance (or, more accurately, the clueless chairman's stance) in the current dire injury circumstances is that Thorniley is in the same contract situation -- but is presumably being played because we're so short of defenders. Or maybe Clare just isn't rated by the club? If so, why bring him back from a successful loan spell (where his value to the club would only increase with every game played, while being paid by the other club) and turn down transfer bids from Gillingham and a Championship club during the transfer window? It will be very interesting to see next week whether Clare gets the full Hirst treatment and is frozen out of the u23s as well. Wouldn't be surprised as the club (chairman) seems intent on vindictively blocking the progress of talented youngsters who refuse to be bullied into signing contract extensions that suit the club but not them. Meanwhile, the club can look forward to collecting a bit of loose change from an FA tribunal when promising young players (who, incidentally, are still under contract and I'm sure would love to be playing games) move on to clubs that really want them, rate them, value them, and are prepared to gamble that they will become excellent investments. This is such frustrating, short-sighted madness on the part of the club -- and is sure to impact on youth recruitment in the future.

I posted something along these lines a couple of weeks ago, based on reliable info I'd been given. If players who've had relatively successful loan spells at league clubs are only being offered one-year extensions at "development squad" pay rates, it doesn't exactly suggest that the club rates them very highly. And if we don't rate them, why not cash in on them, rather than "punish" them by hampering their development? Why wouldn't they look to move to a club that must rate them, and would pay at least twice what we are offering? Absolute no-brainer. Every one of us would do the same. As Ethel points out, the Thorniley situation could also apply to Clare. (I hear that Gillingham have already made one bid to sign him permanently, and that there are also a few Championship clubs keen on nicking him off us). My only hope is that a new manager and CEO will rapidly address the club's hopelessly myopic and bullying approach to the development of our young players. (Btw, I'm sure that Penney -- who is younger than Thorniley and Clare -- has just signed a one-year extension because, if he didn't, he wouldn't get the loan he desperately needs to progress his career.)

PS: Cup draw couldn't have been worse for Clare. If Wednesday do allow him to extend his loan at Gillingham, they wouldn't allow him to play against us (even though he's not even rated highly enough to train with our first team, let alone play for it). And if we do bring him back, he'd be cup-tied anyway (not that he'd be picked). Like the rest of us, he's probably thinking: "Just one ball away from getting Chelsea!"

My family connections on the Kent coast keep me up to date with the progress and versatility of Sean Clare, and it seems he's become a real fans' favourite. More or less summed up by this post on the Blues Rock Cafe fans' forum: Team Selection 26 November 2017 10:52Post ID: #69780 daveycrocket Established first-teamer Posts: 480 A recurring theme on this forum recently has been that Sean Clare is wasted at right back, and should be played further up the pitch. I think all of us agree with this as he is such a talented and creative footballer. That being the case, I can't understand why we play him out of position at right back, when Luke O'Neil, who is a natural right back is played out of position at left back. Surely playing O'Neil at right back, Ogilvie at left back, Ehmer alongside Zakuani in central defence (which is our best balanced pairing at the moment), would release Clare to express himself in midfield, which is what we all want to see. They're hoping they can keep him to the end of the season, which would be much better for his long-term development rather than coasting along in our U23s, but that's Wednesday's call. Can't see the point in him being brought back, though, as Carlos doesn't even have our promising youngsters training regularly with the first team (like, for example, Klopp and Pochetino do -- albeit with higher quality players), let alone offer a path to the first team. Can't remember where I saw it on OT, but someone referred to the fact that Southampton say the secret to their success in bringing through so many top-class youngsters is that they get them training regularly with the first teamers as early as possible. You don't need coaching badges or a PhD in rocket science to understand that that's a no-brainer. Particularly for technical, creative players such as Clare and Penney, it's so much easier playing with better players -- although a stint in lower-league hoofball will certainly teach them how to handle the game's physicality!

Fear not, Ethel. Football for the Brave is no academic tome. It's short, pithy and accessible. Cartwright says his footballing philosophy is based on the great Liverpool teams of the 70s and 80s, and he argues that we started to lose our way in this country when we lost street football, and the instinctive, innovative skills that that bred in youngsters. But it's not dinosaur stuff -- his "practice play" methods show that good coaching can still replicate the days when streets weren't full of cars, and academies weren't snapping up kids barely out of nappies and drilling them into becoming joyless robots -- rather than fun-loving, two-footed magicians like Chrissie Waddle (see below -- and I defy you not to smile when you watch the video). The book is not a whinge -- it's a football lover's lament for what was, and what still could be with the right people in charge of developing talented young 'uns such as Penney, Clare and the rest. It was published in 2008, I think, but is still available on Amazon (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Football-Brave-John-Cartwright/dp/0955591783), and this review on there sums it up pretty well: "As it says on the blurb, it's not a coaching manual. But that's exactly why coaches should read this.Put down your neatly drawn square grids and your endless number of 'drills' for a minute. Cartwright will help you take a step back and think about your coaching philosophy in general. For him it's not about teaching 'technique', a player simply being capable of doing something, it's about 'skill', which is having the intelligence to know how to use it in a game.It's a very good book full of straightforward (and in many instances common sense) points on how and what we should be coaching our youth. Don't expect to come out of it with more drills for your file, expect a better awareness of the direction you're taking your players in - which should really be the emphasis. Too many academies are concentrating on producing robotic, technically proficient players. What we need to be teaching is the production of free-thinking players who have creativity, flair, game intelligence - that's what this book is about.Just one small criticism, the examples he gives of players in the book are a tiny bit dated now, but still don't detract enough from the overall message."

