Owen Garvan profiled in the Guardian

**Plastic Paddy** · 28/03/2006, 6:59 AM

Well worth a read. David Pleat also mentions Billy Clarke and Shane Supple as players with bright futures.

PP

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http://football.guardian.co.uk/comme...741157,00.html

David Pleat
Tuesday March 28, 2006
The Guardian

Financial restrictions have forced Ipswich to make the most of their youth policy and Owen Garvan, one of the homegrown talents, looks destined for the very top. He looks to have shades of Arnold Muhren, Kevin Sheedy and Liam Brady: an old-fashioned midfielder with a good left foot.

That may sound very high praise but this boy has great quality. When he plays a pass and gets the return he has already seen the next ball he wants to play and that is a special talent in someone so young. He also shows subtlety, balance and a sleight of foot beyond his years. When he receives possession he has a knack of being able to deceive opponents by dropping his shoulder and drifting away from them effortlessly. His speed of thought makes up for not being outstandingly fast.

Garvan's best position is on the left side of a central midfield pair where he can receive the ball off his defenders and make the play by bringing team-mates into the game. That is usually the quality of a player of some experience. Jim Magilton has been Ipswich's schemer-in-chief for several seasons but his time is coming to an end and Garvan will take his place with confidence.

Garvan can pass accurately short and long but what has particularly impressed me is his ability to shield possession, a quality not always seen in players from the British Isles. When tackles fly in or he is hounded by an opponent he has the composure to move and keep the ball.

He likes to shoot and can hit fierce drives from the edge of the box. He will get stronger from playing consistently in the Championship but already he can look after himself. Although still slim he shows determination and a willingness to put his foot into tackles against stronger and more experienced players.

When I first saw Garvan I wondered whether he was fully tuned in to defensive responsibilities. Balls got played behind him, I thought he was slow to react and my first instinct was that he lacked pace. But he reacts swiftly now when Ipswich lose possession and, having watched him closely, I can see he has enough speed. A slightly ugly duckling running style can make him appear sluggish at times.

It is a terrific accolade for a boy of 18 that he has rarely been out of the side this season. Ipswich won the Youth Cup last year and he showed enough quality in the first leg of the final against Southampton for Joe Royle to feel confident of using him. Three others in that team, Billy Clarke, Darryl Knights and the goalkeeper Shane Supple, also look to have particularly bright futures.

I am told Garvan is mentally strong, single-minded and one of the last to leave training, even coming in on his day off. In Royle and the assistant manager Willie Donachie he has terrific people to guide him. Ipswich have sold to survive since the Bobby Robson era and they must hope that this time the club can progress without sacrificing this fine young talent.

Age 18

Born Dublin

Position Midfield

Height 6ft

Weight 10st 8lb

From Academy

Heading 7/10

Pace 7�/10

Awareness 8�/10

Shooting 8/10

Passing 8/10

Team responsibility 8/10

Pleat's valuation �1m-�1.5m

**Stuttgart88** · 28/03/2006, 7:15 AM

Very interesting. Pleat also profiled Kevin Foley in a similar manner recently. He seems to like the Irish lads.

**TheJamaicanP.M.** · 28/03/2006, 8:47 AM

That's an accurate account of Garvan's abilities. I seem to recall Pleat saying that Kevin Foley had an "ugly duckling, waddle" style of running also. Maybe he likes those types of players.

**NeilMcD** · 28/03/2006, 9:36 AM

I notice that Pleat says Garvan is homegrown despite the fact that he is from Ireland, now where did I hear this before.

**tetsujin1979** · 28/03/2006, 9:42 AM

Originally Posted by NeilMcD

I notice that Pleat says Garvan is homegrown despite the fact that he is from Ireland, now where did I hear this before.

I think he meant that Garvan has come through the youth ranks, rather than saying he was from Ipswich

**Dodge** · 28/03/2006, 9:45 AM

Exactly. A non issue.

**drummerboy** · 28/03/2006, 10:32 AM

I think all young Irish kids going to England should look at the progress made by Garvan, Supple and Clarke at a club like Ipswich. Going to the likes of Arsenal, United and Chelsea really curtails their chances of making progress, and they should be encouraged to join clubs with a proven track record at producing young players.

**NeilMcD** · 28/03/2006, 10:36 AM

Sorry my point was a bit obscure it was in relation to a debate about Messi not too long ago on the World Football forum. I argued that home grown from a club has nothing to do with nationality

**livehead1** · 28/03/2006, 11:10 AM

Originally Posted by drummerboy

I think all young Irish kids going to England should look at the progress made by Garvan, Supple and Clarke at a club like Ipswich. Going to the likes of Arsenal, United and Chelsea really curtails their chances of making progress, and they should be encouraged to join clubs with a proven track record at producing young players.

what are ya on about?!?! Arsenal and United have produced some of the best youngsters over the last 10 years, it just so happens that the irish players who have gone there have not been good enough!

