Europa League? where are you?

[neilhoskins77]

Looks like Wigan haven't wasted any time appointing a replacement for Mackay. They've named Gary Caldwell as the new manager.

[CFuller]

Bold move by Wigan, appointing a 32-year-old as manager. Caldwell knows the club very well, though, so that should be helpful for all concerned.

I've just had a look on Wikipedia, and it seems that there are now 13 permanent Football League managers aged under 40. Seven managers are aged 60 or over - and only two of them are outside the PL. Football management is becoming a younger man's game.

[Balthazars]

Bold move by Wigan, appointing a 32-year-old as manager. Caldwell knows the club very well, though, so that should be helpful for all concerned.

I've just had a look on Wikipedia, and it seems that there are now 13 permanent Football League managers aged under 40. Seven managers are aged 60 or over - and only two of them are outside the PL. Football management is becoming a younger man's game.

Makes sense to me that younger managers are starting to get a go. The game is evolving, and quite quickly in recent years. The reality is a lot more teams in the lower divisions are trying to get their teams to play some decent football again. That means a lot of the old brigade have had their day. Clubs are more willing to give a younger manager a go who has some new ideas and is more in line with the thinking that attacking football is back in vogue. It's also a generational thing, after a while those old guys will be too old to keep going and will either retire, or find that their ideas have been superseded if they have been unable to grow and adapt as the game has changed - and let's be frank, if they're stuck managing clubs in the lower tiers of football, they're probably not the most adaptable guys out there.

[neilhoskins77]

It's not just the game that is evolving, but also what we have access to watch too. When I was a kid, you got one game a week, on a Sunday afternoon. When Channel 4 started their coverage of Italian football, it was a big deal. The English clubs were banned from Europe, so you didn't get to watch that, and Internationals weren't necessarily live either, except the Finals of major tournaments. Now, you can watch a game from anywhere in the world very easily. That's made a difference to the generation of players that are now making their way into the spotlight. They didn't grow up watching Wimbledon and Aston Villa hoofing the ball upfield at every opportunity. They grew up watching El Classico's and Bayern Munich etc. The whole mindset has changed.

[tenthreeleader]

I grew up watching Bayern Munich, but it was the Bayern of Breitner and Beckenbauer and Rumennigge and Meier. A little different animal. I remember looking at my first Bundesliga table in the mid-1970s and thinking it was the coolest thing I had ever seen.

But yes, it's a completely different game. The old mud-covered pitches of that day and age have been replaced by carefully cultivated pool tables of green and the football is much more meticulous and exciting.

And watch what will happen to the game once Americans get good at it. I don't say that to cause a fuss, simply that for us, it's got to be exciting for people to watch it. That means athleticism, pace and power -- in short, the things the English leagues were doing years ago. Right now the Premiership is, as often as not, a pretty darned good Saturday watch and as the game's biggest domestic television draw that is only a good thing. It's a younger man's game now for sure. Too bad I'm old.

[Balthazars]

So, with Liverpool winning and City's form absolutely in the toilet, what odds at the Champions finishing outside of the top 4 for the second season in a row? Liverpool are now 4 points from City, and Southampton 5 points.

City play West Ham (H), Aston Villa (H), Spurs (A), QPR (H), Swansea (A) and Southampton (H).

Liverpool play West Brom (A), Hull (A), QPR (H), Chelsea (A), Crystal Palace (H) and Stoke (A).

I'd say that Liverpool's run-in would appear more favourable. On current form, I could see City dropping points against Spurs, Villa and Southampton. Liverpool might struggle to take anything from Chelsea, and maybe Palace, but the other games should be fairly easy wins against teams either struggling (Hull, QPR) or whom are comfortably mid-table (West Brom and Stoke) and thus will little to play for.

Anyway, while Chelsea marching to the title is a bit boring given they've been able to grind out the wins despite not playing particulalry well recently, there's still the possibility of a tight and exciting finish to the season. The relegation scrap is also very interesting, with Leicester breathing late life into their fight with two wins in a row. It's only 4 points from bottom to Sunderland in 16th. Villa, due to their big upturn in fortunes, and West Brom are probably safe at 7 and 8 points clear, but Hull and Sunderland are two of the teams with the worst form in the division at the moment, so probably feel pretty nervous at the moment.

