Football League Exit Trials

[peadar1987]

BBC Article (http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/paulfletcher/2009/02/footballs_lastchance_saloon.html#057694)

Do any LOI clubs send scouts over to this. I know that money is tight, but here are a load of obviously talented, uncontracted kids who really want to play football. Surely it would be possible to bring a few of them over here, put them in digs, and give them a few euro a week to play for LOI clubs. They clearly dream of being professional footballers, so they will be inclined to take any chance they can get to earn a contract.

One player out of 20 moving on for E100 000+ would easily pay for the expenses, and an influx of young, talented, exciting players could help to boost attendances, and change the image of the league from the curernt one of a bunch of old men playing head-tennis in the mud.

[gufc2000]

I remember Tony Cousins went over when he was with us back in 2007, and thats where we signed Daryl Robson

[hoop4life]

have we not enough young players over here that should be given the chance to play first-team football

[Dodge]

have we not enough young players over here that should be given the chance to play first-team football

none that good enough

In saying that I know Pats have gone to those trials and haven't signed anyone. There are plenty of Irish lads involved too

[irishultra]

is there not a german or spanish version instead? **** ireland is so short sighted.
really sick of this country, in the papers all matches covered from an english perspective .....so crap

[Dodge]

get a grip will you. What would possibly possess a footballer of limited ability in either of those countries to move to a country he doesn't know, with a language he barely speaks (if it all) to a climate he'd almost certainly hate, for a couple of hundred quid?

Ireland isn't the only country that's short sighted

[pineapple stu]

To find a job in this country to supplement the part-time contract on offer.

[Longfordian]

Pfft..jobs, yeah right..

[pineapple stu]

Sorry, that was meant as an addendum to Dodge's post, not as an answer.

[Longfordian]

Ah yes, read in conjunction with Dodge's post it does take on a different tone.

[peadar1987]

Irishultra, as Dodge said, someone from France or Spain won't want to come over because of the climate and the language barrier.

The kids in the UK who don't get picked up by another club will have to start looking for work after the trials anyway, and they have as good a chance of picking it up in Ireland as back home, only in Ireland they'll have the added bonus of the part-time football money

I'm not suggesting a huge-scale swamping of the youth system by English players, just a few. It could even help the Irish youngsters to be exposed to a different style of player, and the good ones will always tend to drag up the standard of a team.

If enough of a culture of young players from England coming over here is developed, English clubs might start seeing it as an option to start loaning players to here to get them experience.

Irishultra is right, nothing interests the average Irish football fan than someone on the books at Liverpool, we may look down on them, but they pay the same at the gate as anyone else, so I'd welcome them, whatever their reasons for turning up.

[brianw82]

Irishultra is right, nothing interests the average Irish football fan than someone on the books at Liverpool, we may look down on them, but they pay the same at the gate as anyone else, so I'd welcome them, whatever their reasons for turning up.

Our left back, Chris Butler, was on Liverpool's books. Mauro Almeida was with Porto as a youth. These facts alone haven't brought masses of new fans through the turnstiles.

[micls]

Sean Kelly was the captain on an arsenal youth team where he partnered Fabregas in midfield.....and he's useless

[pineapple stu]

We've had lots of players from cross channel. Kevin Grogan and Paul O'Mara, signed from United (on loan) and Liverpool respectively, spring to mind.

[hoop4life]

Irishultra, as Dodge said, someone from France or Spain won't want to come over because of the climate and the language barrier.

The kids in the UK who don't get picked up by another club will have to start looking for work after the trials anyway, and they have as good a chance of picking it up in Ireland as back home, only in Ireland they'll have the added bonus of the part-time football money

I'm not suggesting a huge-scale swamping of the youth system by English players, just a few. It could even help the Irish youngsters to be exposed to a different style of player, and the good ones will always tend to drag up the standard of a team.

If enough of a culture of young players from England coming over here is developed, English clubs might start seeing it as an option to start loaning players to here to get them experience.

Irishultra is right, nothing interests the average Irish football fan than someone on the books at Liverpool, we may look down on them, but they pay the same at the gate as anyone else, so I'd welcome them, whatever their reasons for turning up.

i think that we should be giving u20 and a league players a chance in the first team instead of looking across the channel. how else are our youngsters going to improve? besides, just because a player played in an academy for a few years, it doesn't mean that they are the be all and end all. there has been a lot of average eircom league players that have played in academies before they came over here and in my opinion, irish youngsters could do as good as some of these players if given a chance.

[peadar1987]

You're right, giving average English players a chance just because they have played in an academy doesn't make sense, but occasionally you'll unearth a very good player. Basically I'm just advocating increased scouting, and a large collection of highly motivated, talented kids seems like a good place to start.