Mipo’s first team debut helped prove a point
Mipo Odubeko’s unhappy Hammers debut serves as the best possible reminder of how big the leap is from Under 23 football to the first team.
There have been regular calls on the forums for youngsters to be plunged into action when circumstances are difficult with the decision to often send them out on loan questioned.
That has been an issue raised time and again when the likes of Nathan Trott, Nathan Holland and Conor Coventry and others have been sent out into the hurly burly of lower league football. They either grow into the first team or otherwise.
Nathan Holland learning his trade on loan
But that is a well known and much used routine of toughening up youngsters and ensuring they are ready when the time comes for the demands of big time football.
Mipo showed that it’s an essential part of a young player’s development although some respond better to being bred within the club system as was the case with Declan.
It’s a sensible and obvious way forward for the majority of kids as being thrown into the big time too soon has been shown as not the most sensible way of doing things.
First team football too soon can be a hindrance rather than a help.
It is true that there is a huge jump to the PL – Freddie Sears comes to mind – banged in goals for fun in the reserves, scored on his debut and we all thought that we had the new Tony Cottee – I dont think that he ever scored again in the PL
Hopefully the Mipo story will have a happy ending
Let’s also remember that our u23’s are not exactly top of their division, so let’s have realisitic expectations when any of them step up to the first team.
If we don’t slowly give the kids the occasional 15/20 minutes they never are goingbto be able to prove whether they can step up and make it
February and Man City has been a time of make or break…. Johnson debuting 2 years ago and Ngakia last season, two matches we never ever dreamed of getting a point from and we found out a great deal.
Dropping Mipo into the middle of a desperate to win cup game was unfair, he should have had those few run outs first so it isn’t all new to him when he’s thrown in the deep end.
If we want a solid squad capable of playing in European tournaments, not only will Moyes need to find 4 or 5 more Coufals/Souceks etc , he will also require bringing through 3 or 4 kids and if you don’t give them (one at a time) short runs they’ll all end up like Tony Scully, Martinez and Josh Cullen, to mention 3 from recent times