$helbourne disgust me after this

**Pablo** · 13/05/2003, 4:13 PM

should the aim not be to supply you own team? thet consider helping english teams rape irish football to be a success story. Jackenn scum. Any EL fan should hate them(even more) for this

United sign Irish Kid

Manchester United have completed their first signing since the season ended last weekend with the capture of 15-year-old Shelbourne player Kyle Moran on a three-year contract.

Moran, who is a native of Dundalk has been with Shels for the past few years and is a product of their highly successful Academy which is ran in conjunction with United.

The Shelbourne Academy has produced a number of players now playing senior football for the club including Wes Hoolahan and Richie Barker, while Carlisle United’s Richie Foran also came up through the ranks at Tolka Park.

And Shels chief executive Ollie Byrne stressed that Moran would not be the last player to be signed by a Premiership club as five more youngsters were due to depart in the coming weeks.

Byrne said:“We are delighted Kyle is the first to be signed through the academy, but he won’t be the last. Over the next few weeks we will be announcing the signing of five other young reds to Premiership clubs,”

**The Sheliban** · 15/05/2003, 11:57 AM

As usual, any time Shels are in the news people go over the top. Ollie Byrne farts and its a bid for world domination.

Pablo, put yourself back to when you were a fifteen year old kid. Or rather, look forward to the time when you will be fifteen. Wouldn't you give your eye teeth to get a chance to play for United? What kid wouldn't? At least at United, he'd be in professional hands. Or do you think the Shels academy will develop him more than Uniteds?

Every year, cross channel clubs come across and invite our young fellers over. Should we feel pure hatred towards Cobh for daring to sell Keane to Forest? Or Belveder? Or Cherry Orchard? Or Pats for selling Paul McGrath? But Shels? Oh, yeah, scum of the earth.

Would you deny a kid the opportunity to become the next Beckham or Giggs and come up through the academy? Even if he doesn't make it, he'll still benefit from the experience. Look at Kevin Doherty. Injury ****ed him up at Liverpool, but now he's one of the most accomplished defenders in the league.

**Dodge** · 15/05/2003, 1:00 PM

Originally posted by The Sheliban
Every year, cross channel clubs come across and invite our young fellers over. Should we feel pure hatred towards Cobh for daring to sell Keane to Forest? Or Belveder? Or Cherry Orchard? Or Pats for selling Paul McGrath? But Shels? Oh, yeah, scum of the earth.

Difference is mate, McGrath went when he was 22. He was unlikely to come back with the stigma of failure where as this kid, statistically, probably will. The real quality players will always go, but we should only be exporting 20 kids a year at most and not the exodus as happens now. And it was Ollie's delight about Man u signing a kid that disgusted me. He should have been upset that potentially a great Shels player wouldn't play for them. If he was good enough, he'd go at 19/20 and Shels would've got a couple of seasons out of him

**The Sheliban** · 15/05/2003, 1:12 PM

Possibly, Dodge.
I really do see your point.
But I think of the likes of Richie Baker, and Wes Houlihan, who came up through the ranks. No big clubs ever came in for them. Better to have tried and failed than not been given the opportunity, surely?

**eoinh** · 15/05/2003, 1:26 PM

isnt it illegal to take a 15 year old child over to england to work?

**patsh** · 15/05/2003, 1:28 PM

Must kids go to the UK to "make it" ?
I don't understand why any club would want their young prospects to be shipped off cross-channel.
Why can't they learn here.
Paul McGrath was used as an example by you, Sheliban, and he is the best example.
He was good enough and it didn't matter that he was not in England from the age of 15.
What would be wrong with that young lad playing away with $hels, continuing his education here, and if he is good enough, go to whatever club he wants too when he is 20 - 21 ?
If he is good enough, he is good enough no matter whether he is in his 20's or not.
I really feel Ollie is happy because he is probably getting some moola, but is this really in the long term interest of either $hels or the el ??

**eoinh** · 15/05/2003, 1:29 PM

Originally posted by The Sheliban
Possibly, Dodge.
I really do see your point.
But I think of the likes of Richie Baker, and Wes Houlihan, who came up through the ranks. No big clubs ever came in for them. Better to have tried and failed than not been given the opportunity, surely?

How have Richie Baker and Wes Houlihan failed?

To me they are great success.

Houlihan in the first team, on top of the league and going to play UEfa cup football. Hes played for the U-21 international side and been called up the full irish team squad. You regard that as a failure?

**The Sheliban** · 15/05/2003, 1:40 PM

I never said either of them had failed. All I am saying is that neither have realised their full potential.
A football career is a lottery in your developing years. Inferior players can be picked for trials. A young lad might have a personality clash with a manager. Injuries can set you back. My point is, its not always the best players who get to the top [and by the top, I mean playing against international class opposition week in, week out] But I think I would rather be given the opportunity of playing for United, or Barcelona, or Real or Juventus, than never having been given the opportunity.
United's resources are better than Shels. The probability is they would learn more as footballers over there than over here. Naturally we would all hope that our standards here would be as high, but they're not [yet, anyway] I'm sure Dessie and Kev absorbed a lot while at United and Liverpool, and have now brought that back to the eircom League.

@ndy · 15/05/2003, 2:15 PM

I don't know how you can look at shels in a bad light for this. I mean, as far as i am aware, their youth academy was set up in conjunction with Manchester United and i'm assuming that with out united's money, they wouldn't be able to run it as well as they do. El clubs don't have the money to worry about setting up top youth academies and try to expand stadiums, develop support and keep the pace in what is a very difficult premier league to survive in at the moment.

I haven't ever looked into the shels youth academy, so i do not really know how succesful or well run it is, and from a Cork point of view, it seems like Cork are one of the most proactive clubs in the country right at this moment, so hopefully they will soon start to do the same. For Shels to be developing kids who are being given the opportunity to be brought to one of the best clubs in the world is fantastic, and the fact that such a club are providing the means for them to train and develop these youngsters is in the same way, in my mind fantastic.

Giving youngsters a position in underage teams at Shels will make them work hard and believe they can make it as footballers, therefore preventing them from falling off the horse and having to get jobs or go robbing cars and taking drugs. Getting to play for Manchester United is brilliant for them. The more set ups like this the better. I am sure for every one kid they take over to old trafford, there are dozens more who stay who have the potential to become eircom league footballers.

Thats my opinion of it anyway, without even thinking about the prospect of Shels getting players back to Ireland on loan/for good who may either not be settling or not be of premiership standard, or whom united want to send to a lower standard league where they can experience first team football.

Andy.