Luke SkyWalker-Peters

So, when clubs are in PL2 Division 1 I believe all the games have to be livestreamed in some capacity. We used to do ours on youtube and the B team has played away games where the opposition have done that this season (Everton in the PL Cup springs to mind). Some teams will stream U18s games as well, I'll occasionally do a search on youtube and see if any youth team opponents streamed the games. Other games are scattered around. For instance, I paid £2 for a month of Villa TV to watch the FA Youth Cup match. England youth games are sometimes livestreamed depending on the tournaments. Obviously you can watch all the highlights on the Saints website. I'd like to go to a B team game at Totton, out of curiosity to see how they compare to other levels, but I am not local enough to justify doing that. Oddly, instagram is quite useful for seeing what some of these players are about. They mostly seem to be managed by some sort of agent and all have a personal highlight reel for each season and internationals. So you can see their "best bits" that might not be available anywhere else (e.g. an England friendly) - not the best way to judge players, admittedly, but you get a sense of what they are about.

Yes, Kami looks very good. I know it became a large wall of text, but I did mention him in the penultimate paragraph. My only concern for Doyle is the position he will play in men's football. He seems incredibly suited as one of Ralph's 10s as he isn't the fastest or the biggest. Physically and with his two-footedness, in my opinion, he is comparable to Elyounoussi stylistically. I know that isn't a comparison that would get many on here excited, but I'm sure the club would be delighted if some of these youth players turned into useful first team players after so long without any (the belated effects of relegation I assume).

Better than Ballard, more consistent than Dibling but with a lower ceiling. In more detail: Ballard is obviously a year older, but JJM is bigger, faster, has better ability in build-up play (dribbling, movement passing etc) and better finishing. JJM is one of the best players in his age group in the country. He is incredibly consistent as a goalscorer and has played as a CF in a strike partnership for our academy, but also successfully as a lone striker for England. Ballard is a very good youth player, but doesn't have the physical attributes to create something with his speed or power, so he is at a disadvantage. Morgan has a bit more speed and the frame to bulk up a bit. So, I think (and I'm no authority) Ballard would likely become a starter in the Championship or League One (so a good squad player for us). JJM is a level above, but he isn't on the generational talent level that is usually required to be a starter at a club like Chelsea - but I could have seen him starting for a PL side like Southampton. Dibling, unlike Ballard and JJM who play as strikers, is a left-footed RW. He, frankly, does stuff that you rarely see youth players do. He has a bit of Bale about him when you see him strike the ball with his left - it can be an absolute rocket. He's big for a winger (must be 6ft+), has excellent ability with the ball. He looks like he could be playing for a CL club in the future. However, he clearly hasn't been consistent enough as he is still with the U18s this season. But, when he is playing well, like he did against Aston Villa U18s in the FA Youth Cup, he looks like a generational talent - with the Villa commentator that day comparing him to Grealish after 20 minutes (he went on to score two goals after that). I saw an England U16 game where he was pretty invisible, but if he can get consistency to his game then he will be the best of the lot. So, with Dibling, its hard to tell - the potential is higher than Morgan, but he doesn't have the consistency. Should mention that I think Kami Doyle, same year as Ballard, in the B team looks very good. He is a genuinly two-footed player that takes corners and free-kicks with both feet. I'm not sure what position is best for him as he doesn't have electric pace you would like from an attacker or the physicality you'd like from a CM. I guess CM, but will require some development. Meghoma and Boot are two other players in the U18s worth keeping an eye on. Same age group as Morgan and Dibling, they were pinched from Spurs and Bournemouth respectfully. Meghoma looks far better defensively (whilst being very good going forward) than Thierry Small at LB, who is a couple of years older than him, and Boot looks like a class CB - but that is a difficult position to evaluate at youth level.

More so his age and performances. By all accounts he was one of the best, if not the best, GKs in League One last season. He was in the PFA League One team of the year. He has also been very good for Ireland. The jump in shooting quality from League One to Premier League is obviously large. Personally, I think the rest of his game has been good (distribution, cross collection etc). He just doesn't look accustomed to this quality yet and his positioning and footwork have been poor at times. He also doesn't have the anticipation yet and sometimes goes to ground when he shouldn't. I have been an advocate for him to be benched since October, but it really isn't his fault. He should have been eased into the first XI better, behind an experienced keeper. We shouldn't be relying on a 20 year old keeper to save us from relegation - that's not fair to him. I assume that McCarthy's injury has scuppered the club's plans as he surely would have taken over if available.

