Lewis Wing

[H1987]

In the Boro first team squad for tomorrow.

Doesn’t say a lot for the Martin Gray academy, when he failed to see the obvious talent of both Wing and Curtis Edwards. Wonder how much that could’ve been worth to the club if they developed here.

Cheers again Martin

[onewayup]

Says it all really doesn't it,

[quakerste]

Add Nathan Thomas to that list.

[lo36789]

Add Nathan Thomas to that list.

Tbf I missed this one...he looked hopeless...

[loan_star]

I think Gray let Edwards go as he was struggling with the unwarranted abuse he was getting from a very vocal section of our support. It obviously affected him and the move away did him the world of good.

[Darlogramps]

I don't recall any fans when Thomas, Wing or Edwards saying "We've let a good one go there."

As loan_star says, Edwards definitely got a load of abuse. Plenty of people used to sound off about Thomas as well.

[H1987]

It's not really up to the fans though, is it?

If you're running a youth academy, you should be able to judge talent capable of playing at a higher level.

[Spyman]

I don't recall any fans when Thomas, Wing or Edwards saying "We've let a good one go there."

As loan_star says, Edwards definitely got a load of abuse. Plenty of people used to sound off about Thomas as well.

There were definitely people who rated Edwards. I don't remember Wing but I remember there being a select few on here (who historically have been people whose opinions I agreed with) who could see Edwards had talent.

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[divas]

Wing played about 45 mins

[Darlogramps]

It's not really up to the fans though, is it?

If you're running a youth academy, you should be able to judge talent capable of playing at a higher level.

My point is it's very easy to be wise after the event.

But hardly anyone at the time would have said Edwards would have gone on to play in the Europa League.

Nor is it fair to expect a coach to be spot on with their judgement of every single player. And if fans are barracking Edwards every game, as was happening, he's hardly going to play to his best and realise his talent. So you can blame fans for that.

Let's face it, you are just trying to find another stick to beat MG with, nearly a year since he left. It's all a bit pointless and tedious.

[Darlogramps]

I don't recall any fans when Thomas, Wing or Edwards saying "We've let a good one go there."

As loan_star says, Edwards definitely got a load of abuse. Plenty of people used to sound off about Thomas as well.

There were definitely people who rated Edwards. I don't remember Wing but I remember there being a select few on here (who historically have been people whose opinions I agreed with) who could see Edwards had talent.

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"Rated" is a little vague a term.

No one would have said he'd have wound up in the Europa League playing Arsenal, for instance.

There wasn't major uproar when Edwards left, was the point I was making. No one was overly shocked or disappointed. It certainly wasn't as obvious as the OP is suggesting. Still, anything to have a pop at a manager who left 10 months ago....

[H1987]

Aye, but i'm not saying it's about the fans.

Gray worked with them in training, and made decisions about their development. He let both go, thinking they weren't good enough for us. He's supposed to help develop players, but can't see obvious talent under his nose.

Yes, it's a bit of an 'I told you so' at Gray, but sod him.

Wing has started tonight for Boro by the way.

[Darlogramps]

Aye, but i'm not saying it's about the fans.

Gray worked with them in training, and made decisions about their development. He let both go, thinking they weren't good enough for us. He's supposed to help develop players, but can't see obvious talent under his nose.

Yes, it's a bit of an 'I told you so' at Gray, but sod him.

Wing has started tonight for Boro by the way.

So after four days, you've decided to simply restate your argument, and ignore all the counter-points I've made. Come on, I expected more from you - you're usually one of the better posters on here.

But your argument is nonsense for a number of reasons.

1. It assumes these players were demonstrating obvious talent at the time. There is nothing to say that Wing was doing that - he was a teenage Northern League Division Two player at the time. He genuinely could have just been below the standard required. Neither you or I saw him in training, so there's no way you can say he was demonstrating "obvious" talent. That's just bullshit and you know it.

As for Edwards, well we've already established he split opinions in terms of ability, and if loan_Star is correct, Gray released him more for psychological reasons (i.e. Edwards struggled to deal with the criticism/abuse from certain supporters). In other words, there's nothing to suggest he didn't rate him as a footballer. It could simply be a recognition that things weren't working out. It happens.

So your argument that they were demonstrating obvious talent, and MG was too stupid to realise that, already doesn't hold any weight, and is simply reductionist thinking.

2. Our priority in 2013/14 (the season Edwards and Wing played for us) was promotion to NPL. This is undisputed. Given the lack of infrastructure around the club, were we able to risk letting young players make mistakes in our first team? I'd say no, and Gray would have been hammered if he'd done so.

3. You admit you're motivated by having a pop at Gray - which immediately undermines your entire argument. If it was TW who'd done this, you'd have been saying he made the correct decision, because Saint Tommy can't do any wrong in the eyes of some fans.

4. Potential is a subjective concept. One person may think someone can develop, others may think not. For instance, some Darlo fans think TW is an exciting, young, developing manager. I think he's a useless sack of chuckling hot air. So long as we can justify them, both viewpoints are valid. Without a time machine, we cannot tell who's right.

5. MG left 10 months ago. Why do you feel the need to keep bringing it back up all the time?

6. If their talent was so obvious, why didn't you say anything on here at the time? Don't hide behind the "I'm a fan, he's a coach" argument - that's just plain cowardly.

You're saying it was obvious. Something must have made you think it was obvious at the time. What was it with Wing in his brief spell here that made you think "this boy will be a star one day"?

[HarryCharltonsCat]

Wing must have displayed some talent for Gray to take him up two divisions, then give him his debut against the league leaders and our main rivals that season. That it happened to then blow a gale, that the ball spent 90 minutes bypassing the midfield, and that we as a team turned in one of our worst performances of the season, made it an impossible game for Wing to make any impression.

As you say, we were on a mission to be promoted, and Gray had no time to nurture youngsters. I get the impression Wing was only signed on because we were struggling for numbers that game, and he was a highly regarded youngster not on a contract. Had conditions been more suitable, he may have been able to show what he was about, and may have got more of a chance.

[loan_star]

There’s countless examples of players who don’t make it at one club who go on to bigger and better things. Just think, there was a day when a former York manager thought Marco Gabbiadini had no more to offer so got rid of him.

[divas]

There’s countless examples of players who don’t make it at one club who go on to bigger and better things. Just think, there was a day when a former York manager thought Marco Gabbiadini had no more to offer so got rid of him.

And a former York manager who thought David Stockdale wasn’t up to it. If I remember rightly it was Andy Collett who persuaded Hodgy to sign him and subsequently coached him. Hopefully he can have the same impact with Maddison.

[theoriginalfatcat]

There’s countless examples of players who don’t make it at one club who go on to bigger and better things. Just think, there was a day when a former York manager thought Marco Gabbiadini had no more to offer so got rid of him.

What a turkey!! (the manager not Gabbiadini)

[Spyman]

There’s countless examples of players who don’t make it at one club who go on to bigger and better things. Just think, there was a day when a former York manager thought Marco Gabbiadini had no more to offer so got rid of him.

And a former York manager who thought David Stockdale wasn’t up to it. If I remember rightly it was Andy Collett who persuaded Hodgy to sign him and subsequently coached him. Hopefully he can have the same impact with Maddison.

What we are saying is that York managers are generally useless at judging the potential ability of players?

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