Leon Best [Archive]

Dan K

15/09/2004, 1:29 PM

The striker that many of us were raving about a fw weeks ago has made it clear that it doesn't want to play for Ireland anymore, and wants to try his luck with England. :(

He pulled out of the match against England in Cork for this very reason.

He's been on the bench for Saints a few times this season already, most recently as Monday for the game against Charlton, but has yet to make his senior debut.

I'm disappointed, as he does look very promising indeed. Think Clinton Morrison with the ability to create and score lots of goals. ;)

Slash/ED

15/09/2004, 1:38 PM

That's the major disadvantage of this new rule about being able to change sides.

Lionel Ritchie

15/09/2004, 2:31 PM

That's the major disadvantage of this new rule about being able to change sides.

i know it feels like the honours been cheapened sometimes but he's entitled to take his time, change his mind even change it back if he wants. We dunno either what kind of pressures he's facing behind the scenes at southampton. I remember around the time trigger declared for us i heard Bolton were furious as they felt they'd get a far bigger transfer wedge for him as an England player than an Ireland player.

Roo69

15/09/2004, 3:00 PM

If he does'nt want to play for us he does'nt want to play for us, simple as that really. I'd prefer to have a squad of players who are 100% behind the irish cause.

But in saying that, if he thinks he can get in the England squad fair play to him, especially with the likes of Owen, Defoe, Rooney, Smith all well ahead of him for years to come, you can probably add Vassell, Heskey and Beattie to that as well.

eirebhoy

15/09/2004, 3:13 PM

But in saying that, if he thinks he can get in the England squad fair play to him, especially with the likes of Owen, Defoe, Rooney, Smith all well ahead of him for years to come, you can probably add Vassell, Heskey and Beattie to that as well.
If this guy lives up to his potential he'll probably be first choice for England in a few years.

Any source for this news BTW? I haven't heard anything.

Roo69

15/09/2004, 3:27 PM

If this guy lives up to his potential he'll probably be first choice for England in a few years.

Any source for this news BTW? I haven't heard anything.

If potential is anything to go by, why is'nt he playing week in week out, just like Owen, Rooney, Defoe and Smith all where.

gspain

15/09/2004, 3:31 PM

Biggest blow since we lost Noel Whelan and then there was Kevin Gallen. :)

Dan K

15/09/2004, 3:34 PM

Any source for this news BTW? I haven't heard anything.

I'm the source. :D I'm doing some media work for the club, and got that from the guy who does all the academy/reserves reports. It'll be in Sunday's match day programme.

As far as I can see, it's purely his decision, and there's no pressure from the club at all.

ken foree

17/09/2004, 5:43 PM

f u c k 'im.

eirebhoy

17/09/2004, 6:30 PM

Lads, when are we going to get over this obsession with England wannabes? Are there not enough people out there who want to wear the shirt with a bit of pride? I'm not into this "I'll think about it" rubbish. You either want to play for the Republic or you don't. Fair balls to young McGeady, some of the stuff that has been written about him in Scotland is awful. If lads are going to declare, do it for the right reasons.
Leon Best has been playing for Ireland at underage level for the last couple of years. I won't believe that he has declared for England until it comes from a reliable source. (no offence Dan but a member of a forum is hardly reliable :) ).

Slash/ED

17/09/2004, 6:37 PM

Good point, I've not seen this anywhere apart from here so we shouldn't believe it as gospel yet.

Plastic Paddy

17/09/2004, 6:40 PM

Leon Best has been playing for Ireland at underage level for the last couple of years. I won't believe that he has declared for England until it comes from a reliable source. (no offence Dan but a member of a forum is hardly reliable :) ).

