Sorry Chris, I’m being thick. Don’t know what you mean (assuming your comment is addressed to me). I had another look at the Belfast Newsletter article and noticed that I’d got his goal tally wrong. He’d actually scored 17 goals. Was that what you were alluding to?
Zico Asare and Sam Beckwith, both U-24, have rejected improved deals at Maidenhead and are now out of contract. Obviously feel they can step up a level. Anyone seen them play?
Yes I’ve seen both Zico and Sam play during my occasional visits to York Road.
They’re both excellent, reliable players and good examples of talented young players who’ve been released out of the Academy system (Asare - Fulham and Beckwith - Luton), who have benefited from first team football at National League level.
There’s a fair chance I’d have thought that both will go to EFL clubs. Asare is the better defender, but Beckwith is maybe the better all round package and was in the National League team of the year. Always a feat for a part-time player.
We’re not short of right backs either, so again that might make Beckwith a more likely target. I guess it depends what Matt is looking for. If he wants a first team ready left back from the off, it might be a bit of a stretch for Beckwith, but if he’s looking to persist with Luke Leahy there it might work as a season to gradually bring him into the first team reckoning.
If they are doing their homework they’ll know the real jewel in the crown at Maidenhead is Reece Smith, who is a stylish 22 year old winger who came through their youth team.
Smith is like a young Kieran Sadlier and tends to be best playing on the left wing but cutting inside onto his right foot. Although he also played as a number 10 for much of the season just finished, scoring 11 goals.
Smith is under contract down there for next season and it’ll be interesting to see if anyone makes Maidenhead a decent offer for him.
NI Premiership is, in my opinion, League 2 level at the most. Not all teams are full time professional (Larne recently are after heavy investment). This is reflected in general fitness and skill level, though I can’t say I can recall seeing this lad play despite having seen Coleraine vs Larne last season. No-one stood out as playing in a league below their level.
Looks like most Premier League clubs have now started announcing who they are releasing. One thing I'd do is get in touch with most of them, organise a trial day / trial week and see a) Who turns up & b) Are they any good
I think we'd have targets anyway and most of the prem youth team games are filmed or scouted, just a case of seeing who gets released and who else is in for them.
The guy from Larne is interesting, without knowing the exact circumstances I think the value does tend to drop once everyone knows about available prospects for a while but nobody has taken the punt.
He's also a year further into whatever contract he has. If it was two years when they were asking £300k, then £150k with only a year left seems very normal.
It's holiday season. Players out of contract have 3 more weeks of wages so are in no hurry to sign the offers they have as they are confident the big one is just around the corner, that will change when the P60 hits their inbox and they realise they have no wages coming in.
I have a vision of Dan Rice sat with his Rolodex right now lining up new and exciting talent.
@Blue_since_1990 I can assist you there. The latest name is Callum Wright (Midfielder), 24. Currently plays for our good friends in Devon. However we are being linked with a season-long loan for the former Leicester City playmaker.
In addition, there is some wringing of hands from our other friends in Essex. Our interest in Arthur Read (Midfielder), 24, appears to be genuine and serious. Matt Bloomfield signed him from Stevenage in January 2023, just six weeks before escaping purgatory.
Can't wait for the pub trivia question 20 years from now: "Which club had deep ties with both Gibraltar and Kazakhstan which resulted in an FA Cup win?"
Yeah, the league has rules about minimum standards for different levels of academy, number of staff etc. Also when ours was wound up we were losing lots of money and massively in debt, not that it's entirely clear that isn't the case now but at least the new owner is minted so it might be less relevant.
So we seem to be obliged to have an academy of a particular standard as we are an EFL club? Considering we have taken on players from academies from Worthing, Wealdstone, Woking etc in recent years I assume they don't have to have certain standards or obligations - even though they are clearly successful.
I also assume that these teams are able to play in a league structure. One of our shortcomings in the development squad has to be a lack of game opportunities.
As we look to reintroduce the development program I wonder how long it might be before we have a team within a structure. Back in the day I used to go and watch Wycombe reserves in a 'competitive' league structure at Loakes Park. Reserve leagues appear to have long gone. Another reason why young players look so raw when they come to us on loan?
Before the Trust took over, the youth sides played over at Monks Risborough, down Mill Lane and they had sole use of that space as I used to referee the U13 - U15's on a Sunday morning. However, the ground was sold for housing development which then meant the club needed to find new facilities. They spent a year at Bisham Abbey but their costs increased which could have been the breaking point. I don't know how much was being spent over at Monks Risborough but they were also making a small amount through refreshments (teas/coffees/bacon rolls etc) which would have lower the overall expense.
For any fixture at Bisham Abbey, they would have done their own catering which would have been charged to the club and I know that they aren't cheap!
The Molins ground is still there however the land has been purchased by a developer who has cleared the space until a time when they want / need to build on it.
Comments
He’d be worth a million (if you also got five out of the six numbers right.)
Sorry Chris, I’m being thick. Don’t know what you mean (assuming your comment is addressed to me). I had another look at the Belfast Newsletter article and noticed that I’d got his goal tally wrong. He’d actually scored 17 goals. Was that what you were alluding to?
Zico Asare and Sam Beckwith, both U-24, have rejected improved deals at Maidenhead and are now out of contract. Obviously feel they can step up a level. Anyone seen them play?
Assume you’re referring to digits rather than numbers.
