What happened to him? Is he fond of the gargle? His career has gone downhill so quickly
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What happened to him? Is he fond of the gargle? His career has gone downhill so quickly
Mental health issues, though not clear exactly what that means (and it's private stuff anyway)
On sleeping pills, maybe depression - just not in the frame of mind it seems. Could easily imagine that compounding itself in a short but high-profile career like his - a sense of a wasted talent and lost money.. Bit of a sad story all told
Josh Thomas has signed for Derry City on Loan on an initial 6month deal.
Another big addition to the Derry team.
It’s private stuff that he made public a couple of years ago in an interview with Gary Neville. He had an incredibly difficult upbringing including being sexually abused, dangled off a bridge, selling drugs from the age of 8, fast forward to adult life including an addiction to sleeping pills and a host of mental health issues. https://www.theguardian.com/football...-rehab-evertonQuote:
Originally Posted by pineapple stu
I watched the interview at the time it came out and it’s a tough watch. If I recall correctly a journalist discovered that he was in rehab and was going to run that story so Dele felt he was better off just opening up on his life by doing that interview instead
Derry are building a serious squad for the upcoming season. Can they finally end their title hoodoo.Quote:
Originally Posted by dcfc_legend9
They are indeed, looking at the squad though I still feel they need more quality and depth at centre half though if they’re to beat rovers to the titleQuote:
Originally Posted by ger121
Likely a right back and a centre half would be the additions we most likely need now at this stage. Every other base is well covered.Quote:
Originally Posted by 2 Year Contract
"Three or four" on the way, according to the Derry Journal. Includes a right back, a centre half and a Portuguese lad who plays on the wing/up front.Quote:
Originally Posted by dcfc_legend9
Shels signed a striker from the third division in Portugal. I guess we'll see if this data recruitment works here like it has elsewhere now.
Have these kind of signings ever worked?
Have you a back-up keeper?Quote:
Originally Posted by dcfc_legend9
Emre Topcu has left Longford and signed for Iskenderunspor in the Turkish 3rd tier
Which type? There's a few different kinds floating around!Quote:
Originally Posted by pineapple stu
We've got:
1. Aging international coming back for their last rodeo (On paper McLean is a great signing)
2. Troubled/Declining superstar tumbling down the leagues and needing a reset (Dele Alli would be an utterly bizarre signing)
3. Data driven signings from leagues we don't usually target (TBD but I'm keen to see how if pans out)
And that's just in the past 24 hours.
I think the Jamestown Analytics stuff is being proven fairly useful at Hearts isn't it?
It was tough stuff indeed, recall being impressed by his candour and also that he got near the heightis in football that he did. Did know at the time his troubles were being outed but he did the right thing. A right dirtbag thing to do by the journalist, sports journo or a soap gossip columist...Quote:
Originally Posted by 2 Year Contract
I thought that footage of the American player on trial at Harps and commenting on the different intensity levels even in training gave a different perspective on my own thinking that there has to be somewhere to tap in to. If this chap was saying the level he was playing at (Spanish third tier), training a couple of times a week + a game then thats why we dont get too many hail mary signings to solve the lack of clinical strikers in the league. But find one and everyone will have a go even in a scattergun way.Quote:
Originally Posted by RealJohn91
Listening to certain people at Dundalk the last decade rattle on about analytics had me scoffing at the model. Brentford had a good scouting system and top youth development, less of the analytics and more just old fashioned good work that was well managed and built upon year on year, a Charlton of their EPL vintage that were the model club before it went bad. Hearts seems a better example of quick success without breaking any bank in realtive terms but Old Frim have been pretty bad too so not totally convinced yet on moneyball bar it being a good film. Midtjylland gets a mention but they were playoff materiel in Europe and top 3 dometically already before the whole Brentford analytics connection so which came first, money, success, better staff and prep and then the stats...Quote:
Originally Posted by ontheotherhand
I think McClean i a goo igning and its a homecoming rather than a last payday, he obviously loves his hometown club. There are no shortages of last chance saloon players turning up in LoI, not too many of this calibre, usually kids that 'fell out of love with the game'. A few forged a career here or Irish League, Sean Murray, Will Patching 2 players that could and should have torn up LoI and kicked on. Doubt there is much in the rumour. If some chap is scoring 25+ goals in senior full time or semi pro they are all the stats needed to have a look imo. Though maybe Northenr and Central European signings might adapt better.
