i guess in the handful of times i've seen him play, i've yet to see the best of him. In what I saw, touches of Jake MulraneyQuote:
Originally Posted by Olé Olé
Printable View
i guess in the handful of times i've seen him play, i've yet to see the best of him. In what I saw, touches of Jake MulraneyQuote:
Originally Posted by Olé Olé
New four year deal for Will Smallbone at Southampton - https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/soc...pton-1.4275785
Is he ours ? Ours to keep ? Ours to lose ?
Yes:confused::confused:Quote:
Originally Posted by CraftyToePoke
Might be his best hope of senior international football to be fair. Don't know that he's even in our top 10 attacking underage prospects based on what I've seen of him and others in the last year.Quote:
Originally Posted by tetsujin1979
Ours to cap ASAP I think.Quote:
Originally Posted by CraftyToePoke
Yassine En-Neyah training with the Nottingham Forest first team ahead of the Championship return next week
That's great. His recent interview spoke of difficulties getting his Irish passport which is why he hasn't been involved underage for us hopefully gets sorted
Conor grant training with sheff wed first team https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.exa...k-18414625.amp
Alex hunt was on bench a few times before covid aswell
Any insight on what kind of player Grant is?
A pensive one ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by irishfan86
Ours to cling like f*ck to ?Quote:
Originally Posted by CraftyToePoke
https://www.herald.ie/sport/soccer/s...-39287442.htmlQuote:
Originally Posted by Herald
Given how unlikely it is that we would qualify for the World Cup via the Nations League we really do need to use it to tie down any of the up and coming players there's any uncertainty about. Definitely number one on that list for me is Smallbone.
While he's miles from the city team Joe Hodge is another I would like to see confirmed for us. Yes, it's cynical, but we've been burned once too often at this stage.
Kenny is a big fan of Hodge and he'll be 18 by them so it's a possibility.
caps should be earned and not used in this way.Quote:
Originally Posted by Eirambler
by capping declan rice in this way we would have ended up with a player who's heart wasn't in it and who was pinning for another country..... what use would that have been?
I know what you're saying. But if we get a reputation for being serious about tying players down we might also end up with fewer Rices and Grealishes messing us around. Not interested in a call up for a competitive senior game? Wave bye-bye to any more caps from us at any level. At least we'd know quickly whose heart was in it. And free up places in underage squads for players who'd have missed out otherwise.
The other reason I'm OK with it is that it gives a profile to players on the fringes of Premiership teams. Even if they never make it at their club, as internationals they're less likely to drop below the Championship, and end up as squandered potential or spend a third of their career dragging themselves back up, rarely to the top level. I suppose I'd rather see us speculate on players with 15 years ahead of them than stake the house on journeymen in the last stages of their prime.
i honestly think if Declan (and Jack to a certain extent) had been capped for us earlier, he would have totally happily and commitedly played for us. once someone willingly has made an irreversible decision, they buy into it because it's been made. it took a process of Gareth Southgate putting pressure, along with John Terry, numerous people throughout his club including the owners, his agent and his sponsor (at the time, Nike) - coinciding with England, a country he's lived in his whole life reached the semi final of the world cup for the first time since 66 (i guess) and the mass hysteria that swept the nation. it took all of those factors to turn his head.Quote:
Originally Posted by jbyrne
if he had played with us, he'd probably have been a 100 cap lad, who captained us to the Euros and World Cups - he'd be revered forever here. Instead, he's gone down a different path. Even if England never do well at a tournament and even if Declan only ends up with 30 or 40 caps, he probably won't regret it either, for the exact same reason...
On this point, I was checking if Achraf Hakimi was playing for Spain or another country as I saw his name in an article today. At the age of 18 he made his debut for Morocco's under 20, under 23 and senior sides. And he is born and bred in Spain. Hats off to them on the escalation.
I don't think Kenny will be the type of manager to throw out caps for the sake of it. He's very much in the boat of "I only want committed players" and has spoken that he won't be chasing anyone. He'll treat a friendly as if it were a competitive game.
Idah, Smallbone both on the bench tonight. Along with Obafemi starting (Long is out injured).
