Rory Fallon

Discuss everything TUFC with fans across the globe.
Dazza
Hat Trick Hero
Hat Trick Hero
Posts: 938
Joined: 07 Jul 2014, 21:54
Favourite player: Robin Stubbs

Post by Dazza »

I agree re Fondop. Looked a very interesting prospect but according to Nicho not as deserving as the bootman for Stoke Gabriel. I realise managers know a lot more than fans including concerning personalities and happy squad set ups but now we are left with Rory Fallon it does beg questions. Fondop presumably would not have broken the bank and was after all 6.3.
merse btpir
Top Scorer
Top Scorer
Posts: 1860
Joined: 02 Jan 2017, 10:58
Favourite player: robin stubbs

Post by merse btpir »

forevertufc wrote: 22 Jul 2017, 14:10 A few months ago Arsenal signed Cohen Bramall who was working at the Bentley car factory and playing his football trade part-time with Hednesford Town, this should be telling KN all he needs to know, we have Dave Hedges at the club now, and it his job to know where every Cohen Bramall's of the lower reach's of the non-league pyramid are. If he doesn't, why are we paying him.

That said, to be fair Dave Hedges can produce a list of players, doesn't mean any would agree to sign for us, but the point is, it's yet further proof that the right players do exist around the lower reach's of the non-league, you have to go out a search for them. If KN's no1 priority is to sign a target man, if he hasn't already, lets get DH out there watching step 6,7,8 P.S.F's to see if the right player is out there.
I personally spoke to Nicholson last season and amongst the subjects were some free scoring and ambitious strikers willing and able to up sticks and try their luck in the full-time game. The Torquay manager is out of his comfort zone in considering such players; feels the 'step-up' is too great and says he needs ready made talent ready and able to step straight into the first team hitting the ground running and scoring...........it doesn't work that way and that's why Torquay United stand almost alone as an appalling example of a full-time professional club with no footballing pyramid beneath it's first team whatsoever ~ and don't throw this season's JPL set-up at me!

Now, Newport County hope they have found a star by digging amongst the diamonds in the 'dirt' of lower echelon football. In June, Lamar Reynolds was one of 42 non-league players to arrive at the Jamie Vardy V9 Academy, training and living at Manchester City's training complex for a week under the watchful eye of scouts from more than 65 professional clubs...were Torquay United there ~ who knows?

The 21-year-old is one of three graduates to have so far signed terms with Football League clubs since, and he is already making an impression at the Exiles in their pre-season campaign. Last season he bagged 27 in 36 games for Brentwood Town in the Isthmian League Division One North, tier eight of the English football pyramid and in that league there are literally a dozen or so just as good (if not better) than him; but Nicholson just will not try!

Last season I recommended Leiston's pair of striker Matt Blake and Nico Muir to him; gave him a detailed breakdown and record of their stats and styles of play. Nico lives near to me and learned his trade at the Fulham FC Academy; played for no less than three different clubs last season and has now returned to Hendon ~ someone will pick him up soon. His striking partner Blake lives in Norwich and last season finished with 42 goals for the Step 3 Blues last season after scoring more than 120 times in three Eastern Counties League seasons for Norwich United prior to that. At 28 he regularly scores goals because his attitude to playing is soley that his function is to fire off as many shots and headers as he can. Bromley showed some interest in Blake around the same time I mentioned him to Nicholson, and he recently turned down a move to big-spending Billericay Town so for now he looks to be staying put. Blake and Muir’s goals were a big factor in Leiston finishing as the league’s highest scorers last season and (believe me) these players really will be on the move into the full-time game before long and there are literally loads more of them playing in that level of football but this 'conservative' Torquay management appear to know nothing about the game at that level.
Bristol_Gull
Vice Captain
Vice Captain
Posts: 628
Joined: 19 Dec 2016, 13:42
Favourite player: Rodney Jack
Location: Bournemouth
Watches from: Pop side
Contact:

Post by Bristol_Gull »

Seems like folks at Oxford rated Fondop. Surely wouldn't have done any harm to give him more of a run in pre-season?
portugull
Plays for Country
Plays for Country
Posts: 2398
Joined: 05 Sep 2010, 19:27
Favourite player: lee mansell
Location: Teignmouth
Watches from: Bristow’s Bench

Post by portugull »

merse I found your post earlier 16.15 very interesting as I always think of Charlie Austin playing for Poole Town and scoring shedloads of goals before he got his chance at a hlgher level.

