Nathan Collins D Brentford b.2001

Had another 2 before the end. Another block from Jota and a goalbound shot from Gakpo which he was able to get enough of a head on to turn it onto the bar.

Genuinely probably man of the match. Great time for it.

genuine quantity of centre backs is phenomenal: (excluding the 21s regulars)

Tier 1: Collins, O’Shea, O’Brien, Scales

Tier 2: Omobamidele, Duffy, Egan, McGuinness

Tier 3: McNally, Cashin, Lenihan, Dunne, McLoughlin, Clarke Salter

I’d have another 6 lads in Tier 4, but no point going that deep

The age profile of them is excellent too.

Though I would swap Scales and Omobamidele between the tiers on your list. While it's tempting to drop Omobamidele a tier right now because he hasn't started the season in the Forest team, his pace and comfort in possession at a higher level of football put him a tier above Scales. Omobamidele has already played 16 Premier League games at 22, I doubt Scales will play 16 games in the Premier League (or an equivalent top European league) in his career.

Carragher was singing his praises about keeping his team in the game.


A very solid performance.

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Originally Posted by Eirambler

The age profile of them is excellent too.

Though I would swap Scales and Omobamidele between the tiers on your list. While it's tempting to drop Omobamidele a tier right now because he hasn't started the season in the Forest team, his pace and comfort in possession at a higher level of football put him a tier above Scales. Omobamidele has already played 16 Premier League games at 22, I doubt Scales will play 16 games in the Premier League (or an equivalent top European league) in his career.

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Definitely - purely on ability etc, I’d have Andy in that top tier. Was more thinking specifically about the next international window and I think it’s one of McGuinness, Duffy and Omobamidele for that 5th slot.

I have been incredibly impressed with Scales performances at centre back for Ireland, left of a three and left of a two. He’s certainly performed well above his base ability or what you’d expect from him.

I was at the game at home to the Greeks where he started at left back and Collins was poor and at half time, Collins was taken off and scales moved to centre half where he was excellent.

Also remember him playing very well away to the Dutch in the left of a three along with Collins and O’Shea.

So as much as Scales logically feels like he’s well behind the premier league players, in his limited number of performances at centre back for Ireland, that gap certainly hasn’t been present.

I’d also be generally pretty pleased with how he’s fared for Celtic in Europe. Haven’t seen every game but he’s equipped himself well.

[QUOTE=elatedscum;2199153]Had another 2 before the end. Another block from Jota and a goalbound shot from Gakpo which he was able to get enough of a head on to turn it onto the bar.

Genuinely probably man of the match. Great time for it.

genuine quantity of centre backs is phenomenal: (excluding the 21s regulars)

Tier 1: Collins, O’Shea, O’Brien, Scales

Tier 2: Omobamidele, Duffy, Egan, McGuinness

Tier 3: McNally, Cashin, Lenihan, Dunne, McLoughlin, Clarke Salter

I’d have another 6 lads in Tier 4, but no point going that

Think Dunne could be considered more of a right back these days, been playing there for almost a year, might be worth considering our options.

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Originally Posted by elatedscum

Had another 2 before the end. Another block from Jota and a goalbound shot from Gakpo which he was able to get enough of a head on to turn it onto the bar.

Genuinely probably man of the match. Great time for it.

genuine quantity of centre backs is phenomenal: (excluding the 21s regulars)

Tier 1: Collins, O’Shea, O’Brien, Scales

Tier 2: Omobamidele, Duffy, Egan, McGuinness

Tier 3: McNally, Cashin, Lenihan, Dunne, McLoughlin, Clarke Salter

I’d have another 6 lads in Tier 4, but no point going that deep

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Is Clarke-Salter definitely eligible?

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Originally Posted by SkStu

Came here to post something very similar. Went to edit the post to say “you got there before me ES” - and it deleted the whole post… grrr…

He’s been great overall and doing really well in the circumstances. Carries and passes the ball so well from that right sided position in the back three and stays mentally switched on which is a fault I’d have called out from him in previous seasons. Great to see the development. The save from Allison was fantastic and the block at the other end came about a minute later. Doing really well.

