The Ultimate Player Story – Story Thread

McGhee Diary - end of year 1

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What a first year! I maybe didn't quite play as often as I would have liked but I still made strides. I feel like I've improved as a footballer in the 27 total appearances I made this season. Even though only 5 of them were for Koln II I managed to bag my first goal for the reserves! It took me a while to adjust to the language and the sheer fitness required to play at this level but I know I was running out games far better towards the end of the season. Was delighted to make my U20 debut for Australia. Mum and Dad were so proud. Also really happy for my mates Nuguy and Williams. Both featured more for Koln II than I did and Jamie scored some cracking goals!

In February I suffered a lower back stress fracture in training that took me almost 2 months to recover from. It's nothing to be concerned about but it did stop me playing at a time I was really starting to find my feet. I'm all mended up now though and really looking forward to seeing what the next 12 months holds!!
 
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Talented Swede set back by injury

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Swedish youngster Patrick Liljenqvist was hot property when he signed for Ajax just 12 months ago. Touted as the best talent Sweden had unearthed since the legendary Zlatan Ibrahimovic, it appeared the sky was the limit for the precocious winger. He must wish he could have the last 12 months back again, however. He has performed reasonably well in his appearances for Ajax Under 19's, scoring from his only two shots on target (of 7), and even made his debut for the first team in the Dutch Cup, where he certainly didn't disgrace himself with a mature, if unspectacular, performance. He also appeared once apiece for Sweden Under 19's and Under 21's. He had been progressing well, until January 2015, when he was struck down with knee tendonitis, a vicious injury that kept him sidelined for over 4 months! For a young player still growing into his body, this is a particularly nasty setback that may inhibit his progress even in the future. Now a year older, the challenge will be to overcome this setback and start down his path to stardom once more. He has been quoted as saying he feels that he has gone backwards since last year, and it is clear that his speed and stamina are not what they were. It is our sincerest hope that he can put this injury firmly behind him and fulfil his immense potential. If he can't, then members of the Ajax hierarchy may begin to feel his injury proneness may be too much of a gamble, and he may join a long line of highly talented players whose careers have been cruelly inhibited by injury. Here are his statistics over the past year, and a look at the player himself.

 
It was a rather good season for 16 year old French youngster Laurent Dubois at Southampton. Despite being unable to break into the first team yet, Dubois said in an interview that he could take several positives from his first season.

The season started with Dubois making a couple of substitute appearances for the first team in friendlies. Ronald Koeman thought it was too early to give Dubois a chance in the first team and suggested he improved his game by playing in the U21 and U18 team.

Dubois has featured regularly in the U21 and U18 team. He made 34 appearances for both those teams, with 13 of them in friendlies. Dubois' performances in the U21 team was nothing to write about with the Lyon-born player showing signs of immaturity despite being skillful. Laurent needs to improve his mental abilities if he wants to take his game to the next level.

However, he was a fantastic player for the U18s. In 11 apperances for Soton U18s in the English U18s Group 1, Dubois scored a goal, contributed with 4 assists and notched up an average rating of 7.1. His performances against Norwich, Chelsea and Reading U18s were influential.

Speaking to the press, Southampton's U18s manager Anthony Limbrick said, "Dubois is a talented youngster, like a few others around the club. He is showing signs of promise and he can develop into a big player."

Patrice Daudet, Dubois' coach from his younger days said, "[translated from French]We all want to see Dubois make a name for himself. He has the potential. I followed his progress at Southampton this season and while he still has a long way to go, he can make it to the big stage."

However, the biggest achievement for Laurent Dubois has to be his appearances in the France U19 team. He made 3 appearances (one as a late substitute) for his national youth team in the U19 European Qualifiers. His performances at this level were extremely good. In his very first start, against Slovenia U19s, Dubois contributed with 2 assists and won the Player of the Match award. Dubois, in a post-match interview thanked the France U19s manager Patrick Gonfalone for giving him the opportunity and that he was delighted by his own perfomances.