In football, they always talk about taking one game at a time. In Sean Clare's case, it's more like case of taking one manager at a time! Just been sent this link: http://www.kentonline.co.uk/medway/sport/peter-taylor-gillingham-133557/ That's two down since he joined them on loan. Hopefully, the third will continue to give him game time. It also illustrates how luck can play a huge part in a young player's development (Clare was going well at Accy last season until injury cut short his season). On the wider issue of why we no longer develop enough genuine top-class players in this country, I highly recommend the posts by brilliant veteran coach John Cartwright on keeptheball.com I've twice had the pleasure of watching Cartwright (former technical director at Lilleshall, Arsenal first team coach, Crystal Palace academy director) coach young players -- one group of 7-8 year olds, and also one of 17-18 year olds. His blindingly common sense approach to producing "real" players with real technique, game intelligence and individual flair was a revelation and an absolute joy to watch. It's why he has been totally shunned by the FA dead-heads and by the old boys' network of "coaching-by-numbers" time-servers at many of our academies -- and why the England team has been overshadowed by the likes of Iceland, a country with a population slightly less than Bradford. His philosophy is explained in his book Football for the Brave, but try this for starters: https://keeptheball.wordpress.com/2017/07/02/individualism-a-playing-priority/

PS: Forgot to add that, in my Ethel-led exploration, I came across these Colchester v Gillingham EFL Trophy highlights, with a couple of examples of what Sean Clare (No 28) is capable of (good burst of pace and left-footed shot, and putting a sitter on a plate). https://youtu.be/xj6DwF6x-Mw

Thanks very much for this continuing great post, Ethel. It's expanded my interest into footballing "outposts" I'd rarely given much thought to. (Did you know, for example, that Accrington's heavy clay produced the "iron bricks" used in building Blackpool Tower and the Empire State Building?) In fact, to the extent that it led me to Priestfield yesterday as I was visiting relatives in north Kent. First thing that crossed my mind was, are the clubs our youngsters go out to being carefully vetted first for suitability for the player's skillset? (Matt Penney at Bradford last season and Jack Stobbs at Port Vale this season spring to mind). I've seen quite a lot of Sean Clare with the U23s over the last couple of years and rate him highly. Tall, strong (definitely not lightweight in the tackle, Not Jon), athletic, pacey, driving runs from midfield, football intelligence, and above all comfortable and composed on the ball. In short, wasted on a dire hoofball team like Gillingham that couldn't pass water! And that seems to be the general consensus among fans around me at the ground yesterday and on the Gillingham fans forums -- that he's highly rated, but wasted in this team. And if you think Carlos gets pelters on this site, have a gander at what Gills fans think about caretaker manager Peter Taylor's grimly negative team set-up (effectively, five at the back, and clog it aimlessly forward) and baffling substitutions during games. Hard to believe he was once so highly rated as England Under-21s manager. Of course, it's compounded by players low on quality, and even lower on confidence, getting shut of the ball as far away as possible, as though it's a pinless hand grenade. Back to Clare, being able to see the whole pitch yesterday rather than a TV screen, it was evident that he was constantly looking for space and showing to get the ball to feet, but he might as well have been the net on Centre Court. One of the few times he was able to get on the ball and run at the defence he had a good shout for a pen turned down. (http://www.skysports.com/watch/video/sports/football/competitions/league-one). Must be very frustrating. But, having said all that, it's still a valuable learning experience for our youngsters dealing with the physicality of "men's football", in front of passionate crowds not slow to tell them what they think of them, and with blokes playing to pay their mortgages (it's not big dosh and flash cars at this level). Far cry from the more sedate world of the U23s -- and something the club should do far more to facilitate if it's serious about trying to progress our talented youngsters into first team reckoning. If nothing else, League experience increases their value to the club if they do move on and a fee is set by a tribunal. In the meantime, can anyone help me to get back the two hours of my life I lost at Priestfield yesterday?

George who? Re-set your satnav, Pulsar. Think you've turned onto the wrong thread -- or misinterpreted the intention of this one. Anyone who's done an apprenticeship (do they still exist?) will know the benefit of working with and learning from older and more experienced people on a regular basis. It's an essential part of any long-term strategy. Unfortunately, the low level of U23s involvement in first-team training applies to Middlewood, not just Albufeira. If one of these promising young uns should ever need to be called up into the first team (injuries, suspensions, whatever), it's important that they know -- and are known and trusted by -- their team mates. That would be built up on the training ground and by mixing together at Middlewood.

Not suggesting in any way that they are all ready to go into the first team, but they need to be around and training with the first team squad if they are to progress. The core players from the U23s (not the youth/U18s team) need to work with players they look up to and can learn from, not "youngers" from the U18s who look up to and learn from them, and are not yet at their level. That's implicit in the title Development Squad. It's how apprenticeships used to work. The alternative is to make sure they get out on loan asap to get first team experience -- as Clare has done at Bury and Accrington, and Penney did to some extent at Bradford.

Just asking, is the club serious about developing and progressing our U23s? Winners of Northern and National Pro Development League 2 titles, yet only three (understandably, two CBs) on current first-team Portugal tour. What’s happened to U23s captain Jack Stobbs, Sean Clare, George Hirst (contract issues?) and Jack Lee (injury?), who all got game time on last year’s tour, plus Matt Penney – none of them training with the first team pre-season? Have they all gone backwards (check this video of Clare that’s on Too-witter: http://bit.ly/2uG82FU), or are they wasting time waiting for opportunities they’ll never be given in S6? And, in case you ask, I saw quite a lot of U23s games last season, and was at Alfreton (U23s who came on all looked good) and Mansfield (common moan from fans near me was lack of pace and drive in midfield – see Clare video? − and the excellent Reach was moved to fish-out-of-water territory at leftback while Penney just warmed up and watched).