Quote Originally Posted by mods100 View Post
Luther was always a god player for notts u18, the problem like so many youth players before him notts do not give youth a chance all of this seasons 1st year pros have already been released without even training with the 1st which i find bizarre
For me, this is the only real criticism I would have of the Alan Hardy regime so far. He made a big play about youth development when he arrived, but I've not seen much evidence of that so far. The "Class of 2018" recruited from outside have been a waste of time, taking up slots in the fringe first-team squad that could have gone to our own youth products.

Perhaps it's the manager just not trusting our younger players to deliver, but the truth is that no matter how much you watch them in training and youth games, you sometimes can't tell how much a younger player will thrive until they get a first-team opportunity. Fans sometimes don't help either, dismissing young players as "not good enough" after a couple of appearances rather than waiting to see how they develop. I think we were spoiled by players like Johnson, Draper and Yates hitting the first-team sprinting, never mind running. They were exceptional and not all players will burst onto the scene that dramatically. Others need time and patience, but will learn quickly playing in men's football if they're given the chance.