Worst case scenario is he doesn't make it and gets released on a free back to Ireland surely?Originally Posted by 2 Year Contract
He scored 10 goals in 22 games for the Ireland U17s, if that’s not standing out I don’t know what is. On your point about him not doing anything that other players his age and younger are also doing, Michael Noonan aside (who’s also worth just as much money as Spurs paid for Melia if not more), can you name the other lads aged 17 or younger that are playing as many minutes as Melia in the Premier Division and scoring goals at that level? There are none.
Paaatrick's Agletic
Suppose so, again though it’s peanuts for them so it’s not a financial risk in the slightest even if that were to happen
Paaatrick's Agletic
Statistics are great , 10 goals in 22 appearences for the under 21's or put another way 14 goals in all under age Irish appearences in 39 matchs and 14 goals in 65 appearences for PAts.
Better players at his age i would include 3 from Rovers all younger and have the potential to be better by the time they are 18......Kovalaskis, Ozhianvunu and Noonan, appearences harder to come by in a league winning team be fair but they are consistantly around the team and Kovalaskis imo the best of the lot
Cathal O Sullivan in Cork 7 goals in 47 appearences as a midfielder springs to mind, im sure others could think of some 16 and 17 year olds in their own teams.
Im not against Melia and wish the kid the best, me saying i cant see it is my opinion but ive been right and wrong about players before.
Last edited by sbgawa; 11/07/2025 at 3:36 PM.
Palace booted out of the Europa League, despite many claiming last month that UEFA were only targeting small clubs with the MCO rules
They're out of the Europa League but will be playing in the Conference League
I never said there wasn’t players his age or younger that have the potential to be better than him. I said other than Noonan, no players his age or younger are playing anywhere near the number of minutes in the premier division as he is and scoring goals at that level, which is a fact. You can disagree with the facts on the Ireland underage goals if you like, but it’s fairly obvious that a striker scoring at that rate was obviously rated highly at underage level, as the top goalscorer for any underage international team would be.
As Melia, Noonan and Elding are all strikers which is how the conversation started, that’s why I was referring to scoring goals, given it’s their primary function in the team. Ozhianvuna (170 minutes of league football this season) and Kovalevskis (75 mins) look great prospects and again, will probably be sold for big money by LOI standards, but they are not strikers so they can be excused for the no goals part but they’ve also not played anywhere near the minutes of Melia or Noonan. Cathal O'Sullivan again, he’s a winger/attacking midfielder but isn’t a striker and despite being closer in minutes played to Melia (1410 mins vs Melia’s 1671 mins) hasn’t had anywhere near the same impact in terms of end product at premier division level compared to the first division last year - 0 goals and 3 assists. He’s also 18, so as I said in my previous post in response to Melia doing nothing that "other players his age and younger aren't doing as well", other than Melia, Noonan is the only player of his age or younger playing that often and scoring goals. For goalkeepers, defenders and midfielders, lads that age just don’t get anywhere near the minutes that Melia and Noonan are getting, let alone excel in doing their job in the team as well as the two of them do, and that for me is very impressive for kids of their age.
Anyways, off to enjoy the sun, here’s hoping all the young lads mentioned go on to play senior level for Ireland and we can get to international tournaments again, it’s the hope that kills you!
Paaatrick's Agletic
They’ll feel hard done by of course, but at least they’re still in Europe and will have a much better chance at winning another trophy in the conference league, which would secure another season of European football next year too.
Paaatrick's Agletic
They are still being facilitated by being allowed in the conference, it effects the integrity of that comp just to drop a side in to it because they fell foul of rules. I still think a smaller league club would be gone and that Palace have been thrown a bone, probably with an agreement that they dont use any EPL clout and challange UEFA.
I think in fairness it's a reasonable compromise. It avoids the issue of multi-club ownership in the same competition while still recognising they qualified on merit
Wishy washy, apply the rules or change them. Yeah it rewards as deserved but its also an appeasment to prevent a fight UEFA dont want with someone who is resourced to fight...imo! A few high profile clubs falling foul and making a stink and things change. LoI cup winners would be swatted away and houts on issues with rules dismissed. Ban muticlubs (unless Dundalk get billionaire owners that own other clubs then just turn a blind eye!!).
I think there's no indication that LoI sides would be treated differently though.
The issue is about clubs in the same competition being owned by the same person. Relegating Palace to the Conference League sorts that. There was nowhere for Drogheda to be relegated to though.
Dont let facts get in the way of a persecution complex or conspiracy, no fun there. I agree really on this occasion, but there was plenty of facilitating clubs of much bigger stature in previous years. I still think it stinks and do you really trust UEFA to be fair and transparent if they want a quiet outcome that suits them if a top 5 league team is for the bin on ownership. Its a combination of half hearted FFP among oter things. Like if Delaney hadn't blotted his copybook when he did it looked like he'd have gotten Waterford through the rules that excluded them. I know he was a special case but how many more would be like him.....maybe none tbh!
I see textors stake is now being mentioned as 42%. It seems to shrink with every article written. In a few weeks it'll be sub 40% having been as high as 47% in some places. While his is technically a minority stake he also owns the largest individual stake which is likely why UEFA care. The next largest I've ever seen is ~10% mark
Could be wrong, but afaik there are 4 x Directors each with 10% (incls. Parrish), and they are in a group which Textor isn't part of. In fact, a while back Textor was trying/hoping to buy a controlling stake, which the others opposed, suggesting he wasn't in good standing with the rest of the Board:
https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/foo...-b1234451.html
While his 47%(?) 42%(?) stake may not all be voting shares, but a different category?
All that said, I still cannot make up, my mind on this. Otoh, with a bit of foresight, Palace could have found a way to comply with the rules in the same way eg as Marinakis at NFFC, with his (entirely laughable) "blind trust".
Oto, it does seem harsh, since whatever the technicalities, Textor didn't seem to have the same control over CPFC as he did eg over Lyon. This latter argument may sway CAS?
Because that is exactly how it works. You're making it sound like they've got off lightly here or someone has done them a favour.
Somewhere along the way I learned that there are 4 owners with votes, Textor being one of the 4, but the other 3 always vote in a block together, so he never gets what he wants even thou he has been the one making major investments of late. It's a funny setup.
something like that, yeah.
Which is why Textor was trying to buy Everton a few months back - had fallen out with the other Palace Directors.
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