On the weekend of Sir Alex Ferguson’s 25th Anniversary, United’s academy travelled to Bolton Wanderers and returned with a slender 2-1 victory.
In Sir Alex’s twenty five year career, he’s given a first team debut to an incredible 79 teenagers. It’s impossible to accurately predict which of the current crop of boys will go on to impress him enough to force their way into his thoughts, but there’s an abundance of talent and potential within the squad.
Goals from Ekangamene and Barmby were enough to see off the challenge from Bolton yesterday but the points were harder earned than they needed to be.
Two weeks ago United took on Crewe and got themselves back to winning ways (4-1) before they travelled off on their annual team building and strength-testing trip to Slovakia.
Goals from Januzaj, Barmby, van Velzen and Rudge were enough to cement what was a much improved performance by the Academy and also gave us a chance to observe Donald Love at rightback, and also seeing Luke Hendrie in his more familiar role of central midfield. Both players had excellent games with the latter finding space all game and peppering shots from distance, he was possibly a touch unlucky not to get his name on the scoresheet. After suffering a tricky time at rightback for the opening 7 games of the season, it was nice to see Luke get a chance elsewhere and he took it well, so well, that I’d expect him to be given another chance tomorrow.
Manchester United are through to the quarter finals of the Carling Cup after a 3-0 win at Aldershot.
Two days after suffering one of the most humiliating defeats in their history, United made a first step towards recovery by disposing of the League 2 outfit.
A lot has been said, and will no doubt be said, about Sunday, with some fans suggesting that Sunday’s starting XI should have started tonight’s game as a form of punishment, while others, for the same reasons, hoped to see as young a side as possible. Luckily for both parties, Fergie is far more pragmatic than a lot of fans, which is why he’s been at the helm for 25 years. Although he did make some changes – with all due respect to Aldershot, it is the Carling Cup after all – some of the more experienced players kept their places.
Four defeats on the spin, and beaten by two of our closest rivals along the way might suggest it’s time for the Academy to panic, but hold on, not so fast. There were many positives on Friday and the 2-1 defeat away to Liverpool in no way tells the whole story of this competitive, exciting Academy match that could’ve gone either way.
Put bluntly the game was decided by an error from United’s young Australian keeper Liam Jacob but there’s so much more to it than that.
Welcome to the 13th Can They Score Manchester United Podcast.
If you’re listening on a Mobile Device, use this link – Episode 13
This week’s episodes features Tom, Christopher and I as we discuss recent 1st team news, preview our match against Liverpool and answer your questions. Also, this week’s podcast features an interview with Aidan, from the England Football Club, as we talk about United’s young English talent in the Academy.
The less said about today’s result the better. I’m not suggesting we should be dismayed or in any way embarrassed – far from it, Wolves looked a competent side with some talented lads. What I mean is, the 5-2 scoreline masks what was actually a closely contested game played at a high tempo and in the right spirit. Unfortunately for United they were missing key players and their defence continues to make individual mistakes and then struggle to rectify them as a unit.
It’s always part of the script when you visit Brockhall Village so be prepared for a battle. Blackburn gave exactly that yesterday and came away with points after giving United’s considerably smaller lads a roughing up early on in the game and stamping their authority with two well taken, but somewhat gifted finishes in the opening 21 minutes. Despite the loss United will take positives from their performance in tricky conditions and against stiff opposition.
United’s U18′s took on Middlesboro at Carrington today in a later than usual midday kickoff. After an impressive start to the season United’s young guns took on what proved to be a very determined, well organised Middlesboro team who showed they were capable of matching United stride-for-stride. The game got off to a flying start with a goal inside the opening 30 seconds and United had a battle on their hands to get in to the game and even stay in it with Boro having the better of the second half.
[Warning - this is a longer than usual post, since this is too big a topic to cover in a few snappy paragraphs. Still, I think it's an important area, so if you have a few minutes then settle in for a read and a think.]
There’s no doubt that we have been spoilt in the past. In the nineties, our youth system produced a quite extraordinary series of top class players. I don’t need to list them, but I will anyway because of the memories they bring back: Sharpe, Giggs, Scholes, Beckham, Gary Neville, Phil Neville and Nicky Butt. All effectively “free”, and all of whom played their best years for United.
On the weekend of Sir Alex Ferguson’s 25th Anniversary, United’s academy travelled to Bolton Wanderers and returned with a slender 2-1 victory.
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