What you say about Kevin Nicholson is what will cost him his job at Plainmoor because he is blinkered and has no imagination.

I fear another season when we fail to score enough goals and Fondop, Matt Blake and Nico Muir plus the many other players you know of further down the football pyramid is exactly were we should be looking.

God knows there are enough examples of players in the past who have gone on to score a load of goals, Vardy for example, who started at the bottom of the pyramid.
MellowYellow
Top Scorer
Top Scorer
Posts: 1871
Joined: 26 Jul 2013, 15:26
Favourite player: Tony Scott

Post by MellowYellow »

I think we ought to start questioning exactly what the head of recruitment (Dave Hedges) contribution has been to the club. When talk of looking for a target man commenced I was expecting something half decent, with Hedges using his contacts -like a young Southampton starlet on season loan. I have been very disappointed with the contribution he has made to date if Fallon is the best we can source as a target man. One must remember that Torquay Utd is a big stepping stone to reaching football league status for many a talented young strikers in the lower leagues and many would jump at the opportunity of playing at National Conference level. So the big question for me is what is his contribution to the club?
Dave
Legend
Legend
Posts: 7530
Joined: 05 Sep 2010, 07:57
Location: Newton abbot

Post by Dave »

merse btpir wrote: 22 Jul 2017, 16:15 Now, Newport County hope they have found a star by digging amongst the diamonds in the 'dirt' of lower echelon football. In June, Lamar Reynolds was one of 42 non-league players to arrive at the Jamie Vardy V9 Academy, training and living at Manchester City's training complex for a week under the watchful eye of scouts from more than 65 professional clubs...were Torquay United there ~ who knows?

The 21-year-old is one of three graduates to have so far signed terms with Football League clubs since, and he is already making an impression at the Exiles in their pre-season campaign. Last season he bagged 27 in 36 games for Brentwood Town in the Isthmian League Division One North, tier eight of the English football pyramid and in that league there are literally a dozen or so just as good (if not better) than him; but Nicholson just will not try!

Last season I recommended Leiston's pair of striker Matt Blake and Nico Muir to him; gave him a detailed breakdown and record of their stats and styles of play. Nico lives near to me and learned his trade at the Fulham FC Academy; played for no less than three different clubs last season and has now returned to Hendon ~ someone will pick him up soon. His striking partner Blake lives in Norwich and last season finished with 42 goals for the Step 3 Blues last season after scoring more than 120 times in three Eastern Counties League seasons for Norwich United prior to that. At 28 he regularly scores goals because his attitude to playing is soley that his function is to fire off as many shots and headers as he can. Bromley showed some interest in Blake around the same time I mentioned him to Nicholson, and he recently turned down a move to big-spending Billericay Town so for now he looks to be staying put. Blake and Muir’s goals were a big factor in Leiston finishing as the league’s highest scorers last season and (believe me) these players really will be on the move into the full-time game before long and there are literally loads more of them playing in that level of football but this 'conservative' Torquay management appear to know nothing about the game at that level.
Easy answer, probably not, a few seasons back when our last attempt to run a youth academy was in full swing, I attended a U8-18 trial day held at Tiverton's ground, I saw scouts their from clubs across London, Midlands, and North East/West, local representation, yes, Plymouth and Exeter were there, even Tiverton had a youth scout there, who was not there, nope, Geoff Harrop and Matt Williams were no where to be seen, and we wondered why Exeter were and still are producing players, and our club wasn't. As for our forthcoming attempt to run an academy, not getting to excited over it to be honest.

As for the rest of your post, yet further proof those players are out there. I mean just imagine if our club had taken a gamble on Cohen Bramall and played him at left back instead of LRT, what sort of transfer fee our club could have received, hypothetically-speaking of course.
Formerly known as forevertufc
merse btpir
Top Scorer
Top Scorer
Posts: 1860
Joined: 02 Jan 2017, 10:58
Favourite player: robin stubbs

Post by merse btpir »