Would love to see all 3 crack on over the next 9 games and become real first team players...
Josh Martin it seems may also be eligible who is on bench tonight https://www.pinkun.com/norwich-city/...-far-1-6677237Quote:
Originally Posted by elatedscum
Obafemi was solid but not spectacular, got an assist on the second half but messed up a two on one as well.
Idah, Smallbone and Josh Martin all got minutes off the bench. Smallbone was probably the liveliest of the three but it was all Southampton so Idah didn't have a chance really. Had one long range shot I think.
I thought idah had a good chance that he dragged wide few mins after coming on. Obafemi had some lovely hold up play and touches certainly looks ready to play alot more for us at senior level. Will Simon power be eligible for Norwich or has he played for too many teams this season?
Would be more worried the last side he lined out for was King's Lynn than I'd be worried about the number of sides.Quote:
Originally Posted by liamoo11
Lee Frecklington & Liam Kelly were loaned to similar level clubs early on in their careers though. Its not great, but might not be the end of him either.
Not saying it's the end of his career at all, at all. I'm saying it is difficult to imagine him getting PL game time if that is where he last lined out.
The lad is 22 and was playing in the 6th tier this year.I would say any aspirations of an international level career are over.Quote:
Originally Posted by CraftyToePoke
Tell that to Jamie Vardy ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by ColourfulPeanut
very much the exception that proves the rule.Quote:
Originally Posted by elatedscum
Scott Hogan?Quote:
Originally Posted by tetsujin1979
The exception to the exception that proves the rule.Quote:
Originally Posted by elatedscum
I didn't mention anything about an international career.Quote:
Originally Posted by ColourfulPeanut
Ian Wright? (This is gonna get pretty tiring pretty soon)Quote:
Originally Posted by SkStu
That's three footballers. Could you get to ten?
I'm not saying he won't, I'm saying, historically, the odds are against him.
Steve Finnan - Welling Utd, all four divisions all the way to a CL winners medal.
Chris Smalling / Joe Hart both did ok from non league too.
It does happen plenty.
John Aldridge
Yannick Bolasie
Les Ferdinand
Ashley Williams
The likes of Sam Clucas, DJ Campbell, Michail Antonio, Charlie Austin and Jimmy Bullard would have been internationals if they were irish.
Re Power
He’s a lad who’s track record to date is:
2nd tier in Ireland - stood out
Reserve football in Uk - positive reports
2nd tier in Netherlands - positive reports
Top tier in Scotland - couldn’t break into the team
6th tier in England - stood out
It’s a weird trajectory but loans are often a little weird, especially if Norwich asked for a club to guarantee game time...
I thought he struggled for the u21s in Toulon along with guys like Mallon and Wilson but both of the other two have developed positively since then...
He’s got raw raw pace which is an untrainable asset and if he was to have a successful season in League 1 or League 2 next season, that would be a platform to build off...
Stuart Pearce, Peter Crouch, Danny Ings, Ashley Williams, Charlie Austin, Jimmy Bullard, Troy Deeny, Dwight Gale, Rickie Lambert, Kevin Phillips, Grant Holt.Quote:
Originally Posted by tetsujin1979
and how many footballers played non league football over the course of the careers of those players?
There's 24 team in the national league, with 23 squad players each comes to 552 players. Over ten years, let's say 2000 players have appeared in the NL (and that's probably low). You were able to name ten that made it to the top level.
The odds are very much against him.
Ah you're changing the rules of your own question now tets.Quote:
Originally Posted by tetsujin1979
The odds are against most footballers at that age.
Jimmy Dunne on the bench for Burnley and could make his Premier League debut tonight. Kevin Long also on the bench though, he might be ahead of Dunne if they need a centre back sub.
Burnley are not playing players whose contracts are running out (including Hendrick) and have only named seven subs out of a possible nine, including two keepers. So not that big an achievement to make the bench, but with only five outfield subs on the bench and five substitutions allowed, a decent chance of game time.
City 4-0 up after 50 minutes. Probably not the night to be blooding young players but Dunne is unlikely to be any worse than the Burnley starting centre backs tonight.