[tenthreeleader]

On current form I don't see City winning against Swansea, to be blunt. After they fell behind on Sunday, they looked pathetic. They looked broken. Liverpool does not impress me at the moment either -- it's hard for me to imagine that one win over Newcastle means everything's fixed with them either. For me, though, without a marked change in City's form, you could well be right.

[salkster2102]

Liverpool have to be aiming for 5 wins out of 6 to stand a chance of top 4. Chelsea are just grinding out results at the moment like champions I wouldn't say they are playing particularly well just enough to get results. Only the final two opponents will have nothing to play for when Liverpool play them. Still all tough games on paper for me. City have the better run in for me with the amount of home games they have. Even with their form they still have the quality to win games. Next couple of games for them are ideal to get back into form so barring a few disastrous results I'll be surprised if they finish outside of top 4.

Relegation fight is rather interesting now QPR and Leicester have finally decided to show up to the party. Hull and Sunderland are playing very poor at the moment I can see them being swapped out by the former two. Burnley's run in isn't too bad either so I'm expecting a very close finish to the season at the bottom. West Brom and Newcastle's form isn't good either so there is a slight chance one of them will get sucked into it at the end.

[chesterfan2]

Apropos of Not very much is this.....

http://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2015/apr/14/san-antonio-scorpions-the-soccer-club-that-give-their-profits-to-charity

A football club with an idea that I find very impressive and rather inspiring.

[Balthazars]

Liverpool have to be aiming for 5 wins out of 6 to stand a chance of top 4. Chelsea are just grinding out results at the moment like champions I wouldn't say they are playing particularly well just enough to get results. Only the final two opponents will have nothing to play for when Liverpool play them. Still all tough games on paper for me. City have the better run in for me with the amount of home games they have. Even with their form they still have the quality to win games. Next couple of games for them are ideal to get back into form so barring a few disastrous results I'll be surprised if they finish outside of top 4.

Relegation fight is rather interesting now QPR and Leicester have finally decided to show up to the party. Hull and Sunderland are playing very poor at the moment I can see them being swapped out by the former two. Burnley's run in isn't too bad either so I'm expecting a very close finish to the season at the bottom. West Brom and Newcastle's form isn't good either so there is a slight chance one of them will get sucked into it at the end.

Very pessimistic Salk! I'm with 10-3 in that City look absolutely shattered, devoid of ideas. While the early goal looked to give them a boost, the moment United got back into it and took the lead the match was over. They look devoid of ideas and tired both physically and mentally. He's right in that they could drop points against Swansea as well given their current form. While West Ham at home seems a decent match to try and regain some momentum (West Ham have major injury problems and form is erratic), it seems that morale is also extremely low (talk about how they must finish 3rd! Come on, not even that far behind Arsenal but they apparently see that as a lost cause?). I actually think Liverpool could just about sneak in. While Liverpool were shown up against United and Arsenal, and form has stuttered since those matches, they've generally been good against the rest of the league in the run leading up to those two games. Recapture a bit of that and it could well be enough points to sneak 4th.

Also, I think it could be extremely interesting to see how City attempt to rebuild in the summer, especially if they finish outside of the Champions League. Their squad is generally quite old, and lacks pace and creativity. They also have a chronic lack of home-grown players, and have already been hit by FFP restrictions (although being out of the Champions League could see them view that consideration as far less significant). I thought Toure is gone - mentally he's not there at all - and a number of expensive players have struggled for form. Their best players (Aguero, Silva, Kompany) have also been at the club for a while and could be feeling a bit jaded.

[CFuller]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-32318278

I had this guy in my Millwall team on FM11. He doesn't seem like a thoroughly nice bloke, but he really needs help.

[tenthreeleader]

He does, but this quote made the article for me:

"He is a professional footballer and should have known better."

LOL

[mark wilson27]

Just a quick tech question for you lot... My laptop is running really slow. Is there anyway I can do a factory reset without losing my FM13 games, if there isn't I'll keep goig with the slow laptop

[CFuller]

Just a quick tech question for you lot... My laptop is running really slow. Is there anyway I can do a factory reset without losing my FM13 games, if there isn't I'll keep goig with the slow laptop

You might have done this already, but have you considered copying your save files over to some temporary storage like a USB drive, or a backup HDD? Maybe even a cloud storage service?

