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Saints U23s vs Newcastle U23s - PL 2 Div 2 Play off Final


trousers

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Really enjoyed that last night, good game and the lads looked really committed, good team spirit as well.

Vokins, Slattery and N'Lundulu were the stand out players for me.

Shame to only get a crowd of 1,552 considering what was at stake in the game, nice weather and tickets were free.

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Christoph Klarer is still only 18 and already he looks like the most talented central defender at the club.

 

How far off being in contention for the first team would you say he is? 18/19 would be very young for a PL CB, but the likes of Gomez and Stones started at that age, so not impossible if he's an exceptional talent. That said, you pretty much only have to be mobile and semi-conscious to qualify as the most talented central defender at Saints at the moment.

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I'd say he still has some growing to do but the potential is there.

 

I only say the last part of the game but I thought that Marcus Barnes did OK in the air against taller centre backs.Not as physically imposing as N'Lundulu but he puts himself about a bit.

 

Incidentally isn't it nice not to have a reserve team entirely of blond midgets as in the past!

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Very enjoyable match to watch although Newcastle looked a bit one dimensional all evening and quite physical with not a lot of creative flair on display. We deserved to win as by and large we were a far better team. O'Connor, Klarer & Vokins continue to impress.

 

Ramsey like Valery seems to have this gift of stumbling through tackles with the ball still at his feet even when closely marked and can run so it will be a headache for Ralph to have to choose between them in the years ahead. Valery is at the moment clearly better, Ramsey's positional sense and passing decisions need to be worked on.

 

N’Lundulu looks like he will be a handful, he has pace, strength and height and willing to battle for everything. He was great target man last night actually winning most of the high balls aimed at him and although not yet the finished article he does look like a decent prospect in the Lukaku mold. He also has a great sounding name for a top striker!

 

Nobody played badly and all could be possible candidates for first team squad selection in the next couple of years but we know that all will not make it which just goes to show how fine the margins are at this level. The two or three players who have played a game in the PL were not obviously superior to the others last night. In fact one of them, Tyreke Johnson looked a bit lost apart from being in the right place to help score our second goal.

 

Great turn-out but more should have made the effort as these lads are part of our future. A very good way to spend a fine spring evening in the sunshine and for free!

 

Well done lads.

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How far off being in contention for the first team would you say he is? 18/19 would be very young for a PL CB, but the likes of Gomez and Stones started at that age, so not impossible if he's an exceptional talent. That said, you pretty much only have to be mobile and semi-conscious to qualify as the most talented central defender at Saints at the moment.

 

He reminds me of Tony Adams, who made his Arsenal first team debut at 17. He is physically very commanding, reads the game well and he's a good passer. But, normally, central defenders peak in their late 20s, so he has a long way to go. Maybe he'll get a chance in a League Cup game in the next year or two?

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Pleased that the kids will be playing at a higher level next season, but I didn't think there was really a lot of quality on show. It was hoofball o'clock for much of the time.

 

O'Connor has caught the eye - comfortable in possession, has played at the back as well as in midfield. Could he potentially be a ball playing holding midfielder? Might need a bit more oomph in his tackling.

 

Vokins looks busy and punchy down the left.

 

Klarer has done okay, albeit lacks pace.

 

Not sure there's much else to write home about.

 

More than happy to be proven wrong.

 

Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

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I thought Alfie Jones was very good yesterday. Interesting to see if he gets first team opportunities next year.

 

Also felt it was noticeable how the midfield went to pieces when slattery was withdrawn.

 

I agree totally and I thought Klarer, O'Connor and Dan N'Landulu in particular had good games.

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