H&V 95 – March 2002.
The children of the Children of the Revolution….well not exactly, but here we can take a look at a few of the young wannabes at Villa Park.
We’ve heard it all before, this kid is going to be the future of Aston Villa, the best youngster since Gary Shaw, Ian Olney, Bryan Small, Graham Fenton and countless others, all were going to be the one. In the cold light of day Lee Hendrie is the only home-grown player to make a real and sustained impact on the first team since Tony Daley. Gareth Barry and Jlloyd Samuel are players we pulled in after Brighton and Charlton had already done the groundwork.
So who amongst the current crop has the potential to make a real impact?
Much of the hype surrounding the youngsters this season has centered on two players,Thomas Hitzlsperger and Luke Moore. The reason is that both could, or will, leave Villa at the end of the season.
Thomas Hitzlsperger – A very good player who had a hell of a left foot, Thomas has really found his form this season and seem settled in the midfield in the reserves. he’s probably suffered in the past for the coaches not knowing his best position, played left back, left midfield, central midfield and centre forward but is now firmly entrenched in the centre of the park. Hitz is apparently free to leave Villa at the end of the season if he hasn’t played ten games. We should keep him because he’s potentially a quality player and he takes a fantastic dead ball.
Luke Moore – younger brother of Stefan, who we will come on to later. An England U-15 international who has played several matches on Sky TV this season and always looks a class above his team mates including a hat-trick against Wales Luke has signed schoolboy forms in the face of interest from Liverpool and Arsenal. A very quick striker who appears to have great poise in front of goal, he needs time to develop naturally and maybe in three or four years he will be knocking on the door of the first team. We shouldn’t be putting too much pressure on someone who is still very young, but there’s tremendous potential here.
Jon Bewers – Another young defender who looks very good on the ball. He’s regularly captained the reserves this season, even when the likes of Stone, Dublin or Wright are playing. Bewers plays either right back or centre half and looks equally comfortable at either position. Another player who will be looking to get a game or two in the first team in the next eighteen months, for my money he will be the one to put genuine pressure on Delaney for the right back berth.
Stephen Cooke – A player who left Manchester United to sign for Villa – all respect to the lad! Build wise he is very similar to Lee Hendrie, very waif-like. However, he has excellent ball skills and has that all too rare ability to go past defenders. Stephen is the type of player that needs to get appearances on the bench and come on for the last fifteen minutes of games with instructions to run at the opposition. He looks like he could be a very useful addition to the first team squad already.
Stefan Moore – A year ago this was the boy that everyone was raving about. A striker who can finish is invaluable to any team, and Stefan is a very aware player who is good at timing his forward runs. In the youth team for the FA Youth Cup he is playing a midfield role, which is a shame because it would be dynamite to see the brothers up front together. He had a loan spell at Chesterfield and is another who will be knocking on the door next season. I’d like to see him get a regular run out as the first choice striker for the reserves.
John McGrath – Last year he was primed as the new left back, the boy to remove Wrighty from his throne. However it all seems to have gone pear-shaped this year, whenever he has been in the reserves it’s as a substitute. I presume John has had injuries as he looked a very promising player whenever I saw him. A very pacy player who has probably suffered from abandoning the wing-back system.
Boaz Myhill & Wayne Henderson – The young goalkeepers on the block. Myhill is the regular reserve keeper when Enckleman isn’t having a run out and has had a few appearances on the first team subs bench. Big and commanding, he’s also a good shot-stopper and has England Youth honours as well. Henderson, as anyone who witnessed the FA Youth Cup win over Brighton will testify, is a very good shot-stopper. Both look as though they have benefited from having a few months with Peter Schmeichel and Eric Steele around. Both have futures in the game.
Steven Davis – This is a young lad who I have only seen play twice, but he was by far the classiest player on the pitch on both occasions. He’s an England U-17 international who plays in the centre of midfield, has time on the ball and is a very assured passer. It will be interesting to see how he progresses to the reserves and the more physical approach.
There are others in the reserves and the youth teams that look good, but these are the pick as I’ve seen them. Other people who watch them play might disagree, or they might think I’ve overlooked someone else.
Time will tell if any of these are the real deal. Will they be a Gary Shaw, or will they be a Richard Walker? I don’t know for sure, but mark my words. There is some real talent out there.
Gareth Edwards.
Heroes and Villains 