I'd expect more after Kay and Bird leave Oakwell

Was thinking about how the club will progress these players at the last u23 game.

Kay's struggled at time in the u23's with Bird struggling to find early season form at times. This could be down to stagnation at that level so one of them leaving permanently with the other joining Yeovil on loan the club think it was stagnation.

Who else could leave on loan? Or who else would benefit from a loan spell more like.

Jacob Brown. Recently signed a new deal and if the club can find the right club for him say at National League Level then that would be perfect. I think all the local clubs are a little below him at the moment, Would it be perfect for him to join former club Guiseley until the end of the season.

Will Smith. A player that I personally like a lot. Think he's quite a clam player and maybe a national league North loan might be a soon move for him until the end of the season.

Jack Walton. He needs to play. Think if the club could get a National League club for him it would be perfect. Even if the club is part-time he'd still be able to train at Oakwell during the week.

Louis Wardle, Not sure about him. Played a few of the u23 games before Christmas. Maybe a NLN club might want him on loan.

 

Can't see where all these players going on loan to non league teams is going to benefit us

 

L1, L2 and NL is men’s football and is a far cry from U18/U23 youth/reserve team football and I think it could stand a fair few in could stead and would benefit both the player and the club.

 

Think Brown might leave on loan but not until we’ve signed 2 strikers - hopefully he or Adeboyejo may get a chance on Saturday

 

Just love them clam players - heard the shrimpers are after him though?

 

Dammit, you beat me to it!

 

Appreciate your thoughts on those prospects, I know little about them and respect your views on them.

I still think the modern day younger player, who is kind of between "scholar" age and say 22 or 23 years old, is really missing out on the experience of reserve team football such as existed when I started watching football. Admittedly, things have probably changed in terms of what the top level clubs want, so its unlikely to ever go back to how it was, but the old Central League was extremely competitive. In the same division as Barnsley you would have Liverpool, Man Utd, Everton etc, as well as smaller or other local teams. Tougher than academy/development football, in my opinion, perhaps less of a focus on technical side of game, but a regular weekly schedule of competitive games, against sides who had international players in their ranks, was far better for development in my view.

Ugbo would have benefited greatly from exposure to that sort of experience.

 

It's been done a lot on here but I remember the last few years when it was almost pointless. You'd play worse teams in the reserves than in the u18's before the changes. The like Of Rotherham, Grimsby, York, Hartlepool? and it was often a Wednesday I'm going to say and it was Barnsley now Cat 2 academy against these centre of excellence that are Cat 3/4 in the current system.

I would have liked to have seen that Stones, Clark, Rose, RNL, Digby, Team play in this current system.

 

By the time the Central League folded this was true, the standard had dropped, particularly as Premier League clubs moved to the academy structure and abandoned the traditional first team/reserve team structure. I preferred the older structure but can be pragmatic enough to accept it won't change. But I'm not convinced it's been a move that develops players more effectively than reserve team football.

And whilst I know what you are saying about Rotherham, Grimsby, York etc, I'm of the view that the old structure was for a "greater good", in that those clubs own players got exposure against more elite players, even at reserve level, a benefit to them too.

I guess it depends how you view or define progress and development. The quality of British players overall hasn't really increased, again in my opinion, as a result of the academy structure, although I dare say the opportunities are far less in the top flight certainly.

 

By folded, I mean the structure that included the reserve sides from the top flight etc. Changed around 2005/06 I think.

 

The Cat 1 level's quite strong and they play against each other lot.

First it's a national league. That's got promotion and relegation between the two tiers.
They play a cup comp with two cat 1 teams and two cat 2 teams in each group. Barnsley got smashed why Leicester a few week ago and were well beat at home.
They play in a European cup with Portuguese club plus others. They also play in a only cat 1 cup at u18 and u16 level.
They can enter the Check a trade.

Cat 2's not bad though. Below that I wouldn't expect much.