Mr Tom Glick has arrived and so far he is saying all the right things, including that this is the biggest challenge he’s facing.
He’s right and one of the things that show the size of the challenge was in the defeat of the reserves by Reading’s second string last week. It shows how threadbare our squad is. Never mind the first eleven, we also lack quality at the next level down.
The traditional function of the reserve team has been to develop youngsters so that they could start to get a sniff of first team action, and also to give match fitness levels to first team squad members.
The fact that the reserves have not won all season is in stark contrast to the Pickering years when we were never out of the top three for around four or five years. That showed that Pickering’s investment was working along the right lines, and for that he should be fondly remembered.
We know where it all went so badly wrong – the decision to disband the reserves was one of monumental stupidity even if it was made on financial grounds – the consequences are with us now and it will take another two or three years to get it right.
The reason for this is simple. Not all the Academy players will make it. And good management decrees that you should not pack the reserves with too many first team squad members as that will block progress from the Academy. Giving a chance to gain match fitness to a first team squad member occasionally is fine but not on a regular basis.
As we have been without a reserve team, there has been no chance for Academy players to step up and test out their skills and experience against a higher level of playing skill. So there is a gap between the first team squad and the Academy – look at the ages for example. None of them are over 19 – the reserves should, in my opinion, have some players around the age of 20, on the brink of first team action and maybe looking to being loaned out to harden them up.
So it’s no wonder that we are losing so much at the reserve level – the Academy players aren’t ready and the first team squad members that we had in the early part of the season weren’t adequate enough to help the youngsters ride out difficult moments in matches.
Tom Glick needs to ensure that there are sufficient funds to buy players for the reserves – young players aged around 20 from lower down division teams (and not just in this country but also from places like Africa or America) who could become Premiership quality in two years time for the first team squad. Players who also could help Academy players make the step up in skill development. That way we would be building up the overall quality of the club as a whole.
Of course, we need to address the first team urgently but the long term plan needs to include the development of the reserves which is why I said earlier it would take two or three years for as long we have such a dire first team, it would be nonsensical to pay too much attention to the reserves.
Welcome to Derby, Tom, mi duck.