ARTICLE: Under-23s at Bramall Lane today

[ClaretTony]

League game today at Sheffield United

See link
http://www.uptheclarets.com/under-23s-a ... lane-today" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[randomclaret2]

Ravel Morrison starts for them

[Leisure]

1 up. Harker 5 mins

[Leisure]

2 up. Phillips on 16 mins.

[Damo]

2 up. Phillips on 16 mins.

30 yarder apparently

[Leisure]

HT 0 - 2

[FCBurnley]

Encouraging first 45

[ClaretTony]

Phillips goal is a stunner according to a friend of mine who is there

[Jakubs Tash]

Phillips goal is a stunner according to a friend of mine who is there

Looking forward to seeing this lad play. Must be rated if he is keeping Benson and Goodridge out of the team.

[Leisure]

3 up. Harker again.63 mins

[ClaretTony]

3-0 and a second for Harker but Blades have been on top

[ClaretTony]

Looking forward to seeing this lad play. Must be rated if he is keeping Benson and Goodridge out of the team.

Goodridge is coming back from injury so not playing too much yet. No idea why on earth Benson isn't playing.

[Jakubs Tash]

Goodridge is coming back from injury so not playing too much yet. No idea why on earth Benson isn't playing.

Yeah, I know he's been injured but he's back and has played recently. Unless he's picked up another knock... The only way to get fit is to play.

[Leisure]

Won 3 nil. Up to 2nd now.

[Bosscat]

Good result for the lads... keep it up you Under 23 Clarets

UTC

[ClaretTony]

Yeah, I know he's been injured but he's back and has played recently. Unless he's picked up another knock... The only way to get fit is to play.

Only just finding his way back to be fair and not had a full game yet although not on the bench today. Things have changed a bit at U23 level now though, where previously all players were getting an opportunity, it is very much a first team type scenario now where players are first choice and usually play. Only one change today from last Monday with Scott Wilson coming in for Bobby Thomas who is carrying an injury.

[ClaretTony]

Won 3 nil. Up to 2nd now.

For now. Wigan are currently losing but they, Crewe & Hull will be two points behind us with two games in hand.

[Goobs]

Only just finding his way back to be fair and not had a full game yet although not on the bench today. Things have changed a bit at U23 level now though, where previously all players were getting an opportunity, it is very much a first team type scenario now where players are first choice and usually play. Only one change today from last Monday with Scott Wilson coming in for Bobby Thomas who is carrying an injury.

It's how it probably should be. In an ideal world all the youngsters would get game time and would all go on to have long careers but unfortunately that's not realistic and from a club perspective we need to be playing those that have the best chance of progressing towards 1st team standard.

[ClaretTony]

It's how it probably should be. In an ideal world all the youngsters would get game time and would all go on to have long careers but unfortunately that's not realistic and from a club perspective we need to be playing those that have the best chance of progressing towards 1st team standard.

Two ways to look at it. The other side of the argument is that if we are giving young players contracts then we should be giving them opportunities to play.

[Goobs]

Two ways to look at it. The other side of the argument is that if we are giving young players contracts then we should be giving them opportunities to play.

I suppose, but then we have 1st team players on much bigger contracts such as Ben Gibson who can't get any game time so it's just a reflection of that on a smaller scale.
I suppose the one downside of it is that if players aren't getting a chance to play then we won't know what they are capable of as some players look incredible in training but average on the pitch and visa versa.

[ClaretTony]

I suppose, but then we have 1st team players on much bigger contracts such as Ben Gibson who can't get any game time so it's just a reflection of that on a smaller scale.
I suppose the one downside of it is that if players aren't getting a chance to play then we won't know what they are capable of as some players look incredible in training but average on the pitch and visa versa.

It's development, they call it the development squad and these lads will need to play to develop. Josh Benson isn't getting much game time now, neither is Jordan Cropper. It's different with first team players, then it is all about the result and getting the points.

[Rowls]

There's a balancing act required.

If you don't play, you'll struggle to develop. And if you're struggling to develop you might not play. Which could become a self-defeating vicious circle.

However, if somebody is better than you and keeping you out of the team, that's just the way football works and if a better player is keeping you out of the team then the better player will have the chance to develop with Burnley FC.

No right or wrong with either way of doing it, but there are right and wrong judgments which can be made with either technique.

[Bosscat]

There is talk above of lads playing and not playing ... not many on here will know why .... I trust Steve Stone and his team to do the best by eveeyone under their tutelage.... so let them get on with it.

Since time immemorial there have been lads who just don't quite make the grade at pro levels ...

After all we all know lads who had time on the books of football clubs up and down the land, but never just made it... good footballers on the park on a Sunday, but just not good enough on a Saturday afternoon or under the lights on a Tuesday night.

We have a pretty good crop of young lads coming through (some very very good) I would hope they all go on to have a career in Football at one level or another...
So hopefully we get a few good enough to play in the Claret and Blue of Burnley in the Premier League.

The development squad is not a cheap thing to run I would imagine.... The staff are working wonders now they have the place (in Barnfield) and the tools to get the job done.

I would imagine it won't be long before we step up to Cat 1 the way things are going....

[ClaretTony]

There isn't a right or wrong - and there is no doubt that the academy is improving significantly under Jon Pepper & Ian Jones.

Aren't we looking to move up to Cat 1 at the next audit? That could see us start next season at that level.

[Rowls]

There isn't a right or wrong - and there is no doubt that the academy is improving significantly under Jon Pepper & Ian Jones.

Aren't we looking to move up to Cat 1 at the next audit? That could see us start next season at that level.

That sounds promising. Hope so, it would be a real achievement given the mess that Sean Dyche inherited. Hopefully there is an even-longer term legacy further from the horizon than the evident achievements we've seen in the first-team under Dyche.

[TVC15]

I saw Phillips come on for the game that Drinkwater started on the Turf (Huddersfield ?)
I thought he looked really good - technically a very good passer and physically he looked bigger than a lot of the rest of the team.
Is there any reason he was on the bench that day CT ? What’s his background ?

[Damo]

Check out @BurnleyOfficial’s Tweet: https://twitter.com/BurnleyOfficial/sta ... 54758?s=09" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Some strike that

[Buxtonclaret]

That is a cracker.

[ClaretTony]

I saw Phillips come on for the game that Drinkwater started on the Turf (Huddersfield ?)
I thought he looked really good - technically a very good passer and physically he looked bigger than a lot of the rest of the team.
Is there any reason he was on the bench that day CT ? What’s his background ?

He is older than most in the U23s - he’s 22 in January

[claretburns]

I saw Phillips come on for the game that Drinkwater started on the Turf (Huddersfield ?)
I thought he looked really good - technically a very good passer and physically he looked bigger than a lot of the rest of the team.
Is there any reason he was on the bench that day CT ? What’s his background ?

Spent the majority of his youth career, 8 years, with Liverpool. He was released in 2017 and signed for Norwich, had subsequent loan spells, Cambridge 4 appearances and Hamilton 2 appearances, before being released by Norwich and signing for us after a trial.

[Bosscat]

Didn't realise young Rob Harkers a Gargrave lad ....

[ClaretTony]

Didn't realise young Rob Harkers a Gargrave lad ....

I read that he was at the same school as Oliver Younger who is from Skipton

[inbetweendays]

Both went to Aireville school together..
Now called the Skipton Academy