Troy Parrott F AZ Alkmaar b.2002

[pineapple stu]

Cannon is the only one of the three (four if you include Armstrong) that has shown he can score consistently in the Championship.

Armstrong has 3 goals in 61 Championship games (a goal every 770 minutes or so).

I think elatedscum's "good group" of forwards is possibly stretching things a bit as we watch Connolly and Obafemi arguably waste their talents, Idah and Parrott fail to make an impression on the Championship (and yet still be the best prospects listed) and others are a long way from making it in the senior game of course.

I'd share JR's caution on Cannon too - Obafemi had a similar run in form two years ago and hasn't kicked on since then. I think there's always been question marks over Obafemi's attitude which don't appear with Cannon so far as I'm aware. But really Cannon is one we should be keeping an eye on for the future rather than capping now. (I think you don't go on a run of form like that without being able to play a bit though)

It's a sign of how stuck we are lately that we're like a club team throwing in prospects to see how they take to the senior game. But an international side shouldn't be doing that. We should have established senior players in all positions. But we don't, sadly.

[elatedscum]

I think elatedscum's "good group" of forwards is possibly stretching things a bit as we watch Connolly and Obafemi arguably waste their talents, Idah and Parrott fail to make an impression on the Championship (and yet still be the best prospects listed) and others are a long way from making it in the senior game of course.

I’ll put it to you another way.


Ireland’s u21 eligible strikers:


Ferguson
Parrott
Cannon
Armstrong
Emakhu
Fraser
O’Mahony


England’s u21 eligible strikers:


Stansfield
Rogers
Scarlett
Gelhardt
Delap

I know which group I'd prefer. And speaking in general, that's probably the only position where you'd take our options over theirs. Even at centre-back where we seem so strong, they've got Branthwaite, Quansah, Colwill, Menghi and Harwood-Belis - absolutely blows Omobamidele, Garcia-McNulty, Lawal, Grehan, Murphy and O'Riordan out the water.

Genuinely. very few countries in the world if any have a list of strikers eligible for 21s that's as exciting as what we have...

[Eirambler]

Armstrong has 3 goals in 61 Championship games (a goal every 770 minutes or so).

I think elatedscum's "good group" of forwards is possibly stretching things a bit as we watch Connolly and Obafemi arguably waste their talents, Idah and Parrott fail to make an impression on the Championship (and yet still be the best prospects listed) and others are a long way from making it in the senior game of course.

I'd share JR's caution on Cannon too - Obafemi had a similar run in form two years ago and hasn't kicked on since then. I think there's always been question marks over Obafemi's attitude which don't appear with Cannon so far as I'm aware. But really Cannon is one we should be keeping an eye on for the future rather than capping now. (I think you don't go on a run of form like that without being able to play a bit though)

It's a sign of how stuck we are lately that we're like a club team throwing in prospects to see how they take to the senior game. But an international side shouldn't be doing that. We should have established senior players in all positions. But we don't, sadly.

Obafemi has the talent (as does Connolly) but it's not enough without the right attitude to go with it. Whereas Idah and Cannon are known to be hard working, professional players and will likely go further in the game as a result. Parrott still has that question mark over his application as well, he's had a couple of wake up calls though so hopefully he's moving more towards the Idah/Cannon end of the scale rather than the Obafemi/Connolly end.

In terms of more established goalscorers, we do of course have the Championship's top scorer from this season in our squad also. So it's not as though it's all potential up front, there's present day quality also. And there's a good chance a fully fit Ferguson finds himself back scoring goals from the start of next season.

[pineapple stu]

I’ll put it to you another way.

Ireland’s u21 eligible strikers:

Ferguson
Parrott
Cannon
Armstrong
Emakhu
Fraser
O’Mahony

England’s u21 eligible strikers:

Stansfield
Rogers
Scarlett
Gelhardt
Delap

Genuinely. very few countries in the world if any have a list of strikers eligible for 21s that's as exciting as what we have...

I don't know - I guess I'm a bit world-weary when it comes to hearing how great our options coming through are. Emakhu and Armstrong are too early in their careers yet to judge - six league goals between them in about 120 games (including LoI and even LoI First Division for Emakhu) isn't exactly setting the world alight, though I know they're only 20. It's not clear if Fraser wants to play for us. O'Mahony is a long way off doing anything, and Cannon may yet be a flash in the pan - it's certainly not clear what his ceiling is. Only Ferguson is worth getting genuinely excited over right now I think. Parrott at last looks like someone has put 4000 volts through him; hopefully it'll continue.