MellowYellow wrote: 22 Jul 2017, 21:24I think we ought to start questioning exactly what the head of recruitment (Dave Hedges) contribution has been to the club.
Unless you are aware of the brief he is working to then you are not qualified to comment with any authenticity. For all we know Hedges' priority is youth scouting/recruitment. For all we know, Nicholson doesn't take the advice of his 'Head of Recruitment' as seriously as we think he should; but then he might very well have a more than valid reason for not doing so.
merse btpir
Top Scorer
Top Scorer
Posts: 1860
Joined: 02 Jan 2017, 10:58
Favourite player: robin stubbs

Post by merse btpir »

portugull wrote: 22 Jul 2017, 21:06 What you say about Kevin Nicholson is what will cost him his job at Plainmoor because he is blinkered and has no imagination.
In fairness to Nicholson his hands were very tightly tied last season owing to having absolutely no football infrastructure in place below first team level and no specific budget to cater for speculative signings who need further development before they could be pitched straight into a relegation battle, the pressures of which could easily break a potential player before he has had chance to establish himself.

The infrastructure has to come before the immediate change of policy towards recruiting from below and developing.
merse btpir
Top Scorer
Top Scorer
Posts: 1860
Joined: 02 Jan 2017, 10:58
Favourite player: robin stubbs

Post by merse btpir »

portugull wrote: 22 Jul 2017, 21:06 I always think of Charlie Austin playing for Poole Town and scoring shedloads of goals before he got his chance at a hlgher level.
It has to be remembered and acknowledged that Austin spent the pre-season of the 2009–10 season on trial with then League Two club Bournemouth.

Although Bournemouth's manager, Eddie Howe, was keen to sign the striker on a permanent deal, Bournemouth were unable to make a move for the striker due to a transfer embargo imposed on the club by the Football League. Austin continued to play for Poole Town, scoring 18 goals in 11 games at the beginning of that season.

Austin was subsequently offered a trial at Swindon Town in September 2009 after Swindon Town's then chief scout Ken Ryder "stumbled across Charlie playing for Poole Town ... and he scored four goals ... and then the following week he scored three or four". Austin was then, after being watched for three games by the Swindon Town scouting team, asked to go on a week-long trial at Swindon Town who at this stage it must be remembered had the footballing infrastructure in place in which he could be assimilated and assessed. Austin impressed in his first reserve game against Swansea and scored a hat trick, immediately after he was signed by Danny Wilson for an undisclosed fee and given a contract until the end of the season. He made his first team debut appearance for Swindon Town as quickly as the 6th October against Exeter City!

It was Eddie Howe who then made Austin his first signing for Burnley on taking the job in January 2011; remembering the striker he missed out on in 2009 and giving the player his real break into the big time!

Had Danny Wilson been operating as Kevin Nicholson has to; he would not have had that level below the first team in which to have a good look at the player, develop him and realistically assess him before giving him first of all a contract and then a speedy first team debut.
MellowYellow
Top Scorer
Top Scorer
Posts: 1871
Joined: 26 Jul 2013, 15:26
Favourite player: Tony Scott

Post by MellowYellow »

merse btpir wrote: 22 Jul 2017, 21:56 Unless you are aware of the brief he is working to then you are not qualified to comment with any authenticity. For all we know Hedges' priority is youth scouting/recruitment. For all we know, Nicholson doesn't take the advice of his 'Head of Recruitment' as seriously as we think he should; but then he might very well have a more than valid reason for not doing so.
On the one hand your correct I do not know the brief he is working too but on the other hand the title 'Head of Recruitment' ought to give us a fair indication of his role. Hedges has been a talent scout for senior clubs in England and abroad and I did think his arrival must be a step in the right direction,to expand what has become a thin scouting network much further. If his remit is as you say, then why not title him Head of Youth Scouting/Recruitment, so as to allay the disquiet on his contribution. If he is only looking for young talent then I would take a young Nicolas Anelka or Colin Kazim-Richards ( both of whom Hedges scouted for Turkish side Fenerbahce) rather than plum for old school like the Fallon fiasco..

So on the basis that Hedges is blameless in first team appointments (although the jury are still out on that one) then are we finger wagging Nicho's direction for player recruitment. As the late Tony Boyce, Torquay chairman for nearly 20 years used to say: "A Torquay United manager needs to have three things going for him – contacts, contacts and more contacts."
merse btpir
Top Scorer
Top Scorer
Posts: 1860
Joined: 02 Jan 2017, 10:58
Favourite player: robin stubbs

Post by merse btpir »

MellowYellow wrote: 22 Jul 2017, 22:53 ....... the late Tony Boyce, Torquay chairman for nearly 20 years used to say: "A Torquay United manager needs to have three things going for him – contacts, contacts and more contacts."
Then we had Thea Bristow wanting 'more enjoyable football' appointing Farcegreaves; and Dave Phillips and Co being spellbound by a 'legend' who only became one in their eyes in an age where such mythical beasts only assumed that title when they would have struggled to get into United's Western League teams of old.

