Clifton to looton

Quoted from forza ivano

but tbf, at the beginning they weren't far wrong. Under Jolley he ran around a lot, tackled well, but his passing was appalling and there was practically nil creativity

but , and this is total credit to Harry, he's worked so hard to make himself so good. Learnt to pass, learnt to play with two feet, kept his tackling and energy, and then he adds the attacking play and ability to finish.

He deserves so much credit, and (although I hate to say it) he totally deserves a move up the pyramid; especially if it earns us a big fee  

He was also 19, maybe 20, in a side that chopped and changed all the time, both in players and tactics.  Without doubt, he needed to work on his game but he's done exactly that.  I was thinking to myself during the Crewe game that he's now our best player, amazing really.  

Technically I don't think he ever lacked the ability, nor the ability to produce an output.  I remember him coming on maybe as a first-year-pro in a pre-season game against Derby at Blundell Park, I think we were either just out the Conference or it was our last season in it so either summer of 2015 or 2016.  Of course it was a friendly but he came on and ran them absolutely ragged with his direct running and dribbling.  Be it a combination of finding his feet or the style of play he's been asked to do under previous mangers, but he never seemed to have the confidence or conviction in himself to continue that when he got into the first team.  Thankfully that seems to have come back in bundles.

His form over the last 18 months definitely hasn't gone unnoticed and whilst I don't doubt that he's both happy here and has no money motivations, if a big club comes in for him we'll struggle to hold onto him and none of us could begrudge him that.  Let's enjoy him whilst he's here, because if he continues both his form and improvement it won't be for that much longer.

Quoted from forza ivano

but tbf, at the beginning they weren't far wrong. Under Jolley he ran around a lot, tackled well, but his passing was appalling and there was practically nil creativity

but , and this is total credit to Harry, he's worked so hard to make himself so good. Learnt to pass, learnt to play with two feet, kept his tackling and energy, and then he adds the attacking play and ability to finish.

He deserves so much credit, and (although I hate to say it) he totally deserves a move up the pyramid; especially if it earns us a big fee  

Harry has certainly worked very hard on his game and he has developed into a very good versatile footballer. I would also like to add that the coaching staff deserve some credit for Harry's development. Through observation and analysis they will have outlined his weaknesses and areas that he could work on. We tend to forget a lot of the background work that goes into producing a good footballer.

totally agree with the 2 last posts
couple of other points
a)finely taken left foot finish last night - when he started his left foot was definitely for standing on!
b) always wondered whether going off to play for Wales helped his improvement and mindset/determination
3) if you can be dispassionate a big move in the summer might be perfect for all parties.He interested Bolton n FGR last summer, and he's only got better, in a higher league.  Drby,Ull, Wendy, Rotherham or Barnsley came in for him with the right (large!) fee he's be playing at a higher level , earning far far more, yet probably wouldn't have to move very far
4) and I think we may have the perfect (if not exact) replacement already in the club - step forward Evan Khouri

I will be the first to admit that a couple seasons ago I said that Harry would run for days but he wasn't technically good enough.

Well the lad has proven me wrong over last and especially this season, as now he has added more quality to his game and also a good return in goals.

Don't get me wrong, he still needs to improve if he wants to be a top player (and when I say that, I mean lower Championship) but he's certainly moving in the right direction and is already one of the first names on the team sheet I would suggest.

Getting him on a 3 year contract has also worked out to be a very good decision as we should be happy whether he stays or goes.

Hopefully he keeps his form up and has a good end to the season and we go from there!

Quoted from forza ivano

totally agree with the 2 last posts
couple of other points
a)finely taken left foot finish last night - when he started his left foot was definitely for standing on!
b) always wondered whether going off to play for Wales helped his improvement and mindset/determination
3) if you can be dispassionate a big move in the summer might be perfect for all parties.He interested Bolton n FGR last summer, and he's only got better, in a higher league.  Drby,Ull, Wendy, Rotherham or Barnsley came in for him with the right (large!) fee he's be playing at a higher level , earning far far more, yet probably wouldn't have to move very far
4) and I think we may have the perfect (if not exact) replacement already in the club - step forward Evan Khouri

I rate Khouri really highly and I think it's only really the strength in depth that we have in midfield that's limited him to chances, especially in his better position of in the middle.

Despite a troubled time with injuries for the lad, Hurst was still keen to keep hold of him.  That's interesting for me on two fronts.  Firstly during Hurst's first spell here, there was little scope to keep young lads on.  If they didn't make an impression at 18/19 they were gone.  Understandably in the Football League there's extra resource to give those lads another year or two, but it definitely feels like this time round there's room to develop and grow something.

Secondly, despite the room to grow and develop something, Hurst doesn't suffer fools.  If he didn't see the value in Khouri he wouldn't persist with him.  

I was about to say that at 20 he needs to start to make his mark quite quickly.  Yet when Clifton turned 20 he only had 7 League starts for us, before really kicking on soon after.  Khouri turned 20 a few weeks ago and has managed 8 starts, with a good number in the Checkatrade too.  Just shows the value of holding onto promising youngsters longer than for a year doesn't it?