A factory reset will wipe EVERYTHING from the computer - like the name suggests, it restores the computer to its factory settings - but you can backup your most important files onto another source beforehand.

[mark wilson27]

Would I be able to do that with the editor files and were would I find them....It may be really simple but when it comes to computer tech I haven't got an idea

[CFuller]

Would I be able to do that with the editor files and were would I find them....It may be really simple but when it comes to computer tech I haven't got an idea

Assuming you're using Windows, all your FM save files/editor files/et cetera should be in "Documents" > "Sports Interactive" > "Football Manager 20xx". Hope that helps.

[mark wilson27]

Cheers mate.....

[CFuller]

Happy to help, Mark. I was in your situation a few years ago, so if you need anything else, just ask.

On a similar topic, I will probably be getting a new PC as a belated birthday present tomorrow. Games-wise, I'll mainly be playing FM13 on it. I just can't get into FM15.

[tenthreeleader]

It's a bit odd but FM15 is my favorite version of this game since FM08. There seems to be a love/hate relationship between players and this year's version but I for one am more into it than I have been in years.

Apropos of nothing, I also submit the Line of the Week from The Guardian's Football Weekly podcast with James Richardson.

He was talking about Tim Sherwood's revitalization of Christian Benteke against Spurs, where the manager said he was allowing his strikers to be strikers.

"He (Sherwood) said 'conserve energy, stay up there, don't worry about coming back', which was ironically more or less what Spurs said to him."

[HorusFM]

I love FM15, for the quality and the build of it. But I do not like the skin and it really puts me off altogether playing it, especially as I have poor vision anyway, the screen just doesn't work for me.

[tenthreeleader]

I didn't like the basic skin either so I found a Steklo online and it's very nice. As for vision issues, playing on a small screen wearing bifocals is no picnic, let me tell you that!

[HorusFM]

I can only imagine! I definitely need to shop for skins, but at first glance it put me right off. Definitely a great game though.

[CFuller]

Don't get me wrong - FM15 is the best version of the game so far, certainly in terms of the match engine and the user interface. It's just not my favourite version.

There are some little things that are putting me off starting a full-blown career save (I've got a holiday save, as I've mentioned before, but that's it).

Firstly, player interactions need a lot of improvement. Secondly, the editor is deeply flawed, as I found out the hard way while trying to edit the Belgian league and add in the English regional leagues. Thirdly, I'm quite annoyed that SI still haven't addressed certain bugs that were present in FM13. Minor things, I know, but what may not be a big deal to one person may be off-putting to another.

I think I'll play FM15 only until my holiday save has finished, and then I'll wait until FM16 comes out and see what that's like. If it's not a significant improvement, FM13 will probably remain my game of choice for some considerable time. I wouldn't mind that.

On another note, I'm really looking forward to tomorrow's FA Cup Semi Final. Sorry, 10-3, but there's no way Reading are going to wrestle the cup from our hands!

[HorusFM]

I think 12 is my favourite all time FM. Other than 06, of course. I loved the crazy tactics and crazy training regimes. <3

[BenArsenal]

Just a quick tech question for you lot... My laptop is running really slow. Is there anyway I can do a factory reset without losing my FM13 games, if there isn't I'll keep goig with the slow laptop

As CFuller suggests, back up your files first. Perhaps your laptop needs more RAM?

Speaking of laptops, I'm thinking of getting a MacBook Air soon, mostly for work. But has anyone tried FM for Mac before?

[mark wilson27]

Well that didn't work as I planned, something went tits up with the back up... Luckily got all my written files on usb and their ok, but the games etc aren't loading correctly and basically fooked..... Will be redoing the database and will be restarting the story asap.

[copperhorse21]

I agree with WLKRAS and 10-3 and Fuller in that Rooney wasn't the exclusive issue with today's dismal performance. For me, the issue is with LvG.

blah, blah, blah...lots of stuff not tied to the point...which is the following:

I'll be the first to shout from the rooftops as loud as my voice can reach "OUT VAN GAAL!!!"

Players pick up and absorb the attributes of their managers. more blah, blah, blah followed...

Okay, judging by what I've seen from LvG, I will be brave enough to point out my flaws as a couch potato pundit. As a result of the last four matches, I can humbly say that I was wrong to shout from the rooftops and am glad for the 10-3's voice of reason suggesting LvG needed more time.