Well, I hope he's wrong, you hope he's wrong and I'm sure that Dan hopes he's wrong. It would of course be typical if this rule means that we get the likes of Jonathan Macken in exchange for a bright young thing like Leon Best. :(

:ball: PP

Dan K

17/09/2004, 10:46 PM

Leon Best has been playing for Ireland at underage level for the last couple of years. I won't believe that he has declared for England until it comes from a reliable source. (no offence Dan but a member of a forum is hardly reliable :) ).
None taken! :)

I'll scan the piece that's going to be in Sunday's match programme, but unfortunately I'm pretty sure that he's 'gone bad'. He hasn't 'declared' but doesn't want to write off his England chances, by committing himself to us yet. Seems that we're a back-up plan by the sounds of things.

As I say, I've been working at SFC (http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/article.asp?article=225725&Title=New+start+for+Saints&navlid=news)'s media department all week, and this is via the reserves/academy reporter who speaks to Leon on a regular basis, but I'll scan that piece up for you when I get a copy of it on Sunday.

1MickCollins

18/09/2004, 12:56 AM

Lads, when are we going to get over this obsession with England wannabes? Are there not enough people out there who want to wear the shirt with a bit of pride? I'm not into this "I'll think about it" rubbish. You either want to play for the Republic or you don't. Fair balls to young McGeady, some of the stuff that has been written about him in Scotland is awful. If lads are going to declare, do it for the right reasons.

Tuff Paddy you win my completely unofficial "Post of the day!"

If you are an Irishman you would never for one nanosecond think of playing for the ould enemy, we have enough skin-deep Irishmen playing for us right now thank you very much.

eirebhoy

18/09/2004, 2:42 PM

Tuff Paddy you win my completely unofficial "Post of the day!"

If you are an Irishman you would never for one nanosecond think of playing for the ould enemy, we have enough skin-deep Irishmen playing for us right now thank you very much.
I think Tuff Paddy thought that we found out that Best had Irish links and we were wishing he'd declare for us (just like Darren Fletcher when he was emerging). If TP knew that Best had already been playing for Ireland I'm sure he wouldn't have posted that. For all we know Best could have been 100% commited to Ireland so I don't see how he can get the "Post of the day".

1MickCollins

18/09/2004, 3:55 PM

eirebhoy

18/09/2004, 4:22 PM

I know squat about Leon Best and my remarks don't relate to Leon Best - it was Tuff Paddy's message which I don't think is specific to Best "when are we going to get over this obsession with England wannabes? Are there not enough people out there who want to wear the shirt with a bit of pride?"
Tuff Paddy's post is way off topic and if he knew Best had been playing for Ireland the last couple of years he wouldn't have posted it. There was a thread about Leon Best and I described him as "the missing link". Dan opened this thread to tell us the reason he pulled out of the Ireland u19 match this month. Nobody here is getting obsessed with England wannabes as Best never mentioned wanting to play for England and we thought he was another Potter, McGeady or Tabb by declaring for Ireland so early on when he was born in Britain.

1MickCollins

18/09/2004, 7:07 PM

I don't want to burst your balloon here but 9/10 'Englishmen' who play for Ireland are England wannabes, I can only think of Breen and Kilbane as definite exceptions in the present squad. So I think if we were all honest we would say as Best is English born he would have played for England in a flash. For most of these guys it is a career move not an 'honour' to play for Ireland.

Caveat; I don't know about Best's parentage & upbringing but if both parents were also English born then I hold to the above, otherwise I would need to know more about his upbringing.

I don't think Tuff was way off topic - I'm not saying you are obessed with England wannabes but his point was valid in relation to the mercenary nature of Englishmen playing for Ireland.

eirebhoy

19/09/2004, 3:04 PM

I don't want to burst your balloon here but 9/10 'Englishmen' who play for Ireland are England wannabes, I can only think of Breen and Kilbane as definite exceptions in the present squad.
Connolly, O'Brien and Stack are 3 names that come to mind that you could add to that list. Doc and Delap are maybe's. Its like we're supposed to expect players to change alliances. Best was as much of an Irish prospect last month as someone like Potter, are we not supposed to be suprised when a player decides his future lie's elsewhere?

eirebhoy

19/09/2004, 5:52 PM

http://www.soccercentral.ie/viewstory.asp?id=13916&mainheading=Republic+of+Ireland&viewstory=yes

After two hat tricks already this season for Southampton’s reserves, Irish youth International striker Leon Best made his PREMIERSHIP DEBUT for the Saints who lost by two goals to one against Newcastle United at St Mary’s on Sunday afternoon.

