Anthony Stokes (F free agent b.1988)

**passinginterest** · 29/05/2007, 2:31 PM

Originally Posted by lionelhutz

Ya this scenario is very realistic - Keane is going to loan out a player he spent �2m on a few months ago for a LOI player. Come off it lads, do ye really think O'Donovan is worth that??

I'm a LOI supporter by the way so I'm not puttin it down, just being realistic. Too much sh**e spoken here at times

I did say it was a rumour and highly unlikely.

Just thought it was an interesting concept.

**youngirish** · 29/05/2007, 2:40 PM

I heard a rumour Lionel Messi is being loaned out by Barcelona to Cobh Ramblers. If this is true and he failed to light up the league would this prove to people:

a) He's not up to the standard required.
b) His performance is suffering because he doesn't understand his manager's thick Cork accent.
c) The world's gone insane and makes no sense anymore.

**passinginterest** · 29/05/2007, 2:43 PM

I'd go with c. Although I'd say it's unlikely

**Bungle** · 29/05/2007, 2:54 PM

Being the man who started this thread, I'm going to stick my arse on the fence and say that Stokes will be a top player. The night I saw him playing for Arsenal reserves, I was convinced of it. He completely ran the show and looked the best player on the park by a distance.

Since then, he has done incredibly at Falkirk(you can say its not a great league but sometimes class shines which is the case I believe with Stokes), and become a 2 million pound player signed by Roy Keane (who regardless of what your personal views on him are was a great player and on evidence thus far a great manager).

I get the impression Stokes isn't the most likeable of characters but ****** neither are alot of professional footballers. Don't let this cloud your judgement on him. He may be a little bit flash on the pitch (trying to chip the Bolivian keeper when he should have tried to slot it by him) but he's only 18. I'd rather him try to be the entertainer in a meaningless game against Bolivia than a crucial game in Bratislava or Prague. Lets all be fair, if that chip had come off, we'd all be saying how talented he is.

There aren't many better 18 year old in British football than Stokes at the moment, so lets just be grateful he's Irish and stop treating him like you might Duff or Robbie Keane.

**Risteard** · 29/05/2007, 3:07 PM

Originally Posted by youngirish

I heard a rumour Lionel Messi is being loaned out by Barcelona to Cobh Ramblers. If this is true and he failed to light up the league would this prove to people:

a) He's not up to the standard required.
b) His performance is suffering because he doesn't understand his manager's thick Cork accent.
c) The world's gone insane and makes no sense anymore.

Got to be Hendersens accent . . . definitely.

**youngirish** · 29/05/2007, 3:14 PM

Originally Posted by Risteard

Got to be Hendersens accent . . . definitely.

Didin't know where he was from and it felt like too much work for too little reward to look it up.

**eirebhoy** · 29/05/2007, 3:15 PM

Originally Posted by Bungle

Being the man who started this thread, I'm going to stick my arse on the fence and say that Stokes will be a top player. The night I saw him playing for Arsenal reserves, I was convinced of it. He completely ran the show and looked the best player on the park by a distance.

Since then, he has done incredibly at Falkirk(you can say its not a great league but sometimes class shines which is the case I believe with Stokes), and become a 2 million pound player signed by Roy Keane (who regardless of what your personal views on him are was a great player and on evidence thus far a great manager).

I get the impression Stokes isn't the most likeable of characters but ****** neither are alot of professional footballers. Don't let this cloud your judgement on him. He may be a little bit flash on the pitch (trying to chip the Bolivian keeper when he should have tried to slot it by him) but he's only 18. I'd rather him try to be the entertainer in a meaningless game against Bolivia than a crucial game in Bratislava or Prague. Lets all be fair, if that chip had come off, we'd all be saying how talented he is.

There aren't many better 18 year old in British football than Stokes at the moment, so lets just be grateful he's Irish and stop treating him like you might Duff or Robbie Keane.

I said it in another thread but I think he's going to be a victim of his own ability. What I mean by that is because he's so good on the ball managers will want to get him involved more and play him deeper. His best attributes would be similar to Ruud van Nistellrooy's best attributes. Finishing with either foot, positional sense and ability to beat the offside trap. He's a natural finisher.

