Anthony Stokes (F free agent b.1988)

**DeLorean** · 15/01/2016, 2:14 PM

Don't think any of those options will bring him there.

**paul_oshea** · 15/01/2016, 3:31 PM

Originally Posted by Olé Olé

He clearly doesn't want to go to the Euros.

He clearly doesn't have much of a choice. NO PL teams would come in for him. He has done nothing in the last 2 or 3 years, and done very little overall in his career.

**Olé Olé** · 15/01/2016, 3:37 PM

Originally Posted by paul_oshea

He clearly doesn't have much of a choice. NO PL teams would come in for him. He has done nothing in the last 2 or 3 years, and done very little overall in his career.

The PL isn't the be all and end all. I'm sure his agent could sound out Championship or continental clubs.

**paul_oshea** · 15/01/2016, 3:49 PM

Yes, because so many of our players have played on the continent at some stage.

Its not but its definitely better than the championship, thats the reason championship teams keep trying to get promoted to it.

**Charlie Darwin** · 15/01/2016, 4:14 PM

Originally Posted by paul_oshea

Its not but its definitely better than the championship, thats the reason championship teams keep trying to get promoted to it.

I've always said the top Championship clubs are Premier League teams waiting to happen.

**geysir** · 15/01/2016, 6:01 PM

......and some of the bottom premier teams are a championship team waiting to happen.

Celtic fc appear to agree terms with every club that comes asking to take Stokes away.

**Olé Olé** · 15/01/2016, 6:13 PM

Originally Posted by paul_oshea

Yes, because so many of our players have played on the continent at some stage.

Stokes probably has the most recent Champions League exposure of any Irish player is my point in that regard.

**Olé Olé** · 19/01/2016, 8:25 AM

http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2016/...ernian-celtic/

No matter how many goals he scores for Hibs at this level, I don't think it'll do him any favours if he moves on during the summer.

Waste of talent.

**CraftyToePoke** · 19/01/2016, 5:09 PM

Be funny if he delivered the match winners to deprive Rangers automatic return to the top flight up there though, if that would have been in his / Celtics thinking at all. I know one Rangers fan I work with did not want this guy at Hibs.

**SkStu** · 19/01/2016, 5:30 PM

In fairness, if he has his head screwed on right he will tear the arsehole out of the Scottish Championship. He is a quality talent. Just a lazy idiot.

**Olé Olé** · 19/01/2016, 11:21 PM

Originally Posted by SkStu

In fairness, if he has his head screwed on right he will tear the arsehole out of the Scottish Championship. He is a quality talent. Just a lazy idiot.

Christ, yeah. There should be no limit to what he can bang in between now and season's end. Once he's bothered.

**kennedmc** · 20/01/2016, 12:26 PM

Originally Posted by SkStu

In fairness, if he has his head screwed on right he will tear the arsehole out of the Scottish Championship. He is a quality talent. Just a lazy idiot.

He's not actually that lazy. He is not a a quality talent.

The reality is he is just not that good. Yes we had high hopes when he was 15/16 but like countless other footballers, he couldn't transition from very promising teen to professional football.

That is why at 27 he can only get a move to a club in the 2nd tier of Scottish football.

**SkStu** · 20/01/2016, 1:14 PM

Originally Posted by kennedmc

He's not actually that lazy. He is not a a quality talent.

The reality is he is just not that good. Yes we had high hopes when he was 15/16 but like countless other footballers, he couldn't transition from very promising teen to professional football.

That is why at 27 he can only get a move to a club in the 2nd tier of Scottish football.

I completely disagree. He is of sufficient quality that a premiership team and a host of other relatively high profile teams were willing to spend money to take him there. He is of sufficient quality that he was a standout player in a game against Germany not too long ago. He is of sufficient quality that he was breaking goalscoring records in the SPL for Falkirk and scoring goals for fun for Hibs in the SPL.