Once again, I'm wrong. :o

Today's result against Chelsea was one I wish were different and I can still say that I was impressed by United's passing and their ability to whip the ball around the pitch faster and more accurately than I've seen before.

[tenthreeleader]

Downer of a day for me, with respect to my London club friends here. Reading and United falling on the same day was a cast-iron bummer.

[WLKRAS]

FM15 is grand, but I do love the fact that work have provided me with a HD capable laptop to run it, otherwise the screensize would be a nightmare.

I do find however that the latest versions don't hold up so well over the years. I mean, I still play FM07, which to me is the ultimate version.

[BenArsenal]

Happy birthday Mr Gav Renwick. Hope you have a good one.

[tenthreeleader]

I'll raise a glass for Gav at the next joint Newcastle/Rangers Mike Ashley protest meeting. Happy birthday, man!

[mistahc]

mixed emotions in the football world today for me - delighted to see Watford promoted to the Premiership, but gutted to see Tranmere relegated from the football league. Both teams have been favourites of mine due to old school champ manager saves. There was one version that if you put your manager type as thoughtful for Tranmere you got a huge budget. Found that out by accident.

It does give me some interesting challenges in the next version of the game though.

[CFuller]

I too was a little sad to see Tranmere drop out of the Football League. I managed them many years ago on a previous CM and a couple of online games, so they're a club that I quite like.

It's been a mixed day for a couple of my teams. Romford - my local club - have just about avoided relegation from the Isthmian North after beating Ware on the final day, but it looks like my second team Millwall are about to drop into League One. If they do, they might be a more interesting challenge in FM16.

[BenArsenal]

So that's it then. Chelsea are effectively champions now.

I don't entirely blame Mourinho for his tactics in the last two matches, but man were they dull to watch. We gave it a good go, but it proved futile in the end.

I hope we focus on securing second place though. I think that might be a great morale booster to build on for next season.

[HorusFM]

Thanks for the birthday greetings and for those received via FB.

[copperhorse21]

Regarding Mourinho and Chelsea...when I recall the media talking about how Man City's won two leagues in the past few years, I never hear them qualify that one of the league trophies resulted from a better goal differential after they were tied on points with Man Utd. So, regarding Mou's comments that the points are all that matter, I can understand why he would feel justified in saying it. However, I will say that in the past month, Chelsea have not exactly been as entertaining to watch for me as some of the more attacking teams like Arsenal, Aston Villa, and Crystal Palace. Additionally, the media doesn't seem to care as much about Pulis' version of tactics either. Even though, they seem to be somewhat similar to Mourinho's, but with less talent to execute the program to obtain points.

[Balthazars]

So that's it then. Chelsea are effectively champions now.

I don't entirely blame Mourinho for his tactics in the last two matches, but man were they dull to watch. We gave it a good go, but it proved futile in the end.

I hope we focus on securing second place though. I think that might be a great morale booster to build on for next season.

Come on Ben, Chelsea were pretty much Champions after beating United, they had to lose that game for there to even be a silver of a chance. Yes, it was a pretty drudge-awful match to watch, but it's not as if we didn't know that would be exactly how they play. They had no fit strikers, and no incentive to win the match. All they needed to do was do what they do best, sit back, soak pressure, look to hit on the break. To me, the positive was that we weren't caught out on the break except for one or two times, and a few occasions our players took the bookings in order to stop breaks. In the end, it was up to us to make something happen and open them up, and we couldn't do it. Still, there are positives. We're more competitive against the top teams in the league, including Chelsea, although failing to win was a bit of a blow. We're certainly closer to Chelsea in terms of quality/ability then we were last season.

Still lots to play for, 2nd place is back in our own hands, and of course a shot at retaining the Cup (which would also make us the most successful team in FA Cup history, so I would love for us to win it). I'm a little disappointed at the result, but hardly surprised, and it's not going to bother me too much. Mourinho can play whatever drab tactics he wants to, it's successful to an extent so I know why he does it. The only way to make him shut up is to go out and win it next season.

