Luke Freeman scored the winner for an Arsenal XI against the Republic of Ireland Under 19’s this afternoon. The Gunners hosted the Irish youth side at London Colney but there was little hospitality Arsenal as ran out 1-0 winners.
The side had a largly young feel to it, with captain Luke Ayling one of the older statesman in a side which included Under 18 captain Cedric Evina and young Spanish defender Ignasi Miquel. Freeman’s decisive strike was his 17th of the season.
henri lansbury didnt make the bench in the U21’s. Is there another reason for this or is he not good enough atm?
looks like he’s gone for the more experienced players who’ve played in prem
Watching England u21s, playing poor so far, Wilshere not really involved. Why is Pearce playing with 3 DMs??
because hes a typical fucking english pundit at heart where strength and fouls are the only tactic that can win you a game.
Spot on alex
Well said no.9!
yeah – bang on number 9..i spent 4 years being coached in spain. compared to my english coaches, it was light years ahead. i learned nothing about technique in england.nothing.
this england side has no pace from the midfield up!??
Pearce is a terrible coach, plays 3 pure ball winners in CM then sticks is only playmaker on flank while long ball to him.
Being half English, half Spanish (I support England though), I would have no problem with England getting pummelled by technically superior sides at the WC, just to teach all those lame rent-a-gobs a lesson. Kick-and-rush, in your face football only gets you so far.
2-0 now to Greece, Wilshere nearly scored after neat skill.
Why is Cruise in the U-19 squad but no Bartley? That’s very weird, and almost shocking that Bartley doesn’t get the chance.
Bartley has backed out of the last few Under-19 games when selected. Anyway, England are well equipped in that position for the Under-19’s. Bartley will probably get another call in the next game though, if he keeps doing well for Sheffield United.
isn’t bartley out on loan?
eastmond should be somewhere aswell.
I think he’s a backup for Song right now
when Norvedit gets back then I think he will be send out
listen no9 just becuase lansbury didnt make the bench it doesnt mean u should assume its becuase not good enough. Did u think he could be injured you doughnut.
“henri lansbury didnt make the bench in the U21’s. Is there another reason for this or is he not good enough atm?”
aaron10
erm your one of those people who immediatly jumps down other peoples throats trying to act all high and mighty arnt you. If you read it again it does say is there another reason for this.
Lansbury is 19 and he’s playing in the under 21 rather than under 19 that is an achievement in itself and I think the coach preferred wilshere over Lansbury
and since he plays 3 DM make Lansbury inclusion in the team pretty hard
and Jay Simpson in U21s, could go on and on
YESSSSS DEFO!!!!!!!
Lads, perhaps the debate should be : is it better for Arsenal that these kids don’t get call ups?
On the 1 hand they get less tired, less chance for injury, less poor coaching[!].
On the other, their confidence might take a knock and they might not see themselves as the big name players and we know this sort of arrogance really helps at the top tier. They won’t be brought in on big transfer fees either as we already have them here! So how do they come to believe they are the best?
This said, beating an Ireland u-19 must go some way to convincing them that they are international quality even if they don’t get called up to the proper squad!
I think if a player doesn’t get called up than he’s motivated to get called up next time and he works harder to get called up
Almost all of arsenal youth represent their national team right now and that shows how good this team really is
peirce is doing the right thing… the u21 is a step up befor the real england squad and ryt now we havelampard, gerrard and barry for holding. who young is going to step up?….. well its peirces job to find the ryt youngsters! so he is doing what he can to find the ryt DM!!
Good on Freeman and the Arsenal XI. Well done lads.
As people like Supergunner, Dooop23, Sharpovic and others may already know (we’ve had this discussion on here before). Stuart Pearce is, and always will be, an absolutley shit manager who’s stuck in the stone age. It’s already been mentioned by Alex so i won’t go into today’s game but his tactics and team selection’s never surprise me. I knew the youngsters would lose this game as soon as i saw the line-up. Greece, although a little decent, are by no means a good side but made England look poor.
Anyone still upset we missed out on Smalling? Did you see the second Greek goal? Hilarious.
People like Walker, Bertrand, Muamba and Loach will NEVER be International class and would only receive the odd few senior caps if there’s an absolute clown such as Pearce or someone of his (or Graham Taylor’s, for that matter) calibre in charge (which would be a catastrophe).
As for Kyle Bartley and not getting named in the under 19’s. Yes it’s a joke but Noel Blake (another who’s not up to it) must truly believe he has better players available to him in that squad. Tom Cruise was actually deployed in CM and apparently had a good game.
Yh i am still a lil upset bout the old smalling thing bt then we do have johan, nordvet and bartley cuming through soo that willkeep them on there feet. but johan is better than smalling all day long! hes awsum!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think Barley is too young to be involved in the first team right now
Norvedit for me should be a DM because his reading of the game is incredible and that is one quality a midfielders really needs
Bartley should be considered for the under 21s rather than just the under 19s
Smalling maybe a good defender but Bartley for me is better than him the only reason Smalling was playing in the under 21 is because of the hype surrounding him
Kyle Bartley, Craig Eastmond, Jay Emmanuel-Thomas, Henri Lansbury and Jay Simpson should ALL be regulars in their respective England youth teams.
