Another win for the under 23’s tonight, and impressive win away at Ipswich Town. Sam Dalby bagged two very different goals as we took the spoils in a 2-3 win. Carlos Corberan has the side playing, little doubt about that as they close on the top of the table after no defeats in six games, including some big wins.
It makes me reassess the Victor Orta situation entirely when I see the under 23’s and under 18’s. For me he maybe just needs his role changing at the club, from director of football to head of development recruitment, because the facts tell you that he’s actually done very well in that sense, in the first-team sense he’s been nothing short of a disaster. Some of the development players signed are looking very good, and Corberan seems to be getting the best out of them. Tom Pearce has developed massively under the Spanish coach and made his first-team debut on Saturday in an up and down game for the youngster. One player who sums up what Orta has done is central midfielder Oriol Rey. The Spanish youngster came as a centre-back from Barcelona and is now dominating games in the middle of the park, playing alongside Callum Nicell, now an Ireland under 21 international and Romario Vieira who has stepped his game up under Corbrean.
Oriol Rey, arrived from Barca and now showing some real ability
The under 18’s have been flying all season, a few additions via Victor Orta but in the main a side that has been together for a few years. Ryan Edmondson and Kun are the players impressing at that level and in general the youth sides seem to be profiting from the drive that has seen what seems a never-ending stream of players arrive at the club. Youngster Pascal Struijk is the latest to show some impressive form since arriving from Ajax in January and the likes of Bryce Hosannah, Hugo Diaz and Jack Clarke are all making a name for themselves. It’s certainly worth a thought because Orta hasn’t been such a waste of space in that area of the club and his ability to pull players from big clubs is actually very impressive. I’ll show Jay-Roy Grot in there too, his performances have been much better in the development squad, leading to a goal on Saturday, it shows what it can do if used correctly.
