Thetownend.com

Henshall has big future - Wilson

Swindon manager Danny Wilson is predicting a great future for 15-year-old winger Alex Henshall, who was on the bench against Exeter.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/sport1/hi/football/teams/s/swindon_town/8294643.stm

With Macklin and O'Brien out injured and Marshall out on loan, I wonder if we'll be seeing more of Henshall on the subs bench? Only option for a winger after McNamee and it won't do our chances of getting him to sign a contract any harm. Mind you, just being given a squad number and shirt and being on the bench for a JPT game must be pretty damn cool for a 15 year old.

maybe its just me, but dont you have to have a professional contract to play first team football, and i didn't think you could get one of those till your 16

It's just you.

http://www.redcafe.net/f40/alex-henshall-266461/

The new Ronaldo!

If we can keep this lad, get to the Championship and he comes good, we could get millions for him.

Hopefully he won't get signed by a bigger club before he gets into the first team on a regular basis.

Southampton got £8m for Walcott in the end and he'd only played in a handful of games for them. But just how good is Henshall? Is he really Walcott style good? Or more McNamee style good? Anyone seen him play?

I can't help but think that if he was that good, Wenger would be all over him by now.

Haha, we're not the only forum who bases opinion on Football Manager :)

Hes English Jonny....hes not a great believer in English talent if you look at his teams.

I hope he stays at Swindon and I personally think it would be more beneficial to him.

The lure of the Premier League, the money and the playboy lifestyle is obviously massive to a kid of his age. But so many youngsters get bought up by Premier League clubs then spewed out again a few years later when they don't make the grade.

It's fairly certain that if he stays with Swindon he'll become the star player within a few seasons (well, If you believe all the hype) all it takes is a few good seasons in the first team and he'll be guaranteed a big money move and first team football, rather than taking the chance of possibly being released.

From what I understand, his father is very pushy and really believes he'll make the grade. According to my sauces, his parents are so confident that he'll make it that he's has had hardly any schooling in the last two years.

I also got told from a source (almost a year ago now) that he's allowed to sit in school with his headphones on and do no work because he's that damn good at football!!

He doesnt need anything else as everyone thinks he'll make it.

Slightly exagerated story I'm sure but ties in with Sams heard.

Walcott, Gibbs and Wilshere are all English. It's just that Wenger can pick up decent talent cheaper from abroad.

Let us be honest... There's no way in hell that he'd be in the first team at his age unless this was a last ditch attempt by the club to keep him.

I hope he's good enough now!

He all know that examples of young lower league players who move to the big leagues and fail massively outweigh those who succeed.

Within football the notion of sticking with the club that essentially developed you as a players equates to you having a lack of ambition and doubting your own ability.

Plus the money offered to these kids and their parents are outrageously high.

Leigh Mills went from Tottenham reserves to the fourth tier to free agent amazingly quickly. He could have been 100+ appearances in and our skipper by now.

 

Can't beleive that's true though I don't doubt you. His mum is a primary school teacher. Should know better :)

who needs education anyway?

i bet we lose him for about £250k on a tribunal.

Can you think of any young player - at any L1 or L2 club - who has broken into the first team, then had a big money move directly to the Prem and then made a splash in that team?

Walcott left Southampton when they had just been relegated from the Prem, and he's the closest I can think of. The Leigh Mills/Lucas J/Ben Tozer scenario, where you get snapped up before you're proven and then (normally) sink without trace, seems far more common.

Kids get picked up early, or not at all. In practice, I can't think of a single player who has done two or three years in L1 and then successfully stepped up to the Prem. Even Coxy is failing to set the world alight at West Brom.

Anyone got any examples?

Fabian Delph

Joe Hart? Not sure how big the money was there but he's done alright.

Fabian Delph. Just answered my own question. Did a year at Leeds and went to Villa for £6m

Jon Stead.

Fair shout, but I think goalkeepers are different.

Aaron Ramsey, I know was a Championship player, but still went for nearly £5m.

LuaLua

His mother was interviewed on BBC Swindon the other night and gave a firm no comment when Shaun Hodgetts probed her on the Chelsea etc rumours but also said Alex had been a Swindon fan from an early age.

It's a difficult decision for these youngsters as they will be easily swayed when a Prem club comes calling and the Prem clubs will want to integrate them into their coaching structures compared with the bad habits they may pick up lower down. I think the days have long gone when youngsters dreamed of playing for their home town clubs and the to turn down a Prem club at 15/16 is a tough decision for any kid/parent to call.