I think Pearce’s team selection is pathetic too, it’s almost as if he’s saying “Damn, don’t know which defensive mid to pick… Maybe I can just use all of them! :D” Wilshere and what other playmaker and striker are just bound to be isolated. How are the likes of Welbeck, Moses and Wilshere meant to get a fair chance on the international stage now? The FA should seriously reconsider their managerial set up for the U-21s. Playing 3 DMs is like going for the draw straight from the off.
Eastmond would have to be in the U-21 as he is too old for the U-19. Frankly, despite his lack of technique, I think Muamba is a superior player to Eastmond, and much more experienced (his fourth whole season as a first team starter). And JET as well, he is not U-21 quality, and I’m not sure about Simpson either though he must have been on the verge of the squad. I do agree on Bartley and Lansbury though.
Eastmond is 19 so he can still play for under 19 can’t he and the same goes for JET and Barltey
the only players I think should be considered for the under 21 is SImpsons and Lansbury since both of them are doing an awesome job for their clubs in the championship.
Stuart Pierce had a squad including Walcott, Hart, Abonglahor, Huddelstone, Gibbs, Micha Richards, Adam Johnson and he produced a team with absolutly no clue how to pass the ball and no attacking play.
Then he was playing Catermole, Muamba and Huddlestone in the middle. Not realy needed as Muamba and Catermole both being the same type of player.
If he ever gets the sack does anyone else think they might try to nick Steve Bould off us. He is the English manager who looks at technique.
Oh, havent crossed my mind. I sure hope not, but it would make sense.
My thoughts exactly. He has to sacrifice Muamba for Cattermole as the latter is the better player. He will never be sacked though as he’s seen as a national hero (they love the passion you see). If they did get Bouldy to take the team some time in the future though, i can guarantee he’ll deliver success, he’s that good.
Steve Bould I think would be the best replacement for Peirce and I think Wenger will probably ask Berkghamp to take over the job his job since he wants to come back.
Since we are talking about our coaching staff I would love to see wenger bring Mr. Arsenal (tony adams) as our defense coach.
we lack organization and I think Adams can he really help us plug the holes in our defense and with our attacking talent we will once again rule England and maybe Europe.
Man whoever thought Bould could be in the mix is a geniius. I just hope that it doesn’t happen. I’ve seen a lot of under 21 matches and they really don’t know how to pass the ball. And he has had some very high class players. There is nothing wrong with a little guts and passion. But when you have the pick of the youth of an entire country, then there is no excuse for relying on guts alone. If England were a country with the talent pool of Estonia (no offense) then he would have a leg to stand on. I doubt the FA will sack him. Which is fine ,as long as our young players are well aware that the man is a jackass and doesn’t have a clue about how to select a youth national team. Kind of like “Pay no attention to that idiot over there. Don’t be heartbroken if you aren’t selected, and don’t be heartbroken if you are selected but you aren’t used properly or you are put on the bench” Kinda like that :D
good report on the game
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/world-cup-2010/teams/england/7360572/England-U21-1-Greece-U21-2-match-report.html
This is good. Luke Freeman is showing some good signs and promise
Smalling for the second goal was a bad joke. I might sound bitter but I’m glad we didn’t get him if this is his standard. Muamba clearly ball watching and rooted to the ground through his heels for the first goal. And Delfouneso was offside for the England consolation. Did anybody watch the game? How did Wilshere fare? Seems like it wasn’t his ideal tactics to play in.
It wasn’t but he was still clearly England’s most brightest/creative spark. He tried to make things happen but the Greeks were well organised.
Smalling is not a bad player if he was then Fergie and Wenger would never have gone on a bidding war for him.
The good thing is that we Djoururu is a much better player than Smalling and about the same height and behind him we have Bartley and maybe Stefan aswell
I didn’t write Norvedit because I think he’s better as a DM player rather than as a CB
3 Mar 2010 @ 6:29 pm
comment by Stone
Eastmond would have to be in the U-21 as he is too old for the U-19. Frankly, despite his lack of technique, I think Muamba is a superior player to Eastmond, and much more experienced (his fourth whole season as a first team starter). And JET as well, he is not U-21 quality, and I’m not sure about Simpson either though he must have been on the verge of the squad. I do agree on Bartley and Lansbury though.