**eirebhoy** · 28/03/2006, 11:19 AM

Originally Posted by livehead1

what are ya on about?!?!

Leave that comment out of your post and people will give you more credit. I agree with drummerboy, if you're good enough you'll make it at Ipswich before you'll make it at Man Utd and I don't see why a player should spend an extra few years playing reserve football.

**livehead1** · 28/03/2006, 11:22 AM

Originally Posted by eirebhoy

Leave that comment out of your post and people will give you more credit. I agree with drummerboy, if you're good enough you'll make it at Ipswich before you'll make it at Man Utd and I don't see why a player should spend an extra few years playing reserve football.

o yeh, i agree with what you said there. What i read into drummerboy's comments was that a player won't make it at man utd or arsenal as they dont have a proven track record of bringing players through. To be fair to them ,they take on a lot of lads , and only the very very best will get through. at a club like you say, ipswich, players will have more of a chance, mainly due to financial constraints one feels. My local club at the moment, nottingham forest, is in a priveledged position where the chairman has put his hand in his pocket on a number of occassions this season, this seems to have coincided with a lack of youth players coming through. youth was a prevelant factor in there successful season a few years ago, when with no money, 5 or 6 lads came through, including andy reid and john thompson.

**Stuttgart88** · 28/03/2006, 11:32 AM

Livehead, to digress a little: how has John Thompson being doing at Forest lately? Any chance he'll step up a level? It all looked so good when Forest nearly went up a few years ago, with Thompson making a big contribution & sometimes from midfield.

**drummerboy** · 28/03/2006, 11:37 AM

Originally Posted by livehead1

o yeh, i agree with what you said there. What i read into drummerboy's comments was that a player won't make it at man utd or arsenal as they dont have a proven track record of bringing players through. To be fair to them ,they take on a lot of lads , and only the very very best will get through. at a club like you say, ipswich, players will have more of a chance, mainly due to financial constraints one feels. My local club at the moment, nottingham forest, is in a priveledged position where the chairman has put his hand in his pocket on a number of occassions this season, this seems to have coincided with a lack of youth players coming through. youth was a prevelant factor in there successful season a few years ago, when with no money, 5 or 6 lads came through, including andy reid and john thompson.

What I was on about, as you put it, is that a kid who goes to a good championship club, will have far more opportunities to progress than one of the bigger premiership clubs. Lots of Irish talent have been left to stagnate in reserve team football. Players like Graham Barrett for example. Stayed far too long at Arsenal and lost out on a couple of years of his development, a situation from which he never recovered.

**paul_oshea** · 28/03/2006, 11:51 AM

Garvan can pass accurately short and long but what has particularly impressed me is his ability to shield possession, a quality not always seen in players from the British Isles.

ffs, fair play he is praising him, but fook off with the british isles thing.

**Stuttgart88** · 28/03/2006, 12:03 PM

I knew somebody would react to that

Unjustified in IMHO though. I've no problem with the use of the term "British Isles". Last year Pleat said Spurs had more British players than anyone else. Now that was a careless comment. No malice in it though, not like the likes of the Daily Mail who still to this day refer to The British Lions. That old chestnut I suppose!

**Kingdom** · 28/03/2006, 12:10 PM

Originally Posted by drummerboy

What I was on about, as you put it, is that a kid who goes to a good championship club, will have far more opportunities to progress than one of the bigger premiership clubs. Lots of Irish talent have been left to stagnate in reserve team football. Players like Graham Barrett for example. Stayed far too long at Arsenal and lost out on a couple of years of his development, a situation from which he never recovered.

Exactly the point I was going to make. Barrett was a class mate of mine and while not being the best player of his age group in the school(U.C.D.'s Ally McNally was), never mind the DDSL, he had excellent ball skills. Arsenal was the wrong choice for him as it was very apparent very quickly that he was never going to make the grade.
A lot of lads when they hear the big clubs involved get carried away. That's where the folks need to step in, with a bit of common sense and evaluate situations.

**NeilMcD** · 28/03/2006, 12:11 PM

It depends Stuttgart, It was careless if he was including Keane Reid and Kelly and Yeates in that but if he was just including Dawson, King, Jenas, Robinson, Defoe, Gardener, Carrick, Lennon, Ifil,

**youngirish** · 28/03/2006, 12:17 PM

Originally Posted by NeilMcD

It depends Stuttgart, It was careless if he was including Keane Reid and Kelly and Yeates in that but if he was just including Dawson, King, Jenas, Robinson, Defoe, Gardener, Carrick, Lennon, Ifil,

I think that the English find it hard to let go of their oldest and closest former dominion. Maybe after another 100 years of independence they might cop that we are no longer under their rule. I wonder why they don't question why there are no Republic of Ireland athletes in the Commonwealth games.

**Macy** · 28/03/2006, 12:19 PM

I've no doubt the likes of Ipswich chew up and spit out as many Irish players that don't make the grade as the bigger clubs. You're still only hearing about the ones that make the first team squad.