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Re: Makise Evans
Views: 563
And scored on his debut against Norwich in PSF.
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Re: Makise Evans
Views: 900
I note on Col U’s site that he’ll be part of their under 21’s. Whilst we seem to be quite good at bringing youngsters through up to U18’s we seem to have a missing link in not being able to develop them through the gap to first team.
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Re: Makise Evans
Views: 789
Aye. Colchester's article made quite a big point of the fact they run a Category 2 Academy means they have the U21s as the bridge into the first team, exactly for players like Makise, who could go no further with us.
FWIW, I fully get why we let him go and agreed with it (had we had an U21 side it would be a different matter), but will be interested to see how he fares.
Edited by Chuds at 09:45:33 on 12th July 2025
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Re: Makise Evans
Views: 747
As a club that spoke of a “Crewe model,” a few years ago, you’d assume we would want the highest academy level possible. On the flip side we’ve probably crunched the numbers and decided the outlay of an entire Under-21 squad is probably not worth it on the off chance one or two players actually make it through to the first team.
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Re: Makise Evans
Views: 739
Yup.
Believe (even with the funding we receive for it) the level we run is very expensive, let alone upgrading the Academy grading, or running an U21 side alongside it.
And whilst we haven't seen much from it from players breaking into the first team, financially we have sold a few players for decent money from it.
By all accounts we sold Elydh(sp?) Harrison to ManUtd and Leke Drake to ManCity for good money, and probably incentives too. Ben Wilmot to Watford. Even Rylee Mitchell to Norwich this summer. It isn't bad going really.
Edited by Chuds at 10:30:51 on 12th July 2025
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Re: Makise Evans
Views: 739
They'd all want a wage wouldn't they?
No way we could afford it without impacting the main playing budget.
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Re: Makise Evans
Views: 713
Definitely. A fine balancing act, given where we are at present I’d say we’re getting it more right than wrong too. As Chuds said above, we’ve still done pretty well with moving youngsters on for a fee too.
In reality Evans wouldn’t get near our team this season, so why keep him around wasting our money and his time, stalling his development to boot. He’ll improve at Colchester and probably has a better chance of making a breakthrough there into first team football as well.
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Re: Makise Evans
Views: 829
I've said before, for a small academy, with a fairly local reach, our success rate is very good, when you consider the best kids will always be poached very young by bigger academies who farm literally hundreds of kids a year through their set-ups, and many have academies overseas on top of their UK ones.
We probably run about 25 kids in the top academy year I'd guess.
I don't think we have an U21 squad or level though? They either sign pro by 18ish or they're moved on.
We have had plenty of youngsters make the step up, some good, some not so good.
Edited by BALDOCKBORO at 09:23:30 on 12th July 2025
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Re: Makise Evans
Views: 751
On the U21s correct Think it was stopped when we pulled out of the Eastern Reserve league.as in effect it was our reserve team.
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Re: Makise Evans
Views: 803
Agree on this have been lots of false dawn's eg Smith, Hicks but could it be in general if they are very good they would have gone before making it with us eg Harrison to Man U.
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