Max Thompson

[dibraidio]

Lancashire live Appear to be suggesting that Max Thompson is stalling on signing a new contract https://www.lancs.live/sport/football/t ... d-20975603

This could just be click-bait and a story out of nothing but at 19 years old and with just one senior sub appearance you'd have thought his best option would be to stay at the club, find a loan to a league two club or a partner club and work his way up with the security of a Premier League contract behind him.

If you look at Jimmy Dunne, he progressed from non-league to league-two, to Scottish Premier, to league-one in the space of 3 seasons. Similar to Adam Phillips, he did well in league two and got his chance in league one after half a season. You're not going to get that pace of progress by joining a club lower down. Dan Agyei got frustrated here and refused a new contract and has been at Oxford for two seasons now. The same level where he made his last 3 loan deals from Burnley.


I can understand that players who've proved themselves at one level or another decide to move on for first team football when they outgrow the U23 squad but surely Thompson's progress could never be as fast dropping down the divisions as it can be by staying at the club?

[randomclaret2]

I would have thought he'd be quite involved with the First team pre season friendlies with Wood and Vydra coming back late and Mumbongo gone to Accy

[boatshed bill]

Consistent performer for the U23's last season, and I believe top scorer.
Played wide right every time I saw him, possibly not his best position.
TBH, if he feels he's not progressing well enough then fair play to him not signing and looking elsewhere.

[KRBFC]

been here for almost 2 years, strange he's never gone out on loan, I wonder why that is.

[claptrappers_union]

Wasnt there something about this kid about 12 months ago, something about Burnley stalling on his contract or he wasn’t wanting to sign a new deal yet?

[Hedontplayforyou]

I’m sure I heard good reviews about this lad not long ago, hopefully gets some minutes pre season with the first team

[superdimitri]

been here for almost 2 years, strange he's never gone out on loan, I wonder why that is.

Mostly if a player goes out on loan he's considered not good enough.

[ClaretTony]

Think he's unhappy at being forced to play wide

[Newcastleclaret93]

Think he's unhappy at being forced to play wide

Out of interest Tony do the academy deem him not good enough to play up top

[KRBFC]

Mostly if a player goes out on loan he's considered not good enough.

That makes some sense actually, I guess the club would feel developing them at the club is better than them playing elsewhere.

[boatshed bill]

Think he's unhappy at being forced to play wide

i wouldn't be at all surprised.
He's a decent player, has a fair record in front of goal, takes the penalties...
spends most of his time in right midfield, though admittedly doesn't do much defending (from what I've seen).

[ecc]

Hi superdimitri.

Re. your observation:

"Mostly if a player goes out on loan he's considered not good enough."

It's true you say "mostly" but I think it depends on what the club's policy is and I'm not sure I understand what said policy is.

I really cannot see certain players who were out on loan last season or who are going on loan this season making it in the PL (with the best will in the world and, it's true without having seen them play much).

I think, or at least I hope, we have a multi-strand policy i.e. the club is looking to get certain lads in on frees before then seeking to sell them on.

There are others - Josh Benson comes to mind - who I feel SD believes in and who might go out on loan (preferably to a Championship club).

And then there is the case of Lewis Richardson: would it not be beneficial for him to cut his teeth with an EFL club at least until Xmas? Preferably, L1. That is not easy to achieve but I wonder whether that would be better for him. But that would be a "positive" loan.

Just thoughts, that's all.

[superdimitri]

Hi superdimitri.

Re. your observation:

"Mostly if a player goes out on loan he's considered not good enough."

It's true you say "mostly" but I think it depends on what the club's policy is and I'm not sure I understand what said policy is.

I really cannot see certain players who were out on loan last season or who are going on loan this season making it in the PL (with the best will in the world and, it's true without having seen them play much).

I think, or at least I hope, we have a multi-strand policy i.e. the club is looking to get certain lads in on frees before then seeking to sell them on.

There are others - Josh Benson comes to mind - who I feel SD believes in and who might go out on loan (preferably to a Championship club).

And then there is the case of Lewis Richardson: would it not be beneficial for him to cut his teeth with an EFL club at least until Xmas? Preferably, L1. That is not easy to achieve but I wonder whether that would be better for him. But that would be a "positive" loan.

Just thoughts, that's all.

That makes some sense actually, I guess the club would feel developing them at the club is better than them playing elsewhere.

I think the problem stems from the gap of quality we now have between premier league (and now, even Championship) players and our youth. Most of our youth players lack transfer interest from Championship clubs, so once they are in our development squad and in the last year of their pro contract and there's no interest from Championship sides I'd say its good to assume they are likely not going to be good enough to play for us.

So a loan is the no-risk option, gives them a chance to impress at a lower level. We still probably retain first option on signing the player on for longer if he does turn out to turn things around, but if not, then we haven't lost anything..