@micra sorry I was making a Lotto-based joke
Yes I’ve seen both Zico and Sam play during my occasional visits to York Road.
They’re both excellent, reliable players and good examples of talented young players who’ve been released out of the Academy system (Asare - Fulham and Beckwith - Luton), who have benefited from first team football at National League level.
There’s a fair chance I’d have thought that both will go to EFL clubs. Asare is the better defender, but Beckwith is maybe the better all round package and was in the National League team of the year. Always a feat for a part-time player.
We’re not short of right backs either, so again that might make Beckwith a more likely target. I guess it depends what Matt is looking for. If he wants a first team ready left back from the off, it might be a bit of a stretch for Beckwith, but if he’s looking to persist with Luke Leahy there it might work as a season to gradually bring him into the first team reckoning.
Thank you @Theatre_of_Chairs for such a considered review. I hope someone within the club is doing their homework as well. Could be interesting
If they are doing their homework they’ll know the real jewel in the crown at Maidenhead is Reece Smith, who is a stylish 22 year old winger who came through their youth team.
Smith is like a young Kieran Sadlier and tends to be best playing on the left wing but cutting inside onto his right foot. Although he also played as a number 10 for much of the season just finished, scoring 11 goals.
Smith is under contract down there for next season and it’ll be interesting to see if anyone makes Maidenhead a decent offer for him.
Over my head I’m afraid.
Not my down thumb although I did teeter on the brink.
I wouldn’t imagine for one moment that you suffer from DTP @micra - only joking.
NI Premiership is, in my opinion, League 2 level at the most. Not all teams are full time professional (Larne recently are after heavy investment). This is reflected in general fitness and skill level, though I can’t say I can recall seeing this lad play despite having seen Coleraine vs Larne last season. No-one stood out as playing in a league below their level.
Looks like most Premier League clubs have now started announcing who they are releasing. One thing I'd do is get in touch with most of them, organise a trial day / trial week and see a) Who turns up & b) Are they any good
I think we'd have targets anyway and most of the prem youth team games are filmed or scouted, just a case of seeing who gets released and who else is in for them.
The guy from Larne is interesting, without knowing the exact circumstances I think the value does tend to drop once everyone knows about available prospects for a while but nobody has taken the punt.
He's also a year further into whatever contract he has. If it was two years when they were asking £300k, then £150k with only a year left seems very normal.
Rumour mill gone very quiet.
It's holiday season. Players out of contract have 3 more weeks of wages so are in no hurry to sign the offers they have as they are confident the big one is just around the corner, that will change when the P60 hits their inbox and they realise they have no wages coming in.
I have a vision of Dan Rice sat with his Rolodex right now lining up new and exciting talent.
Does he have a white cat and a spinning leather office chair?
@Blue_since_1990 I can assist you there. The latest name is Callum Wright (Midfielder), 24. Currently plays for our good friends in Devon. However we are being linked with a season-long loan for the former Leicester City playmaker.
In addition, there is some wringing of hands from our other friends in Essex. Our interest in Arthur Read (Midfielder), 24, appears to be genuine and serious. Matt Bloomfield signed him from Stevenage in January 2023, just six weeks before escaping purgatory.
Please be Arthur Read the aardvark, great positivity
Thank you 👍
wow @TheAndyGrahamFanClub if Dan Rice is still using a Rolodex I can’t imagine the analytics programmes he is using are up to much!
The Bartolo rumours prove true, as he signs today, as does young centre half Jack Matton. Two more for the development squad
Can't wait for the pub trivia question 20 years from now: "Which club had deep ties with both Gibraltar and Kazakhstan which resulted in an FA Cup win?"
Feels nice to have been the one ITK for once as I so rarely am
With due respect to the clubs in question how do Woking and Wealdstone afford academies when we can’t? Do they have a different model or obligations ?
Yeah, the league has rules about minimum standards for different levels of academy, number of staff etc. Also when ours was wound up we were losing lots of money and massively in debt, not that it's entirely clear that isn't the case now but at least the new owner is minted so it might be less relevant.
When we were a non-league team we had a youth team. Same principle.
So we seem to be obliged to have an academy of a particular standard as we are an EFL club? Considering we have taken on players from academies from Worthing, Wealdstone, Woking etc in recent years I assume they don't have to have certain standards or obligations - even though they are clearly successful.
I also assume that these teams are able to play in a league structure. One of our shortcomings in the development squad has to be a lack of game opportunities.
As we look to reintroduce the development program I wonder how long it might be before we have a team within a structure. Back in the day I used to go and watch Wycombe reserves in a 'competitive' league structure at Loakes Park. Reserve leagues appear to have long gone. Another reason why young players look so raw when they come to us on loan?
Before the Trust took over, the youth sides played over at Monks Risborough, down Mill Lane and they had sole use of that space as I used to referee the U13 - U15's on a Sunday morning. However, the ground was sold for housing development which then meant the club needed to find new facilities. They spent a year at Bisham Abbey but their costs increased which could have been the breaking point. I don't know how much was being spent over at Monks Risborough but they were also making a small amount through refreshments (teas/coffees/bacon rolls etc) which would have lower the overall expense.
For any fixture at Bisham Abbey, they would have done their own catering which would have been charged to the club and I know that they aren't cheap!
Correction
The Molins ground is still there however the land has been purchased by a developer who has cleared the space until a time when they want / need to build on it.
https://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/news/1771401.molins-boss-would-turn-in-his-grave/