Yep. If my son is offered Barcelona or Huddersfield...he is going to Huddersfield possibly with a puss on his face...he will thank me when he is still a pro at 20
Knight at Derby
Collins at Stoke
Connolly at Brighton
O'Shea at West Brom
Idah at Norwich
I don't think it's a coincidence that these lads are coming through at mid ranked clubs like those to be honest. Those are clubs that offer a clear pathway to the first team if a player is good enough. Obviously you'll always get players moving to the traditional bigger clubs as well, as Kelleher, Masterson, Parrott and Bazunu have done, but there's a lot to be said for turning down a Man United and signing for a smaller team. Odubeko looks like the next player that could benefit from that approach.
Last edited by Eirambler; 27/01/2021 at 9:51 AM.
Yep. If my son is offered Barcelona or Huddersfield...he is going to Huddersfield possibly with a puss on his face...he will thank me when he is still a pro at 20
7.5m bid from Burnley for Collins turned down by Stoke.
Don’t agree, as it’s a weak move for Collins. Stay at stoke and finish out the season. Then revisit options in the summer. Burnley are mediocre and will likely be a championship club in the next year or two
The thing about Burnley is this new investment there. If that is all set up and there's a pot to spend from during the summer, surely Dyche will be able to enhance the playing style in conjunction with enhancing the playing staff.
One thing they do well is defend. There could be a worse environment for Collins.
On the other hand, I'd rather Knight steer clear of Burnley. I think he's more suited to a Leeds, Liverpool, Southampton.. teams that play some variation of high energy, high intensity football.
Last edited by Olé Olé; 31/01/2021 at 9:05 PM.
https://www.the42.ie/irish-defender-...56690-Feb2021/
Collins has fractured his foot and will be out for a few months, ruling him out of consideration in March.
A small fracture on his foot, sounded an awful lot worse at first so relieved to hear that.
And just read the bit at the end of that article which says he's suspended for the games against Serbia and Luxemburg because of his u21 red card, is that right?!
https://www.the42.ie/nathan-collins-...58076-Feb2021/
Another good article on the42. Seems to have a good support system around him. It'll be interesting to see if he's tempted away from Stoke in the summer, would imagine if they can go up he'll stay, but if not he might take the chance to step up to a premier league team.
Tallaght Stadium Regular
Really enjoyed the insight on the club selection process when Nathan was moving to England. It seems like an inspired decision from Nathan and his father:
“I went away around the same age, 14 or 15, and it was just a different world to what they’re doing now,” he says.
“I went to a much bigger club, which is very difficult at the best of times, but if a young boy is going to a big club now, it’s a really big ask.
“Nathan had a look at a couple of clubs, but we didn’t put him out to 10 different clubs, like they do with a lot of young players.
“We went into Stoke and there was such a warm feeling. We had a little sniff around. Nathan went out training, so I had a look behind a few little doors that you probably shouldn’t look behind, as you do.
“They were category one for the English system, so you’re guaranteed certain standards. You were basically getting the same type of stuff that you would get at a top Premier League club. And Stoke at that stage were in the top 10 [in the Premier League table] three years in a row. So there was a great buzz about the place.
“Nathan loved the people around the area, we came in, the cleaning ladies were having a cup of tea with us and the canteen ladies, they just made us very welcome.
“I went out to look at one of the sessions and the detail that the coaches went into on preparations for matches was unbelievable. I was looking at the set plays they were doing with the young kids, phenomenal work.
“When I went away to Liverpool, they were the best team in Europe. It was more the financial package at that time. In the 1980s, people needed money and you sort of went that route.
“It wasn’t really a financial decision [in this instance], it was a head decision from my previous experience and Nathan’s heart.”
How good is this guy? Burnley supporters seem to think he's signing for a top six club this summer.
https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/le...toke-city-ace/
Is he lacking a bit of pace? Maybe because hes so tall that just an impression I have of him?
Harry Maguire has the fattest arse in the modern CB era and the acceleration of an oil rig but he's managing away
For a centre back and a big man I think he’s quite mobile. If you’re slow you don’t generally play as a fullback which he has done a lot of. I’ve watched a couple of full games and he had enough speed to overlap at times on the right. He’s not the second coming of Cafu but by the standard of centre backs he’s quite quick IMO which is probably part of why the big price tag is out there.
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