Dubois said that he was looking forward to his second season and continue his development. However, Dubois hoped that his new season would remain injury-free for the most part. Dubois was sidelined for a total of 3 months in his first season.

Will he make it to the first team? Only time will tell....
 
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Josep van Branco / First Season

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My first season with Ajax has absolutely flown by. It seems like it was just yesterday I walked onto the training pitch for the first time. I feel I have put in some decent performances, but I think I can play better. However, I am really happy with how my game is developing on the training pitch. I am physically stronger, although I am still not the fastest I feel like I can run further everyday. Technically I have also developed massively, I have added much depth to my game, I feel I can attack more confidently whilst also improving on the defensive end.

Although I am pleased with my personal development, I think it was a year to forget for Ajax, as well as the Youth side. We were knocked out in the Youth Champions League Group Stage, whilst only coming 3rd in the Youth league. I have also played for Jong Ajax on a number of occasions who finished mid-table. Here are my Youth and Reserve appearances.

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I am still good friends with the players I met on the first day at training. There was a scary moment though when Patrick Lijenqvist found out he had knee tendonitis. Luckily he is back to full fitness now, but it made me realise I cant take a second I have playing and learning everyday for granted. I have been really impressed with Bullardinho too, he finished with 10 goals in the youth league, the boss must have taken a notice of his performances already.

Next year I hope to continue improving, and I know I will make an impression on new manager Bert van Marwijk sooner or later.

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James Scott Season 1 Review :

Wow.. What a tough start to life at Pescara, When I first started training I thought I would be a cut above the rest, Maybes I let myself get to far ahead as the players I have played with previously have been no were near to the standards that I am playing with now! I got my head down though and worked hard, Enjoying every precious minute just being paid to kick a ball hoping to make it big! Ive made some good friends too in Minochi, Masseo and Clarkini as we all came in at the same time.

I am pleased for those guys, They have all managed to make first team appearances in Serie B and the Italian cup! I however only managed a handful of starts for the U18's, U21's and 2 apearances in the Italian cup which was an experience, Playing against accomplished profesionals! I did somehow feel slightly disheartened though that I could see every one else making improvements and reaching the heights of the first team and I just wasnt get looked at, I knew I needed to keep my head down, Train hard and play harder, Dont want for the opportunity to come to me but chase it, Make people take notice. I started staying back after training, Working on my fitness and general ball skills. Little did I know that the Liverpool scouts have been watching me and they seemed keen on what they saw.

I only found out when he Gaffer rang me asking me to go to his office immediately, I wasnt shocked, What was this about? Has something came out in my private life? Am I not up to standards? I was A nervous wreck! I got to his office however and wore a brave face, He must of senses the nervousness as he greeted me. "Calm Down son, I have some fantastic news for you", My Mood changed, What was this about? "Liverpool FC have tabled an offer for you for £775k and they are awaiting to hear if you would be interested, We have accepted the offer from illustrious club and we will encourage you to move". I was shell shocked, Liverpool FC!! I remember watching that Famous night when the came back from a hammering at the hands of AC Milan to win the Champions League!

I spoke to Liverpool shortly after, They offered me a contract of £1.5k per week! I was making this in just over 2 month at Pescara, I couldnt refuse, I had to go, Theyre facilities and the players available can surely only help me develop further! I just need to keep my head down and not get lost in the situation and become a 'FM Wonderkid' who never hit the heights of his potential!


 
Living the dream

Summer 2014

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What a year it's been. It only seems like yesterday that I was practicing with my mates on a pitch that looked more like a field of potatoes. I thought I was living the dream when I got to make my debut in the Norwegian 2nd division at the age of 15, but little did I know at that time, that I would only get to play 5 games before leaving this small town in the east of Norway.

So firstly, let me introduce myself. My name is Are Burheim, I am 17 years old, and I currently live in Amsterdam, playing for Ajax. Ajax, a club of dreams. Winners of the Champions League and favourites to win the Eresdivisie every year. I still can't believe I am here.

