[情報] 麥凱克倫:為卻爾西踢球仍是我的夢想
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2920569/
Josh McEachran played Champions League at 17 and was tipped to be
Chelsea's next big thing... now he is on loan in Holland but still dreams
of making it at Stamford Bridge
By Matt Barlow - Published: 22:55 GMT, 21 January 2015
Josh McEachran reported in club-issue chinos, blue cotton shirt and a
flimsy black jacket. The dress code added nicely to the European vibe, but
the upturned collars offered little protection against the icy gusts,
licking across the Rhine.
There was a smattering of applause from a few who braved the wind-chill to
greet the Vitesse Arnhem players as they trundled kit bags across the flat
expanse of car parking around the Gelredome.
It is three years since he last appeared for Chelsea and here McEachran
was preparing to start only his second game of this season, against Dutch
league leaders PSV Eindhoven.
After a sticky opening to another loan spell, there have been recent
flickers of progress and hints that he might recapture the drive to fulfil
potential which generated such hype when he first emerged at Stamford
Bridge.
'All that did change my life, to be fair,' said McEachran. 'I was 16, 17
at the time. I'd wake up and be in the papers every day. I wouldn't say it
was hard, but it was different. You've just got to get used to it, haven't
you, really?
'It happened so quickly. I went from playing at Cobham for the youth team
to all of a sudden playing in the Champions League. It all changes. So it
was a bit crazy and there was pressure, but I loved it, to be honest. It
was a good feeling.
'They were nice things people were writing and saying and I want that
back. I just want to get back to that, and I'm working hard to get back to
that. There's no reason to think I can't. So many players in the Premier
League fulfil their potential at 24 or 25. I'm only 21.
'Even in Holland where teams are very young I'm one of the youngest.
People forget, when I first came in, I was 17 and I was at one of the
biggest clubs in the world, with all this expectation. That's still my
dream, to play for Chelsea.'
Carlo Ancelotti was digesting his tortellini when he set down his fork to
challenge the theory that Chelsea's youth system was failing.
Ancelotti told the reporters he had invited to dinner that there were two
teenagers in the ranks who could make it to the first team: Josh McEachran
and Nathaniel Chalobah.
Five years on and Chalobah, unable to get a game on loan at Burnley, seems
set for another move, although a proposed switch to Bordeaux has collapsed.
His momentum has stalled like McEachran's, and Jose Mourinho is turning to
younger players such as Dominic Solanke and Izzy Brown. Here is further
evidence of the blocked development pathways which inspire such debate in
English football.
Within months of Ancelotti's mid-pasta declaration, McEachran was a key
figure as Chelsea won the FA Youth Cup and England won the European Under
17 title.
He made 17 appearances in 2010-11 and, at 18, signed a contract worth
£2million a year, at a time when Roman Abramovich obsessed about
Barcelona's ability to rule the world while 'growing their own'.
England, meanwhile, were sifting through the debris of the 2010 World Cup
campaign and McEachran's accelerated development had everyone talking.
Things changed when Ancelotti was fired and Andre Villas-Boas swept in.
McEachran was among those exiled to the academy block, as AVB decided the
first-team building at the training ground in Cobham was strictly for
first-teamers only.
He avoided the worst of the trouble as some young players were sacked or
sold for disciplinary reasons, but it was here where big money met
rejection and idle time and things began to unravel.
It must be tempting to wonder how it might have panned out had Ancelotti
stayed.
'You can't look back,' said McEachran. 'That's nothing to do with me. It's
down to the club.
'Chelsea is one of the best teams in the world. For a young player to walk
in is pretty hard. All of us know we have to go out and find experience.'
There were disappointing loan spells at Swansea, Watford and Wigan and a
season at Middlesbrough which started promisingly but faded.
The social opportunities which all too often appear for young players with
seven-figure salaries did not help, and it is hard to escape the feeling
that the next five months at Vitesse will ultimately dictate the rest of
his career.
Arnhem has its distractions, too, but can its relative isolation focus his
mind and refuel his desire?
'It was hard at first in a different country with no-one around me,' said
McEachran. 'I missed most of pre-season because I was injured and didn't
arrive as fit as I should have. I was struggling with my ankle. So, I
needed time to catch up. Then I got fit and injured my ankle again, so
then I went back to Chelsea for about a month.
'The lads and the staff here have been great. I've been doing extra work
with the sports science people, getting in the gym after training. I feel
as fit as I've ever been. I feel I'm heading in the right direction.
'The way Vitesse play is perfect for me, through the midfield. I feel
good. I just need to keep it. I need to be able to last 90 minutes.'