The risk is the players don't make the grade and they are bombed out at 19/20 years old with no real experience of any first team football and all the skills in the world won't help with you've got to mix in League 1 or 2. Personally, I'm believe a a couple of years league experience will bring players on and if they're good enough they'll make it anyway and good players at our level don't go unmissed.

welcome oaksey, good first post. Post more. ta :)

Your a gent Mex.........really  :)

The idea that young players would be better off getting a few years experience playing at lower levels before moving on if they're good enough, instead of chucking their lot in with the big clubs youth systems is fairly common sentiment on here.

Logic in my head sort of agrees, but does it pan out like that? If you look at all the under 24 players through L1 and L2 squads, how many came through the youth teams of lower league and had early expierence and how many dropped down from the big clubs academies?

I honestly have no idea, would be interesting for someone to look up and write a well referenced essay on though.

According to the adver tonight Wilson will be taking him with the first team on a regular basis...with a view to a debut sooner rather than later......like that.

He only played in a total of 22 games for Southampton and all of them were whilst they were in The Championship.

Once upon a time the main thing for a young player going to a big team was simply going to a big team. I'm not so sure that is the case anymore, its the money aspect as much as anything if not the only thing. A Premier League team could pay him say £2k a week, which is a lot of money for a 16 year old bearing in mind they might not make the grade. That kind of money could set him up, compared to a low salary at Swindon and then being totally shafted if he doesn't make it.

What would you do in the same position? I'd probably take the money. The only thing that might change things is if he is playing, or at least getting on the bench. If you're part of the first team squad and playing games that would be a major selling point compared to sitting in the reserves or worse for a couple of years.

The only problem I see is clubs getting kids for a fraction of what they are really worth and would be worth in a few years time. The tribunals should be setting far higher payments tied in to longer term performance, especially when the kid has been with the original club for a long time.

I think that's right.

If you're the kid, it's going to be very hard to turn down a move to a prem club.
If you're a prem club, the longer you wait, the higher the price and the greater the risk that another club gets him.

So both sides have got an interest in making the deal happen as soon as possible. By time you've proven you have Premiership potential (like Walcott, Ramsey, even Rooney to some extent) the price you have to pay will be astronomical. I think most clubs would probably rather hedge their bets by paying £500k for 10 kids rather than £5m for one.

So I'm coming to the slightly depressing conclusion that if he leaves, then it will be sooner rather than later. But if he stays, it's because he isn't as good as everyone thinks he is.

The silver lining is that he might not crack the prem on the first go, but could still be the best player in L1.

Alot will depend on Mr Fittons view for the future...and not just for the club.
I.E,...if the big clubs can offer some big incentives to leave...with our board now lets hope they can match them....ime obviously talking about money or security......not nice to talk about such things but its something all the big clubs do to entice raw talent.

Agreed. That comes down to the fact that clubs in the championship have got a much better chance of holding onto decent young players.

How about Jermaine Defoe (haven't checked it)

Dean Ashton?

Jimmy Bullard?
Aaron Lennon?

Ashley Young? Think that might be championship though.

I think Ashley Young was in the premier league with Watford so he wouldn't  really count.

I know he sounds good and all that, but didnt all this kind of thing happen with Chris Taylor a few years back, ie he was the best prospect ever and all that kind of crap

Look what happened to him.

Just trying to put it into perspective.

All of these (I think) moved from Championship clubs.

Ashton: Crewe - Norwich - West Ham
Lennon: Leeds - Spurs
Bullard: Came up with Wigan

Defoe joined West Ham at 16 and was loaned to Bournemouth

Delph is the best example I think.

Ahh Chris Taylor, the only player to have a breakdown on the pitch just because the opposition sang his name.

TAAAAAAYYYYYLLLLLLOOOORRRRRR !!!!

Isn't that a different Chris Taylor?

yes doore

Sam Vokes Bournemouth, although he did go from league one to the championship and then promoted to premiership.

He's in the England U16 squad for the Victory Shield game next week.
It's live on Sky Sports 1 on Thursday 15th, 7:40pm Kick off.

Keith Andrews? Franchise to Blackburn and now a regular there.
Dan Gosling did two seasons at Plymouth (only played 22 games) and has played 14 times for Everton, but that's another Champtionship example.

Beckford could be an example if he moves, but I'd bet he goes to a top Championship (like Boro) rather than a prem team.