[BenArsenal]

Come on Ben, Chelsea were pretty much Champions after beating United, they had to lose that game for there to even be a silver of a chance. Yes, it was a pretty drudge-awful match to watch, but it's not as if we didn't know that would be exactly how they play. They had no fit strikers, and no incentive to win the match. All they needed to do was do what they do best, sit back, soak pressure, look to hit on the break. To me, the positive was that we weren't caught out on the break except for one or two times, and a few occasions our players took the bookings in order to stop breaks. In the end, it was up to us to make something happen and open them up, and we couldn't do it. Still, there are positives. We're more competitive against the top teams in the league, including Chelsea, although failing to win was a bit of a blow. We're certainly closer to Chelsea in terms of quality/ability then we were last season.

Still lots to play for, 2nd place is back in our own hands, and of course a shot at retaining the Cup (which would also make us the most successful team in FA Cup history, so I would love for us to win it). I'm a little disappointed at the result, but hardly surprised, and it's not going to bother me too much. Mourinho can play whatever drab tactics he wants to, it's successful to an extent so I know why he does it. The only way to make him shut up is to go out and win it next season.

I actually posted on Twitter just before the game started that I'd expected it to finish goalless, but I remained positive nonetheless that we could have somehow broke them down and grabbed something (we did have our chances). I'd agree though that we're much closer now to them than before, and if we could get good reinforcements in the right places this summer (here's hoping!), then there's every chance that we can compete next season.

[CFuller]

I think I'll be the last of our Arsenal trio to pass comment. I made a post after the home defeat to Monaco that was very pessimistic, and now that's starting to look rather silly.

I am now more optimistic than ever that we can launch a serious title bid next season. It'll be tough, as Chelsea look dominant, Manchester United are starting to come good again, and a new manager could give Manchester City a much-needed kick up the backside, but - at long last - our young, energetic team is ready to challenge.

The Chelsea game was the biggest load of bleep I've seen in a long time, but it just goes to show why Chelsea are going to be champions. José Mourinho is not a football manager who entertains the spectators with skilful passing football that makes Torvill & Dean's Bolero look like a punch-up outside a nightclub. José Mourinho is a professional winner who knows exactly how to win a big championship, even if it makes us fall asleep after half an hour. You've got to give him some credit for that.

Staying on the topic of Chelsea, their Under-18s won the FA Youth Cup yet again last night. If they were at any other Premier League club, the likes of Isaiah Brown, Dominic Solanke and Tammy Abraham would surely be on the verge of getting regular first-team football. At Chelsea, the best they can probably hope for is about three or four years on loan at a variety of clubs such as Vitesse Arnhem or a big-name Championship team, and then they'll probably be sold for around £5million to an average PL side. I hope it doesn't come to that, because these kids look like they could be the new Fergie's Fledglings.

[Balthazars]

Staying on the topic of Chelsea, their Under-18s won the FA Youth Cup yet again last night. If they were at any other Premier League club, the likes of Isaiah Brown, Dominic Solanke and Tammy Abraham would surely be on the verge of getting regular first-team football. At Chelsea, the best they can probably hope for is about three or four years on loan at a variety of clubs such as Vitesse Arnhem or a big-name Championship team, and then they'll probably be sold for around £5million to an average PL side. I hope it doesn't come to that, because these kids look like they could be the new Fergie's Fledglings.

Will comment on this as I find it interesting. Chelsea do seem to be finding some major progress in their youth system, but they're still at the stage where precious few of them are actually breaking into the first team. I wonder however if that could change given this particular group seem quite promising, and given that Chelsea - like City as well, although not quite as bad - are very close to finding it tough to meet the home grown requirements. With not many obvious home-grown options out there in the Premier League that are either available or would actually fit a pressing need in Chelsea's squad, the need for home-grown talent may actually see some of these promising youngsters get a go where previously they might not have. That said, to be honest, I'm not surprised Mourinho doesn't have a particularly outstanding track record of letting young players get a chance because he's such a pragmatist, and given the club has basically limitless resources. Why give a youngster a chance in a problem position when you can simply go out and buy a ready-to-go option instead? But maybe the need for some home-grown players will help give some of these youngsters a chance.

[BenArsenal]

Interestingly, I came across this article today which postures a theory about Chelsea's system. In essence, their youth team exists merely as a revenue generating exercise, rather than actually supplementing the first team.

[CFuller]

That's what I fear will happen to these young kids. They're not players to Chelsea; they're investments.

Here's what happened to some of Chelsea's previous FA Youth Cup winners. It doesn't make pleasant reading.

