Sam Curtis D Sheffield United b. 2005

[Olé Olé]

I think the names on that list suggest it might be advisable not to get too excited over that stat. It's certainly better to have them than not, that said.

I think that the Premiership has improved a significant amount in the 12 years.

[pineapple stu]

There's still a propensity to give random teenagers games in dead games in fairness. They have to have them in the squad; they may as well try boost their resale value.

I have never heard of Michael Harriman! Wiki says he's now (maybe) at AFC Rushden & Diamonds, who were relegated from the seventh tier this year.

[tetsujin1979]

Started at QPR
https://foot.ie/threads/179676-Michael-Harriman

[Eirambler]

Yes I'd be on the fence on Curtis based of what I've seen so far, he could win 50 caps or be the next Lee O'Connor as things stand. But still, I'm sure there are loads of teenage players at Sheffield United and he's one of the few making the bench every week and now getting a run out. So he's doing something right anyway.

[John83]

I think that the Premiership has improved a significant amount in the 12 years.

It definitely has, as the money has continued to pour in, but the funnel of decent youth players to successful pros is just that: a funnel. That was the cream of the crop for us in 2012; some of them just withered on the vine.

[JR89]

I know Will Keane now plays for us but back then he was playing international football with England.

[Olé Olé]

Interesting (but natural in the context) that 3 have double digits games for LOI sides - Murphy, O'Mahony and Curtis. Ferguson only a handful of games having left much younger. Fraser English born.

Hindsight is 20:20 but I definitely feel like there is more potential in this 5 than the other 5.

I don't think Forde or Harriman was ever heavily touted.

Carruthers was probably and has plenty under 21 caps for us but his commitment and discipline have and continue to blight him - I see he's in National League South at present and was celebrating a goal by gripping the flab on his stomach recently.

Keane wasn't with us at the time.

Doherty has had a long top flight career but wasn't he 18 moving to England and without any top flight games in LOI?

As I said hindsight is 20:20, but the gap is 12 years and that has to demonstrate something positive.

[liamoo11]

Interesting (but natural in the context) that 3 have double digits games for LOI sides - Murphy, O'Mahony and Curtis. Ferguson only a handful of games having left much younger. Fraser English born.

Hindsight is 20:20 but I definitely feel like there is more potential in this 5 than the other 5.

I don't think Forde or Harriman was ever heavily touted.

Carruthers was probably and has plenty under 21 caps for us but his commitment and discipline have and continue to blight him - I see he's in National League South at present and was celebrating a goal by gripping the flab on his stomach recently.

Keane wasn't with us at the time.

Doherty has had a long top flight career but wasn't he 18 moving to England and without any top flight games in LOI?

As I said hindsight is 20:20, but the gap is 12 years and that has to demonstrate something positive.

If any of them were offered as good a career as doherty they should take it. He had been a very good professional for 13 or 14 years and has a few more years at championship level in him I'd say

[Olé Olé]

If any of them were offered as good a career as doherty they should take it. He had been a very good professional for 13 or 14 years and has a few more years at championship level in him I'd say

Agreed on that.

[Eirambler]

Fair to say that if Sam Curtis is going to be something of a guinea pig for the staying at home until 18 approach in comparison to the move to the continent approach taken by many others post Brexit, he might not be off to a good start:

https://www.independent.ie/sport/soc...267615093.html

I saw a post on their forum saying that he initially struggled to adapt to the step up from the football he was playing in Ireland to the Premier League 2.

[John83]

Maybe that's not so suprising. Fitness alone would be a big step up. PL2 is full of great players building fitness, and quality young players trying to prove themselves. I expect a lot of PL academy players find it a very tough step up. That's not to say how weak the LoI isn't a major handicap for player development, but in the short term having a pipeline where a reasonable number of players get transferred from the LoI as adults and make it as pros in England (or any reputable league) is good enough. It'll feed money into the league, make LoI clubs a viable career step, and encourage clubs to invest in their youth development.

[Olé Olé]

Message is quite clear. Don't take a summer off.

[CraftyToePoke]

Fair to say that if Sam Curtis is going to be something of a guinea pig for the staying at home until 18 approach in comparison to the move to the continent approach taken by many others post Brexit, he might not be off to a good start:

https://www.independent.ie/sport/soc...267615093.html

I saw a post on their forum saying that he initially struggled to adapt to the step up from the football he was playing in Ireland to the Premier League 2.

Strange comments from a manager who after all saw fit to put him in at that level so soon after joining the club. Strange comment from you, to construe that as him not being off to a good start. What more can he have done, at this point ? First team appearance at that level of club is no given at all.

I wouldn't attach too much value to the singular post you saw somewhere saying he struggled at PL2. It's one opinion, that's all it is. I remember hundreds of posters on the Leicester forum back in the day wondering why they had wasted a million quid on this Vardy kid. They were all wrong. He did ok in the end.

I would observe, this is similar to Moyes on Coleman way back, if any of you remember ? He was constantly harsh and critical, constantly referencing the standard he'd come from, the ground he had to make up & doubtlessly it was true & its probably true again of Curtis. Looking back, he was doing it because he knew there was an unbelievable player to be had if handled well. Same again would be lovely.

[Eirambler]

I don't know about that, when you make your first appearance and the managers comment afterwards includes the phrase "it wasn't by any means an accomplished debut", that probably suggests he has a lot of catching up to do. Hopefully he can do it.

[CraftyToePoke]

I don't know about that, when you make your first appearance and the managers comment afterwards includes the phrase "it wasn't by any means an accomplished debut", that probably suggests he has a lot of catching up to do. Hopefully he can do it.

Still he watches him every day against players at that level & gave him the debut. He will have catching up to do and he might not cover the ground, yesterday may be as good as it gets. But if his manager is unhappy, I don't see his choice of words as being great, threw him under the bus a bit & didn't have to, could have handled it very differently, he signed & picked him after all.

[nigel-harps1954]

To be fair, he went to Sheffield without a preseason. It was always going to take him time to get up to speed.

There aren't many lads out there who have over 60 senior appearances before they turn 18 and already an established under-21 international player. The fact he's already made his first team debut is phenomenal at all.

[Razors left peg]

He's 18, makes Premiership debut... career is obviously over

[tetsujin1979]

Fair to say that if Sam Curtis is going to be something of a guinea pig for the staying at home until 18 approach in comparison to the move to the continent approach taken by many others post Brexit, he might not be off to a good start:

https://www.independent.ie/sport/soc...267615093.html

I saw a post on their forum saying that he initially struggled to adapt to the step up from the football he was playing in Ireland to the Premier League 2.

Sheffield United don't have-a team in PL2
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023%E...lopment_League

Their U21 side play in the Professional Development League. They won the title just last week, with Curtis getting a goal in a 5-0 win against Crewe Alexandra

[Eirambler]

He's 18, makes Premiership debut... career is obviously over

Absolutely nobody has said that. But it does appear that he was well off the pace and has a lot of catching up to do. Hopefully he can do that now and make up in the areas he has fallen behind on.

[nigel-harps1954]

Absolutely nobody has said that. But it does appear that he was well off the pace and has a lot of catching up to do. Hopefully he can do that now and make up in the areas he has fallen behind on.

He is 18 years old.