I think when it comes to our proper talents...Richardson, Thompson etc the club knows that they are on a higher level than others, and thus won't think its worth loaning them out unless a championship team comes in from them. Because the club knows they are more talented they also know that any game time less than the championship is just not worth it compared to staying with us.

But its catch 22, because its hard even for a championship side to gamble on such a player. Hopefully as we build our academy loans too championship sides become more common as we build up our reputation of producing talent. Right now there's still a long way to go.

[Claret_tinted]

Mostly if a player goes out on loan he's considered not good enough.

Absolute tosh. Ings, Defoe, Kane etc. Closer to home Jay Rod etc

[superdimitri]

Absolute tosh. Ings, Defoe, Kane etc. Closer to home Jay Rod etc

I'm talking about now, and our own players. What this has got to do with players who never played for us, or players of the past I don't know. If you're gonna be rude and call my post tosh, don't post so much tosh yourself.

[wilks_bfc]

Was Thompson being played wide because Mumbongo & Richardson were the preferred front 2?

Maybe now Mumbongo is out on loan, Thompson will get pushed forward (Or is he more similar to Richardson?)

[Colburn_Claret]

A really tough one for the club and Max.
If he feels he isn't being played on his best position, no matter the reason, he's bound to be less than happy.
It's hard to compare with Richardson, I've never seen either play, and some footballers kick on at 20, others have peaked at 18. Without a crystal ball we don't know which will progress further. I hope we try to accommodate them both, whether through loans or first team squad involvement, it would be gutting if we let him go, and 3 years down the line he comes good for a.n.other.

[boatshed bill]

A really tough one for the club and Max.
If he feels he isn't being played on his best position, no matter the reason, he's bound to be less than happy.
It's hard to compare with Richardson, I've never seen either play, and some footballers kick on at 20, others have peaked at 18. Without a crystal ball we don't know which will progress further. I hope we try to accommodate them both, whether through loans or first team squad involvement, it would be gutting if we let him go, and 3 years down the line he comes good for a.n.other.

Having made his debut vs Man City in the previous season, I suppose he could be disappointed that, however threadbare the squad may have been at times last season, he never got selected even for the bench.

[ClaretTony]

Was Thompson being played wide because Mumbongo & Richardson were the preferred front 2?

Maybe now Mumbongo is out on loan, Thompson will get pushed forward (Or is he more similar to Richardson?)

Also Harker came back in from injury and he plays up front - Thompson was still leading goalscorer

[Claret_tinted]

I'm talking about now, and our own players. What this has got to do with players who never played for us, or players of the past I don't know. If you're gonna be rude and call my post tosh, don't post so much tosh yourself.

Your statement was tosh. A player going out on loan is not an indication of their worth to the club. You’ve made a sweeping statement, you’ve got called on it.

Players go out and don’t go out on loan for a number of reasons:

- The age group they’re in might not be good enough to aid that individuals development and they need stretching to unlock their potential.

- They may need exposing to 1st team football and the mentality of seasoned pros.

- They might need to find themselves a new club and the club are offering them an opportunity to market themselves.

- They might not be ready physically or importantly mentally to step away from the bubble of the club.

-The coaches might want a player to stay under them for a part of the week whilst out on loan.

There are a lot of factors taken into consideration when it’s the right time for a player to go out on loan. Going out on loan is not an indication of their ability or worth.

[Burnley1989]

Your statement was tosh. A player going out on loan is not an indication of their worth to the club. You’ve made a sweeping statement, you’ve got called on it.

Players go out and don’t go out on loan for a number of reasons:

- The age group they’re in might not be good enough to aid that individuals development and they need stretching to unlock their potential.

- They may need exposing to 1st team football and the mentality of seasoned pros.

- They might need to find themselves a new club and the club are offering them an opportunity to market themselves.

- They might not be ready physically or importantly mentally to step away from the bubble of the club.

-The coaches might want a player to stay under them for a part of the week whilst out on loan.

There are a lot of factors taken into consideration when it’s the right time for a player to go out on loan. Going out on loan is not an indication of their ability or worth.

Good points, and my experience of it also.

A lot of footballers talk about their first loans as a young 18/19 year old as being a huge part of their development and most of the time they don't appear to have been successful from a fans point of view.

[Mattster]

Mostly if a player goes out on loan he's considered not good enough.

Not true. For example, I think they see Bobby Thomas as having the potential long term to be able to step up to the first and from what I've seen I think he certainly has a chance. Historically, when we were sending most of our youngsters out on loans to non-league then I'd say you would have been right, not any more.

On the actual topic Mumbongo going out on loan possibly gives Thompson more opportunities at striker but I get the feeling Stone likes a traditional big man - little man combo which is why we see Richardson matched up with Mumbongo / Harker and Thompson playing on the wing (Richardson doesn't have the same pace for the reverse to work as well). Thompson to me looks more like your modern attacking winger (ie. wide in a front 3), whilst I believe he sees himself as a striker I think he has a higher ceiling in that wide role. Since it's not a role that exists in either out first team or U23s he probably gets more opportunities if he moves on permanently or on loan to a club that plays a front 3.