It was the summer of 2014, and the Norwegian League headed into it's traditional summer break. The Norwegian league plays from March to November, so when we were heading into July, we were all about on the top of our game. At the age of 15 I had gotten to make my full debut for Kongsvinger, a team in the Norwegian 2nd division, and I got to play 4 straight games after turning 16, before the break hit. I remember being afraid of losing my spot over the summer, and it turns out I would in fact not walk onto the pitch at Gjemselunden ever again.

Late June, I got a call from our chairman, and was told to meet up at his office. This scared me, had he found out that I was part of the group that put a bucket over his door the week before? Had he realized I came up with the idea of putting a smoked salmon inside the air-conditioning of our physio's car? I was trembling as I entered his office, but he was not alone, two other people sat there with him. This made me confused. One of them was a really old, grey haired, wrinkly man. The other was a man in his 40's, with slick black hair. The latter one looked familiar, but I couldn't quite place him.

The chairman told me to sit down. He did not look angry, in fact he gave a sly smile. What did all of this mean? "This is John Steen Olsen, he is Danish, so if he removes the potato from his mouth, we can understand him". The chairman gave a slight chuckle, but the old man did not seem amused. All of a sudden, the chairman switched to English, it's a good thing I have managed to keep up with my studies at school, "this is Wim Jonk, former Dutch international and Head of Youth Development at Ajax". My mind went blank. I must have made the look of a cat faced with a tin can without the opener, desperate but horribly confused. Mr. Jonk spoke in dutch, it sounded like someone trying to sing straight after waking up, a melodious flow of mindless babble. The old man helped out: "we have had scouts watching you for a couple of months now Mr. Burheim, and we would like to invite you to come to Amsterdam with us, to train with the Ajax youth academy".

After this, I can't really remember much more. I must have said yes at some point, but it was all a blur. Before i knew it, the phone calls had been made, and my chairman somehow convinced my parents to let me go.
I was flying to Amsterdam....
 
Season 2 Player Review


James Scott - Liverpool

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Matthew Harrison - Southampton

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Laurent Dubois - Southampton

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Sean Keaney - Southampton

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Samuel Peters - Southampton

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Frederico Masseo - Pescara

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Andreas Clarkini - Pescara

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Simono Minochi - Brann (Loan)

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Mewan Nuguy - Koln

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Charlie McGhee - Koln

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Jamie Williams - Koln

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Are Burheim - Ajax

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Chai Clark - Ajax

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Patrick Liljenqvist - Ajax

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Josep Van Branco - Ajax

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Season 2 'Bullardinho' Review

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I had another very consistent season again in the Under-19 team here at Ajax, I have added another couple of appearances to my first team total and I am more than happy with my overall development. I have now made a total of 6 starts for my home nation England at Under-19 level, scoring 4 goals. I recently turned 18 years old and I feel like this is the year I really need to start pushing for the first team, I am still delighted to be at such a great club like Ajax but I may have to look elsewhere for first team football if my chances don't come in the coming season, for now I am happy to keep scoring goals at all levels and show what I can do.​
 
SEASON 2: LAURENT DUBOIS REVIEW

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Report: A bad season for the young Dubois. Dubois was sidelined for close to six months during the course of the season, which severely hampered his progress at Southampton. A broken foot suffered by Laurent kept him out for 4 months, which saw his physical attributes and some technical attributes take a turn for the worse.
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Dubois made a handful of appearances for the Southampton U18s and U21s but due to his fitness concerns, he couldn't make any significant impact.

However, young Dubois is hopeful of a comeback. An injury free season will see him progress better and may be break into the first team. Dubois is still only 17 years old and definitely has time on his side. "A bit disappointed about injuries, but I think I can do better next season if I can remain injury-free. I still have quite a way to get into the first team but I think with proper training, I can do it."
 