I'd take England's Jonathan Rowe over all of them bar Ferguson to be honest - he's easily outshone Idah in his first season at Norwich for example, and was unfortunate for it to end with injury. Bynoe-Gittens played in the Champions League final (I think he's more a winger than a striker, though these days that's arguably all part of the front three), as did Moukoko of Germany. Denmark's Chido Obi (at Arsenal) is arguably the most exciting attacking prospect in the world right now, way ahead of any of our lot.

And then as Eirambler says, along comes someone like Szmodics and makes the in-depth analysis of underage teams a bit redundant!

[Jolly Red Giant]

What's his contract situation at Spurs?

One year left

[JR89]

Hopefully he gets his future sorted asap this summer. Last thing he needs is this dragging on throughout the whole summer.

[JR89]

Would be a massive move for the lad.

[SkStu]

Would be a massive move for the lad.

It would be such a good move. They have a really strong track record of developing talent.

[Razors left peg]

It would be such a good move. They have a really strong track record of developing talent.

Explain this to me in relation to if its similar to L1 or Championship

[liamoo11]

I don't know - I guess I'm a bit world-weary when it comes to hearing how great our options coming through are. Emakhu and Armstrong are too early in their careers yet to judge - six league goals between them in about 120 games (including LoI and even LoI First Division for Emakhu) isn't exactly setting the world alight, though I know they're only 20. It's not clear if Fraser wants to play for us. O'Mahony is a long way off doing anything, and Cannon may yet be a flash in the pan - it's certainly not clear what his ceiling is. Only Ferguson is worth getting genuinely excited over right now I think. Parrott at last looks like someone has put 4000 volts through him; hopefully it'll continue.

I'd take England's Jonathan Rowe over all of them bar Ferguson to be honest - he's easily outshone Idah in his first season at Norwich for example, and was unfortunate for it to end with injury. Bynoe-Gittens played in the Champions League final (I think he's more a winger than a striker, though these days that's arguably all part of the front three), as did Moukoko of Germany. Denmark's Chido Obi (at Arsenal) is arguably the most exciting attacking prospect in the world right now, way ahead of any of our lot.

And then as Eirambler says, along comes someone like Szmodics and makes the in-depth analysis of underage teams a bit redundant!

Obi is not more exciting than endrick. He is scoring goals at under 18 level and is hugely physically developed for his age.

[pineapple stu]

Endrick is a great shout too in fairness, yep

You're right Obi is only scoring at U18 level at the moment, but still, for a 16 year old to score 28 in 9 league games is mental stuff. The next top scorer in the entire league had 21.

He's 16 months younger than Endrick, but it's fair to wonder if he'll catch up in that time alright.

[CSAD]

I don't know - I guess I'm a bit world-weary when it comes to hearing how great our options coming through are. Emakhu and Armstrong are too early in their careers yet to judge - six league goals between them in about 120 games (including LoI and even LoI First Division for Emakhu) isn't exactly setting the world alight, though I know they're only 20. It's not clear if Fraser wants to play for us. O'Mahony is a long way off doing anything, and Cannon may yet be a flash in the pan - it's certainly not clear what his ceiling is. Only Ferguson is worth getting genuinely excited over right now I think. Parrott at last looks like someone has put 4000 volts through him; hopefully it'll continue.

I'd take England's Jonathan Rowe over all of them bar Ferguson to be honest - he's easily outshone Idah in his first season at Norwich for example, and was unfortunate for it to end with injury. Bynoe-Gittens played in the Champions League final (I think he's more a winger than a striker, though these days that's arguably all part of the front three), as did Moukoko of Germany. Denmark's Chido Obi (at Arsenal) is arguably the most exciting attacking prospect in the world right now, way ahead of any of our lot.

And then as Eirambler says, along comes someone like Szmodics and makes the in-depth analysis of underage teams a bit redundant!

If anyone said this about an Irish player with Chido's stats based on 1 season of u18 football you'd be on us saying "take off the green tinted glasses" & "lets not get carrier away based on 1 season of u18 level football"

At least be consistent Pineapple.

[John83]

If anyone said this about an Irish player with Chido's stats based on 1 season of u18 football you'd be on us saying "take off the green tinted glasses" & "lets not get carrier away based on 1 season of u18 level football"

At least be consistent Pineapple.

Man, I'd like to have an Irish player score 10 goals in a match against Liverpool's U18s team and earn a spot training with the Arsenal senior team. Obviously, that'd just to potentially expose P.S. as a curmugeon, and not for any other reason.

[tetsujin1979]

FWIW, I do remember an Irish kid at Man City scoring five against one of Man Utd's underage sides, think his name was Bermingham.