Leon joined the Saints from Coca-Cola League II side Nott’s County on the last day of the March transfer window in 2003, and took his U17 bow for the Premiership side in the beginning of April of the same year.

Two weeks later he was playing at U19 level, which is where he played for most of last season, although this term he has been a regular for their reserves side and has been included as a substitute for the senior team on the bench for their Premiership tes against Blackburn and Charlton.

Best was the hero for the Irish U17s when he scored two goals in their 3-0 victory over Russia in the Four Nation tournament in the Algarve - Portugal in March 2003.

His last outing with an Irish squad was in April of this year, with the U19s in the Porto Tournament. He was born in St Ann’s, Nottingham and qualifies for the Republic through Parentage.

1MickCollins

19/09/2004, 9:20 PM

Connolly, O'Brien and Stack are 3 names that come to mind that you could add to that list. Doc and Delap are maybe's. Its like we're supposed to expect players to change alliances. Best was as much of an Irish prospect last month as someone like Potter, are we not supposed to be suprised when a player decides his future lie's elsewhere?

Stack isn't in the squad yet, but both his parents are Irish-born which makes a significant differnce. I really don't know about Connolly, and O'Brien is a mercenary if you ask me, even though he said no to England at U21 level. I wouldn't question the Doc as he was born in Donegal as far as I know and moved to Luton early on. I think Delap is out of the picture now anyhow.

No you really can't be surprised if any player who represents Ireland at youth level and who never considered themselves Irish until contacted by the FAI should decide to answer England's call at a later time, I think it will happen more and more going forward due to the recent rule change.

Plastic Paddy

20/09/2004, 5:21 AM

I really don't know about Connolly, and O'Brien is a mercenary if you ask me, even though he said no to England at U21 level.

How is O'Brien a mercenary? I've never heard any utterances from him about England. As far as I can see, he always plays for the shirt. So what's your problem with him then?

:confused: PP

stickyjoe

20/09/2004, 7:27 AM

delap is no mercanery.both his parents are irish. andy o`brien played for england under 21s in a friendly and then changed his allegiance later

Plastic Paddy

20/09/2004, 8:28 AM

andy o`brien played for england under 21s in a friendly and then changed his allegiance later

Ahh. I'm not sure "mercenary" is the term for what he did in changing allegiance though. Maybe he just saw the light. :cool:

He's worth his place though. :)

:ball: PP

eirebhoy

20/09/2004, 11:18 AM

delap is no mercanery.both his parents are irish. andy o`brien played for england under 21s in a friendly and then changed his allegiance later
O'Brien was 19 when he played for the England U21's against France and got MOM. If he considered himself English he would be a fool to go and play for Ireland as he showed early potential that he could be as good as any centre half.

People approach him now and wonder, what with his upwardly mobile status, if he regrets the decision. "I say no. It wasn't really close. I only played against France because it was a friendly and there was pressure from the club's point of view because they think it's more prestigious to play for England than for Ireland." He has no doubts. He travelled to Kilfinnane with his father last summer and the experience overwhelmed him. "Just picking up a few pieces of my past," he said.

Dan - Any news on Best?