Hedges use as 'opponent scout' by Nicholson last season must have got in the way of the 'Head of Recruitment' aspect!
portugull
Plays for Country
Plays for Country
Posts: 2398
Joined: 05 Sep 2010, 19:27
Favourite player: lee mansell
Location: Teignmouth
Watches from: Bristow’s Bench

Post by portugull »

merse I hear what you say about infrastructure and breaking a potential player before he has a chance to establish himself but what about Keating?

Although far from the finished article he scored 3 vital goals, especially at Southport, which suggests if you are young and hungry for success it is better to go for a young lad over a has been.
merse btpir
Top Scorer
Top Scorer
Posts: 1860
Joined: 02 Jan 2017, 10:58
Favourite player: robin stubbs

Post by merse btpir »

Keating's done well; but he had to remain in the shadows for a little while before he was allowed his chance and how the League of Ireland compares with the National League I don't profess to know. About parity I might hazard a guess.

I was told he was not that highly rated over there and known as a player who moved about a bit without ever establishing a secure first team place; so it could be that he's actually dropped down a level or two......I don't really know..
merse btpir
Top Scorer
Top Scorer
Posts: 1860
Joined: 02 Jan 2017, 10:58
Favourite player: robin stubbs

Post by merse btpir »

forevertufc wrote: 22 Jul 2017, 14:10 A few months ago Arsenal signed Cohen Bramall who was working at the Bentley car factory and playing his football trade part-time with Hednesford Town, this should be telling KN all he needs to know.......
I saw Bramall playing for Arsenal's u23s at the end of last season (against Man City as it happens) and he looked like a fish out of water struggling technically in that exalted company and I half expected him to be made available on loan for this season.

However; when Arsene Wenger played an XI comprising regular first-team players and youngers ones, including Bramall against a very strong Chelsea side in Beijing this week it shows the Gunners' manager does indeed intend to give the player every opportunity to learn his trade amongst the very best.

The move failed to pay off from a match play point of view for the Gunners, with Chelsea comfortably beating their London rivals 3-0 following two goals from Michy Batshuayi and another from Willian; but Wenger was not disheartened about the result, and insisted the experience of going head-to-head with the Premier League champions will have taught his younger squad members much about the top-flight game...........and this is the reality when we consider the arrival tonight of Jordan Lee and I feel we should be grateful that (an albeit much smaller) Premier League club see National League football as a suitable environment for their aspiring youngsters to develop in a sufficiently technical manner as to enable them to cope with even u23 football at their level.

Personally, I think that competiveness can be learned in the National League but as for improving one's technique so as to be able to survive at the very top.......that is a different matter and as Bramall has presumably already got that competitive edge from his Hednesford days; I wouldn't expect to see any National League clubs getting the benefit of his services on loan. Playing for Hednesford in the league they play in, is pretty slow in comparison to Premier League u23 stuff and he would have had a lot more time on the ball than he will get in the future. Despite the (mainly misinformed) criticisms of 'academy' football you hear from people who in the main have never actually watched it for themselves; it is very fast and any non league player graduating into it needs to be better and think quicker on the ball than almost any player you'll see at our level with the outstanding exception of Saidi Baidu who was on loan at Aldershot last season and has now signed for Celtic and with the greatest respect; they aren't going to learn that playing at Torquay United. In my opinion; Baidu was by far and away the best technical player in the National League last season by a country mile and it was the measured and educated manner of play that James Rowe and Gary Waddock employ at the Shots that swung that loan (from Ipswich) for them rather than the sort of stuff that Kevin Nicholson gets his players to perform at Torquay.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/ ... l-10795935
Rossi Martin
Reserve Player
Reserve Player
Posts: 65
Joined: 07 Jun 2017, 19:46

Post by Rossi Martin »

Rory Fallon is set to sign for Torquay. Nico to offer him a contract. To be our target man apparently
Post Reply