Joe Hodge M CD Tondela b.2002

[Demesne Lad]

Hodge has been recovering from a groin injury on 5 October. Returned to action as a sub in Sunday's draw with Burton Albion. Keen to make up for lost time while on loan from Wolves.

Wolves loanee keen to make up for lost time at Huddersfield Town - YorkshireLive (https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/sport/football/news/wolves-loanee-keen-make-up-30684575)

[Eirambler]

Seems to be the story of his career so far. He's generally either injured or not getting picked for whichever team he is on loan at.

[liamoo11]

Seems to be the story of his career so far. He's generally either injured or not getting picked for whichever team he is on loan at.

Hopefully gets an injury free run.

[Exgrad]

That was some city team he won the fa youth cup with...class of 92 only city flogged most of them off.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/FA_Youth_Cup_Finals

Hopefully Hodge gets a clear run for a while.

[Razors left peg]

https://sportwitness.co.uk/joe-hodge-leaving-wolves-for-portugal-of-future-transfer-looks-key/

Interesting one for Hodge, looks like hes going to Tondela in the Portuguese top division. Would say that league is ideal for him if hes going kick on as a senior footballer

[Jolly Red Giant]

https://sportwitness.co.uk/joe-hodge-leaving-wolves-for-portugal-of-future-transfer-looks-key/

Interesting one for Hodge, looks like hes going to Tondela in the Portuguese top division. Would say that league is ideal for him if hes going kick on as a senior footballer
A small club, just promoted, in a town about the size of Kilkenny and with an average attendance last year of less than 2,200 - saying that - half the teams in the top division have attendances of less than 5,000

[Razors left peg]

They are a tiny club, but the overall standard in that league is good

[John83]

It's heavily scouted for that reason too.

[liamoo11]

They are a tiny club, but the overall standard in that league is good

Best of luck to him. I really like him be nice if he got a season injury free and played 40 games

[Razors left peg]

Best of luck to him. I really like him be nice if he got a season injury free and played 40 games

I think more than anything staying injury free for a season would be key.

Its only about an hour from my brother in laws and they have a home game when Im there at Xmas. Might be worth a little trip if hes in the team :)

[Razors left peg]

Hodge completes permanent move | Men's First-Team | News | Wolverhampton Wanderers FC https://share.google/4rAn7UeFIo7NgBkL3


Move confirmed

[pineapple stu]

Crikey. As a permanent move that's underwhelming

[Razors left peg]

Why underwhelming? Its a great league for him to develop

[pineapple stu]

A newly-promoted Portuguese side? Almost certainly bottom half the coming season you'd imagine. Yeah, it's a scouted league but you'd really want to stand out in that kind of team.

Pádraig Amond went the same route and got a move to Accrington Stanley out of it. And that was at a better small side who'd been in Europe a couple of times

[Eirambler]

Crikey. As a permanent move that's underwhelming

It will be interesting to see how it goes for him. He was making no impact at all in England, even down in League 1, so his options were never going to be great.

[Razors left peg]

Worked out ok for Troy going to a bottom of table team in Holland. Id personal look at it as a positive move

[Kingdom]

A newly-promoted Portuguese side? Almost certainly bottom half the coming season you'd imagine. Yeah, it's a scouted league but you'd really want to stand out in that kind of team.

Pádraig Amond went the same route and got a move to Accrington Stanley out of it. And that was at a better small side who'd been in Europe a couple of times

I'm gonna call you out on that Pineapple - Pacos Ferreira were on a roll when Amond went there. It was a clever move by both parties, with the small problem that Amond suffered horribly with homesickness and took the quickest option back to the UK.
It's not the same route at all.

[Buckett]

If he was homesick, would he not have moved home rather than to the UK?

[pineapple stu]

I think it's similar in fairness. I called out that Pacos were doing better than Tondela at the moment - not sure I'd call it a roll, mind. But generally speaking they're two Portuguese sides, mid- to lower-table, prone to relegation, way off the top three.

Amond may have had issues with homesickness (although he's explicitly denied (https://www.the42.ie/padraig-amond-interview-tottenham-goal-3826373-Feb2018/) it fwiw) but equally he never played at a higher level than League Two and Accrington. So it's not as if it was holding him back.

Evan Ferguson is taking not the same route at all. Two guys going to moderate Portuguese teams can be compared I think.

[Kingdom]

If he was homesick, would he not have moved home rather than to the UK?

I'm being somewhat polite. His Sporting Life offered him the opportunity to leave Carlow - would you voluntarily move back to Carlow, or Dublin for that matter?

[Razors left peg]

Hodge is far more talented than Amond ever was

[sbgawa]

Big call

[Razors left peg]

Big call

Hodge was a brilliant under age player. Was head and shoulders the best player on a very good u21 team

[SkStu]

I have high hopes for him too, and he was excellent for the U21's, but this move is pretty much make or break in terms of where his career goes next. He will have to excel to get noticed at Tondela, you'd think, and I truly wouldn't be surprised if he ends up staying around EFL1 level most of his career (which automatically puts him higher than Amond!). The thing he has going against him the most in terms of what level he can aspire to, he cant change.

[pineapple stu]

I truly wouldn't be surprised if he ends up staying around EFL1 level most of his career (which automatically puts him higher than Amond!).
True that. I think it's part of why I'm underwhelmed by the move. Going from a higher starting point to a slightly lower Portuguese team.

But sure let's see what happens. Agree fully with your make or break assessment

[Razors left peg]

His size and injury history to this point are the main things that have held him back. If he can stay fit it'll be interesting to see how he does in a less physical league. That's why Im more enthusiastic about it, but he has to overcome the constant injuries first