Donal81

20/09/2004, 11:36 AM

This has always been a dodgy area. You have someone like John Aldridge or Ray Houghton or Andy Townsend, whose Irish connections weren't half as strong as Kilbane's or Breen's, both of whom were brought up in Irish households, e.g. Kilbane was an altar boy, played hurling, Breen went to the All-Ireland with his da every year. These players get an offer of international football and take it. But who would deny that, by the end of it, John Aldridge wasn't as committed to the Irish cause as Steve Staunton or Packie Bonner? It's a lot better today, with fewer mercenaries doing the rounds. But I can't look at someone like Jonathan Macken or Clinton Morrison and genuinely feel that they would have turned England down, as Breen or Kilbane both did as youths. While the notion of mercenary footballers, Noel Whelan, Kevin Gallen, etc, sickens me, I was brought up supporting a team that played its heart out and thrilled a nation and spoke on tv afterwards with English or Scottish accents. Many of these players weren't Irish-born but became devoted to the team. I think it depends on the character of the player, to an extent. McAteer, while ropey, was immediately accepted by the faithful as his commitment was never in doubt. Like I said, a dodgy area.

Bowsy

20/09/2004, 1:03 PM

I find it hard to believe that any 16-19 year footballer is so cynical and realistic about their own ability that they think they'll never be good enough to play for their country despite playing for a Premiership club. If Leon Best thinks he can play for England i wish him well and prefer he wasn't part of our set up. No one can accuse the likes of O'Brien, Potter, Connolly, etc of doing this as they all declared for us as very highly rated youngsters and we all know Connolly doesn't lack self confidence.

Dan K

20/09/2004, 1:54 PM

Dan - Any news on Best?
Yep. I've uploaded a scan of the programme from yesterday at http://www.kerins.eclipse.co.uk/leonbest.jpg (or a better quality one at www.kerins.eclipse.co.uk/leonbest2.jpg)I've highlighted the bit about his international career. It's only a paragraph, but it says enough. As I say, it looks like he's hedging his bets at the moment.

I was at the Saints/Toon game yesterday. He came on in the 80th, looked strong and mobile, but was sometimes a bit apprehensive about making the run, losing him half a yard against the defender, but all in all a good solid debut.

Also, Delap looked much better than he has done of late. Was making more attacking runs, which had been part of his game which had mysteriously vanished. Rory is getting back his 'bite' too, as he sometimes has a tendancy to not go in fully committed into a challenge - probably something to do with all the injuries he's had in the last 18 months, but I'm glad to say he's moving in the right direction.

Carr looked good for Newcastle, scoring with a cracking shot. Given had sod all to do, and O'Brien looked solid too.

Donal81

20/09/2004, 2:30 PM

This is indeed a strange one, I don't remember this happening before where a youngster has put in the work at youth level and then changed his mind. Like with McGeady, it's unusual for a youngster to want to play for a country for purely cynical reasons. Then again, I don't remember being too sensible when I was 19.

tetsujin1979

20/09/2004, 2:34 PM

Think the English goalie at the under-20 youth championships last year had caps for Ireland at a younger level, but I'm not sure. That's the only one I can think of off the top of my head

1MickCollins

20/09/2004, 2:58 PM

How is O'Brien a mercenary? I've never heard any utterances from him about England. As far as I can see, he always plays for the shirt. So what's your problem with him then?

:confused: PP

Other than he played for England and then decided maybe he could earn 100 caps for Ireland but have absolutley no guarantees for England ?

I stick to saying that playing for Ireland is a career move for most but not all our English players. No one knows what is in someone else's heart. I named Breen and Kilbane as lads I don't have a problem with at all. I just don't know about the upgringing of the others to be sure. I don't want to slam anyone so am completely open-minded to new information.

TheJamaicanP.M.

20/09/2004, 3:01 PM

I heard a couple of years ago that Milner of Leeds, now with Newcastle played for Ireland at under-15 level. Is this true?

eirebhoy

20/09/2004, 3:13 PM

So its still not 100% clear what he's doing. His father is Jamaican and his mother is Irish. The way he speaks of his mother, "I owe her so much, she has been a massive influence" he could well be persuaded to stay with us. :)

Donal81

20/09/2004, 3:56 PM

I heard a couple of years ago that Milner of Leeds, now with Newcastle played for Ireland at under-15 level. Is this true?

