Well maybe not children, let’s say teenagers or youngsters to be more accurate.
Since Chris Coleman came in as Simon Grayson’s replacement, and as everyone knows money being tight this year as Ellis Short looks to the finances as a reported future sale following relegation from the Premier League, the former Welsh manager has often had a more youthful feel to the side and it hasn’t always necessarily been by choice.
With the club rooted bottom of the Championship table and looking set for double relegation disappointment, as Coleman met with the media this week to preview the upcoming clash with Millwall, he spoke at length about just how important the youngsters at the club are to our future.
With a Weary Wearside in recent times, Coleman told the Official Site the he felt the baptism of fire our youngsters had received this season would see them in goodstead for far better times ahead.
He also backed them ‘by hook or by crook’ to play their part in firing the side to safety this year as it remained his only focus despite our precarious position.
‘George Honeyman is only 23 and we also have Joel Asoro and Josh Maja at 18 and 19 playing for us. We forget all that but these are young boys who are going to be good – Paddy McNair is only 22 – and there`s a lot of good things here.’
Coleman went on to say.
‘I know being at the bottom of the Championship for a club like us leaves a sour taste, of course, but if we can just get through it – by hook or by crook – there`s a lot of good young players. Alright, Jonny Williams has to go back, but we still have some good young players here that we can build on and build with.’
He added.
‘These experiences and moments when it`s so hard, as I said to Ash Fletcher and Ovie Ejaria, are invaluable and they`re going to be much better at the end of it, as will Jake Clarke-Salter. We just have to make sure we get through it the best we can with these players, but there`s a nucleus there of a good team with good young players who are going to get better and better.’
