Eleven of the Best Young Footballers in England... (Football in General)

Name:

Hello doyoo user, You have to be logged in to use these functions... Login or register Close window

Product:	Football in General
Date:	02/05/01 (131 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Players will improve as they become more experienced...

Disadvantages: Players are getting younger and younger (signing contracts at daft ages such as seven), meaning that without luck they could tire themselves before their peak, also, may have enough money to retire @ such a young age, we do not see them at their best

It seems to me, that there’s been a “phase” of writing about favourite football players on dooyoo. So, instead of following the trend, I’ve decided to write about my favourite young players, the ones who I think will progress to be really big (although some already are…).

So, here’s my selection, and reasons why… (Playing in a 4-4-2 formation!)

**Goalkeeper: Paul Robinson, Leeds United FC.
- Robinson has to be an obvious choice for anyone picking a team like mine. I would say, never mind “young players” that he is perhaps the third or forth best goalkeeper in the Premiership, obviously behind Barthez and Martyn, which at his age is a great achievement. I’ve seen Robinson play a lot for Leeds’ reserves, and he obviously plays in the style of Martyn. At the moment, I do not think he is quite ready for the England first team, as he isn’t really experienced enough. I know many will argue that he has played, and well at that, against the likes of Manchester United and AC Milan whilst Martyn was out injured, but that is just my view. I feel, that Robinson’s best point would have to be his confidence, and I think he’ll stay at Leeds, he seems happy doing so now, when he could so easily be getting more regular first team football elsewhere.

**Defenders: Wesley Brown, Manchester United and England FC, short-listed for the Young Player of the Year award.
- After being out for a while least season, Brown has definitely established himself well. I had my doubts about Wes at first, but he is certainly a great defender. He has pace, which is a great asset, and also a very good tackler. I couldn’t really compare him to many other players, but he does, I feel, play with an ‘essence’ of Jaap Stam, his Manchester United team-mate. I would have to quote George Best whilst writing my opinion on Brown, in saying that
if Leeds defender Rio Ferdinand was worth £18.6 million, then Wes is definitely worth £25 million. Wes is already a regular under Sir Alex Ferguson, and is coming along well in the England National team.

Ashley Cole, Arsenal FC.
- Cole really is a fine left back, and I’m sure many Premiership teams would love him in their squad. Like Brown, Cole is a well established player in his first team, though unlike Brown he has had a lot of experience under some of England’s best defenders, Adams, Dixon and Keown, who were once the basis of the English team. Even though Cole has already been in much of the limelight, I think he will get more once those three other defenders mentioned tire, and he will outshine them. I have seen Cole many a time running up front with the midfield, and he is indeed a very skilful young man.

Michael Ball, Everton FC.
- Ball has played for the Toffees for a while now, and is very good. He is coming along nicely with Francis Jeffers, his Everton teammate, and soon enough he should be working his way into the England team. I think he really has drawn the short straw with Everton, because when a whole side isn’t performing (which Everton haven’t really been doing much of lately) a good player isn’t noticed as much, which is really Ball’s case. Overall though, Michael Ball really is a good all round defender, and he should deserve more credit than he’s getting, from more than just the Toffee’s fans.

Gareth Barry, Aston Villa FC.
- I haven’t seen much of Barry, but enough to predict that he will progress a lot further in his career. He is a great defender. He has been with Villa since a trainee, which does indeed show the stuff that the Birmingham team can produce. I’m not really sure whether Barry will stay with Villa, though I do think he may end up somewhere like Ipswich Town, because I would say his s
tyle of play fits in well with those there.

**Midfielders: Luke Chadwick, Manchester United FC.
- I find it strange, that Chadwick isn’t always on the Manchester United starting line up (or England’s for that matter…). When I first saw Chadwick play, I was surprised at his pace, that anyone can be so fast. Chadwick’s main problem has to be David Beckham (and I mean that in the kindest possible way). Chadwick is an inspirational player on the right, and in games such as the recent Manchester United Vs Bayern Munich match, he can change the way the play is going completely. In my opinion, Chadwick’s ideal partner would have to be Paul Scholes or Teddy Sheringham, as like Beckham he is very good at setting up goals. However, from another point of view you could say that Chadwick’s more like Ryan Giggs, because like Giggsy, Chadwick can make great runs into the middle and score, another reason in saying so, is because he can also play just as well on the left, as he has done in the absence of Ryan Giggs, though I felt when seeing him on the left, he did not seem as comfortable as he is on the right side of the pitch. There’s no doubt in my mind, that very soon, Chadwick’s name will be engraved in gold on the Old Trafford pitch.


