Seems to be spending most of his time warming the bench. Concerning given that Crawley have been on the slide.
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Seems to be spending most of his time warming the bench. Concerning given that Crawley have been on the slide.
Share your concern. At a top club, captained us at underage level, even called up to the senior side, and yet can't secure a regular starting spot at a League One club. Can't say I know what is happening with him. Anyone able to enlighten me?Quote:
Originally Posted by Carrigaline
Clifford would be better signing for a LOI team and rebuilding his career from there. Perhaps he is just not good enough. Amazing he gets selected for Irish panels ahead of the likes of Hendrick, Garvan, McCann, Dicker to name just a few.
We have Gibson, McCarthy, Whelan, Andrews, Meyler, Hoolahan, Fahey, Tabb, A.Reid....Green ahead of him as well as the lads you mentioned. It is bizarre how Trapattoni picked him. He must have been impressed watching a DVD of Clifford sitting on the bench in League 1.:rolleyes:Quote:
Originally Posted by drummerboy
Garvan, McCann, and Clifford (from what I've seen of them) are more ball playing central players than the rough and tumble destroyers that a lot of British managers want. Garvan in particular would be more suited to Continental European football.
It would be something I would like to see the FAI encourage more at the developmental stage, particularily for the kids that are destined to get moved abroad, is to focus on a bit of foreign language and not just herd the children to Britain
We get to see if continental is better over the next few years wit those 2 10/11 yo kids at barca and real. Hopefully 2 classy strikers playing in laliga in 6 0r 7 years!Quote:
Originally Posted by Kingdom
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kingdom
What I would like to see from the FAI is proper money put into development of football at home so they didn't have to leave the country at all. But that's just my opinion.
I would say that CC was the most overrated on here by some of the more respected posters which i wish was not true.
Why? Because he hasn't developed fully on the potential he has shown throughout his career so far?Quote:
Originally Posted by Crosby87
I remember watching him at the Kennedy Cup and he was the best player I've seen play at that tournament, or schoolboy level, since Steven Ireland at the same competition or Daryl Kavanagh at u16 level.
He was miles ahead of anybody that year, think it was 2004, and every scout around was there to watch him play.
I've followed his career closely since and been to a couple of Chelsea games when I was in London and again, even when he played at reserve level, he looked the real deal.
Unfortunately, and it seems to be a common trend for Irish players at the bigger clubs, he didn't move on when he should have. Chelsea didn't offer him a new contract because they expected him to make it with them, they did it to try cash in on their investment over the years and any loan move hasn't been designed to benefit the player, it is more to get him in a shop window and hope someone offers a few quid to take him away.
Overrated? I'd second any respected posters view that he could have, and still could if he gets a good break, a brilliant player for Ireland
So what's the deal here? He's gone from pushing to get into the Chelsea senior team to playing non-league football in about two years?
... Crawley aren't non-league.
playing in a trial game at Sheffield United today, according to twitter: https://twitter.com/search/conor+clifford+sufc
<EDIT>
Sheffield United lost 2-0: http://www.sufc.co.uk/news/article/2...rt-624989.aspx
The clock is ticking Magic Man.
I hope he can get his career back on track and play at a decent level. After losing James McClean and Shane Duffy already in the past few months, it would be an awful shame if Clifford was finished too.
Not to mention Frankie Sutherland, who we recently lost to some kind of indeterminate stress disorder. Dark days.
Interestin piece in star pointing out 5 of the biggest schoolboy moves to england. Cliffords move they say was a 1million package, bradley is 400k, stokes 1.1 million, rob brady 750k, masterson 1.25million
Have to admit I didn't know who Masterson was, one quick google turns up this article about his move to Liverpool: http://www.herald.ie/sport/other-spo...m-3186509.htmlQuote:
Originally Posted by liamoo11
Another player mentioned in the same article. Brandon Payne, has just signed for Celtic: http://www.celticfc.net/newsstory?item=3614
Masterson was in my brothers' school I think. From what he says (if it is him) he's a cracking player.