We should dominate the ball, so play the 4222 the club is used to. I think that this is our absolute lowest priority right now and should be used for some debuts and needed minutes for some players. Shame Bednarek is Cup tied and ABK is still out. Bazunu Bree Lyanco Salisu Perraud JWP Diallo Doyle Orsic Adams Morgan Edit: Bree for AMN

My point was that he will be more likely to get a serious injury playing for the 1st team as he isn't physically ready. I shouldn't have said "ruins career" as well, the surgeries are so good these days that it is just missed time on the grass - and to this point I doubt players are moving to Chelsea etc for money, they know they will make far more if they can be regular PL starters and Chelsea have an excellent track record for that. I didn't say he would play zero football for the next year or two, as I doubt that is the plan. I said, and I meant the rest of the season, he would likely play cup games against lower league opposition, with possible late sub appearances. That is more than he will get anywhere else. Next season I could see us easing him in to the squad and could be a rotational 1st team player in 12 months time - like Ferguson at Brighton (although he is way off the physical development of Ferguson). So, during the hectic Christmas schedule next season I could see him starting games at 17 years old and playing 60 or so minutes. I doubt Chelsea would be offering far more than us. We must be offering decent money now as we have been pinching England youth players from Spurs and Bournemouth. It used to just be the likes of Yeovil. I assume that any move made is due to the player, family and agent believing it will be best for their development and future prospects. I doubt the strategy has changed. He is undeniably one of England's best players in his age group (born in 06), along with Dibling. They are two standout players for England and are as prospects probably the two most exciting players in our academy. We will get to see at the U17 Euros this Summer, but it is possible that they are some of the best players in their age group in the world. Southampton must rate him, him and Dibling are the two best talents we have had in a very long time. It is a shame Ralph has gone as he is suited to being a striker partner rather than a lone 9. Would other clubs rate him? I'm sure they would, but they will also have excellent similar talents on their books. Perhaps some a year or two older or younger, but I'm sure that he would not walk into their U21 teams like he does with us. Our model must allow us to compete with the big sides otherwise we wouldn't have been able to sign Livramento, Lavia, Larios, Edozie, ABK, Mara etc. We evidently offer decent wages, but crucially the opportunity to play. Morgan might be frustrated he isn't playing now, but he should be happy that there is only Mara and Adams ahead of him as pure strikers. It is a fantastic opportunity for any young player and should result in him getting far more minutes than anywhere else. But to answer your question, yes, evidently we offer a competitive contract.

He's not a year younger than Edozie, he is 3 years younger. 3 years younger than Tino. 2 years younger than Larios and Lavia. Notably he is 3 and a half years younger than Mara, who hasn't set the world on fire, and has so much more size and strength than (just turned 17) Morgan has now or likely will ever have. I've watched his games for Saints U18s, the B team, England U16 and U17s and he is clearly very good for his age group. However, Mara played 1 game in the B team and scored 4 goals looking like he was playing against my 5 a side team - and we have seen how much he has struggled for most of this season. Morgan has played well for the B team, but he hasn't truly dominated. He is clearly an intelligent and technically gifted player, but so far off PL football physically. He is developing well, there is no need to throw him out there against a PL side and do him harm. His performances, like Ballard and Doyle, have earned him opportunities in cup games against lower league opposition. Perhaps he can have a run around with 5 minutes to go in a few games, but if he seriously thinks that he is ready to contribute meaningfully then he is a bit deluded. Only one player younger than him has got on the pitch for a PL game and that is Ethan Nwaneri - who got 1 minute. Only one other player in Morgan's school year has got on the pitch and that's Ben Doak - and he has just made 2 sub appearances in the PL and 2 in the FA Cup - all 10 minutes. The reality is he can move to a Man City or Arsenal and be more likely to get to start a match against some Lithuanian side, or he could stay here where he is much more likely to be a full-time starter in 2 years time. I just don't know what this kid wants, if he goes out there, tears his ACL and ruins his career, then it would be hard to feel sorry for him when there is such a clear minimum age that every PL team abides by for good reason.