Just found an obscure link, click and scroll down a bit. Obviously very old, though.
http://www.horsforth.leeds.sch.uk/newslet/dec00/sports.asp

TheJamaicanP.M.

20/09/2004, 6:23 PM

Just found an obscure link, click and scroll down a bit. Obviously very old, though.
http://www.horsforth.leeds.sch.uk/newslet/dec00/sports.asp

That clears that one up. Bad enough losing the likes of Rooney. We need to hold onto Leon Best if we can. Players can't be forced to be Irish however.

Dan K

20/09/2004, 7:12 PM

Players can't be forced to be Irish however.
We could kidnap him. It worked for St. Patrick. ;)
Although I'm not too sure what he was like upfront. :D

Donal81

21/09/2004, 1:00 AM

That clears that one up. Bad enough losing the likes of Rooney. We need to hold onto Leon Best if we can. Players can't be forced to be Irish however.

Watching an old thing there on video about Ronnie Whelan. He describes all the new faces that Charlton brought into the squad and how a lot of people at the time said that they weren't Irish, they were English or Scottish. "When they went out there, they were Irish," was his explanation. Tis indeed a grey area, which depends on the individual player and his attitude towards his inclusion in the squad.

livehead1

09/10/2004, 1:25 AM

whoever has made bad comments about leon best doesn't know what they are talking about. I went to school with the lad was good mates with him and played in the same saturday side as him before he went to notts county. His mother is from Dublin and all he has wanted to do from a young age is represent Ireland. where is this definate proof that he wants to play for england...i don't think so
and by the way, he will be the next 'big thing'. i can remember his debut for my saturday side, aged about 9 . he picked the ball up on the half way line, shot and scored, at the time the other players couldn't even kick the ball that far. he is strong powerful and has a good shot, all key attributes of a striker.

robbie_B

09/10/2004, 4:49 AM

Alright dere people I am new to the board - interesting debate about this lad best - I hope he declares for Ireland seems like he could be a good addition to an already promising U21 squad. Found this info about him.

Thursday 07 October 2004
Still a learner but Saints hopes are pinned on Best

Leon Best is counting down the days to the biggest game of his life - with Saints praying he makes an instant impact to get them out of their current predicament.

The 18-year-old striking sensation looks almost certain to be handed a place alongside Kevin Phillips when Saints take on Everton at Goodison Park a week on Saturday.

If he does, it will be his first ever Premiership start and will thrust him firmly into the national footballing spotlight as Saints look to climb out of the bottom three.

Best has so far shown little in the way of shyness with two confident and bustling appearances from the substitutes bench this season - the first being against Newcastle on the day of his 18th birthday.

And now he will have his chance to become a first-team regular.

Saints nabbed the young talent for £50,000 from Notts County in March 2003 and ever since he has made an impact both for the under-19s and the reserves. Two goals against West Ham's second string at St Mary's this week underlined his potential and took his tally for the season to seven goals in four reserve games.

Best looks set to get his chance with James Beattie's broken toe and Peter Crouch's knee injury keeping them out for six weeks while Brett Ormerod will return after his month's loan at Leeds but FA rules mean he cannot come back before that period has elapsed - the week after the Everton game.

That leaves Phillips as the only fit frontline striker and Best's elevation may prove the defining moment in a fledgling career if the Republic of Ireland youth international can grab the opportunity with both hands.

A quick, strong front player!!!!! - er we are not exactly blessed with this type of forward.... if the lad declares for Ireland I couldn't care less where he was born...

Bring on the french.

1MickCollins

16/10/2004, 10:01 PM

http://www.eleven-a-side.com/acrossthewater/irish_soccer_detail.asp?newsid=14130

eleven-a-side.com are still referring to Best as Irish: "Irish under-19 international Leon Best made his first Premiership start for Southampton against third-placed Everton at Goodison Park, but the injury-hit Saints fell to Leon Osman’s last minute winner. "

But he wasn't named in McCaffrey's latest squad. I'm guessing he has left the fold...or was he not included due to club commitments, hah!