Nathan Fraser F Zalte Waregem (loan from Wolves) b.2005

[JR89]

Nathan Fraser came on to make his Wolves debut tonight and got himself an assist for Doherty's second before netting his first and Wolves fifth goal.

[tetsujin1979]

Nice finish, took a deflection off a defender
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[SkStu]

Good for him. What's his connection to Ireland? Born in England but can find no trace of how he qualifies.

[tetsujin1979]

Named as a sub today against Palace
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[Trequartista20]

Not in Mohan's U-19 squad named today, which seems odd.

[JR89]

It's for friendlies so you always get some lads left out for others who've never made a squad before. Don't think the U19s play qualifiers till November so they'll have games in October too.

[tetsujin1979]

Another goal for Fraser last night, against Notts County in the EFL Trophy, at 1:20 below
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[SkStu]

from the BBC reporter at Molineux


Nathan Fraser is a local lad, born and bred in Wolverhampton, who has come through the club's academy and made it into the first-team.

He is 18-years-old, is a Republic of Ireland youth international and in three senior appearances for Wolves he has two goals.

Living the dream.

[SkStu]

Highlights here for anyone who hasnt seen. Not only did he grab a tidy goal but he could have had a second but for a great save from the Brentford keeper and he played in Cunha for the winning penalty with a nice pass. Highlights from Hodge (nice to see him get a chance and 70 minutes under his belt), Doherty and Collins' goal in here too.

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[Eirambler]

Is this lad still with us? Haven't seen his name in an underage squad for a while. He made his Premier League debut tonight.

[samhaydenjr]

Is this lad still with us? Haven't seen his name in an underage squad for a while. He made his Premier League debut tonight.

Nothing since his only real involvement in the Euro qualifying round in September 2022 - if he keeps on his current trajectory, I don't think it would be a surprise to see him switch later this year, unless he states otherwise - the U21s only have the game against San Marino before September and, by then, an U21 call-up might be a bit of an insult . We really need to get him, Cannon and Delap to co-ordinate which of them will commit to us - surely we should get one of them, at least!

[elatedscum]

Nothing since his only real involvement in the Euro qualifying round in September 2022 - if he keeps on his current trajectory, I don't think it would be a surprise to see him switch later this year, unless he states otherwise - the U21s only have the game against San Marino before September and, by then, an U21 call-up might be a bit of an insult . We really need to get him, Cannon and Delap to co-ordinate which of them will commit to us - surely we should get one of them, at least!

He took part in an u19 training camp in January and then he missed the March camp with injury if I remember correctly

[MancIrishWolf]

Really think there needs to be more of a concerted effort to bring these kids into the fold. This kid has been extremely highly rated at Wolves for a long time, is physically strong enough and banging them in for the U23’s for over a year, however Conor Carty (a Wolves reject) is preferred to him at U21 level?

Can’t help think that the parochial nepotism of favouring lads who came through the youth system in Ireland at the expense of lads brought up in the UK is going to be to our long term detriment. Exactly the same for Cannon who was tearing in up in the Championship for Preston, yet misfiring Parrott and Idah were prioritised over him. That Moron, Andrews was even at the Blackpool game where he tore their defence apart with his pace and power.

National Identity is a conundrum, especially for kids with mixed parentage. However, hopefully the new regime will put an arm round them and encourage them in; rather than treat them with suspicion and contempt as part of a Rice / Grealish hangover and seemingly make them prove their commitment, when their talent is evidently obvious.

[nigel-harps1954]

To be fair, Conor Carty was playing at a senior level. Fraser was in under-23 level. That's not particularly a difficult choice.

[backstothewall]

To be fair, Conor Carty was playing at a senior level. Fraser was in under-23 level. That's not particularly a difficult choice.

They were both at Wolves at the same time. They gave Fraser a professional contract and released Carty. There's a lot more to consider here than whether a lad is playing football at that age.

Clearly somebody in Wolverhampton considered Fraser to have the better chance of being an elite level player.

[Eirambler]

I agree, I think Jim Crawford's thing about constantly favouring players playing senior football is a bit of a cop out to be honest. He needs to be able to look a bit deeper than that and work out who are the best players ability wise, not just what club games they play in, because an under 21 player at Wolves could be better or worse than a player playing senior football for another club. It depends on the ability of the player at that age, not necessarily the games they're playing in.

[elatedscum]

To be fair, Conor Carty was playing at a senior level. Fraser was in under-23 level. That's not particularly a difficult choice.

That's exactly what causes you to lose talented players like Tom Cannon. Players play u19s and then they're idle for years before appearing at 21s. Take Fraser - he was in a training camp in January 2023. Jim probably wouldn't use him at all till the qualification for the 2027 u21s. So you end up going 2 and a half years without representing Ireland. And if you're a 2004 kid like Luke Pearce at Southampton or Cian Coleman at Leeds, then it's 3 and a half years without representing Ireland. It's nature of their being a 2 year gap from 19s to 21s and it being a 2 year cycle.