Josep van Branco / Continued Progression

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Another good season for me, I have played a number of games for the reserve side and played well, as well as establishing myself as one of the better players in the Ajax youth side. I have scored as well as created a few assists. I feel my game is developing really well, I am proud of how far I have come already. I now have an attacking game, I have developed a good strike and feel I can score from someway out. Maybe playing striker for my youth side at a young age contributed to that. I did get a few injuries near to the end of the season, the worst was a hernia which kept me our for 4 weeks. Hopefully I can stay completely injury free next year. Here are my stats in the reserve side.

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The Ajax first team had a really good season, they won the league and the dutch cup. They signed a bunch of new players. Ashley Cole who has achieved everything in the game is an inspiration, I have also seen Luke Jovic play and he looks like he could be world-class some day.

I feel that the coming season could be a big one for me. I think I am good enough to get playing time in the 1st team, hopefully the boss will give me a chance.​
 
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McGhee Diary - end of year 3

Its been two years since I took stock of where I am as a footballer. I must admit that as I approach 20 I am cognisant of the need to obtain first team football somewhere. I've grown to love the club and city of Koln but at some point I need to do what is best for my career. My good friends Nuguy and Williams have been having slightly better times of it. Nuguy managed to make some first team appearances last year and Jamie has been capped by Wales. Me? I feel like I'm treading water a bit here.
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I know in myself that I have improved as a player. I am fitter and faster than ever and this is reflected in the increase games, year on year, I have played for the Koln II side. This year I even managed to pick up some man of the match awards so I hope I am starting to get noticed.
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I have even managed to stay relatively injury free the last two seasons so perhaps next year will be my year.
 
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Season 3 review - Laurent Dubois:
View attachment 277637It has been a mixed season for Dubois. He spent the first half with the Southampton U21s and U18s, and the latter half with Portuguese Premier Division side Vitoria Setubal on loan.

His attributes have improved compared to last season, despite suffering a 3 month injury in September 2016.

Southampton U21 and U18s: Dubois has been doing a decent job for the reserved and youth team for The Saints. He managed to score for the U21s in their English U21s Group 1 clash vs. Reading. Dubois said he was very happy to score a goal for his team.

Dubois has been a really important part of the U18 set-up. He racked up 6 assists in 12 competitive games. When asked if he'd like to score more, Dubois said, "I am pleased to be contributing to the team with assists. I prefer being the creative force in midfield and let the strikers do the scoring."

Vitoria Setubal: Dubois joined the Portuguese club on 31st Jan 2017. His performances have been rather poor, clearly indicating that the French youngster is not quite ready for the first team scene. He managed only 9 appearances for the club, notching up an average rating of just 5.79 with no goals or assists to his credit.

However, Dubois' mentor Patrice Daudet said it was Dubois' sudden exposure to a totally new culture and style of football was his undoing. "Laurent doesn't even speak Portuguese. It has been tough for him to settle in a new culture of football. He tells me that he is trying hard in training and I am hopeful that he will start performing better."

France U20s and U19s: Dubois is establishing himself as a main player for the French U20 and U19 team. He has one assist in six appearances for the U20 team, and 2 goals and 3 assists in 15 U19 appearances. He is delighted to have scored for his national side and wants to establish himself as a key player for the national U19 and U20 team.
 
Season 3 'Bullardinho' Review

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I have made some really good strides in my development this season, physically I feel much stronger, faster and fitter. I managed to show the gaffer that I will take my chances when it comes with 2 goals in 4 first team appearances. I really feel like I am ready to become a first team player now, unfortunately the team has an abundance of talent in my position and currently I am 5th or 6th choice, I really may need to start looking else where to ensure my development isn't stifled.

International

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Things on the international scene are looking really positive, not only do I have more than a goal a game ratio, I have just picked up the Golden Shoe top scorer award at the Under 20 World Cup, an award I am very proud of and I hope there are many more of the same to come. Surely it is only a matter of time before I am a first team regular on both domestic and international level?


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