It'll be interesting to see how the youngsters at Manchester City, who lost the FA Youth Cup Final, fare compared to their Chelsea counterparts in the next five years or so. They might have more of a chance of breaking through at the Etihad than the Chelsea boys do at Stamford Bridge.

[copperhorse21]

Thanks for sharing the links to the other articles. They were fascinating reads, to be sure.

FFP is indeed a strange beast waiting to be tamed and it appears that if you have a history of being a "big" club and a savvy group of lawyers working for you, then you have a better shot at taming it. It's also fascinating to read how the changes in the Homegrown rules will also impact these clubs, especially those in the process of searching every aspect of the globe in search of finished talent. I wonder if it will start to have an impact on the recruiting these continental clubs do in the near future. Will they still buy up talent, but only if they are English/homegrown? Additionally, how will the smaller clubs cope in the long-term if their stars are being purchased by bigger clubs? Will the continental clubs just sign players from other countries at an even younger age in order for them to obtain homegrown status?

I know this is all part of the drama of the footballing world that helps to make it so fascinating.

I think the closest thing in the USA that we have to this would be baseball (with farm systems established to funnel talent upwards to the Big Leagues). But, I'm not sure if others have a better understanding of baseball and are willing to enlighten the rest of us.

[Offspring8]

Many of you know that I follow Chelsea's youth teams as closely as I follow the first team (remember my love affair with Josh McEachran a few years back?!) and at Chelsea we probably have the best youth system in England, if not Europe (we also just won the Champions League for U19's with relative ease), however to appreciate the clubs system, you have to forget about the traditional, purist thoughts of producing your own home grown talent.

Chelsea's strategy when it comes to young players has been groundbreaking and is why we're one of the most comfortable teams with regards to FFP. We buy at low prices, develop and loan players out and then either integrate them if they are good enough(Courtois) or sell them for a tidy profit (Lukaku, De Bruyne, Bertrand) and that is our way of generating income so that we can still afford to spend big on players like Costa or Fabregas. Again, the purists will hate it but hey, we have a tiny stadium so we need to find a way to level the playing field and this is our answer - it works brilliantly.

Also CFuller it all depends on what you deem a successful academy. If the kids aren't good enough for the first team, they shouldn't be there. Can you name me a single player that Chelsea have lost or let go due to not giving them an opportunity that has gone on to be good enough to break into the first team? Michael mancienne in Germany? Jeffrey Bruma in Holland? Even Lukaku at Everton? Only the best stay on and it's extremey difficult to develop that at a club, there are so many invariables that could go wrong and all it takes is for one to go wrong.

This year has been the first year those kids have been integrated into the first team and Mourinho has made a commitment to promoting 3 academy players to the first team every year. He stuck to it this year and promoted Rubén Loftus-Cheek, Dominic Solanke (both English and part of Chelsea's academy from a young age) and Nathan Ake (Dutch, home grown due to time with club). All of them have seen first-team minutes with the club (small minutes, but how can you argue with the team selection in a year when you've won the double) and Mourinho has made a public pledge that RLC will be staying with the first team next year and will be earning significant minutes due to his progression this year.

Marry that up with the fact that Bamford (on loan at Middlesbrough, Championship player of the year) and players like him are performing so well out on loan, I find it hard to say that Chelsea's academy isn't working. At the end of the day, even if we haven't churned out players at Chelsea's level recently, these guys still are good enough to earn a professional living as a footballer and that is the important thing. I don't want to make any claims like I did previously about Josh McEachran because I'll probably get bitten on the ass again, but I've never been so excited about the kids coming through the academy and I'm sure it's not long before that all starts to pay off at first team level.

[CFuller]

Can you name me a single player that Chelsea have lost or let go due to not giving them an opportunity that has gone on to be good enough to break into the first team? Michael mancienne in Germany? Jeffrey Bruma in Holland? Even Lukaku at Everton? Only the best stay on and it's extremey difficult to develop that at a club, there are so many invariables that could go wrong and all it takes is for one to go wrong.

Ryan Bertrand at Southampton, possibly? How do you rate him compared to Filipe Luis?

I'm not saying that the Chelsea academy isn't working. I'm saying that Chelsea see it more as a fundraising venture than a place to breed their future first-teamers. Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Lewis Baker, and all those other players we've mentioned are all very talented players. Of course, it's difficult to break into the best team in the country when you're still very young, but even as an Arsenal fan, I'd like to see Mourinho give the kids more opportunities. Maybe in the last few games of the season, once the title has officially been won?