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I've undeleted it now.

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Originally Posted by Stuttgart88

Is Clarke-Salter definitely eligible?

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I'd assume so... A quote from 2022:

"My grandma was born in Ireland and all those on my mum’s side are pretty much Irish so I qualify for Ireland as well," “I haven’t told anyone in the game that before, you are the first! I would be open to it, yes. It is international football so I want to play. I just have to keep doing my thing on the pitch and if Ireland come calling, then me and my family will have to have a conversation. They have always supported me when I’ve played for the younger England age groups but they encourage me to play for Ireland now too! "When you’re a kid, you dream of playing in a European Championships or a World Cup. I’ve done it at youth level so it is only natural for me to want to do it at senior level as well."

Statsbomb on Collins

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Originally Posted by tetsujin1979

Statsbomb on Collins

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Is this good or bad ?

I spent a couple of minutes looking at it trying to work it out and now I think I'm hypnotised.

I think Razor touched on the Collins in midfield debate in another thread.

I thought it worked perfectly
Obviously things went pair shaped after the red card. But I thought he was in essence our best "midfielder" on the day.

We should have tried it years ago. We need a solid midfield or it's lights out

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Originally Posted by Diggs246

I think Razor touched on the Collins in midfield debate in another thread.

I thought it worked perfectly
Obviously things went pair shaped after the red card. But I thought he was in essence our best "midfielder" on the day.

We should have tried it years ago. We need a solid midfield or it's lights out

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Yeah in the context of how we tried to play from a defensive mindset the other night it was working brilliantly, I'm not sure it'd necessarily be the way to go against teams more on our level when we would be expected to have more of the ball and create, but who knows. I was always skeptical of the idea of him in midfield, but it's at least something worth looking at again

I’d like to see it with him anchoring at the base of midfield and two more creative players in front of him. Knight, Moran, McGrath, maybe Browne …Jesus we’re light in midfield aren’t we?

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Originally Posted by tetsujin1979

Statsbomb on Collins

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Has he taken up archery?

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Originally Posted by seanfhear

Is this good or bad ?

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Stay out of the white and keep in the red, nowt in this game for two in a bed.

I think.

Sneaky feckers. You can't find Wally when the picture is just a distorted close-up of his jumper.

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Originally Posted by Fixer82

I’d like to see it with him anchoring at the base of midfield and two more creative players in front of him. Knight, Moran, McGrath, maybe Browne …Jesus we’re light in midfield aren’t we?

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Yeah if Collins is gonna play midfield again we really need some creativity in midfield too. He did a good job playing that almost hybrid role of anchoring the midfield and dropping into CB. But playing Molumby and Cullen is gonna give you nothing going forward.

I agree having Collins in midfield was effective, but I'm not sure if it was just more about filling space than actual midfield play. He stopped the ball getting to Harry Kane and that was about it. I think I read he had 9 touches and completed 2 passes in the first half. You'd want a bit more involvement on the ball from whoever is there in future. I think Lawal probably has the most long term potential. Played a lot as a centre back and midfielder and is much more dynamic, while also offering defensive ability and physicality.

Collins seems to be improving again as a centre back and I think he'll be back there for us very quickly. Apart from a backs to the wall game like England was I don't think he has the mobility on the half turn to be truly effective in the middle.

So essentially we need Collins at the base with a prime Wes and a prime John Sheridan

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Originally Posted by Fixer82

So essentially we need Collins at the base with a prime Wes and a prime John Sheridan

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Might as well go full-hog ~ Prime Johnny Giles and a prime Liam Brady as well.

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Originally Posted by seanfhear

Might as well go full-hog ~ Prime Johnny Giles and a prime Liam Brady as well.

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We might as well lose Collins and stick McGrath in so

Lovely one touch finish for Brentford today. They're up to seventh now and his form is playing a major part in their run up the table. Really starting to deliver on all the early promise now.

You don't want to take these statistical ratings sites too seriously, but notable all the same that he was rated by WhoScored as the best defender across the 100 or so clubs that make up the top 5 European leagues for the month of November.