There was an even younger lad from Lucan last year I heard being scouted... anyone remember or know?
I remember chatting to a scout at the Kennedy Cup the year Clifford was playing and he was the name on everybody's lips. I remember talking to a Newcastle scout who said Clifford was good, but the hottest Kennedy Cup prospect he'd ever seen had to be Christy Fagan...
I wonder if many of these clubs felt it was money well spent? Arsenal made about a million i think on stokes, utd made a million on brady, chelsea woont make any money on clifford, bradley unfortunately didnt become the player he seemed he might be so cost arsenal and fagan if he was that highly thought of must have cost utd a good bit and they got nothing for himQuote:
Originally Posted by liamoo11
happens all the time, clubs gamble on young players developing into stars that will increase their revenue, either by selling them on, or by helping them win trophies
The profit on Ronaldo alone would pay for 100 Christy Fagans.
Fagan's still good enough to be playing at a good level in England too IMO.
Tets has it spot on though
been released by Chelsea, along with four other players: http://www.chelseafc.com/news-articl...r-21s-released
God that was a pretty depressing read. The coach didnt paint a pretty pictureQuote:
Originally Posted by tetsujin1979
That's isn't an unpretty picture, remember Roy Keane was turned down by Brighton And Hove Albion and Alan Shearer by Newcastle yet he still ended up on Match of the Day.Quote:
Conor Clifford
'Conor came over from Ireland at Under-15. We've always given him support and help that comes with bringing someone from abroad without their immediate friends and family with them. I hope to keep in contact with him. He had a fantastic time in the Youth Cup for us, and his challenge is to adjust from youth to men's football. He's gaining some fantastic experience with the Irish national team and he's a gusty, determined, hard-tackling player, who has scored a lot of goals. I hope a club goes with him.'
Fair enough. I suppose the general tone of his views on all the lads just seemed sad especially the boys who were there from such a young ageQuote:
Originally Posted by tricky_colour
Some seemed worse than others, I guess you have to read between the lines a bit perhaps.Quote:
Originally Posted by liamoo11
"his challenge is to adjust from youth to men's football." can be read as he has failed to make the step up, however he is still young
at 21, a lot of our players have been late developers.
Others sound like they are plagued with injuries.
reading his career history, it's a lot like Richie Partridge - snapped up by a top club at a young age, brought through the youth ranks, out on loan a few times and sat on the bench for the senior international side
Hope it doesn't end the same way
In fairness though how many youth players at Chelsea have stepped up to the senior team over the last ten years? You could probably count it on one hand. Once you reach a certain level/age at clubs that just buy in whenever they need a player it's time to move on. So many excellent players left top clubs to progress their careers and in the long run benefitted. It would be worse for Clifford to have spent another couple of years at Chelsea hopping to make the step up, only for the club to continually buy in players in his position and release him at 24/25.
God I loved richie partridge. Some great nights watching him play for the irish youth teams. used to get big crowds out to those youth games. Partridge and mcphail were unreal. Ritchie had a great loan at coventry scored few crackers bit like brady at hull nowQuote:
Originally Posted by tetsujin1979
If you had to bet right now, would you say that CC ever plays in the senior Irish team from this point on? I don't mean picked, I mean actually sees match time in a competitive fixture. I would say its 10-1 against.
He was on trial with Sheffield United but it appears he was unable to secure a contract.
http://www.thestar.co.uk/sport/footb...roke-1-5401047
Feck itQuote:
Originally Posted by Carrigaline
He'd be as well signing over here for a season at this rate.
He seemed to do well when on loan at Notts County. Hopefully this might at least secure him a short term deal.
In my Football Manager he signs for my Rovers team before moving to a continental outfit for 5 million+.Quote:
Originally Posted by nigel-harps1954
What a complete and total bust. What was the problem with the guy? I follow him on twitter and he seems like a decent enough kid. Did he just stop developing or are there other problems?
RIP Conor. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.
Time to come home Conor. Pats or Rovers. Prove yourself, get back across the water and then push on. Fahey's done it. Don't waste your time plumbing it around League 1 or 2.