When you can do those things you have quality. When you stop doing those things you look at what the external factors are that have stopped you from doing those things. It is clear that his head is not screwed on, he doesn't apply himself when he is not the centre of attention and prefers to sulk and he courts controversy in his professional and personal life. All of the above suggests to me that he is a bit lazy and a bit of an idiot.

**Junior** · 20/01/2016, 1:28 PM

Can't disagree with any of that. I don't think you can dispute his talent (and I'm not saying he is Rooney or Messi!!) but clearly his attitude off the park both for club/country and in his personal life have not helped him one bit, in fact held him back from delivering on his potential.

**DeLorean** · 20/01/2016, 1:49 PM

Originally Posted by kennedmc

That is why at 27 he can only get a move to a club in the 2nd tier of Scottish football.

There were at least two SPL clubs in for him as well. He's clearly a lot, lot better than the Scottish Championship, and I'm not his biggest fan by a long shot.

**kennedmc** · 20/01/2016, 3:16 PM

Originally Posted by SkStu

I completely disagree. He is of sufficient quality that a premiership team and a host of other relatively high profile teams were willing to spend money to take him there. He is of sufficient quality that he was a standout player in a game against Germany not too long ago. He is of sufficient quality that he was breaking goalscoring records in the SPL for Falkirk and scoring goals for fun for Hibs in the SPL.

When you can do those things you have quality. When you stop doing those things you look at what the external factors are that have stopped you from doing those things. It is clear that his head is not screwed on, he doesn't apply himself when he is not the centre of attention and prefers to sulk and he courts controversy in his professional and personal life. All of the above suggests to me that he is a bit lazy and a bit of an idiot.

Fair enough - we will disagree. There is a lot of footballers who are idiots - hardly stops players getting to the highest leve. For Scotland his goalscoring record is pretty average.

I believe all of the stuff around Stoke's attitude and personal life etc. , simply distracts from the fact he is a very average footballer.

Maybe he is disillusioned with how it all turned out for him in footballing terms, i.e ending up in Scotland at 21.... and he can't accept it so he acts up....

**tetsujin1979** · 20/01/2016, 4:21 PM

Originally Posted by kennedmc

Fair enough - we will disagree. There is a lot of footballers who are idiots - hardly stops players getting to the highest leve. For Scotland his goalscoring record is pretty average.

I believe all of the stuff around Stoke's attitude and personal life etc. , simply distracts from the fact he is a very average footballer.

Maybe he is disillusioned with how it all turned out for him in footballing terms, i.e ending up in Scotland at 21.... and he can't accept it so he acts up....

Across the three teams he's played for (Fakirk, Hibs and Celtic) he's averaged around a goal a little over every 2 games, that's pretty good.

**Olé Olé** · 20/01/2016, 4:45 PM

He's got plenty talent. Look at him in the Champions League for Celtic or against Germany for Ireland. He was excellent against AC Milan in the CL whilst playing with lesser players. That says enough to me.

There's stuff about his personal life that sheds light on why he ended up losing focus on his football this season but there's been plenty off-field issues with him over the years. It's a real pity.

**Crosby87** · 20/01/2016, 4:48 PM

This guy really stokes the flames when it comes to opinions.

**kennedmc** · 20/01/2016, 5:54 PM

Originally Posted by Olé Olé

He's got plenty talent. Look at him in the Champions League for Celtic or against Germany for Ireland. He was excellent against AC Milan in the CL whilst playing with lesser players. That says enough to me.

There's stuff about his personal life that sheds light on why he ended up losing focus on his football this season but there's been plenty off-field issues with him over the years. It's a real pity.

I lived in north London 03 - 05 and used to go and watch Arsenal reservers because they had Stokes, Cregg, o'donnell and Sean Kelly.

Stokes looked very good as a 16 year old - very good technique but lacked pace and anticipation.In fact Arthur's lupoli was there at the time was far quicker.

Then along came Niclaus bendter and unfortunately for stokes he looked twice the player Stokes did.

So I'm personally not surprised Stokes ended up where he did, the odd half decent performance doesn't make a career.