One thing I noticed is that people who have never seen Stokes before and never listened to the hype from the likes of me thought Stokes looked very good against Bolivia. Others who think we're getting a bit ahead of ourselves based on a few goals in a crap league tend to try and pick the faults in his game. It can't be forgotten that he was the youngest player in the squad.

**youngirish** · 29/05/2007, 3:17 PM

Originally Posted by eirebhoy

One thing I noticed is that people who have never seen Stokes before and never listened to the hype from the likes of me thought Stokes looked very good against Bolivia. It can't be forgotten that he was the youngest player in the squad.

There is no person that matches both those criteria that exists on the face of this earth eirebhoy.

**eirebhoy** · 29/05/2007, 3:20 PM

Originally Posted by youngirish

There is no person that matches both those criteria that exists on the face of this earth eirebhoy.

Well here's the view of a Cork City fan on boards.ie:
"I was really impressed by Stokes. I can't believe he's only 18."
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showp...1&postcount=18

I could have predicted Pete wouldn't be impressed with Stokes against Bolivia.

**NeilMcD** · 29/05/2007, 3:24 PM

[QUOTE=Bungle;695049]Being the man who started this thread, I'm going to stick my arse on the fence and say that Stokes will be a top player.

This does make sense. Surely if you are on the fence, it means that you do not have a strong view as to wheter Stokes will be a top player or not.

**Risteard** · 29/05/2007, 3:34 PM

Not a strong view but I think that he'll be a decent player.
Don't know what you mean by top player.

Leaving myself well open to be caught out here but i think generally Arsenal don't let players go and regret it.

Remember Brady saying he's a decent player who'll make a good living from the game.
Sounds about right.

Why the 39 pages?

**kingdom hoop** · 29/05/2007, 3:37 PM

Originally Posted by Risteard

Why the 39 pages?

You want 760 posts on one page? Crazy.

**Risteard** · 29/05/2007, 3:39 PM

Ba dum tsch.
Well done.
I don't think it's gone off-topic either which is very strange.

**tetsujin1979** · 29/05/2007, 3:40 PM

Anyone catch his interview on OB Sport last night?

**kingeric** · 29/05/2007, 5:13 PM

Originally Posted by Risteard

Not a strong view but I think that he'll be a decent player.

Leaving myself well open to be caught out here but i think generally Arsenal don't let players go and regret it.

Sidwell, Andy Cole, Upson, Pennant, Bentley Wright spring to mind..

Not only could I have predicted that Pete was disappointed by Stokes, but also that he thought possibly the worst player on the pitch that night, Shane Long- was fabulous as always

**eirebhoy** · 29/05/2007, 5:18 PM

I don't think Arsenal let Stokes go because they didn't think he was good enough. I'd say his father played a big part in it.

**Bungle** · 29/05/2007, 6:40 PM

I think Eirebhoy is right about Stokes position at Arsenal.He wasn't let go, he left of his own accord. Arsenal are blessed with outstanding young forwards....why be one of five or six potential young first teamers when you can go to a big club like Sunderland who were at the time in a strong position to go up and be good enough to play week in week out.

By top class, I mean being a top international player and playing in a highly competitive team.....I would say playing for a top club but there's lots of players I admire at clubs like Reading, Blackburn Everton and Portsmouth, while I wouldn't hold Darren Fletcher in particularly high esteem.

**livehead1** · 29/05/2007, 8:27 PM

Originally Posted by Bungle

I wouldn't hold Darren Fletcher in particularly high esteem.

slightly off thread, but i really rate fletcher, think hes come on leaps and bounds in the second half of the epl season.

i don't think there is any doubt that stokes is going to become a very good footballer indeed IF he looks after himself and is dedicated.

**Risteard** · 30/05/2007, 1:05 AM

Originally Posted by Risteard

Leaving myself well open to be caught out here but i think generally Arsenal don't let players go and regret it.

Originally Posted by kingeric

Sidwell, Andy Cole, Upson, Pennant, Bentley Wright spring to mind..

Just Andy Cole then.
Upsons best days were at Highbury and the rest aren't too great.
Pennant was trouble.
Which Wright would that be?

**Bungle** · 30/05/2007, 8:24 AM

Fletcher is a decent young player, but he's not top class. Squad player at a club like Man U perhaps at best. Players like Arteta, Doyle, Shorey and Sidwell are in my opinion top class.