Nathan Collins D Brentford b.2001

[Eirambler]

Knight at Derby
Collins at Stoke
Connolly at Brighton
O'Shea at West Brom
Idah at Norwich

I don't think it's a coincidence that these lads are coming through at mid ranked clubs like those to be honest. Those are clubs that offer a clear pathway to the first team if a player is good enough. Obviously you'll always get players moving to the traditional bigger clubs as well, as Kelleher, Masterson, Parrott and Bazunu have done, but there's a lot to be said for turning down a Man United and signing for a smaller team. Odubeko looks like the next player that could benefit from that approach.

[Diggs246]

Yep. If my son is offered Barcelona or Huddersfield...he is going to Huddersfield possibly with a puss on his face...he will thank me when he is still a pro at 20

[Eirambler]

7.5m bid from Burnley for Collins turned down by Stoke.

[jbyrne]

Knight at Derby
Collins at Stoke
Connolly at Brighton
O'Shea at West Brom
Idah at Norwich

I don't think it's a coincidence that these lads are coming through at mid ranked clubs like those to be honest. Those are clubs that offer a clear pathway to the first team.

certainly merit in your argument. possibly our best three players over the last 25 years, robbie, roy and duff, all started with mid ranked clubs before moving on to bigger teams

[Diggs246]

7.5m bid from Burnley for Collins turned down by Stoke.

Would it not suit all parties, to agree to the following:
8m now for Collins.
He is loaned back immediately to stoke until the end of the season.
Joins Burnley when he is in a good position to start after tarkowski leaves

[tommy_c12000]

Don’t agree, as it’s a weak move for Collins. Stay at stoke and finish out the season. Then revisit options in the summer. Burnley are mediocre and will likely be a championship club in the next year or two

[Olé Olé]

The thing about Burnley is this new investment there. If that is all set up and there's a pot to spend from during the summer, surely Dyche will be able to enhance the playing style in conjunction with enhancing the playing staff.

One thing they do well is defend. There could be a worse environment for Collins.

On the other hand, I'd rather Knight steer clear of Burnley. I think he's more suited to a Leeds, Liverpool, Southampton.. teams that play some variation of high energy, high intensity football.

[Diggs246]

Don’t agree, as it’s a weak move for Collins. Stay at stoke and finish out the season. Then revisit options in the summer. Burnley are mediocre and will likely be a championship club in the next year or two

He will play and his salary will jump 8 times
They could stay up in the coming years as well. He is an unbelievable manager and now they have a few bob

[ColourfulPeanut]

https://www.the42.ie/irish-defender-set-for-spell-on-the-sidelines-after-foot-fracture-5356690-Feb2021/
Collins has fractured his foot and will be out for a few months, ruling him out of consideration in March.

[Exgrad]

A small fracture on his foot, sounded an awful lot worse at first so relieved to hear that.

[Exgrad]

And just read the bit at the end of that article which says he's suspended for the games against Serbia and Luxemburg because of his u21 red card, is that right?!

[passinginterest]

https://www.the42.ie/nathan-collins-profile-5358076-Feb2021/

Another good article on the42. Seems to have a good support system around him. It'll be interesting to see if he's tempted away from Stoke in the summer, would imagine if they can go up he'll stay, but if not he might take the chance to step up to a premier league team.

[Olé Olé]

https://www.the42.ie/nathan-collins-profile-5358076-Feb2021/

Another good article on the42. Seems to have a good support system around him. It'll be interesting to see if he's tempted away from Stoke in the summer, would imagine if they can go up he'll stay, but if not he might take the chance to step up to a premier league team.

Really enjoyed the insight on the club selection process when Nathan was moving to England. It seems like an inspired decision from Nathan and his father:

“I went away around the same age, 14 or 15, and it was just a different world to what they’re doing now,” he says.
“I went to a much bigger club, which is very difficult at the best of times, but if a young boy is going to a big club now, it’s a really big ask.
“Nathan had a look at a couple of clubs, but we didn’t put him out to 10 different clubs, like they do with a lot of young players.
“We went into Stoke and there was such a warm feeling. We had a little sniff around. Nathan went out training, so I had a look behind a few little doors that you probably shouldn’t look behind, as you do.
“They were category one for the English system, so you’re guaranteed certain standards. You were basically getting the same type of stuff that you would get at a top Premier League club. And Stoke at that stage were in the top 10 [in the Premier League table] three years in a row. So there was a great buzz about the place.
“Nathan loved the people around the area, we came in, the cleaning ladies were having a cup of tea with us and the canteen ladies, they just made us very welcome.
“I went out to look at one of the sessions and the detail that the coaches went into on preparations for matches was unbelievable. I was looking at the set plays they were doing with the young kids, phenomenal work.
“When I went away to Liverpool, they were the best team in Europe. It was more the financial package at that time. In the 1980s, people needed money and you sort of went that route.
“It wasn’t really a financial decision [in this instance], it was a head decision from my previous experience and Nathan’s heart.”