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I gotta disagree mate. Like someone has said before, at this level and below, it’s all about developing the players and grooming them for the seniors. People like Muamba will never be International class (a bit like how Carlton Palmer was never International class), yet he is selected ahead of bright prospects like our very own Eastmond and Lansbury. JET has a LOT of potential. He has his detractors but he could be very special. Like Brooking said a long time ago, this country needs to focus much more on the technical side of the game if they are to ever taste success. They really need to get some proper managers in as well, not Stuart Pearce. I wouldn’t mind if Bouldy did the under 21’s on a temporary basis, as long as they don’t take him completely off our hands, but i doubt the F.A would entertain that idea. Another who will do a good job with them is Steve McClaren (seriously) or Sean O’Driscoll. I would say Hodgson but there’s no chance at all they can prise him away from Fulham. There are a lot of really talented young English lads at clubs all over this country but they’re not gonna get the chance as long as the manager chooses the big brutes and kick and run football over ‘proper’ football. I would have gone with something like this with what Pearce had available, for what’s it’s worth:
Fielding (Loach is way too dodgy, give this kid a chance)
Richards – Tomkins – Smalling – Bertrand
Rodwell
Cattermole
Wilshere
Cleverley Sturridge/Delfouneso
Carroll
It’s not much different to what Pearce went with but there’s more variety, pace and creativity. I would have also deployed a shorter game despite Carroll being a huge lump as he can actually play. I would have the likes of Wilshere, Cleverley and Sturridge/Delfouneso interchanging while Carroll would act as the target man and Rodwell and Cattermole taking turns to support the attacks. They could have easily beaten the Greeks but like that article that Alex posted states, Pearce was far too cautious in his team selection. I’m glad they’re berating him.
I agree that it should be but at the U-21 level, people are serious. England really want to go to the European championship. If you’d ask Pearce he’d probably not agree that he was a developing manager, but a manager to get results.
However, a change must be made. Capello should be put in charge of the youth team coach hiring.
Hey guys,
I’m just a grateful lurker who appreciates your obviously assiduous and learned perspectives on something I, as an American, have absolutely no other outlet to experience: the future Arsenal starters. It just seems to me, again, as a layman, that this Luke Freeman’s games/goals ratio is insane. Completely atypical. Could he be our own version of Ruud Van Nistleroy in future?
Why Stuart Pearce started the game with three defensive midfielders i just do not get it, especially considering that both Fabrice Muamba and Lee Catermole are not very good at passing the ball which immediately put us on the back foot, P.S he should have played Henri Lansbury along side Jack Rodwell instead because at least those two particular football players know how to pass the ball.
100 % agree with you TJ.
The way Pearce is making England play is hopeless. He will never learn
For once we have some good young players, with Lansbury, JET, WIlshere, Moses, Sturridge. Bould would be brillant, I’m 100% sure about it. He probably is the most promising coach in England, I know he is just coaching arsenal u18, but the way he sees football is just what we’re missing right now.
Unfortunately the FA Mafia will never appoint him
Steve bould says it time and time again that his job is to develop players wheres Pierece just wants results and thats the difference between him and Pierce.
The funny thing is that Bould hardly ever loses even with all the rotations and the way we play whereas Pierce as we all know is a typical English manager but some manager don’t have the players to play proper football but Pierce does and he still chooses the stone age style of football and he still loses
Sack him FA and put bould in charge we can get Berkhamp or even Adams to coach our youth side.
I have a feeling bould will coach the Arsenal first team after Wenger, even if its temporary.
I would actually like that.
I think some coaches dont want that much pressure on their shoulders they have happy to be on the wings and just be coaching players.
He might take over the reserves but not a first team coach because then he would have become an assistant manager.
And he might not be as reluctant to spend in the transfer market. Course not saying Wenger should splash crazily, but he does need to buy a lot more.
who really knows how much wenger really has to spend
And people forget that its not only about the transfer fess but also the wages
Just by extending current contract this year we have increased our wage bill by 8 million dollars.
I think wenger has done something manager can only dream off.
Most of our first team players were bought for next to nothing and I think we can all see that 99% of them will go on to become first team players.
Here’s the proof of wengers genius
——————————–Almunia
Sagna ———– Gallas ———— Vermaelen ——— Clichy
——— Fabregas ———— Song —————– Diaby——-
Walcott ——————- Van Persie ——————- Arshavin
This is our best team and from all these players I think only
Arshavin costed us more than 10 million in transfer fees
All the others were for next to nothing.
He sure gets my vote. He knows the players and style of play they’ve been brought up on. He also seems to be a better motivator than Wenger.
YO GUYS, WHO KNOWS WHAT HAPPENED TO Dimutru Copil?
True.
I love the fact that he constantly does the development along with neil and steve.
Knowing and nurturing players from a very young age really helps
does anyone have any vids of freeman??
you can watch the youth and reserve games on arsenal TV but other than you wont find any since he’s still young.
Maybe we will see him in preseason next year or he might even go out on loan.
Heeeeeeeeellll NOOOOOOOOooo!!!!!!
Bould should never coach the national. If he goes to the national we will lose him for the academy and do we really want that? I’m pretty sure he is more happy in Arsenal where he can hang out with the guys every week and make them become professionals. He is doing more for England right now than Pearce will ever do. Without Bould our academy will not be as good.
If he goes to the National U21 he should only be there to assist but certainly not full time. He must be so proud to see so many premier leauge and championship players coming from the academy. He should be our first team manager in the future. He must have learnt so much working with Wenger in so many years now.
I need my daily fix!!:D Where’s the next article??:D haha lol
Wilshere starts and Thomas scored for Doncaster after 2 minutes.
Wilshere scored the second for Bolton hell yeah
Thomas with his second goal, Bristol 2-4 Doncaster