Micheal Duffy

It must be like getting told you won the lotto for young boys to be going stright into the English level money <cachingsmileything>

Life changing no doubt. Its getting more and more difficult to get young lads though. I know a couple of lads managing schoolboy clubs at the highest level here and the amount of clubs sniffing about is unbelievable. Its not as easy as it once was.

A lot of it has to do with the changes that are in place that EPL sides are obliged to have I think it is 8 players who have come through the ranks at youth level in England in thier 25 man squad

Not sure how it works mate, but ive been told the schoolboys not only have to compete with Irish or UK kids but they are competing with kids from around the world.

What age is the boy MAnning you were talking about?
Reckon one of the reasons we have got a look at the lad Duffy is he is already 20. To qualify as home grown players must have been in the English setup for 3 yrs before they turn 21.
Have noticed lately the amount of young Scottish players you here mentioned down south that we never even got to hear of up here because they went down at 15 or 16

Manning is 18.

I saw an interview with Niall Quinn a few months back and he was saying Irish kids shouldn't go over til they are 19/20 as a huge amount just get swallowed up at 16/17 and shipped home a couple of years later. But what are they gonna do when an offer is on the table. Very hard to turn down.

Agree mate its as you say a life changing oppoertunity and given the nature of the game when even an inoxious training ground injury can end your career its understandable to grasp the things with both hands when they are there.
Am sure in hinsight a lot will think I maybe should have done this or that but hinsight is great and none of us would have ever fecked up anything

Too true

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i wonder if we have any official agreement with Derry City that we get 1st refusal on their players.

we are always linked with their players and i'm sure we have had others on trial.