Jamie Donley

[K.D.D.D.D.Soc]

Not sure he had a choice to stick around. I've always quite rated him. Just had a look at his stats and he's played 24, scored 4 and assisted twice for PNE who are 6th in the Championship.

It would have been interesting to see the Brentford game with him at 10 and Gray back in the double pivot.

It appears to me our managers and fans are prepared to give time to players we sign from other clubs but have little patience with our own youth players.

 

[MartyFunkhouser]

Beckham? We didn’t sell him, he trained with us until he was old enough to sign schoolboy terms at Man Utd

That bunch stretch over such a long period of time too....................the idea it all comes under one watch and its systematically broken is nonsense. some you win, some you lose, thats football, thats youth development

 

[Gutter Boy]

Beckham? We didn’t sell him, he trained with us until he was old enough to sign schoolboy terms at Man Utd

4 years he was in our youth system though, even if he never signed apprentice terms

 

[Gutter Boy]

That bunch stretch over such a long period of time too....................the idea it all comes under one watch and its systematically broken is nonsense. some you win, some you lose, thats football, thats youth development

The original point was we never regret the ones we let go. My counter is that occasionally we do.

 

[Muttley]

The original point was we never regret the ones we let go. My counter is that occasionally we do.

I think the biggest point though is that we have seldom got it wrong when we've let young players leave. That is, if it is even our choice which it clearly wasn't with Madueke. I do remember at a similar time, Luis Binks walking out of the club as well apparently for feeling too far away from the first team chances. He's now 24 and on his 4th or 5th club mostly in different countries. I hope he enjoyed his choice.

Saying that, we simply cannot let players like Palhinha, Bents, Davies, Richi etc block the path for squad spots to open up. We've always done that.

 

[Gutter Boy]

I think the biggest point though is that we have seldom got it wrong when we've let young players leave. That is, if it is even our choice which it clearly wasn't with Madueke. I do remember at a similar time, Luis Binks walking out of the club as well apparently for feeling too far away from the first team chances. He's now 24 and on his 4th or 5th club mostly in different countries. I hope he enjoyed his choice.

Saying that, we simply cannot let players like Palhinha, Bents, Davies, Richi etc block the path for squad spots to open up. We've always done that.

But in that spirit one of Donley or Devine should have been given a shot at filling the Kulu/Maddison hole this autumn (in competition with Simons)

 

[MartyFunkhouser]

I think the biggest point though is that we have seldom got it wrong when we've let young players leave. That is, if it is even our choice which it clearly wasn't with Madueke. I do remember at a similar time, Luis Binks walking out of the club as well apparently for feeling too far away from the first team chances. He's now 24 and on his 4th or 5th club mostly in different countries. I hope he enjoyed his choice.

Saying that, we simply cannot let players like Palhinha, Bents, Davies, Richi etc block the path for squad spots to open up. We've always done that.

But having spent 2 years as a project manager with the PL and having spent that time around Palace, Brentford and Spurs TGs I can pretty much be onside of the idea that, regardless of what we think about managers and their qualities, they all pretty much to a man know the levels and if anyone would be an improvement on players the fans simply don't like.

The idea Devine should be near a first team squad (as per another post) is ridiculous. Donley couldn't force his way into a side which clearly will use our youth, thats not an agenda by that manager, thats him playing the strongest side he can to win games, which didn't include him

 

[Gutter Boy]

But having spent 2 years as a project manager with the PL and having spent that time around Palace, Brentford and Spurs TGs I can pretty much be onside of the idea that, regardless of what we think about managers and their qualities, they all pretty much to a man know the levels and if anyone would be an improvement on players the fans simply don't like.

The idea Devine should be near a first team squad (as per another post) is ridiculous. Donley couldn't force his way into a side which clearly will use our youth, thats not an agenda by that manager, thats him playing the strongest side he can to win games, which didn't include him

But then Poch found Mason helping out the groundsman, and Kane stuck in the pecking order behind Adebayor and Soldado. Sometimes circumstances are just right. And often more technical players swim at the top level but sink in the rough and tumble of lower league.

 

[Muttley]

But having spent 2 years as a project manager with the PL and having spent that time around Palace, Brentford and Spurs TGs I can pretty much be onside of the idea that, regardless of what we think about managers and their qualities, they all pretty much to a man know the levels and if anyone would be an improvement on players the fans simply don't like.

The idea Devine should be near a first team squad (as per another post) is ridiculous. Donley couldn't force his way into a side which clearly will use our youth, thats not an agenda by that manager, thats him playing the strongest side he can to win games, which didn't include him

Do you not feel though that manager's tenures are just too short nowadays so they won't take a punt on the kids? Perhaps the ones that get their opportunity are more likely to be with a long term manager and coaching setup. I'm sure Devine won't make it with us, but I can't imagine it has been easy joining from Wigan as a 16 year old and seeing all these different manager regimes. Do you not think that Frank doesn't really have an opinion on Devine but has mostly been guided by others to this point?

What is interesting is that little old PNE sit in 4th place in the Championship and Devine is a key man and automatic starter for them. My guess is like Adam Smith or Denis Cirkin, Devine will spend time as a PL player eventually. He'll need some luck on his side and the right move in the summer.

I have no clue whether Donley will though.