Yes that's True

Yes but you promote the youth around quality players, thats quality players. You back them and accept for a period it is learning from these quality players. Us promoting right now might not help anyone, because we are chockerblocked with poop around them.

You promote with people like Gale, Ward, Prior, and Ava. But that is all we have of the experienced quality. You need three or four more of that quality, to compliment the youngsters, then back that. But even then they needed coaching by the right team.

I could not agree more. Promoting youth is great but it needs to be a careful balance of youth and experience. The Youth do appear eager and full of promise and the partnership arrangement with Featherstone will have benefits. BUT the experience is not convincing to me. Yes, Gale in the halves, Ward (when hes fit) in the pack, Prior yes (but is he a leader?) time will tell! Ava is a solid big front rower - but so many seem to be over hyping his qualities after his absence last Sunday. Some observers are maybe seeing something I have missed but I rate him as average ...... no more! Maybe the key will be bedding in the 2 newbies from Huddersfield (Mellor & Leeming) when fully fit and playing them the full 80 minutes. That provides opportunities to rotate the props which is essential if we rely on youth until another BIG signing. Whoever we buy, we do need not just big - go forward, but someone with leadership qualities too. Someone who talks and motives on the pitch. It will not be easy to find the right candidate ...... who we can afford. Going back to the coaching issue which many have raised I do think we need an attacking focused coach to work in the group. Who is doing it now?

Hello all.
With walker, newman,handley,oledski,holroyd and McClelland and johnstone in or around the first team this year I dont think we are doing too badly. A couple more top quality experienced players who will lead by example is what these lads need to play and train with.

I think Peter Smith said a couple of months back that Leeds have the best crop of youngsters since the class of McGuire Jjb Burrow Sinfield etc. The problem for us is weve a bang average coach and too many average first team players which is causing us issues in blooding the young players due to the fact that we have been in a relegation battle 3 from last 4 seasons

Maybe it will all turn out like the famous words of Kevin Sinfield.
'we had our bottoms spanked last week, but we'll get thur'
Anyone know when this was said?

I worry about the clubs ability to transition the young prospects into the team. There's not a lot of experience behind the scenes and appears to be some reluctance to put them in to cover injuries etc. The youngsters need to see a route or we're at risk of losing them. I'm hearing that one of them has already decided to leave the sport

Huddersfield are always in and around the basement and throw youngsters in.

Well if we keep playing the same players that have lead us to 3 relegation battles in 4 years things wont improve. The kids have to come through. The club can keep talking about it but if they dont have to bottle to give the kids a chance they will never come thru.

How many kids that aren't playing should be in our first team for huddersfield?

Haven’t we shifted on around 20 players in the last 2 years alone?

As for the younger players, Im in agreement they should be getting a bit more game time this season and I hope it will be the case, I also hope that if they make errors people on here don’t quickly turn on them and call for them dropping (that’s probably wishful thinking)

But that happens to the vast majority of lads that want to play pro sport

Yep we have. Yet people still saying the club keep playing same rubbish players etc. Simply nonsense

I was referring to Dwyer, Sutcliffe, Cuthbo, Donaldson etc. Give the kids a chance. Accept they will make errors, accept we will loose games but they will improve. The 4 ive just mentioned certainly wont and we are losing games with them also.

But who are the kids that should be given a chance?

This forum would be in meltdown if we were sat at the bottom of the table playing academy kids. First sign of inexperience and mistakes they would become scapegoats.

It would ruin these players careers also. You simply cannot just throw them all in.

Just heard Cameron Smith made 61 tackles v Hull!
One massive positive....

Bringing kids through now is different to how it was before when the Golden's came through. The game is much more physically demanding now, it's faster and the players are physically bigger. Look at the size of Hull's forward pack last week, it was huge.

This means that the old adage of "if you're good enough you're old enough" is also a bit different now as the kids might have some exciting footwork and a turn of pace, but unless they can withstand the physical side of the game you run the risk of them getting seriously hurt. Look at Jack Walker, he's thrown around like a rag doll at times, and he's been playing for a couple of years now.

We need to be careful how we introduce the kids, otherwise we run the risk of not only preventing them from reaching their potential, we could get someone badly hurt.

It will be in meltdown if we sit at the bottim of the league without bringing kids through though. The kids need to broyght thru gradually obviously.

We are bringing Kids through though.

Newman has been given the number 3 spot
Oledski looks like he will be part of the the match day squad
Smith looks to have cemented the 13 spot
Walker is obviously first choice number 1
Mclellan will play more games this year

We actually have a very youthful first team squad

I used to stick my head in the sand in the 80s and 90s. I admire your approach. Your trying to paint a much more positive picture but were in a hole at moment.

Which kids are we not picking that should be in the team?

Walters, Holroyd, Johnson (if still around) Mustapha, Stephens and Broadbent should all be looking at getting several games this season . A chance was clearly lost not playing Holroyd last week with Ava missing.

Weve no bottle in giving them experience unfortunately.

Last year Corey was 3rd choice hooker, now hes 4th. Work that out!

As ive said many times, the time you dont pick a kid cos hes not ready is the time he will never be picked because he will never be ready. The golden generation wasnt ready when they was given a chance.

I’m not sticking my head in the sand, we are not where we should be at all, difference is I think the club are aware and are trying to do something about it it but I am under no illusions that it will be a quick fix, I also think making any predictions of how the year will pan out after one game is daft