It's also why we should definitely have an u20s team. It keeps really talented players on board every international window until they're ready and it gives them an opportunity to really demonstrate that theyre ready for the next level

[MancIrishWolf]

Starts up front against Fulham. Great opportunity after coming off the bench and impressing recently.

[Razors left peg]

Hopefully will be in u21 squad next week, I'm not totally convinced he's with us so will be interesting to see

[MancIrishWolf]

Played well by the sounds of it. Big lad and holds the ball up well - not dissimilar from Ferguson. Also concerned by his commitment - although can’t help think the parochial mindset of the previous regime, favouring lesser players who have come through the Wolves academy like Conor Carty at his expense will have helped - need to make these players feel wanted. No idea of his family background - however hopefully he was draped in green as a kid, as could be a valuable asset.

https://www.molineuxmix.co.uk/forum/index.php?threads/fraser.734837/page-2

[Eirambler]

It's a year and a half since he played for us, which definitely raises the question of whether he's actually still with us or not. If he's not named in a squad this month I think we'll have our answer.

The Under 21s would be the appropriate squad for him if he is still with us.

[elatedscum]

always a chance Jim is picking Jonny Kenny and Conor Carty ahead of him…

[tetsujin1979]

Carty is out until the end of the year with an acl tear

[Trequartista20]

If he's starting games for a PL side he has to be in the conversation for a senior call-up.

[Razors left peg]

If he's starting games for a PL side he has to be in the conversation for a senior call-up.
Instead of who?

[Eirambler]

He's not in the frame for a senior call up. Unless you were just looking to capture him internationally, which friendlies wouldn't do anyway as we know all too well.

[elatedscum]

He's not in the frame for a senior call up. Unless you were just looking to capture him internationally, which friendlies wouldn't do anyway as we know all too well.

It’d start the process to 4 caps, which is what you need unless we’re qualifying for international tournaments. I’m not saying we should but if he were to start scoring between now and the end of the season, it might be in our interest to have already started the process now.

It’s a bit of a complicated one cause I think you need one competitive fixture anyway, so if that’s the case, it’d be September before an uncapped player became tied. But you could get him caps in friendlies between now and then so that his 4th game is in September rather than his first call in September and then there’s another window till he’s capped fully

[Eirambler]

Yes, that's the correct interpretation of the rules. Friendlies on their own are no use, he could play for us in a friendly in March and declare for England in April. But they can count towards the four caps as long as at least one of the four is competitive.

[Colbert Report]

A guy starts in a Premier League game, he's good enough to be in our squad.

[Eirambler]

I think that's too simplistic a take. Plenty of Irish players have started Premier League games down the years who weren't international standard. Joe Hodge started a game last season, and I don't think he's ready even now. Wolves are short on strikers, aren't they - presumably that might be contributing to him getting starts.

[Colbert Report]

I'm not saying he should start, but surely worth calling into the squad. We have Evan Ferguson and not much else for striking options.

[JR89]

Instead of who?

The beauty of squads is they're not limited to a set number of places. Don't have to drop one player for another player. John O'Shea can call up 30 players rather than 29 players for example.

Which he should. It's two friendlies with an interim management. Call some young lads in to train with the seniors. Especially with the U21s only having one game so their camp is gonna end on March 22nd. Should be having lads join up with the seniors when they arrive back to Dublin after the U21s game.

[Trequartista20]

Exactly.

I can never understand it when people make this claim.

We are going through an extremely indifferent phase, don't have a settled squad nor a permanent manager, and are clearly in state of flux at the moment, so the above point seems rather redundant.

[Razors left peg]

The cult of the Premiership is strong with some lads. Let Frazer actually do something in football and earn his call up. Right now he would be rightly behind Sinclair Armstrong in the u21 squad.

We do this all the time, and in fairness Ive done it myself with Hodge when he played a few games for Wolves. Frazer has had one start for a poor team in the Premiership. In the summer they'll prob invest and he'll be on loan next season. He might be a really good player and he might force his way into the squad soon, but hes not there yet.... Sh1t we dont even really know if he wants to play for us. Hes never even been in an u21 squad and we have plenty of pretty good young strikers. Its not a situation where we have an old bunch and we need to move some on. It was the same with Cannon. We all lost our minds over him, and now hes a bench player in the championship and I wouldnt think too many would argue for him to be called up this month.

Call him to u21s. If he doesnt want to turn up there then we learn how much he actually wants to play for us.

[Colbert Report]

FFS we capped Joey Lapira at one point. This guy (Fraser) has started a match in the Premier League. Let's try not to mess this up again, call him into the senior squad and make him feel welcome.

[pineapple stu]

In fairness, capoping Lapira doesn't mean we have carte blanche to cap anyone and everyone. The points against are well made.

[Exgrad]

Yeah Joe Lapira worked out well...

[Razors left peg]

Bringing Joe Lapria into the conversation to boost your argument is a sign that your argument has failed

[elatedscum]

Carty is out until the end of the year with an acl tear

I repeat, always a chance that Jim is picking Carty over him ?