Steven Gerrad, Liverpool and England FC, winner of the Young player of the Year award 2001.
- If I had to give a player in this team captaincy, it would have to be Gerrad that gets it. I personally feel, that even at the age of 20, Gerrad is a very influential player. As argued before, Gerrad is very like Roy Keane, a strong player, and very importantly, extremely determined. He may not play every single game exceptionally, though that may be down to fitness and stamina on a whole, however, when ever he plays at his highest ability, everyone knows, whether they be a fan or not, that he is a threat. Again, like Barry, I’m
not sure if he’ll stay with Liverpool, though I wouldn’t mind if he signed a life long contract with Burnley, but I’m not entirely sure that will ever happen (and we nearly got into the playoffs, *sighs!*). Whatever does happen though, right now, Gerrad’s one of the best midfielders in Britain.



Joe Cole, West Ham United and England FC
- There is one word that describes Cole, Excellent. In my opinion, the heart of the team is really the midfield; a lot of the best players are there (although I’m not saying there aren’t good players anywhere else in the team), and if this one were a real team, this would be a good one. Joe Cole, like Chadwick, is really an attacking midfielder, and he does very well. I’ve noticed, that Cole’s often quiet for most of a game, and comes out in fits and bursts when times are toughest for West Ham.

Michael Carrick, West Ham United FC
- I think West Ham has some of England’s best young players coming out of them, maybe behind Manchester United as they do (you can’t argue at this!) have one of the best youth systems in the country, Cole, Lampard, and the up and coming Michael Carrick. Carrick is undoubtedly a great midfielder, and I think his name will be better known if the Hammers progressed further up the Premiership table. Carrick is like Gerrad, a good tackler and indeed quite pacey.

**Forwards: Emile Heskey, Liverpool and England FC, short-listed for the Young Player of the Year award.
- Even though Heskey isn’t quite as young as the others, he was shortlisted for the Young player of the Year award (as I’ve already mentioned) so I guess that he counts. I personally do not like the former Leicester City player, but I have to have him in the team for sheer skill and ability. Although Heskey isn’t in the top five Premiership scorers (at the time of writing) he definitely
gets up fronts and gets the balls in the back of the net. I think Houllier has found him a great strike partner in Robbie Fowler, and Eriksson one in Cole.

Alan Smith, Leeds United FC, short-listed for the Young Player of the Year award.
- Smith is wonderful, but as everyone says his aggression lets him down, which did make me think about “dropping him” to the substitutes bench (Oh, how I love this manager lark!), him having 7 yellows and a red card. I personally think this is a lot, but then thinking again, I would never drop a player like Roy Keane for someone like Manchester United’s reserve team player Michael Stewart, so I’ll just have to accept Smith’s “background”, and hope he can get a fresh start! Smith is a very determined player, and I like the fact that he plays to the best of his ability at all times, never mind the opposition. There’s no doubt in my mind, that once Smith settles down, he’ll go further than he already has done.

**Substitutions (Well, I can’t have a proper team with out them!)
Nicky Weaver, Manchester City FC.
Ledley King, Tottenham Hotspur FC.
Kieron Dyer, Newcastle United FC.
Francis Jeffers, Everton FC.

**To conclude, I would like to say that a lot of these players are the best in Britain, even at their ages of 19-23 (which does show that footballers start earlier and retire earlier nowadays). I believe, that when a lot of players get a little more experience, they will make it into a future national team, and those that are not, will be first team regulars at their current clubs.
I think that Clubs such as Leeds and Liverpool, are looking to the future seasons (more Leeds than Liverpool) rather than the present one (although I realise it is practically over!). Teams such as Leeds and West Ham as I said earlier, consist of a lot of younf players, those which may take them to glory…

Anyway, that&#
8217;s about all for now, thankyou for reading, and I’ll be very grateful if you left your comments, especially if you disagree with me in any of my choices!

noodle.gorillaz2001©

Summary: