2010/2011 SEASON UPDATE
Neall Johnston:
A fine debut season in the Scottish ‘First Division’ saw English-born Neall Johnston score an impressive 15 goals in all competitions for Dunfermline with 26 appearances in all to his name (Not surprising considering his shots on target ratio of 51%). Unfortunately, during a training session in late December, Neall sustained a broken leg which kept him out for the rest of the season, not allowing him to add to his impressive goal tally. Despite the setback, Johnston’s prolific performances caught the attention of bigger sides, and eventually Arsenal were the club to secure the services the young striker for just 300k. He was given the number 43 shirt at his new club.
Brian Arthur:
Irish striker Brian Arthur managed to gather the attention of Premiership outfits while playing for Walsall in his debut season. Apparently scoring 8 goals in 23 appearances (22 starts) was enough to convince the Roberto Mancini to bring him to Eastlands. Walsall however would not allow him to go for any less than 1m pounds, which was eventually paid by City. Arthur was quickly labeled ‘Available for loan’ and quickly had both Bristol City and Swansea interested in taking the Irishman for the season. During this time, Arthur managed to gain 3 youth caps for his country, scoring 3 goals.
Stephen Kingman:
Kingman impressed while playing for Brentford in his first season in the Football League with a goal and 5 assists in 27 starts. He managed to maintain 73% pass completion throughout the season, these performances leaving Brentford in 7th place, just 2 points from the play-off places. Although clearly disappointed with his team’s failure in their objective to secure promotion, things certainly got better for the central midfielder as Fulham signed him for 950k. Consequently, Kingman is now being touted as the next Jimmy Bullard, though it is too soon to say whether or not he will reach those heights (lul).
Lee Taylor:
English centre-mid Lee Taylor was first choice for Las Palmas throughout the season, accumulating 30 appearances in all for the Spanish side. He scored just 1 goal and assisted 3 more while maintaining a pass completion ratio of 79% in all competitions. Without Taylor, Las Palmas would have surely been relegated, only missing out on the drop by 2 goals. He is also being touted as the next Jimmy Bullard (Odd.)
Jack Kidd:
Already being touted as the next Paul Scholes, Jack Kidd had a decent first season for Southampton, helping the Saints achieve promotion from npower League 1 with 1 goal and 6 assists to his name. His performances for Southampton allowed him to gain a youth cap for his country as he was drafted into the England U21 squad.
Nick Main:
It took just a few months for Nick Main to attract the attention of bigger sides as just 12 appearances after making his debut, Leeds came in for the defender; signing their target for 500k. Although his performances were certainly less convincing in the Championship than while playing for Wimbledon, the English starlet (Who is being touted as the new Matthew Upson) still managed to break into the England U21 squad that came runners up in the European U21 Championship (Losing in the final to Denmark).
Darijo Vucetic:
After 16 appearances in total for Croatian side Mosor (In which Darijo scored 2, assisted 2 and performed very well defensively), he received the greatest compliment of all when Barcelona enquired about the availability of the promising right back. Mosor were certainly not able to turn down the 100k offer from Barca due to their poor finances and so the Croatian relocated to Spain. His good performances continued for Barcelona Atletic, maintaining an average rating of 7.41 whilst getting a good rapport going with Barca star Lionel Messi. Vucetic has already accumulated 6 youth caps for Croatia.
Stan Raymonde:
Stan spent his debut season playing for Brighton and Hove Albion as first choice striker, making 49 appearances in all during his practically injury-free season. In this time, he scored a respectable 22 goals and also provided 4 assists for the League 1 side. This form helped carry Brighton into the play-off spots as they finished 6th in the league, though after a 7-2 aggregate win vs Swindon in the semi-final, they succumbed to defeat in extra time in the final vs Southampton. Chelsea quickly made a move for the striker as soon as the season was at an end, signing the Englishman for 1.4m pounds.
Jake Miller:
Jake Miller was one of Peterborough’s best players as they tore the npower League 1 apart, finishing with 92 points, 7 clear of closest rivals Huddersfield. The attacking midfielder scored 3 goals and provided an impressive 8 assists as many began to tout him as the next Jimmy Bullard (Sigh…). Despite being an open Manchester United fan, Miller did the unthinkable and joined Manchester City for a transfer fee of 3.2m in the summer, signing a contract worth 6k per week.
Dunc Greentank:
In his first season with Plymouth Argyle, Greentank managed to bag a total of 12 goals in 36 appearances, allowing his club to finish in mid-table in the npower League 1. Despite his supposed love for the club, Dunc signed a contract with Championship outfit Crystal Palace after the London-based club’s 1.2m offer for the striker was accepted.
Ivan Korodzhov:
Despite his obvious talent, Korodzhov was only able to make 14 appearances for Brighton last season, being very susceptible to injury (Dislocating his shoulder twice as well as breaking his foot – each injury keeping him out for 2+ months). Though when he was given the ‘all clear’ to play, he certainly performed very well, scoring 8 goals and setting up a further 2 in these games. Unlike his strike partner Stan Raymonde, Korodzhov has not yet had the opportunity to move to a bigger club, and so remains a Brighton player. It is said that he has developed good relationships with both Carlo Ancelotti and Francesco Guidolin, creating rumours that he won’t be at his current club for much longer.
Tirath Singh:
Despite not playing particularly well for Barnet, Tirath Singh appeared on multiple radars as a central midfielder with good potential, it was clear that it was only a matter of time before he moved. After 21 appearances in a Barnet shirt, with 1 goal and 2 assists to his name, Mallorca came in for the midfielder, securing his services for 450k. From the time of his transfer in January until the end of the La Liga season, the Australian Singh made 13 appearances in total, setting up 2 goals for his teammates. This, apparently, was enough to warrant a call-up to the Australia National team, making his debut against Faroe Islands at the age of 18 before gaining a 2nd cap.
OJ Simpson:
Despite only scoring 6 goals in 21 appearances for Bury last season, OJ Simpson certainly isn’t lacking interest from other, superior clubs with Bolton, Coventry and Wigan supposedly very interested in bringing the Scottish striker into their set-up. The potential of the 6’1 striker is clear, already managing to make a couple of youth appearances for his country.
Billy Redrup:
Billy Redrup did well to secure the #1 spot on the teamsheet for Leeds, successfully keeping Kasper Schmeichel warming the bench for the most part as Redrup started 40 games in all competitions, conceding 55 in total. Despite asserting himself as first choice ‘keeper, it’s being speculated that Redrup is unsettled at the club and is looking for a move elsewhere, though there is no open interest yet. The youngster has also already accumulated 7 youth caps for England.
Alfie Redrup:
Alfie Redrup had a decent season in the centre of midfield for Queens Park Rangers, managing to bag 4 goals himself as well as setting up a further 3. Already being dubbed ‘The next Glenn Hoddle’, Redrup was signed by last year’s npower Championship winners Sheffield United as they bolster their squad in an attempt to remain in the Premiership. The midfielder also managed to get into the England youth set-up, making 2 appearances and scoring a goal internationally.
Conor McFadden:
A solid 2010/2011 season in defence for Crystal Palace saw the Irishman achieve an average rating of 6.90. After gaining a couple of youth caps for Ireland, he had clearly done enough to show that he could perform on a greater stage than the Championship, and so free-spending Manchester City signed the centre back for 2.4m
Nathan Burdidge:
A decent half season for Northampton managed to attract the attention of Leeds United and by January, they were ready to make a formal bid, getting their target for 875k. Overall, throughout the season Burdidge made 29 appearances, failing to score a single goal, but contributing a decent 8 assists. His good form earned him a place in the England youth team, ending the year with 4 youth caps and 2 youth goals.
Ed Syers:
Ed Syers was the star man for Chesterfield in a season that saw them come 2nd in the League, securing promotion to League 1. The English striker managed to score an impressive 22 goals in 44 appearances. Despite pleas from the Chesterfield faithful to stay, Ed Syers left the club for Championship side Leicester in an effort to progress his career.
Daniel Oakes:
A very impressive start to his career in League 2 saw Daniel Oakes score 16 goals and assist 7 times in just 25 appearances. This incredible run of form, unsurprisingly, gathered the attention of some large clubs with moneybags Manchester City being the victors in securing the youngster’s signature. From January to the end of the season, Oakes only made 4 appearances for his new club, scoring 2 goals in this period. Once the season was over, he was put up for loan, eventually moving to Celtic for the entire season. There is speculation that he feels he is too good to be a loanee which is causing some tension between him and Mancini. Oakes also boasts an impressive goal scoring record for the England youth team, with 5 caps and 6 goals to his name.
Ronan Eboue:
Wallsall finished 15th place in League 1 in a season that saw Ronan Eboue make 41 appearances in total for the club. Performing relatively well as he managed to set-up 9 of his team’s goals, also maintaining a pass completion ratio of 80%. Although certainly a team effort, Ronan's contributions played a massive part in Walsall's victory over Southampton in the final of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy. It should also be noted that he was sent off on a couple of occasions during the season. His impressive passing ability and vision attracted the management of the Ireland U21 team to draft him into their squad, having gained 3 youth caps to date.
Competition winners:
Premier League - Manchester United
FA Cup – Manchester United
League Cup – Manchester United
Johnstone's Paint Trophy - Walsall
Champions League – Barcelona
Europa League - Palermo
La Liga - Barcelona
Spanish Cup - Real Madrid
Spanish Super Cup - Barcelona
Serie A - Juventus
Italian Cup - Inter
Italian Super Cup - Roma
Bundesliga - Bayern Munich
German Cup - HSV