<EDIT>

Found it, it was four, and his name was Karl Bermingham (link below is dead)

Man City reserves thumped their United counterparts in the Manchester senior cup 5-1, with Karl Bermingham getting 4! Could have been all 5, it was an own goal from a deflected shot by Bermingham. Paddy McCarthy had a header saved, Willo Flood played after coming back from a slight groin injury.
Read the full report here

[pineapple stu]

Man, I'd like to have an Irish player score 10 goals in a match against Liverpool's U18s team and earn a spot training with the Arsenal senior team.

It was Liverpool's U16 team that was against. He was bumped up to the U18s as a result (around his 16th birthday, having already made his PL2 debut), but yeah, it's the repeated exceptional scoring record that I'd be flagging him for. 28 in 9 games is pretty much unheard of for anyone at that level, and while I think the point about physical development at that level having an impact is valid, I don't think it can have that much of an impact, especially as he's 16 playing in an U18 league. 3 against Chelsea (one of the top teams at that level), 4 against Palace, 4 against Fulham, 5 against West Ham, 7 against Norwich, all in the space of a few weeks. It'd put you in mind of Haaland scoring 9 for Norway in the U20 World Cup against Honduras.

In the context of a claim we have some of the most exciting underage prospects in the world up front, I think he's worthy of a mention. I'd be more excited by him than by Emakhu/Armstrong scoring four Championship goals between them in about 80 games for example.

[SkStu]

We can all play the odds and predict that 90% of the Irish players that look like they might do well won't make it but, as I have said before, what's the point in following football if you cant be stupidly optimistic about the prospects of your team, your players, your manager, your youth... as a football fan, getting excited (about anything) is the first step down the path having your wildest dreams come true or having those same dreams dashed. I understand the logic of not going all in on a youth prospect but I don't understand the attraction of it. It goes against the essence of being a fan.

[CSAD]

Man, I'd like to have an Irish player score 10 goals in a match against Liverpool's U18s team and earn a spot training with the Arsenal senior team. Obviously, that'd just to potentially expose P.S. as a curmugeon, and not for any other reason.

We have someone on here trying to claim a player who's never started a PL2 game is the "most exciting prospect in the world"...I bet he's never watched a single game he's played in as well which is even more hilarious.

You do realise training with the senior team doesn't make you a star automatically, it's actually fairly common. Trent Kone Doherty (who actually has proven himself at PL2 level) has trained with the Liverpool senior team on a regular occurrence this season, as have other prospects we've had at other big clubs throughout the last few years...using that as a way of somehow justifying hype just kind of prove my point at how utterly ridiculous the quoted statement is.

[CSAD]

It was Liverpool's U16 team that was against. He was bumped up to the U18s as a result (around his 16th birthday, having already made his PL2 debut), but yeah, it's the repeated exceptional scoring record that I'd be flagging him for. 28 in 9 games is pretty much unheard of for anyone at that level, and while I think the point about physical development at that level having an impact is valid, I don't think it can have that much of an impact, especially as he's 16 playing in an U18 league. 3 against Chelsea (one of the top teams at that level), 4 against Palace, 4 against Fulham, 5 against West Ham, 7 against Norwich, all in the space of a few weeks. It'd put you in mind of Haaland scoring 9 for Norway in the U20 World Cup against Honduras.

In the context of a claim we have some of the most exciting underage prospects in the world up front, I think he's worthy of a mention. I'd be more excited by him than by Emakhu/Armstrong scoring four Championship goals between them in about 80 games for example.

I honestly dont see a point is wasting my time even trying to explain the difference between playing u18 football and senior football to you at this rate.

[liamoo11]

Endrick is a great shout too in fairness, yep

You're right Obi is only scoring at U18 level at the moment, but still, for a 16 year old to score 28 in 9 league games is mental stuff. The next top scorer in the entire league had 21.

He's 16 months younger than Endrick, but it's fair to wonder if he'll catch up in that time alright.

Max dowman the 14 year old liam bradyesque attaking mid is the arsenal.player from that18s I wood be thinking has best chance of been a pro at a decent level. I would take melia over obi( nearly exact same age) as most likely to have good pro career(championship or higher) more rounded footballer not as dependent on power and pace and has a hold up game

[pineapple stu]

I understand the logic of not going all in on a youth prospect but I don't understand the attraction of it. It goes against the essence of being a fan.

I don't agree with that at all. I don't understand why people want to talk themselves into a tizzy over a player who scored a couple of underage goals, and then get let down badly when they fail to make the grade.

The great thing about pessimism is half the time you're right, and the other half you're pleasantly surprised.

(And even then I wouldn't say I'm pessimistic; just not wildly optimistic)

I honestly dont see a point is wasting my time even trying to explain the difference between playing u18 football and senior football to you at this rate.

You'd have a point if I was saying Obi is better than Emakhu/Armstrong. But that's not what I'm saying. I'm saying he's a more exciting prospect.