I was at the game today. Great fun.

He still is raw and has a mistake in him, but I think he has a really high ceiling.

Put it like this, he would have won a cap or two for England by now if he was English and face it, that's a rare compliment for young Irish lads these days.

Him, Ferguson and Kelleher are probably the only three players we have currently where that would be the case if they were English.

Funny thing is, he had a really good game overall yesterday but it has to be said he made a total mess of a back pass that Isak capitalised on but then inexplicably allowed the keeper to recover. He should have just put it into touch, in hindsight anyway. And I’d fault him for Isak’s first equaliser too, stepping back to play Isak onside instead of stepping up or holding the line. Each the result of bad decision making / game management imho.

In general Brentford have a great thing going on at the Gtech. And Mbeumo has the biggest glutes I’ve ever seen.

I like big glutes and I cannot lie

Interviewed in the independent today
https://www.independent.ie/sport/soc...327991848.html

It's great to hear the commitment and everything but sometimes the stuff they come out with, presumably off the back of the media training they get at their clubs, stretches credibility. In this article Collins says:

"It’s such a good squad. It’s really frustrating that we couldn’t get over the line [and qualify for last summer’s Euros]."

I mean, in terms of the last Euros, we were so far from the line that we couldn't even see the line. We were miles off in our group and it's nearly harder to not at least make the Euros playoffs these days and we didn't even manage that either.

100 Premier League appearances today

Won MotM as well, though he really should have done better for the Palace goal. But he's clearly a leader at Brentford and probably - at the moment - looks like the Irish player with the best chance of becoming a first team player at a Champions League level Premier League club in time.

Also won the penalty for their opener - albeit it should have gone for a hand ball before that.

The drama around the penalty is worth watching the highlights reel as a neutral. Mad stuff

Some more numbers around Collins' 100th PL appearance

Was watching him there more to see Ferguson. But he's turning into some player.

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Originally Posted by Olé Olé

Was watching him there more to see Ferguson. But he's turning into some player.

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He always looked like a great prospect, if he could kick out the mistakes ~ As many very good centre-backs had to learn as well.

Was just going to post what Sean has already said - he seems to have reduced the number of mistakes and lapses in concentration. He has always had the natural ability. Brentford fans seem convinced they're going to lose him for a massive fee in the next year or two.

Having the ability to send out a team including four solid Premier League performers at the back in Kelleher, O'Brien O'Shea and Collins (average age 24) must surely give us a strong foundation to build on for the next few years. Though if the last member of our GK/back four combination is 33 year old PNE squad player Robbie Brady that's a serious drop off from the other three. The standard gap between the stronger positions in our team and the weaker ones seems to be getting wider if anything.

Hate to break it to ye but I didn't say he wasn't a great prospect or didn't have the natural ability. I always thought both of those things. In fact, anyone with two eyes would have seen this so nothing revelatory here.

My point is that he does seem more focused and does not appear to be lapsing in concentration. He has the odd howler in him as we saw for Ireland.

When I say he's turning into some player, he looks to be focused, he looks to be assured and his performances this season are seeing him marked out as their ever present, defensive lynchpin.

He looks every inch a consistently
comfortable and very good Premier League player.

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Originally Posted by Olé Olé

Hate to break it to ye but I didn't say he wasn't a great prospect or didn't have the natural ability. I always thought both of those things. In fact, anyone with two eyes would have seen this so nothing revelatory here.

My point is that he does seem more focused and does not appear to be lapsing in concentration. He has the odd howler in him as we saw for Ireland.

When I say he's turning into some player, he looks to be focused, he looks to be assured and his performances this season are seeing him marked out as their ever present, defensive lynchpin.

He looks every inch a consistently
comfortable and very good Premier League player.

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Agreed. It was only the occasional lapses in concentration that was holding him back. His performances this season show how much he has cut that out and he’s where we knew he’d be. He’s a rolls royce of a player.

Wins Man of the Match in the late game on Sky, Brentford won away at Bournemouth.

Brentford still in the running for Europe.