Mark Pedlar":3nwxb4js said:
The reason that Argyle have struggled to bring talent through is that the best local youngsters are taken into the academies of Premiership clubs. Those that are left over are just that, leftovers. No matter how much polishing you do, you are limited by the individuals natural abilities.
Parents will always be looking to get their charges into the highest structure they can. Unless the club can show that there is a route into the higher echelons through Argyle this will always be the case. If we were to sell a Cooper or a Jephcott to a "big" club then
It starts with a manager prepared to give youth a chance but even then we need to be sure that the individual youths are worthy of a chance, and to a great extent that is in their hands.
Good points those.I think that Argyle have shown that the club is a viable alternative route into the PL- Gary Megson, Martin Hodge ( in the days of ‘elm lodge’- the apprentice hostel, wasn’t it ?) , paul mariner ( although NOT a youth product), spring to mind - in addition to Dan Gosling, more recently.
If you look at the players who Argyle have discarded ( and probably shouldn’t have ) plus the players that have made it - it’s encouraging to know that we’re probably producing one first team player, on average, per season.
I think the problem with strikers is that it often takes these players several years to “grow into” these positions . We’ve seen that several times in the past - Reuben Reid, Michael evans, Darren rowbotham ( let’s not forget to mention his brother Jason, a very good full back). In his “ promotion diary” Dave smith talked about an experiment - playing Darren ( then seen as a winger) up front, but that it didn’t work- as the position “scared him to death”. Darren played around 50 games for Argyle ( mostly on the wing). He transferred to Exeter and played around 250 games- as a striker, scoring around 1 goal in 2 appearances ( in addition to playing for a host of other clubs including Birmingham City).
Young strikers are expected to “ produce” at 19 - and many of them are not ready to do so. It takes patience from their club and probably several loan spells. I agree with Ian Holloway who said with young players, they need to have played 100 senior games ( in any senior league) before you know what you’ve got. Yet Argyle are making a judgement on Lolos after only a handful of senior games....
I think with strikers many suffer with what I’ll call “ large jumper syndrome” , the position may initially look silly on them ( like a large jumper ) as it did initially with Darren rowbotham and Isaac vassell) - but after developing physically, emotionally, psychologically a few years later it’ll fit them to a treat and appear to be tailored for them.
Having seen many players make their debuts over the years, it’s clear to me that Lolos has the “x” factor and will make it in the pro- game. It’s a shame Argyle weren’t prepared to wait for him, via loan spells. He needs to complete the progression that’s been made by many strikers- no 7, no 10 ( Michael evans, Reuben Reid) and into his natural position, which I still maintain is a number 9 .
I still maintain that the day will come for us all at Home park to look across the park at Klaidi, wearing a number 9 shirt of ( as yet unknown colour), and repeat Jim Bowen’s well known cath phrase, of yesteryear “ this is what you could have won”.
