da apostaganha： With the elite performance plan beginning at the start of next season focus on whether or not English prospects are better served in the Football League or the Premier League will increase.
da lvbet： There is an argument young players development stagnate at big clubs where you have to be excellent to catch the eye of pragmatic management.
Personally I believe the best way for a player to improve is through playing football matches, the new system will see cheaper deals to allow players to be transfered for less money and earlier to bigger football clubs. The concept is that England’s best young stars will get the best coaching from an earlier age but in reality it’s hard not to be sceptical about the deal.
Sunderland usurped Liverpool among others to secure the signature of Connor Wickham but with the step up in quality of opposition we have seen firsthand just how raw a talent the 19 year old is.
A tough baptism of fire followed his move from Ipswich, the youngster bagged his first Sunderland goal and looked to be adjusting well to Premier League life before injury at Old Trafford wrecked his season. Following a three month hiatus Wickham returned and never ever really impressed.
The feeling that the England under 21 international arrived at Wearside a couple years too early in his development can perhaps be best illustrated by Martin O’Neill’s attempt to bring in Kevin Davies on loan last January to mentor Wickham. A disappointing contrast I’ve made in the past relating to the Black Cat is that he’s a similar height to Andy Carroll. Carroll at 23 has already mastered the art of bullying defenders while too often Sunderland’s target man is kept quiet by physically inferior centre backs.
Another comparison which worried me about the striker was how in almost every area he was outperformed by another stuttering forward, Nicklas Bendtner. The loanee from Arsenal last year failed to live up to his own glowing expectations at the Stadium of Light but still easily outplayed his then 18 year old teammate. A superior first touch and ability to hold up the ball meant Bendtner was often involved more in Sunderland’s play, whilst the Danish international’s superior movement and ability to attack the ball in the air, kept him ahead of Sunderland’s expensive starlet in the pecking order. This was made all the more worrying due to Bendtner’s much maligned goal return, and at times infuriating approach which left few at the North East outfit disappointed to see the back of the 24 year old.
After tough opening Premier League season it is likely Wickham will once again be plying his trade in the Championship. It has been widely reported that O’Neill is keen to send the frontman out on loan to gain further experience. This further highlights a feeling this big money move came to early for the striker who faces the prospect of having to re-establish himself in the Football League. Another worry for Wickham is that he is now working under a manager known for a pragmatic approach that doesn’t lend itself to developing young players. There was a feeling at Villa Park that young talents such as Marc Albrighton and Ciaran Clark should have featured earlier in the first team but suffered due to the Ulsterman’s under-rotation.