A scouting thread

[Kiss_The_Goat]

CFFR i think this a top idea for a thread mate i hope people take it seriously coz you never know one of you guys could end up spotting the next world superstar.

Thanks mate ;)

It is a good idea, though I think those who live in France, Spain, Italy or Germany are going to be of better use than those in say Finland or the US.

Actually I was watching a re-run of Bari vs Palermo today and even though Palermo lost I thought Kjear looked real quality. I hope we go back in for him in the summer. Great reading of the game and real strength in the air.
I also thought the right winger for Bari played well. Cant remember who it was - Kamata I think? Do you know much about him CFFR?

[CityFanFromRome]

I think Kamata is actually the understudy to Alvarez at Bari, and to be honest I'm not very impressed by either. Alvarez has incredible pace, but a bit of an awful first touch, which limits him when going down the flank. As for Kamata, I only saw little of him so I can't properly judge, but I'll keep an eye on him if possible from now on to see if there's anything interesting there.

Kjaer looks class, he has been hailed by a lot of pundits here in Italy as the next big thing in defence, and I agree with them also considering his young age.

[Kiss_The_Goat]

I think Kamata is actually the understudy to Alvarez at Bari, and to be honest I'm not very impressed by either. Alvarez has incredible pace, but a bit of an awful first touch, which limits him when going down the flank. As for Kamata, I only saw little of him so I can't properly judge, but I'll keep an eye on him if possible from now on to see if there's anything interesting there.

Kjaer looks class, he has been hailed by a lot of pundits here in Italy as the next big thing in defence, and I agree with them also considering his young age.

I went back and checked it. It was Alvarez not Kamata. He seemed to be creating everything down the right hand side with his pace for Bari. Kjaer was immense. He'll definitely move on in the summer dont you think?

[CityFanFromRome]

I went back and checked it. It was Alvarez not Kamata. He seemed to be creating everything down the right hand side with his pace for Bari. Kjaer was immense. He'll definitely move on in the summer dont you think?

Ah yes, that's him then, if he can control the ball then he becomes almost unstoppable down that right flank. I remember him from his short spell at Roma, one night we were losing against Cagliari, he came on and forced the Cagliari defenders to make two fouls into the box, gaining two penalties and we in the end won 4-3. That has, though, been the only game he managed to be useful for Roma, but since then he has played lots in the Italian Serie B and maybe that has helped him in his first touch problems, although I still find him suspect on that. But on his day, he can create troubles to the best of defences with his pace, that's for sure.

[Ted Hughes]

Just as a side note to this; has anyone in any country anywhere noticed anyone who's truly exceptional at attacking/defending anything & isn't currently playing for one of the usual suspects? I haven't.

[craigmcfc]

Holland: not much, but wouldn't mind signing Anouk Hoogendijk from Utrecht

Is it me Mr Castro or is has her neck been sttttrrreeetttttched

She doesn't look that impressive up front

[Somerset Blue]

Edit: deleted - photo didn't work.

[Tokyo Blue]

I'll keep an eye on the J-League games I can watch but don't expect much.

Players can look alright until they get to 16/17-ish, then they go one of two ways. Either: a) they go to university, where any talent they have is coached out of them by coaches who know fuck all about the game, or b) they go to a club, where the pressure put on them to be the new {insert name of slightly above average Japanese player with 70-odd caps here} brings them down to a level roughly similar to the top half of the Conference, cf Sota Hirayama, who, despite his spell in Holland, is now worse than a one-legged Jason Lee.

Many people did once have high hopes for young Kashiwagi at Hiroshima, who was looking a good creative midfielder in the World U-19 Championships a while back. But though he has done well for his club - he has been key in Hiroshima's Forest-like rise from Division Two to the Asian Champions League in two seasons - Okada has so far seen fit to deny him full international football and the opportunity to progress any further, preferring instead an over-rated, ageing bag of shite in Ogasawara. Though I do feel Kashiwagi is one of the better players in the J-League, I now doubt very much whether he will ever be good enough to play at a level above maybe League 2 in France.

I'll keep a look-out , though it is a fairly pointless exercise anyway. No player from over here will ever get a work permit until that prize knobhead Okada deigns to pick them for the Japan team, which he resolutely will not do until they either reach 25 or move overseas. Wanker. What a shame Ivica Osim had a stroke.