It didn’t make him any faster which was one of his major drawbacks ( No Pace ). Mind you other fellas with a bit of cute-ness about them have managed to adapt their game and knock decent careers out of it. Stoke's just didn’t have that cute-ness about them.Originally Posted by elatedscum
Anto was a bit older than me but i played with and against him a few times as a teenager, he wasn't slow. he wasn't quick but he wasn't daryl murphy or bulked up kevin doyle slow (as opposed to early kevin doyle who had pace). he never really had a burst of pace but he was in dublin during the summer and by himself, worked with a sprinting coach, who did work on the mechanics of his sprinting. Sunderland were so impressed by the pace he had gained, that they hired the lad to work with all their players. I can imagine he probably lost a bit more pace as he gained weight, got injured or aged..
Technically, he was superb. He was an intelligent footballer too. More than anyone gave him credit for. It was all off field stuff that held him back. Similarly, he was a little unlucky with Trap I think. In his time in the SPL - age 21 to 25 seasons, he scored:
23 goals
20 goals
21 goals
7 goals (injured most season)
21 goals
Then his last season at Celtic, Delia moved him into the midfield where he scored 8.
Nowadays if a player was doing that year on year, he'd probably get more of a look in than he did even if it's only the SPL...
No Troy for the under 23s. If he doesn’t play tomorrow, that will be 70 days without any competitive action despite being fully fit. Can’t understand why he can’t play 45 minutes of under 23 football and be the 19th man on Saturday still. When I was his age I was playing 2 or 3 games in a weekend without a bother on me....
8k is the best he'll ever do. As Paul has informed us, he's finished.
Whilst you may not like the delivery there has been a pattern here over the years whereby numerous young Irish players have been hyped up to be the next big thing with little to no justification. Anthony Stokes, Jack Byrne and Conor Clifford are all examples of the above based on the fact that they scored a nice goal or two at youth level. Any dissenting voices claiming that they may not actually be quite as good as the hype suggests are nearly always shouted down as ill informed naysayers.
Once those same players were found wanting in the senior game the board moved onto the next flavour of the month. Lather, rinse and repeat, in perpetuity.
Of the current crop hardly any have looked decent for any sustained period at senior level with the exception of Molumby and Knight (the latter in patches) so until Parrott starts banging in goals at least at Championship level the hype is about as valid now as it was back in 2005 for Stokes when he was banging in goals for fun for Arsenal reserves.
Last edited by youngirish; 16/02/2020 at 1:27 PM.
While none of what you say about the earlier generations can be disputed, do you not think that Parrott is significantly further ahead than those were at the same age? Certainly Stokes and Byrne? To have a 17 year old whose made the impression Parrott has is a little different, I think. A regular in the first team squad and match day, a premier league appearance, pinging them in at all other levels including U21 international. I think the hype around Parrott has a bit more about it than the others you’ve listed.
Stokes wasn’t a failure really either. He made a very decent career out of his talents and limitations and could have done a lot better we’re it not for poor life decisions. He has at least 10 caps for us too, right? Byrne, too, is a player who is far from finished and whose potential, it could be argued, suffered for off the pitch reasons.
But, hey, part of the joy and torture of being an Irish fan is getting excited by the next big thing!
A sensible response. I agree Parrott does look to have a little more about him than Stokes at the same age but it's only my opinion and until he starts showing it at a decent level it means nothing. Stokes looked like a world beater in the SPL when he first went to Falkirk on loan but was never good enough to replicate that early form when put up against better defences and goalkeepers. The exact same complaint could be levelled at McGeady.
To sum up Stokes had a decent career but was never going to be good enough to be anything other than a footnote when discussing Irish International footballers and if we are being honest that is a disappointing return for someone once rated so highly on these forums.
As for Jack Byrne, he has talent and is clearly too good for the LOI but he is now approaching 24 and it's looking increasingly unlikely he will make the step up and be a top player in one of the major European Leagues. This again would represent a disappointing return when many on here were predicting he would be a quality midfielder only a few years ago. I hope I'm wrong as we've had a dearth of quality on the International scene for a number of years now but until players start performing consistently well for decent teams in the top leagues in Europe then that's likely to remain the case.
Of the current crop I would state that the only one who has all the qualities to be a top player right now is Molumby. The rest have potential but have shown little else. He alone is already a very good midfielder for a decent Championship team and could already do a job for Brighton in the Premiership. The likes of Obafemi, Knight, O'Shea and Masterson are the next batch that could make the step up to first team regulars over the next few months. Whilst all have shown promise none have not been able to consistently perform at the required level when given the chance.
Of the others Connolly has been disappointing and possibly needs a year of regular football in the Championship to get his career back on track. Collins career has stuttered at Stoke under O'Neill. Next season is likely the soonest Idah will get any game time for Norwich - most likely in the Championship and finally the three lads who moved to Celtic look like they have made the worst career decisions this side of David Cameron deciding to have a referendum on Britain remaining in Europe.
Last edited by youngirish; 16/02/2020 at 6:18 PM.
Wow. Large portions of pessimism and negative interpretation served up there.
You call it pessimism, I call it realism.
I call it 'playing the percentages'. Most prospects won't turn out to be anything special, that's just the nature of it. I've no issue with some 'realism' around our young players if it's based on their strengths, weaknesses, etc., but I think it's a bit meaningless basing it on the law of averages, which is basically what you and Paul are doing I think - "ah sure, we got excited about loads of fellas before and they never made it".
Parrott is an exciting prospect, it's not just us that think that but the Tottenham fans too. He's going to generate positive discussion. When he rocks up for the U21's and changes the game away to Sweden he's going to entice further excitement. Of course it guarantees nothing long-term, but everybody knows that already.
There's a difference between stating someone looks promising at youth level as opposed to claiming they are already good enough to be lining out for their first team in the Premiership. I have no problems with the former, only the latter.
Fair enough. I don't think many (if any) here are saying that though? Granted some disappointment has been expressed when he hasn't made match day squads, especially with Kane's injury.
Heung Min Son fractures his arm and is out for a number for weeks....
Do some of you have Tottenham player dolls ? and pins ?
Luca Moura would want to watch his step, that's all I'm saying.
Anyway Mourinho has pretty much said today that if the entire first team squad were quarantined with the corinavirus he still wouldn't pick Troy Parrott. Or something like that.
Last edited by Eirambler; 18/02/2020 at 12:41 PM.
Pretty much - https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/51547261
Nearly more chance of getting picked out of the Stands than Troy.
He has to be as sick as a........
Positive Mourinho mentioned his name all the same. A point worth repeating.
Dele Alli has to be banned for the corona virus thing, doesn't he? that just leaves Moura. he's supposed to be a lovely lad, so something which wouldn't do him any harm like a cracked rib would be suitable. eventually, he'll have to play Troy...
Did he bring Parrott up or was he asked a direct question?
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