That said I really think playing as the right wing in our U23's 4-4-2 is developing him into a more rounded player and despite being a striker he is the best winger we have at that level (IMO Tucker on the other wing hasn't shown much for me to think he could step up at Burnley) and it's position we have very little depth in at U23 level (just like the first team). It would be a big loss for the U23s but if he wants to play as a striker he probably needs to move on.

[boatshed bill]

Good points about Thompson and his opportunities. I see Bobby Thomas mentioned, I don't think he has signed a new contract either

[Andingle]

I believe Max has signed a new contract, no idea why it's not announced though

[boatshed bill]

I repeat myself sometimes

[mdd2]

According to UTC squad list Max is contracted until 2022 Thomas until 2021

[Mattster]

Good points about Thompson and his opportunities. I see Bobby Thomas mentioned, I don't think he has signed a new contract either

We activated the option of another year in his contract so he's tied down until summer 2022.

I'd imagine we've offered a new deal whilst looking at loan options for this year, hopefully at League 1 level.

[superdimitri]

Your statement was tosh. A player going out on loan is not an indication of their worth to the club. You’ve made a sweeping statement, you’ve got called on it.

Players go out and don’t go out on loan for a number of reasons:

- The age group they’re in might not be good enough to aid that individuals development and they need stretching to unlock their potential.

- They may need exposing to 1st team football and the mentality of seasoned pros.

- They might need to find themselves a new club and the club are offering them an opportunity to market themselves.

- They might not be ready physically or importantly mentally to step away from the bubble of the club.

-The coaches might want a player to stay under them for a part of the week whilst out on loan.

There are a lot of factors taken into consideration when it’s the right time for a player to go out on loan. Going out on loan is not an indication of their ability or worth.

Its a realistic observation. No idea why you think its tosh. I can only presume you haven't followed any of the transfer dealings of our players in recent years? Either that or you don't think about the age, or level of which players are being loaned out.

You only have to look at the patterns in recent times to see what the club is doing. They are shipping out the players they think aren't good enough.
As I said, if they were good enough at this age, they'd be in the championship.

The club ships them out because the ever going ladder of development needs to keep moving, and someone else will get more game time than Mumbongo, and hopefully able to prove they are better.

To use some of your previous (and stupid) examples, Kane was playing for Orient when he was 17, so you pick out a player to compare who was playing the same level football as Mumbongo, but 5 years younger?
Ings - playing for Bournemouth at 18 in League 1, and 19 for us in the Championship.

How are these even comparable to loaning a 22 year old to League 1?

Besides, how is it a sweeping statement when I said mostly. I did not say it applied to every player, but that it mostly does.

If you're gonna try call someone out, at least post something that make some sense. I get that you want each Burnley youth player to be in that small percent that make it, but you're ignoring crucial elements. The players that make it are going to be a lot younger when loaned out at a lower level. Its very, very rare for a player to be 22 and playing league 1 football to end up making it in the premier league.

Even Dunne, who played in the Scottish premier league at 20 is deemed not to be good enough for us.

Not true. For example, I think they see Bobby Thomas as having the potential long term to be able to step up to the first and from what I've seen I think he certainly has a chance. Historically, when we were sending most of our youngsters out on loans to non-league then I'd say you would have been right, not any more.

But Thomas was loaned out to Barrow when he almost turned 20, Mumbongo (almost exactly the same birthday as Thomas) is two years older. If a player gets to 22 and isn't deemed good enough to play in the championship the chances are he's not going to be good enough to play for us. The club knows Thomas is an asset, which is why he isn't being loaned out again. They will see that his development is best kept with us unless he can get a loan move at a higher level.

[boatshed bill]

TBH, I think Superdimitri has it just about spot on.

[ecc]

"I believe Max has signed a new contract, no idea why it's not announced though"

Because BFC and communication are not often seen together in the same room.

[ClaretTony]

I believe Max has signed a new contract, no idea why it's not announced though

We rarely do with academy players. We announce each year that some are being released, others have had contracts extended and others have been offered new deals. This year, of the under-23s we offered new deals to Harry Allen, Ryan Cooney, Richard Nartey, Lewis Thomas, Max Thompson and Ne-Jai Tucker. Since that, Cooney has moved to Morecambe but no news on the other five. Seems each year we just have to wait and see whether they are still here at the start of the season.

It's been one of my main criticisms of the academy in recent years, we don't get to know anything. Players can be out injured long term and all we can do is notice they haven't been playing. Never any sort of updates.

[Thehistoryteacher]

"I believe Max has signed a new contract, no idea why it's not announced though"

Because BFC and communication are not often seen together in the same room.

Better news on that front now then - deals announced