[CFuller]

On a more serious topic, football lost another talent to a heart condition today. On a too-long list of fatalities that already includes the names of Marc-Vivien Foé, Miklos Feher, Antonio Puerta, Phil O'Donnell, and many others, we now have to add Gregory Mertens.

Condolences to Lokeren, the Belgian footballing community, and Gregory's friends and family.

[Offspring8]

It was ironic because Bertrand was part of the first team - he displaced Ashley Cole in his final season and I aways forget that he started in the Champions League Final that we won! I would say he could replace Luis but the only reason we have Luis is because Bertrand wasn't happy as a backup - Luis has simply taken up the role that Bertrand was doing in supporting Dave at left back.

It's pretty much guaranteed that once we tuck the title away, there will be starts for the likes of Luis, Cuadrado, Cech (who still has a chance at equalling the leagues clean sheets record!), Zouma, RLC and hopefully others like Ake, Colcutt and maybe even Solanke can get some meaningful minutes. Which club would you say has the best recent record with regards to integrating their youngayers into their first team? A few years ago Arsenal would be the go to team for that but it seems from the outside that they've slowed down recently!

[CFuller]

Yeah, we have slowed down a little with regards to bringing through 'youngayers' (nice typo, by the way). We've given Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Stefan O'Connor some time in the Champions League, and Maitland-Niles has played in the Premier League, but I don't think they're the real deal. Serge Gnabry has had bad luck with injuries (how very Arsenal), so that's why we haven't seen much of him this season. Other than him, I reckon our brightest up-and-coming talents are Gedion Zelalem and Chris Willock, but time will tell.

Who do I think have the best track record with bringing youth players into their first team? Southampton's the obvious answer, but I'd say Aston Villa have a good record. They've brought through Gabriel Agbonlahor, Ciaran Clark, Andi Weimann, and now Jack Grealish - and that's just counting their current first-teamers.

[BenArsenal]

Can you name me a single player that Chelsea have lost or let go due to not giving them an opportunity that has gone on to be good enough to break into the first team? Michael mancienne in Germany? Jeffrey Bruma in Holland? Even Lukaku at Everton? Only the best stay on and it's extremey difficult to develop that at a club, there are so many invariables that could go wrong and all it takes is for one to go wrong.

Nemanja Matic I think is an obvious one.

[Offspring8]

Yeah, we have slowed down a little with regards to bringing through 'youngayers' (nice typo, by the way). We've given Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Stefan O'Connor some time in the Champions League, and Maitland-Niles has played in the Premier League, but I don't think they're the real deal. Serge Gnabry has had bad luck with injuries (how very Arsenal), so that's why we haven't seen much of him this season. Other than him, I reckon our brightest up-and-coming talents are Gedion Zelalem and Chris Willock, but time will tell.

Who do I think have the best track record with bringing youth players into their first team? Southampton's the obvious answer, but I'd say Aston Villa have a good record. They've brought through Gabriel Agbonlahor, Ciaran Clark, Andi Weimann, and now Jack Grealish - and that's just counting their current first-teamers.

Ha, what a plank, my excuse is I was typing on my phone whilst at work, hence the term 'youngayers'! I've heard that Maitland-Niles has a decent future, while I've also been hearing good things about Daniel Crowley and Chuba Akpom (I love his name) as well, have you seen anything of those guys?

Yeah the reason I asked was just because I'm trying to think of a Champions League team that regularly brings through youngsters and I'm genuinely struggling. I just think the demand at the top level is so high that it's almost impossible for bigger teams to expect any more than one or two players every five years or so!

Nemanja Matic I think is an obvious one.

Which turned out to be a good piece of business in my opinion. Signed for £1.5M, used in an exchange for David Luiz who was eventually sold for more than double the price we'd bought him. Benfica effectively developed Matic for us and were compensated well for their work, while we also made a decent profit - why not send youngsters out to develop and carve out a career for themselves without the club paying the price for using a young player who's still developing and doesn't have a well rounded game? All parties won in the Matic situation!

Chelsea's method isn't the traditional one, but the proof is in the pudding, it definitely works and helps us with FFP! I can definitely see why certain fans might not like it, but if we're winning and in line with the rules, I'm happy!