[Colbert Report]

How good is this guy? Burnley supporters seem to think he's signing for a top six club this summer.

https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/leicester-join-burnley-and-arsenal-in-transfer-chase-for-stoke-city-ace/

[CraftyToePoke]

How good is this guy?

An absolute baller CR. The most likely of all our underage lads to reestablish an Irish presence at the business end of the Premier league.

[Razors left peg]

Is he lacking a bit of pace? Maybe because hes so tall that just an impression I have of him?

[CraftyToePoke]

Harry Maguire has the fattest arse in the modern CB era and the acceleration of an oil rig but he's managing away

[Razors left peg]

Harry Maguire has the fattest arse in the modern CB era and the acceleration of an oil rig but he's managing away
Hes no John Hartson!

[seanfhear]

Harry Maguire has the fattest arse in the modern CB era and the acceleration of an oil rig but he's managing away
So you are saying we all have a chance ! !

[irishfan86]

Is he lacking a bit of pace? Maybe because hes so tall that just an impression I have of him?

For a centre back and a big man I think he’s quite mobile. If you’re slow you don’t generally play as a fullback which he has done a lot of. I’ve watched a couple of full games and he had enough speed to overlap at times on the right. He’s not the second coming of Cafu but by the standard of centre backs he’s quite quick IMO which is probably part of why the big price tag is out there.

[Bielsa´s irish]

A tall speedy young defender. Thuram was speedy and tall toó. We had José Chamot as well;

[Demesne Lad]

Burnley now reportedly willing to offer £12m for Collins. Tarkowski has his admirers elsewhere in the PL, and has only a year left on his contract. (Lancashire Live, 11 June). As I've noted previously, Sean Dyche doesn't think Jimmy Dunne is quite up to PL standard. So there could be some changes in the Clarets' back division for 2021/2.

[Strongbow10]

Burnley is a real graveyard for Irish players despite there being plenty of them there.

Dyche does what he has to do to stay in the EPL every year, route 1 football with little imagination, fair dues I suppose but would prefer if Irish players stayed away from Turf Moor.
Pity some of these lads don't make the move overseas to the likes of the Bundesliga or Serie A.

I'd like to think Collins would be aiming higher, Burnley are a dead end outfit and he'll be conditioned to root it.

[seanfhear]

Burnley is a real graveyard for Irish players despite there being plenty of them there.

Dyche does what he has to do to stay in the EPL every year, route 1 football with little imagination, fair dues I suppose but would prefer if Irish players stayed away from Turf Moor.
Pity some of these lads don't make the move overseas to the likes of the Bundesliga or Serie A.

I'd like to think Collins would be aiming higher, Burnley are a dead end outfit and he'll be conditioned to root it.
Wouldn’t the Bundesliga or Seria A want them first ?

[Demesne Lad]

Deal now done, according to the Burnley Express this a.m. - Collins to Burnley for £12m. I take Strongbow 10's point about the style - or lack of it- of football at Burnley, but perhaps Nathan will actually get more game time there than from the bench at a more fashionable club in the PL.

[Olé Olé]

Very interesting. There are many positives to this move. Burnley have produced some good defenders recently. Dyche is clearly a good manager and capable of getting the best from his players. Another interesting point is the new ownership. Apparently the owners are interested in creating a squad of young and quality players. You'd have to imagine that Collins' family have received plenty information on the plans of the new owners to conclude that this was the best route for him, based on the fact that they identified Stoke as a great starting club for him (8 figure move after just over 4 years- not bad) and their intimate knowledge of the football business (his uncle being a full time agent). Given Collins present position (young centre half with all the attributes, plenty attention and enough of game time), you'd imagine that selling Burnley to the Collins family was a significant undertaking that really had to be planned and executed to perfection to secure the signing.

[paul_oshea]

You've read a lot into someone willing to pay a big transfer fee for someone else.

[paul_oshea]

A footballer is a commodity at the end of the day, bought and sold without much fuss.

[John83]

Who was the last Irish player to attract an 8 figure transfer fee?

[pineapple stu]

Hendrick?

[tetsujin1979]

Matt Doherty's transfer fee wasn't confirmed at the time, but some papers did report it as £15m

[John83]

Both true. Still, they're thin on the ground, even though the Premiership clubs flash that kind of cash regularly these days.

[pineapple stu]

Did you mean to post this in the Nathan Collins thread btw?

(I was wondering were Rovers offering €10m for Stokes, or were you being smart and counting pennies :) )

[John83]

Did you mean to post this in the Nathan Collins thread btw?

(I was wondering were Rovers offering €10m for Stokes, or were you being smart and counting pennies :) )
Oops. Posts moved.

[tommy_c12000]

Great move if he regularly starts next season. If not, he should have stayed at Stoke and have gotten one full season at centre back under his belt (most of his starts have been at right back). Tarkowski (West Ham move fell through) still there so competing with him and Mee.

[Trequartista20]

Tarkowski is entering the final year of his contract and is widely expected to move on, however Burnley are thought to want to sign two centre-backs this summer and are being linked with a move for Nat Phillips too, so gaining a regular starting spot straight away isn't entirely assured for Collins, even given the money reportedly spent on him. Burnley signed Ben Gibson for £15m and he never made the breakthrough.

