Academy

[AJ]

Originally Posted by Spindle

He's not going to get taller if he's 17.

How do you know? I grew an inch or more after i was 18.

[Palace43]

Whitworth has looked like a really good prospect for a couple of seasons now. Which is really good considering Goodman is meant to be rated highly as well.

He’s made the step up to U23 football really well. Obviously there are the concerns on this board about his height but if top professional coaches at both Palace and England are selecting and picking him then they obviously see no issue! Maybe next season he could get loan at a professional club so that he gets his next step up.

I’m sure a pro conference team/league 2 team wouldn’t be turning down an England U18 player!

[LuieJack]

Far too much is made of the physical build of footballers, yes in a perfect world they would be 6ft plus especially midfielders. But one look at Gilmour at Chelsea/Norwich and that changes all that myth and is certainly not holding his career back, and he is just One of many. As they say if you are good enough then you are old enough, and in this case "big" enough.

[GreatGonzo]

Originally Posted by LuieJack

Far too much is made of the physical build of footballers, yes in a perfect world they would be 6ft plus especially midfielders. But one look at Gilmour at Chelsea/Norwich and that changes all that myth and is certainly not holding his career back, and he is just One of many. As they say if you are good enough then you are old enough, and in this case "big" enough.

Bit different outfield and in goal. The reach that comes with extra height can be very important and the fact they need to claim or punch so much in the air those inches matter. The question is whether his other attributes compensate enough or not.

[churley1988]

Originally Posted by LuieJack

Far too much is made of the physical build of footballers, yes in a perfect world they would be 6ft plus especially midfielders. But one look at Gilmour at Chelsea/Norwich and that changes all that myth and is certainly not holding his career back, and he is just One of many. As they say if you are good enough then you are old enough, and in this case "big" enough.

Gilmour’s done absolutely nothing at Norwich and will go back to Chelsea in January if the new manager doesn’t play him. I get what you’re saying but that’s not a great example

[BovrilDan]

Originally Posted by churley1988

Gilmour’s done absolutely nothing at Norwich and will go back to Chelsea in January if the new manager doesn’t play him. I get what you’re saying but that’s not a great example

I think Gilmour maybe our bargaining chip for next Season when Gallagher goes back. After the success`s of RLC and Gallagher, Gilmour could be the next on list for us to help Chelsea improve one of their players.

[Stinger1]

Originally Posted by BovrilDan

I think Gilmour maybe our bargaining chip for next Season when Gallagher goes back. After the success`s of RLC and Gallagher, Gilmour could be the next on list for us to help Chelsea improve one of their players.

We are already a bit of a small team and if we want to fit Eze, Olise, Zaha and Edouard into the team our defensive midfielder can't be 5ft 7.

I'd be very surprised if we had any sort of interest in him in the summer and I'd much rather us pursue someone of Kouyate's build that's a little better on the ball.

[Eddie McGoldrick's tash]

Originally Posted by AJ

How do you know? I grew an inch or more after i was 18.

Most boys don't grow after 16. But of course he might.

[AJ]

Originally Posted by LuieJack

Far too much is made of the physical build of footballers, yes in a perfect world they would be 6ft plus especially midfielders. But one look at Gilmour at Chelsea/Norwich and that changes all that myth and is certainly not holding his career back, and he is just One of many. As they say if you are good enough then you are old enough, and in this case "big" enough.

It depends on how commanding you are in the box. Guaita does not command his box well at all and at times it it hard to believe he is 6.3. A goalkeeper with his arms up above his head should add another foot to his height and with jumping should be able to reach higher than any player trying to head the ball. Pickford of England is only 6.1 but that doesn't appear to be an issue. Peter Shilton, 6.0 and Gordon Banks 6.1 didn't seem to suffer from not being 4 or 5 inches taller in a time when English football concentrated on punting high balls into the box. Saying that 5.11 is a little short for the modern game, imho.

[AJ]

Originally Posted by Eddie McGoldrick's tash

Most boys don't grow after 16. But of course he might.

Depends if he is introduced to the stretching rack

[Hedgehog]

So how did the game with our 4 boys playing go?

Not seen (or find) a result/report?

[Dobbo]

0-0 so not much to report.

[Stinger1]

Originally Posted by Hedgehog

So how did the game with our 4 boys playing go?

Not seen (or find) a result/report?

Whitworth didn't have a save to make but he was excellent with feet and looked composed.

Rodney did really well, made lots of tackles and his passing was good as well. Looked like he tired a bit second half.

Wells-Morrison was playing on the left of a front 3 but managed to have a really good game. Although he doesn't do anything memorable you can see why all the coaches love him because he always seems to do the right thing in every situation. Looks a lot fitter from playing U23 football than the other 2.

Akinwale had an OK game although the coaching staff didn't sound too happy with him at times but got into some good positions and unfortunately his finishes were a bit timid. His fitness didn't perhaps look quite up to the level required. I think a lot of that squad are playing predominately U23s football.

You can rewatch the match here, which starts about 30 minutes in:

[Hedgehog]

^ Thanks

[Spindle]

Originally Posted by AJ

How do you know? I grew an inch or more after i was 18.

Really? That's actually weird.

[Billy Rhino]

Originally Posted by CP-RJW

5 feet and 4 inches taller than a black emperor scorpion.

However, he is 54.7 feet shorter than the Scorpion rollercoaster in Busch Gardens, which does make you wonder about his ability to deal with high balls

[Eddie McGoldrick's tash]

Originally Posted by AJ

How do you know? I grew an inch or more after i was 18.

You are definitely in the minority. Very few grew after 18 especially an inch or more.

[Ian Hart]

If I recall correctly, Julian Speroni was more or less bang on 6 feet tall. A lot of people would suggest he was our best keeper since Nigel Martyn

[jmemour]

Originally Posted by Ian Hart

If I recall correctly, Julian Speroni was more or less bang on 6 feet tall. A lot of people would suggest he was our best keeper since Nigel Martyn

Iker Casillas was under 6ft!

[Reps AJ]

Topical article about a young keeper released by Reading for not being big enough at 15, now 6ft at 17 and just signed by Everton

At 15, Pat Nash was released from Reading for being too small. This month, with the help of @themoderndaygk, he signed a pro deal with Everton*

His remarkable comeback can be a reminder that early rejection doesn’t have to define a career

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