With the news of Sir Alex Ferguson (might be) giving youngster Fraizer Campbell a taste of EPL this season reaching my ears, my blood boiled AGAIN!
Oh, just because he scored the only goal in the testimonial match for Solksjaer and won the game!? HELLO, my Chris Eagles ALSO scored an only Man Utd goal during the pre-season Vodacom Challenge opening game against Kaiser Chiefs and saved you from a loss. Campbell is still untested while Eagles has scored in last year's EPL opening match against Everton!
Although the transfer news/rumours have been going on since end-June, early-July, he has never been really interested in leaving. He wants regular football and as a manager, you could have told him to polish his skills while he could wait till Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs to retire where he could stand a chance to have a regular football! Look at the Man Utd players who were sold to divisions below the Premier League, where are they now?! And now, I fear the same for Chris Eagles.
Eagles had been featuring regularly in the under-(age) groups for England and you can safely say that he is an England youth squad member. However, in the past 2-3 years, he was not picked. So, what is the reason? A coaching flaw in Man Utd's youth academy or England's youth academy (if there's one)? He's 22 going on 23 and now that he is playing for the lower divisions, I really doubt the chances he can play for England's senior squad.
Psst, Man Utd, you can start kicking youself for agreeing to let the fabulous Chris Eagles go... He scored in his debut appearance for Burnley...
5 comments:
"Look at the Man Utd players who were sold to divisions below the Premier League, where are they now?!"
It means that those players are either not good enough for Man Utd or their time are up to move to the other clubs to play regularly.
I don't know about your obsession with Chris Eagles. But the exact comment above came to my mind when I was reading your post. Now if to expect a natural progression to first team football, be it England or Utd, it means he has to refine his footballing attributes to a higher level. That has not happened, or at least not soon enough for him. To blame it in a flaw in the MU youth academy is quite dubiuos I must say. Tevez is 23 years old, and light years ahead of Eagles. Same goes for Ronaldo and Rooney. It is a cut throat game in England, and Eagles probably jumped at the chance to play regular football. Football is run like a business nowadays. No time for sentiments I suppose.
Putera Emas: I guess we have to agree to disagree because there are some players whom I feel should be sold instead of Eagles.
Zito: I agree that any player has to refine his skills to have any form of progression. However, we have to remember that Ronaldo, Tevez and Rooney are not products from Man Utd's youth academy.
Eagles was with Watford academy till 14 yrs old when Man Utd bought him in. He had been in England youth squad almost since forever till a few years back and it is almost coincidence that it is because he is with Man Utd's academy and was away from EPL due to loan spells.
It was just a rant from me, venting my fustrations, but I seriously think Man Utd's academy has to buck up. Look at the reserves and youth leagues, I don't see Man Utd's academy picking up silverware like the yester-years. Even the recent "products" have not been given much 1st team exposure. Look at the 1st 11 now and how many of the players were from Man Utd's academy in the past? Please don't tell me that it is just pure coincidence that we had a "class of 92" back then and we cannot produce any more "class of 92".
I agree that it is definately a cut throat business in England and lucrative as well. And you are right because all players would love regular football.
With all these said, I do hope you would respect my that little space for sentiments, even though you might not understand how I feel. Seeing a youth player "grow" through the ranks and seeing him having very good pre-season games, it is really tough to see him go.
If it is indeed Burnley's gain then he won't stay there for long because he will excel and be picked up by a club more appreciative of his talents. But if Ferguson's right... and he's only good enough for a club like Burnley, then he'll fade into obscurity.
Let time prove everytime.
You made some good points. Perhaps my passion for the team is nowhere near yours. But I want to make this clear, that what I meant was English football has no room for sentiments. I certainly did not mean anything else.
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