Please log in or register. Registered visitors get fewer ads.
Forum
Reply
Man Utd and Man City 'schedule meetings' in bid to sign Swansea City teen talent
at 16:03 10 Oct 2024

If the clubs agree on terms it's no different from any other transfer. Tribunals tend to involve a lot of future clauses as well, like we had to pay for Dan James.

We did very well from Iwan Morgan considering how long he was with us. Hopefully he goes on to bigger and better things so we profit even further (also would be handy for Wales). The rivalry is for the fans, professionals just get on with it.
Forum
Reply
Man Utd and Man City 'schedule meetings' in bid to sign Swansea City teen talent
at 14:27 6 Oct 2024

We got a lot more than that for Iwan Morgan in the same situation. You either agree a fee or it goes to tribunal, or they stay for the two years of their scholarship.
Forum
Reply
Al Hamadi ??
at 12:58 22 Aug 2024

You can't flog it into them. The awful injury record in our academy suggests we're trying though. Kids develop at different rates, patience is the right idea when you're not able to spend fortunes attracting the early bloomers that every other club also wants.

Loans are difficult because the offers aren't often there. Connor Roberts got very lucky once, and then unlucky twice before the door finally opened for him here. It's good to see Cotterill and Congreve both starting games right away this season. Hopefully Lloyd's loan move isn't dead and he can go out soon as well.
Forum
Reply
Al Hamadi ??
at 12:41 22 Aug 2024

The reason he didn't get near the bench for us is that he was injured for most of his only pro year, and then turned down a new deal to try his luck elsewhere. He was merely okay for us at u18s level, and had a purple patch in front of goal for about a month with the u21s, but nothing exceptional that suggested he should be in and around the first team at the time. Was still adjusting to the speed of play and struggled with the basics on the couple of occasions I saw him live. It took him two years of further development to excel in League Two and earn his big transfer. Jury still out on what his level actually is.

Josh Thomas was in a car accident shortly after first going on loan that cost him two years of development. Last season will have been disappointing for him, Port Vale manager wanted a different type of striker (worked out well for them lol) so he was on the fringes before another injury with Wales u21s.

The club does have issues giving our own players opportunities. Liam Smith has been too good for u21s for the best part of two years. But worth remembering that our best products were all 21/22 before getting breakthroughs here, and proved excellent value for it. We don't do many teenage sensations.
Forum
Reply
⚽️ Baglan Dragons v Swansea City U21 TODAY
at 11:19 22 Jul 2024

It's the exceptional athletes that seem to go further than the exceptional footballers. The fast lads and the big lads have far more margin for error in other parts of their game. A lot of the young players I've been dead wrong about just didn't have the legs for the modern game.
Forum
Reply
1 1 baglan
at 11:08 22 Jul 2024

Sixth form students on pocket money scholarships.
Forum
Reply
1 1 baglan
at 09:00 22 Jul 2024

Technically a handful of our side haven't signed professional terms yet. Harlan Perry only just left school.
Forum
Reply
⚽️ Baglan Dragons v Swansea City U21 TODAY
at 08:54 22 Jul 2024

Josh Pescatore and Ramon Rees-Siso are u18s who didn't play in the u21s last season afaik. Henia-Kamau, Tom Woodward and Harlan Perry had a few cameos under their belt. Iestyn Jones and Jacob Cook a bit more experienced but nowhere near established yet. It's what you want in the u21s but ideally they'd have played some similar sides before stepping up to grown men in a knockout competition. Dylan Thomas for them was in our u21s the best part of a decade ago, didn't make the grade as many of the current crop won't.

None of the trialists from the other day featured, all carried over from last season's squads. Whether we're short or overstuffed depends entirely on loan departures.
Forum
Reply
⚽️ Baglan Dragons v Swansea City U21 TODAY
at 18:41 21 Jul 2024

It's good for the better kids to be involved with first team preseason when extra bodies are most needed. Worthwhile experience. Just unfortunate that it's maybe left the u21s short on the day. Not a terrible side, but two debutants (I think) in the starting 11 and very little experience on the bench.