Eddie Newton, responsible for liaison with the 27 Chelsea players out on
loan, was at the Gelredome and met McEachran on the morning after the game.
'They don't forget about you,' said McEachran. 'It doesn't feel like
you're not part of the club anymore.
'At the moment, I'm concentrating on Vitesse and I'm not looking beyond
that. When the end of the season comes, I'll cross that bridge. It's down
to Jose Mourinho.'
Oxford-born McEachran has been at Chelsea since he was eight. He is the
last of the 2010 Youth Cup winning side still there. His contract expires
next year. He still has admirers at the club. Mourinho is probably not the
biggest.
Peter Bosz has been charged with coaching some of Chelsea's most promising
talents in his role at Vitesse, but he knows the likes of Gael Kakuta and
Lucas Piazon would not have been sent his way if they were the finished
article.
His challenge is to improve them at Papendal, the club's fabulous training
facility.
In the 1-0 defeat against PSV, McEachran performed deep in midfield with
the same effortless poise and vision which caught the eye at 17. When the
game passed through him, his contributions were pleasing and yet he did
not impose his ability and dominate as you always hope he will.
Perhaps confidence has been eroded over the last three years. Perhaps it
is just his nature. Off the pitch, McEachran is polite, without a trace of
cockiness.
'He's a quiet boy, with a good attitude and everybody loves him,' said
Bosz. 'I'm sure he's been affected by what's happened to him. At 17, you
think you're a man but you're still a kid. Of course these things will
affect you.
'There's a lot of attention from the press and the fans and it changes
you. It's normal. Under Ancelotti he was playing, he was important; he was
seen as a big talent. Then, Villas-Boas wanted adult players in those
positions, like Ramires. Josh was pushed to the side and his levels
dropped. That happens with young players.
'It's a question of how quickly you come out of that period. For him, that
period has been really long.
'But he says he is happy here and feels accepted. I hope the way up is
from now on. I cannot do it for him, but I can help. That's why I'm a
coach.'
A personal training programme was designed for McEachran to boost fitness
levels which had dropped after so long without regular football.
'He needed time, so we gave him time to adapt to us,' said Bosz. 'Also,
his fitness; he was not fit when he arrived but before the winter break we
saw progress. In the last three months he has done fantastic.
'He is an intelligent player, with a tremendous left foot. He sees things
quickly. On the ball, he is fantastic. He has to improve on his defensive
side. In the duels he has to be stronger.
'Can he reach the top? With him it is difficult to say. He will play at a
good level, for sure. At the top? That is something different.
'A lot of players can have a good career without reaching the top. It
depends. He's still young. He has to show us. I don't know where it ends.
It's up to him.'
------------
文中附上英格蘭U17歐洲冠軍球員現況
JACK BUTLAND
The 21-year-old keeper made his senior England debut in 2012, but is now
on his third loan spell since moving to Stoke in 2013.
BRUNO PILATOS
The Angolan-born right back couldn't find a way into Middlesbrough's first
team, and now plays for Northern League side Jarrow Roofing.
ANDRE WISDOM
Defender Wisdom has found Liverpool appearances hard to come by, but has
become a regular in the West Brom defence this season on loan from Anfield.
NATHANIEL CHALOBAH
Highly rated at Chelsea, though has yet to make a league appearance for
them. Chalobah was on loan at Burnley for the first half of this season.
LUKE GARBUTT
The left back faces stiff competition from Leighton Baines at Everton, but
made his first league appearance for the club last month.
CONOR COADY
Defensive midfielder Coady managed just two appearances for boyhood club
Liverpool, but is now a regular for Championship side Huddersfield.
JOSH McEACHRAN
Once tipped for the top, the central midfielder is in his fifth loan spell
away from Chelsea and still struggling for game-time.
ROSS BARKLEY
The talented attacking midfielder has made by far the most progress since
2010, and is one of the first names on the Everton team-sheet.
CONNOR WICKHAM
Striker Wickham made a big-money move to Sunderland in 2011, and despite
showing flashes of promise, has struggled for consistency.
BENIK AFOBE
The Arsenal youth product was loaned out six times, the most recent of
which saw him score 19 goals in 29 games for MK Dons. Has just signed for
Wolves.
WILL KEANE
The Manchester United striker scored a hat-trick against Chelsea to seal
the 2010-11 FA Youth Cup, but injuries have since stunted his devlopment.
--
聖保羅˙費雷拉
在一群球霸、色鬼、自大狂、幼稚鬼、懶惰蟲、貪婪鬼的足壇中
體現了身為一名職業球員有多麼的艱難與偉大!
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