Fair - there's a bit of a bingo card going lately.Quote:
Originally Posted by ontheotherhand
The random signing from lower tier foreign football. I think they've almost without exception been flops. If there's data behind it, I guess my cynical view would be why hasn't someone better signed him?
Agree on the other two alright.
Fair questions, but you could have said similar about Claudio Braga before he signed for Hearts.Quote:
Originally Posted by pineapple stu
Not that I'm saying this will be a guaranteed success or anything, the jury will very much be out until he can show he can get goals at this level.
Yeah I've no idea how it works tbf. I do think it's worth trying though. We don't have real scouting networks here, so teams are relying on Wyscout for the most part I think. Shel's are trying to go a level deeper so we'll see how it pans out. We do need to find a new way to find and attract talent here. It's a strange league we have, with relatively low wages given versus a relatively high cost of living.Quote:
Originally Posted by pineapple stu
Most of Rovers best signings have been from two buckets really:
1. Lads needing a reset/coming home after England/Scotland (Burke, Byrne, Gaffney)
2. Prospects from within the LoI (Grace, Pico, Honohan, O'Neill, Farrugia, Noonan etc.)
There's only so many to go after, and if we want to get to another level in Europe, we need to find some other markets imop. Kudos to Shels for giving something new a try. Will be interesting.
Chorazka was playing 2nd Division football before signing for Bohs.Quote:
Originally Posted by pineapple stu
They do mostly seem to fade into obscurity though, with relatively short lived and forgettable stints here. Often a name you forget until you see an old photo/match report or something like that.
No. There were rumours a month ago, but no word.Quote:
Originally Posted by EatYerGreens
Now this is exactly the kind of signing I was hoping we'd see in the LOI after Shels got access to Jamestown Analytics. I wouldn't be hopeful of your man being any good only for the fact that it was this software that identified him.Quote:
Originally Posted by RealJohn91
The Swedish and Portuguese players Shels have signed are analytics driven experiments nobody can have any expectations over how they will work out, this will be interesting to watch if they hit the ground running. I'm just surprised Shels by LOI standards have paid a decent enough transfer fee for the Portuguese fella even if there is money left over from the Temple and Coyle transfer fees
Jamestown with Shels are branching downwards on the footballing chain after consistent positive returns at higher levels with Brighton, USG, Como and Hearts so it is important for them how the Shels partnership works out at this level, even if these two signings don't work out I'm sure they will try more data driven signings during the next two transfer windows
Bohs signed Sadou Diallo from Derry. A nice surprise to start the day, didn't even hear any speculation about this.
So Pats supposedly outbid Derry for Ronan Boyce, Derry outbid Bohs for James Clarke and Bohs outbid Derry and Pats for Sadou Diallo. What a league :D
wait til you hear how many clubs are in a tie for the fourth largest budget
That one came out of the blue. A really good signing who will certainly add to the strength in depth of the squadQuote:
Originally Posted by 2 Year Contract
Were Derry trying to keep Diallo? Heard he was leaving a while back...but to Pats!Quote:
Originally Posted by 2 Year Contract
Derry outbid Rovers for Clarke as well.
Diallo is a great signing for bohs imop. Think he has more in him than he showed at Derry.
Very quiet on our front. We seem to be missing targets. Possibly also waiting to see what happens with Noonan. Need Finn in asap to help as we need a striker, wingback and centre half to be properly set up I think.
