Can tell Clarke-Souter has done some work with the the first team.

Sterling needs to watch himself, am all for putting it about but it has to put it about in a smarter way

Nobody wants to see our youth being given a chance in the first team squad more than I do, but I have to be brutally honest and say none of this current crop look close to being ready.
Yes, we looked slightly better on the ball than City, but it was all a bit predictable and pragmatic with very little real flair or imagination.
I was hoping to see at least one player look like they were a first team squad player looking out of place amongst these players, but there were none.
Maybe we should shift the emphasis from building successful youth teams, to trying to produce a few, high quality individuals instead?

I'm not convinced that the standard of this level of football is that great across the board.
These players generally get far better experience out on loan.
Let's be honest, however great your youth team is only a handful are ever likely to be first team players.
The notion of a factory as such producing top class players ain't going to happen.

Abraham was a big miss for us. Very important player for us. Hopefully he will be back for the next leg.

He is one that in a couple of years I expect to see getting closer to the first team before some of the others

Disappointing performance in many aspects but looking at previous games its more then likely one of those things rather then the norm

You are correct about the standard of football.
For the top two clubs who have spent a huge amount of money on youth development, the quality on display was rather dissapointing. Some of the look like they'll struggle to make it as a pro never mind at Chelsea or City.
One has to ask whether or not in this day and age it's worth the top clubs spending so much time and money on a youth system?

If you base it on only if the players get into your first team then no but if you take into account other things for example while many from last night wont make the first team many more will go on to have decent careers at other clubs and we can make money that way then its worth having.

They are useful to have as a business as long as we don't think of them as something that will supply the first team and provide us with the next Messi for nothing. They have their plus points and minus points but I think we will get at least a couple of decent squad players and a decent first teamer often enough to make it worth while

I read an interesting article about one of the loanees, can't remember his name.

He said even if he never makes the first team, being at the club has taught him how to be a footballer and will be invaluable to his future.

Think that's the whole point of it. If on the way the club makes money and maybe finds a star then it's all worthwhile.

You only have to do the maths to see that we (and other top clubs) are not going to find many quality first team players through our own youth system.
Say twenty top clubs around Europe, squads of about 25 players, that's around 500 players at any one time who have reached the level required to be even considered good enough. That sounds a lot, but when you consider the number of youngsters around the globe who are trying to break through its a tiny number who make it to the top.
Other clubs benefit through the trickle down of talented young players who don't make the grade, and we (hopefully) make a small profit and occasionally find the odd gem that makes it all worth while.

And that's the key IMO to the whole thing.

It don't matter if its for the under 10's or the under 21's every body signed by Chelsea has the "talent" to be a professional footballer, We don't just pop along to the local park and hand out signing forms. The whole youth team set up has to be about education, That will always be more important with regards to make it at any level but even more so at the very top level, Give me a intelligent player with a good education over a talented player any-time.

Are we going to see this entire (or any youth team) entirely play for the first team? Not a chance but what we can do is pick the cream and the rest of them having very good careers thought the world of football and showing the benefits of the Chelsea youth system so that future prospects will pick signing for Chelsea over other teams youth systems.
.

Costas anonimous, & as for Mikel, well.

Hazard, cesc and Willian back in form!

Yep because of one game against Bournmouth.

Really?

I'm watching stones in the cup semi final.

Awful. Please let us not pay 50 million for this garbage

And Lukaku, showed why we shouldn't even think about re-signing him. A poor first touch and his reactions are just to slow for the very top level.
He will have a very good career at a Euro League level team, but he is not a top level striker.

Think your right. I think I have seen him miss more pens than score them. Surprised he took them to be honest.

Lukaku went for glory when he should have passed for a tap in, that angers me so much!

Is it true that Hazard has only scored two league goals this season and both of them were against Bournemouth

Think you already know the answer to that seeing as you declared him the worst player of the season last week..

He is still only 22 years old though, same age as Bamford.
I think it depends what we are looking for. There can't be many big, powerful frontmen around with his potential, and there's still a chance he could emulate his hero, Drogba.
Despite his misses today, I admired his persistence. He always posed a threat and that's more than some highly rated established strikers can do consistently.
It would be a gamble though, Everton will want silly money.

I certainly wouldn't bother with Stones. He's still getting some of the basics wrong and we can't afford a season coaching him "on the job". He's undoubtedly got talent but he's still getting his positioning wrong and often looks far too casual on the ball. You could probably live with that further foward, but not with a CB. Let Everton finish the job, then go in with a big offer if he makes grade.

And it's not even half-term

Surprised he wants Leicester to win it after that dreadful Vardy double tackle that put him out for weeks. (partly the refs fault for not penalising the first one)

Again the word potential.

You don't want to pay 50 million for potential, you pay that fee for the very best at the top of their game.

Yeah cos the fans would all love him more if he said Spurs......

What has that got to do with anything?

Nobody wants to pay 50M for any player.

What is your realistic value on him?

Yes, but you could say that Lukaku has already achieved much of that potential. Scoring 60 goals in 130 appearances in the PL with WBA and Everton is impressive whichever way you look at it. He's already a £30/35m striker (in my opinion) the gamble would be on whether he can make that extra step up.
I'm not saying we should try to buy him, but I don't think it would be the worst decision we could make.