Duo go to Drogheda on loan | Vital Football

Duo go to Drogheda on loan

The Irish connection seems a win,win. Hopefully do the youngsters a wor[d of good and come back stronger.
 
This is a good move for two players who need game time.
I do like this link we've developed with them
 
Excellent move. Ahui is a real prospect, and the more games he plays the better.

Draper will also benefit from a full season over there. Huge move for him though - if he is going to make it with us, he really needs to prove himself.
 
mikeosullivan said:
Excellent move. Ahui is a real prospect, and the more games he plays the better.

Draper will also benefit from a full season over there. Huge move for him though - if he is going to make it with us, he really needs to prove himself.
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He is 18.....he has got plenty of time. Could be in starting lineup in 2027 with a 26 year old Charley Kendall?
 
I agree at 18 Draper has got plenty of time, but he has to show something at a decent level for us to give him another contract. That's why I think this loan spell is hugely important for him personally.

Other than those few games under MA, he hasn't shown anything this season so far, or last season at Gainsborough. I do appreciate he has had injuries though.
 
I don't know the standard but they're perhaps an alternative to a Gainsborough Trinity type since they got relegated a season or two back?

Wouldn't surprise me if the loan path for younger players ends up being Drogheda, NLN side, NL side like Long has done.
 
Luke Imp said:
I don't know the standard but they're perhaps an alternative to a Gainsborough Trinity type since they got relegated a season or two back?

Wouldn't surprise me if the loan path for younger players ends up being Drogheda, NLN side, NL side like Long has done.
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I think the standard in Ireland is a little higher than you've considered. Some of the players in that league do get selected for the Irish National Team (not many I grant you). I also think that the only reason Long went to Boston was for something of a remaining with us to train agreement. After seeing how it panned out I do think that loans to NL will now be the norm
 
I'm not a great fan of sending our young players over to Ireland to play.

I think if we have a model of developing young players what is the point of them being hundreds of miles away across water and being difficult and extremely expensive to check on.

There's also the fact that the Irish league is not full time. The players will train 2 or 3 times a week at night. Is that really doing these players any good?

The major part of developing young players is in the coaching of and improvement of technique and I believe that if that is part of our model then it should be our coaches who are coaching, improving and monitoring them.

Yes they will get games in a mens league in Ireland but is the standard any better than say Gainsborough or Boston, probably not.

They should be here being coached full time by our coaching staff then getting game time on Saturdays at wherever the club see there level of performance to be.

Saying that we are developing players by sending them to Ireland is a big statement. Yes they are gaining a good life experience and playing football matches but they are not working everyday on technique and skills that that goes hand in hand in improving their playing ability ,something that they could do and would be monitored doing if they were based at the EPC.
 
I think you will find that the League of Ireland (Level 5 in Eire), where we have sent players, is fully professional.

Much of the rest of the pyramid is semi-pro and Northern Ireland is a different League and Country entirely.
 
clanfordimp said:
I'm not a great fan of sending our young players over to Ireland to play.

I think if we have a model of developing young players what is the point of them being hundreds of miles away across water and being difficult and extremely expensive to check on.

There's also the fact that the Irish league is not full time. The players will train 2 or 3 times a week at night. Is that really doing these players any good?

The major part of developing young players is in the coaching of and improvement of technique and I believe that if that is part of our model then it should be our coaches who are coaching, improving and monitoring them.

Yes they will get games in a mens league in Ireland but is the standard any better than say Gainsborough or Boston, probably not.

They should be here being coached full time by our coaching staff then getting game time on Saturdays at wherever the club see there level of performance to be.

Saying that we are developing players by sending them to Ireland is a big statement. Yes they are gaining a good life experience and playing football matches but they are not working everyday on technique and skills that that goes hand in hand in improving their playing ability ,something that they could do and would be monitored doing if they were based at the EPC.
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Sean Roughan seemed to have benefitted. There are pros & cons including as you say game-time (beyond April) in a competitive environment. But, who can say how much of their week is actually *determined by those at Sincil Bank including 'GPS monitoring vests' or whatever the correct term is? If given access to a pitch and/or gym will they be inclined to 'practice' less than back in Lincoln? Will the temptations of "wine, women & song" or the tedium of FIFA 23 Ultimate Edition etc be any stronger over there? If they haven't got the 'minerals' to be professional footballers of the required standard it will become apparent wherever they are based.
* Big Brother is watching
 
clanfordimp said:
I'm not a great fan of sending our young players over to Ireland to play.

I think if we have a model of developing young players what is the point of them being hundreds of miles away across water and being difficult and extremely expensive to check on.

There's also the fact that the Irish league is not full time. The players will train 2 or 3 times a week at night. Is that really doing these players any good?

The major part of developing young players is in the coaching of and improvement of technique and I believe that if that is part of our model then it should be our coaches who are coaching, improving and monitoring them.

Yes they will get games in a mens league in Ireland but is the standard any better than say Gainsborough or Boston, probably not.

They should be here being coached full time by our coaching staff then getting game time on Saturdays at wherever the club see there level of performance to be.

Saying that we are developing players by sending them to Ireland is a big statement. Yes they are gaining a good life experience and playing football matches but they are not working everyday on technique and skills that that goes hand in hand in improving their playing ability ,something that they could do and would be monitored doing if they were based at the EPC.
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I'm afraid this entire argument is based on a misconception. The League of Ireland is a professional, well-organised, full-time league which is currently producing a stream of talented players to the English leagues (I believe there have been 17 players transferred from Ireland to the EFL during this window alone). Firstly, that suggests the opposite to your assertion that the players get little coaching and sit doing nothing all day; and secondly that it is certainly of a much higher standard than Gainsborough and the like. It is also very easy to monitor players' progress at almost no cost at all because every game is video-recorded and regular conversations are held with the coaches and the players via telephone and via Zoom calls.
 
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