As well as that, Dyche often likes new signings - particularly defenders - to do their apprenticeship first, learning his methods, before throwing them in.

[tommy_c12000]

Hopefully Nathan has been giving some firm assurances on first team football. The other thing that I was thinking about is while Nathan mostly played right back, when he started centre back it was in a back 3 which stoke play. Every time I’ve watched Burnley it’s a flat back 4. Here’s hoping augurs well, but staying at stoke for a full season at centre back would not have done him any harm at all.

[Olé Olé]

If Collins is any use he won't be stuck behind Nat Phillips for long. I don't rate him much.

[Charlie Darwin]

Burnley will sell Tarkowski unless they're mad - 20m plus for a player who will go for free next year is a no-brainer for a club of their size. I wonder if Burnley might go for Duffy as well.

[tommy_c12000]

Unless he signs a new contract of course!

Collins move confirmed anyways, potentially a club record for Burnley if add ons met apparently https://twitter.com/burnleyofficial/status/1408080029548953604?s=21

[elatedscum]

The only players who I think have really developed at Burnley over the last few years since they came back up are keepers (Heaton, Pope), centre halves (Keane, Tarkowski) and Dwight McNeil (winger). Guys like Hendrick and Brady regressed under Dyche. Or at least, they became better Burnley players but worse footballers.

With that in mind, a centre half is probably the only Irish player I’d be happy going to burnley. Obviously the track record isn’t perfect either, as people have mentioned with Gibson signing for 15m, then a club record and playing a total of 1 league game across 2 seasons for the club before returning on loan to the championship last season. Plus, both Dunne and Long never really got the opportunities they deserved (due to the quality of Tarkowski, Keane and Mee)

They might sell Tarkowski but you’ve seen with Hendrick and Brady that they don’t seem adverse to letting players walk. Could see Tarkowski replacing White at Brighton or going to West Ham.

I’d be slightly surprised if Liverpool sell Phillips, given Klopp’s comments that all of Van Dijk, Gomez and Matip might not be ready to start the season. He’s basically Liverpool’s 5th centre half and I think it’s certainly likely that they go with 5, given there’s a good chance that at least one has injury issues that linger... Shane Duffy would certainly fit the Nat Phillips mold, wins everything in the air, good tackler, not the most mobile or quick, good defensive instincts. Duffy is a better long range passer, Phillips maybe short range.

[Olé Olé]

Starts at home to Norwich. And I think that represents his first Premiership appearance too.

[Eirambler]

Yes, it's his EPL debut. Ben Mee out today. Clean sheet in the first half anyway.

[tetsujin1979]

193rd Irish player to appear in the Premier League!
(note - not including him. Or him. Or him)
1444333354657136643

[Eirambler]

Sounds like he had a good game. Albeit the standard likely won't have been any higher than a number of Championship games he has played in before now.

[JR89]

Sounds like he had a good game. Albeit the standard likely won't have been any higher than a number of Championship games he has played in before now.

Off today's showing that's where Burnley will be next season, still haven't won a game this season. If you're having trouble sleeping tonight then this game should help.

[Eirambler]

They always seem to find at least three teams worse than them over the course of the season. I think Norwich and Watford will go straight back down - if they do they'd just need to be ahead of one more team and there are three or four candidates that they can get ahead of.

[Eirambler]

193rd Irish player to appear in the Premier League!
(note - not including him. Or him. Or him)


Is there a list of the 193 players anywhere? The Premier League website lists 180 Irish players but I know some have the wrong nationality listed. Just wondering who the other 13 are. Some that should be Irish but don't seem to be on the EPL website are

Mike Milligan
Scott Fitzgerald
Liam Daish
Lee Power
Andy Turner
Will Keane
Stephen Baker
Jim Crawford
Danny Boxall
Rob Quinn

That would leave three more that I can't work out?

[tetsujin1979]

Is there a list of the 193 players anywhere? The Premier League website lists 180 Irish players but I know some have the wrong nationality listed. Just wondering who the other 13 are. Some that should be Irish but don't seem to be on the EPL website are

Mike Milligan
Scott Fitzgerald
Liam Daish
Lee Power
Andy Turner
Will Keane
Stephen Baker
Jim Crawford
Danny Boxall
Rob Quinn

That would leave three more that I can't work out?
David McDonald - listed as English. despite being born in Dublin, and having U21 and B caps for Ireland - https://www.premierleague.com/players/553/David-McDonald/overview
Matthew Rush - - listed as English, despite having u21 Ireland caps - https://www.premierleague.com/players/801/Matthew-Rush/overview#!
Joe Sheerin - actually not sure about this one, he played about a minute of Premier League football, as a sub for Chelsea. He's described as having being "tipped as future Republic of Ireland striker" here: https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/planet-football-1.1307780
but I don't think he ever played international football, at any level, for anyone. I have no idea how I got his name either

[MancIrishWolf]

Seems to have impressed the vast majority of fans with his performance. Talk of his assurance, reading of the game and parallels with Michael Keane.

https://www.uptheclarets.com/messageboard/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=57433