Two more imminent, at least one is a centre-half.Quote:
Originally Posted by ontheotherhand
Good to hear. Would be nice going into the season with at least one more wingback as well. Heard one very encouraging rumour of a player who can cover both roles. Fingers crossed.Quote:
Originally Posted by WeAreRovers
Tiernan Lynch was quoted multiple times after the season ended saying he wants to keep Diallo and a contract was on the table for him. After it reached mid December with Diallo still not signing the contract for whatever reason (I guess money reasons as he had interest from Pats too, because there’s no other real reason he’d leave Derry for Bohs if it wasn’t money) Lynch seemed to move on and signed Olayinka then. Telling that Derry only today released a statement announcing Diallo left the club wishing him well, while they did similar before Christmas for the other lads who had left the club at the end of their contracts which ran until the end of NovemberQuote:
Originally Posted by ontheotherhand
Fair enough. Can't see bohs outbidding Derry for a player Lynch really wanted at the moment tho tbh.Quote:
Originally Posted by 2 Year Contract
Reality is Lynch didn't want either Ronan Boyce or Sadou Diallo that much. He offered them contracts but there was no real desire to keep either.
Both where fan favourites so it was easier for Lynch to say he offered them a contract and they didn't want to stay rather than not offering them contracts at all.
I was sad to see Boyce go as I still feel he was quality. Diallo Will do a decent job for Bohs in a midfield with Devoy and Tierney.
That's what I was getting at. Surprised by it tbh. Diallo looked quality when I saw him. Why do you think Lynch wasn't too pushed? Just had a better option lined up?Quote:
Originally Posted by dcfc_legend9
I'd likely just say he wanted to put his own stamp on the team. He inherited both Boyce and Diallo and potentially just didn't fancy them.Quote:
Originally Posted by ontheotherhand
Derry have Dummigan, Winchester, O'Reilly, Olayinka, Markey, Clarke along with McClean and Doherty who can potentially play in the middle. So we are fairly stacked there now at this stage. Game time may have been limited for Diallo.
The Boyce decision I'd assume he has a right back coming in unless he wants Dummigan to be his right back.
Not sure about that. On his day, he's brilliant. Can control a midfield, create space, get passes away, and scores the other cracker (see Waterford at home last season).Quote:
Originally Posted by ontheotherhand
However, for too many games, he went missing. He'd end up anonymous, bypassed by the ball.
Overall, I think we saw at Derry the levels Bohs can expect. FWIW, I'd have kept him, but presumably the money and lack of game time didn't appeal to him.
I'm surprised he didn't get a deal he wanted over in Britain, but then LoI clubs are likely playing a bit over the odds for British players these days.
I have been gutted about losing out on Diallo to Bohs, I had him down as a massive signing. Interesting that Derry fans arent overly fussed about losing him.
This is why I was always a big fan of Diallo and then we signed Matt Healy.Quote:
Originally Posted by brendy_�ire
Obviously your opinion carriers more weight here, having watched him week in week out, but my fear is that Derry didn't always play to Diallos strengths. Much more goes through the middle at bohs, with Devoy being their architect. Derry, at least in the games I watched, tend to prioritise Duffy getting the ball and rightly so. As you said Diallo can control the midfield and is good on the ball. Himself and Devoy could be very dangerous. Hopefully I'm wrong.Quote:
Originally Posted by brendy_�ire
That's a fair point, but moreso for last season than ones before, due to Duffy being fit all year.Quote:
Originally Posted by ontheotherhand
Diallo and Devoy could be great combination, an awkward one for defenders.
Worth pointing out that Diallo does Ramadan properly, so he will have a drop in performance during it. With the dates of it this year, shouldn't be as much of an issue for Bohs though.
Finn Harps confirmed the signings of Portguese winger Bernardo Monteiro, French defender Alex Fanle and Swiss midfielder Perrault Tokam.
Fantastic. I hope Shels have a mole who is sharing the data with you.Quote:
Originally Posted by nigel-harps1954