Hump

You can answer that question when he stops scoring. 

It is very much easier for a boy to achieve international recognition if he is not English, and although I commend the lads who are both in the Irish and Scottish Youth set ups we tend to ignore the english lads at the Academy who are as good if not better but because of birth and an abundance of premier english players get no opportunity at this level. Because of the kuodos which this international recognition gives the Academy and the Manager these boys seem to be seen as the better players which they may not be.If all our boys qualified for any home nation apart from England they would all enjoy this status-in fact any player however good if Welsh would be having a chance in their senior side. Please do not get carried away by international youth team Managers who are hyping up these boys to increase their market worth.We then see our own supporters calling for a boy who they have read about but never seen play to come into the 1st team. Chris Martin has done well without any at present recognition and people say where did he come from?      Ther are others in lots of clubs including Norwich who have good players and I hope their lack of international status gives them an even chance in the game,we have some at Norwich !!!  

Father is scottish!

The difference is that Martin is Scottish and was not a favourite of Nigel Worthington. Any youngster who seemed to be promising under NW has not had a look in particularly Spillane.PG seems to be determined to have his own clan at Carrow Road  

Cave Brown looked shocking against Ipswich Reserves last week,best right back in club is the one in the academy

Have you considered who else from the Academy will get 1st year pro contracts apart from Chris Martin

Please if there is a God let that be true. This bloke has taken the his scottish obsession to an unhealthy level .Tell him to keep going up the A1 tonight instead of turning right

Its Strange that however poor a player you are if you score a goal you are the savior of the first team. and any one who scores two goals is moved to a status of a god by a certain sector of our supporters.Well done Chris Martin but even this lad is a long way from the finished article and Seb Mudell even further. There are some very good lads coming through but Mr Grant in IMO is  using Martin to de-flect criticism and publicity away from his own lack of managerial ability, I hope Martin does not suffer as a consequence.It is easy to play a lad up front as sheer enthusiasm will carry the day and masked the real problems with the team but already we see him playing out of position, how long before it affects the lad. Latest Pink'' un headlines are putting too much presurre on the lad. What next ?  

He is his vocal coach

Charlies dad -I know you take an interest and normally send a report-but you really did miss a great match

Who said you can''t win anything with Kids. He has turned a sows ear of a reserve team into a silk purse,lets hope Grant opens it    Ricky Martin For Manager

Well done Ricky Martin the new reserve team Manager, another victory and unbeaten under his control,look out Peter Grant. In a thoroughly entertaining game watched by over 2200 people. Norwich took time to settle against a very experienced Ipswich side containing several 1st teamers including the mercurial Billy Clarke. We were slightly fortunate to go into the break at 2-1 ahead but who cares.However I found the second half a revelation and we completely dominated and embarassed Town and were well worth the win and it could have been more but for their keeper. The young city side passed the ball with confidence and made several ipswich players look second rate, this must be thanks to the Managers half time talk. The 4 pros all contributed well. Eagle full of running ,Spillane combative and enthusiastic, Lewis excellent all night and Cave Brown slightly off the pace but expected after his long lay off and the slower pace at Kings Lynn.Spillane looks like his potential is starting to come through and should be given a chance soon. For me the highlights from the youngsters were the pace of Bally Smart who destroyed the left back ( an England International?). This boy is quick, really quick and if he can learn to use this pace will terrorise defences. The slight lad Bexfield in Midfield after a hesitant first half was awesome in the second with lung bursting run after run into space and the constant harrowing of their midfield and his desire to mix it with some big names and players impressive ( are you listening Etuhu).The stiker Seb Muddell was also impressive with his two goals and looks like a good back up for Chris Martin. Kris Renton the young Scottish boy did nothing wrong against experienced well paid defenders and if he gets any bigger will be a real handful.( very similar to Chris Martin who i thought it was at first) A watching Peter Grant  would have been well pleased with Rickys boys( who needs Keith Webb) and some of them will give him great options for this and the next year.The future last night looked pretty rosy from a city perspective but poor old Town you may be going down if this is your backup.  The Ghost of Danny Haynes was finally laid to rest last night and some ot these boys will haunt Town in the future,which is very Yellow

There is a reserve game tomorrow night will any of the 1st team appear.Could be a tough game for the youngsters

In most business cases if you were to continually employ people of a particular nationality or culture you might be accussed of discrimination. It also appears that we do not advertise all the positions that are vacant. I would appreciate if someone who is more qualified than me could shed some light on this. Are we employing people based on ability or on their nationality and are football clubs allowed to operate in a different way

I think spurs are interested in a couple of the other academy boys who have yet to make a break through,and that has been on going for a couple of months.Both lads have been watched all season 

The main problem with most clubs is that the 2 year scholarships for the Academy players finish at 18.A decision is then made as to whether a pro contract is offered or they are released.This decision is based on where they are at that moment in their developement. If you are Rooney you are fully developed physically at 16 and able to compete against stronger players, if not even though you may have the ability and pace and technical awareness you are cast aside to the lower leagues where the emphasis is even more on strength and power and less on technique. These players fed up with a constant battering from thugs at maybe conference level leave the game as they are deemed lightweight. Some who persevere return at 21/22 years of age  to carve out lucrative careers in football others move abroad where their technical ability is rewarded.Some even return to haunt the clubs that released them,but the majority through a lack of care disappear into the abyss. Chris Martin features at present not completely because of his ability but because he is physically ready for the demands of a championship game,he is at present able to compete,others by comparison suffer in partricular the likes of Eagle and Fisk.  Why do clubs who spend fortunes with boys from the age of 8 suddenly cast them aside because they did not mature at exactly the correct time.Patience would be a virtue with these clubs but because of the need for instant success and teenage stars they miss a trick.This then explains why clubs like ours spend money on 24 year olds who no one knows when maybe we should wait for our own home grown talents which may need a extra one or two years to mature.

Just too slow full stop

You need to allow for who he signs pro from the Academy

As there are so few Reserve games, is there a Norfolk Cup competition that we could enter?. At least it would give some local interest playing the likes of Kings Lynn,  Dereham or Fakenham etc.Might even spot some talent we have missed. Can anyone answer the question

Pleased that Martin did well-There a couple more lads on the academy that will do just as good a job and show how desperate some of our players are.These boys play in the premier Academy league which is played at the highest tempo imo of any football and this is why they look good. They are quicker fitter leaner and keener. However if not played they slowly drop to the level of players like Thorne whose attitude is bound to influenece them once they train with him. They play against the best youth in the country every week they are ready. Ship out the Rubbish and lets get excited by raw honest talent that wants to play for the sake of playing not for the money.Now is a perfect chance to seize the moment and keep the momentum going. PS Dear Peter Grant ..Why do we have two ears and one mouth?   

I believe the captain of the Titanic said something similar

The boy has been a pro for nearly two years and does not play Youth football just check on the Foncy site. Seems that PG is clearly not up to date on who his squad are ( he stated in the interview that he has not been around the 1st team Squad, i think if Peter opened his eyes he might see him  training with them every day - UNbelievable crap). Either he is good enough or not. I remember him playing in the first team last year has he gone that far backwards- i don''t think so- it is just another case of keeping them out of the team together with the rest of the boys.Show us where your balls are and take a chance Grant.

He is a Centre Half and that is where he plays for Ireland.On a big  4 year contract why would nt the manager play him? Sounds like maybe he needs to go on loan and earn his money

I am going up north next week does he need a lift

We were exclude from the premier reserve league because all the Premier sides did not want to play against Championship sides and their league became North and South.When we get promoted we go back in.