Any two or three from a long list of missing players and maybe it's a different story. Watts, Lissah, Cotterill, Watts, Smith, Congreve, Parker, Govea, Wilson. Plenty of talent in the group.
Forum
Reply
⚽️ Baglan Dragons v Swansea City U21 TODAY
at 17:09 21 Jul 2024

Shame to exit the competition this early while so many are missing having played the friendly on Friday.
Forum
Reply
Swans U21 score 5 away
at 11:05 17 Jul 2024

He was.
Forum
Reply
Cameron Congreve ?
at 10:46 16 Jul 2024

What youngsters offer is the ability to very quickly transform into £10m+ assets for the club to flog. Their wages are investment not just compensation for the week's work.
Forum
Reply
Cameron Congreve ?
at 12:35 15 Jul 2024

Supposedly Smith was due to go to Stockport start of last season but they backed out last minute. Finding takers for our youngsters has always been difficult, a good time is whenever there's a good offer. Doesn't do them much good to be "injury cover" in League Two and only pick up minutes in the paint trophy when they could stay here and get the same experience.
Forum
Reply
Cameron Congreve ?
at 10:42 15 Jul 2024

Not sure about any of that, really. Cam was a bit of a late developer physically compared to others (like Josh Edwards) and had to work very hard to make his mark in his age group. I'd put him as first of the next batch of prospects (Cotterill, Lloyd etc.) rather than the last of any era, but maybe that's arbitrary line-drawing on a constantly moving conveyor.

Martin gave him a break very early and he wasn't ready. He's now the same age Dan James was when he was able to make a mark in senior football. Rodon and Roberts similar, we don't produce many teenagers ready for senior football, but history suggests writing them off is a waste of limited club resources.

Lack of pace likely puts a ceiling on his potential, which Parker and (supposedly) Govea don't have. Liam Smith is a better attacking midfielder/wide man in the u21s. Ben Lloyd is over a year younger. We don't lack for talented youngsters in that area of the pitch.
Forum
Reply
Sammy Henia-Kamau Pro deal
at 13:06 8 Jul 2024

I expect this one year contract was already included in the package offered to bring him here. A lot of the scholars we've brought in have had similar guaranteed pro year terms. Some prove worth it, others don't.

Parker signed the same 3 year deal the other prospects did. It's been good to see us commit to youngsters like that given how short-notice things tended to be in the PL era. There was a deliberate policy shift.
Forum
Reply
Ewan Griffiths goalkeeper
at 12:59 8 Jul 2024

I would hope he wasn't the sole decision-maker given his obvious conflict of interest.
Forum
Reply
Ewan Griffiths goalkeeper
at 22:24 4 Jul 2024

Like a few of our youngsters I think he started in their academy as a nipper. We clearly made the choice to give a pro contract to Margetson's lad instead. Nice gesture from us to let him go there early and get adjusted. Good keeper and I for one wish him all the best.
Forum
Reply
How did Aimar Govea get spotted in amongst all the UK talent available ?
at 20:55 26 Jun 2024

His agent has a good contacts book and lots of free minutes on his phone contract.
Forum
Reply
Well done to our U21s making the Play offs
at 10:25 21 May 2024

Joe Thomas is 22, much older than the rest of the side (all teenagers apart from Ludvigsen and Bates, both 20). Sam Parker hasn't turned 18 yet. I thought he was pretty poor last night, he's been good for the u21s overall but if you're not ready for a step up at this stage then moving on is the only option.
Forum
Reply
Well done to our U21s making the Play offs
at 12:28 20 May 2024

Please log in to use all the site's facilities

jasper_T


Site Scores

Forum Votes: 3227
Comment Votes: 0
Prediction League: 0
TOTAL: 3227
About Us Contact Us Terms & Conditions Privacy Cookies Advertising
© FansNetwork 2024