Young fogeys

[Dean Coneys boots 1,398]

I was quite shocked to realise that some of our “young” talent in the under 23s are actually far from young. Sean Ragget is 25, mason Bloomfield 22, Carlton Morris 23...

if they are not knocking on the first team door at that age, and loaned out to lower leagues, why are they on our books?

[hogesar 9,618]

Well we've probably made our money back on Raggett in just loan fees, so that probably answers your question. 

The other is of course that some players develop later. Others are simply just still under contract....

[wcorkcanary 4,329]

We are also developing players for profit, not necessarily  for the first team, we bring them on, at a relatively  small cost as the academy etc are up and running,  loan them out at a level that we think is appropriate,  if they do well, some team at that level will be interested.  A half million here , 250 k there, it all adds  up,  Man city , Chelsea and Ajax all do this, we are doing it, albeit  at a slightly  lower level, but it is a business.  

[ged in the onion bag 854]

1 hour ago, Dean Coneys boots said:

I was quite shocked to realise that some of our “young” talent in the under 23s are actually far from young. Sean Ragget is 25, mason Bloomfield 22, Carlton Morris 23...

if they are not knocking on the first team door at that age, and loaned out to lower leagues, why are they on our books?

Are you playing devil's advocate with this question?

[Dean Coneys boots 1,398]

Its a discussion forum. I was having one by posing a genuine question. 23 seems an age when one should be in or around the first team to me. 

[wcorkcanary 4,329]

7 minutes ago, Dean Coneys boots said:

Its a discussion forum. I was having one by posing a genuine question. 23 seems an age when one should be in or around the first team to me. 

A first team, not necessarily  ours. Theres a bigger picture  when running a self funded club. I strongly feel that we are moving in the right direction.  At the moment we are somewhere between Crewe and Ajax.

[glory.win or die. 270]

1 hour ago, Dean Coneys boots said:

I was quite shocked to realise that some of our “young” talent in the under 23s are actually far from young. Sean Ragget is 25, mason Bloomfield 22, Carlton Morris 23...

if they are not knocking on the first team door at that age, and loaned out to lower leagues, why are they on our books?

If you compare it to Germany and their bundesliga 2 sides many of those players are that sort of age, look at Zimmerman he was 24 I think when we signed him, and it seems quite common for players of tgat are to be in the 2nd teams 

[Nuff Said 5,092]

Plus we have one foot in the Premier League but still with an eye to the Championship at the moment. Look at Idah. He may well have played a bigger part this coming season if we hadn't been promoted (still might do). We have to maintain something of a twin track of young players right now.

[Bethnal Yellow and Green 1,557]

I think Raggert and Bloomfield are players Norwich saw that were very undervalued - Raggert had a very cheap release clause in his contract for example. I don't think the club ever really intended him to play for Norwich - he is pretty much the opposite of what Farke looks for in a centre back - but they saw a potential to 'flip' a player and make a profit from him. 

I suspect several of the young players the club have signed this summer are similar prospects, players the club feel they can make a bit of money from in the future. 

[Flying Dutchman 744]

1 hour ago, hogesar said:

Well we've probably made our money back on Raggett in just loan fees, so that probably answers your question. 

The other is of course that some players develop later. Others are simply just still under contract....

Exactly right Hog.

Jamie Vardy didn't really hit top Premier League form until about 27. I believe Miroslav Klose was about 25 before he hit form - neither of those turned out bad.

Ian Wright, N'Golo Kante, Didier Drogba, Stuart Pearce, even Paul Lambert to an extent

And as a Norwich fan, surely Grant Holt doesn't even need to be brought up for you to know that some players just hit it later.

They're just a few examples. Granted, they aren't all going to be the next Luca Toni, but to insinuate 'if you aren't knocking on the door at 23 you should be out' seems relatively short-sighted.

[hogesar 9,618]

53 minutes ago, Dean Coneys boots said:

Its a discussion forum. I was having one by posing a genuine question. 23 seems an age when one should be in or around the first team to me. 

Well, you've been given a whole host of reasons most of which were fairly obvious..

[BigFish 1,986]

11 minutes ago, Bethnal Yellow and Green said:

I think Raggert and Bloomfield are players Norwich saw that were very undervalued - Raggert had a very cheap release clause in his contract for example. I don't think the club ever really intended him to play for Norwich - he is pretty much the opposite of what Farke looks for in a centre back - but they saw a potential to 'flip' a player and make a profit from him. 

I suspect several of the young players the club have signed this summer are similar prospects, players the club feel they can make a bit of money from in the future. 

Same for Patrick Roberts (22), I suspect that Man City think there is zero chance of him ever being a major part of their Prem squad but they are retaining him and farming him out. Shows our place in the food chain as well.