[elatedscum]

We do this all the time, and in fairness Ive done it myself with Hodge when he played a few games for Wolves. Frazer has had one start for a poor team in the Premiership...

I wouldn’t describe Wolves as a poor team. They’re 9th. A point behind Brighton, two points behind West Ham and they’ve been absolutely robbed by referees and VAR this season.

[MancIrishWolf]

Haha, was thinking that “depleted” was a better choice of word. The double over Spurs, Chelsea and beating Man City is definitely not the results of a poor team. Agree with the sentiment that he should be with the U21s though. He’s still very raw. Main issue is Crawford favouring Carty and Kenny over him historically.

[Razors left peg]

I wouldn’t describe Wolves as a poor team. They’re 9th. A point behind Brighton, two points behind West Ham and they’ve been absolutely robbed by referees and VAR this season.
Fair enough, my poor team comment was wrong. They are doing much better than I thought to be fair.

I will say that if he stays in the team for rest of season and gets a couple of goals he would be worth looking at in the summer games. He's not there yet though

[CraftyToePoke]

We'd be full on giddy if one of our players was in that Wolves defence, someone like, let's say Nathan Collins .... :(

[Razors left peg]

Not even in u21s. Interesting to hear Crawford be asked about him and if he has any interest in playing for us

[Eirambler]

No surprise to be honest. He hasn't been in an Ireland squad for a year and a half, Crawford's useless but even he's not so useless that he'd voluntarily leave him out of the 21s. He may or may not come back in again, but I haven't seen or heard anything about him to make me think we're missing out on a superstar here or anything. We have an awful lot of strikers with decent potential aged 23 and under, as things stand I'm not convinced Fraser would be a massive loss.

[JR89]

Turned down a call up this window to focus on his club football being the only fit CF Wolves have atm.


One player not included is Wolves striker Nathan Fraser, who has recently made his Premier League breakthrough. Fraser was born in England, and has previously played for Ireland at U19 level.

Crawford did try to include Fraser in this squad, but the player said he did not want to be called up, citing a fear of being injured at a time that he is the only fit striker on Wolves’ books. He has asked to be considered for future Irish squads.

“I’ve had a few conversations with him and at this point in time he is the only fit striker at the club”, said Crawford.

“He certainly is a bit apprehensive about being injured. He sees an FA Cup game this weekend against Coventry, there’s a strong possibility he will start, and their next Premier League game is against Aston Villa, a massive derby. He does think over the next while he will get Premier League experience, which is great for him.

“With the U21s, it would have been a different challenge. That’s what he says, I respect it. He did say he wanted to be considered for future international camps. In June we will have a couple of friendly games, so if all things go well he might be included in that. That’s all I can say on Nathan. Of course we would love to have him, but it is an opportunity for someone else to show what they can do at this level.

[Razors left peg]

Grand, it's a job for new man to figure out when he comes in.

[seanfhear]

Turned down a call up this window to focus on his club football being the only fit CF Wolves have atm.


One player not included is Wolves striker Nathan Fraser, who has recently made his Premier League breakthrough. Fraser was born in England, and has previously played for Ireland at U19 level.

Crawford did try to include Fraser in this squad, but the player said he did not want to be called up, citing a fear of being injured at a time that he is the only fit striker on Wolves’ books. He has asked to be considered for future Irish squads.

“I’ve had a few conversations with him and at this point in time he is the only fit striker at the club”, said Crawford.

“He certainly is a bit apprehensive about being injured. He sees an FA Cup game this weekend against Coventry, there’s a strong possibility he will start, and their next Premier League game is against Aston Villa, a massive derby. He does think over the next while he will get Premier League experience, which is great for him.

“With the U21s, it would have been a different challenge. That’s what he says, I respect it. He did say he wanted to be considered for future international camps. In June we will have a couple of friendly games, so if all things go well he might be included in that. That’s all I can say on Nathan. Of course we would love to have him, but it is an opportunity for someone else to show what they can do at this level.Good Briefing ~ That's what you want.

[JR89]

Good Briefing ~ That's what you want.

Yeah and it's a reasonable excuse too. It's one game and given his lack of appearances in a green shirt he probably would have gotten a few minutes off the bench at best.

Kenny did similar with Obafemi though for different reasons. But if Fraser is the only fit CF at Wolves it's probably for the best to let him get his feet under the table and come in for June. If he's still got excuses come June it's bye bye and move on.

[seanfhear]

Yeah and it's a reasonable excuse too. It's one game and given his lack of appearances in a green shirt he probably would have gotten a few minutes off the bench at best.

Kenny did similar with Obafemi though for different reasons. But if Fraser is the only fit CF at Wolves it's probably for the best to let him get his feet under the table and come in for June. If he's still got excuses come June it's bye bye and move on.
You can definitely see the thinking behind it ~ And a good argument for it to be ~ Good thinking.