Doubt they are as much as we are anyway. Weāre already down half a team and now two of our best lads as well
Barry Coffeyās winner:
Semi final now on RTE 2, massive underdogs but hon to fuck!
Pelanty Portugal.
Fuck ā¦ Robbed of an equalizer ā¦ cleared off the line
Then we hit the bar ā¦ fuck it
Ah lads ffs poxy cunts
Red rover ā we had done well since going behind
Terrible goal to concede there and red rover.
Could get very ugly now.
The two players suspended are big loses
Thought this was tonight ffs. Always going to be up against it with the list of absentees we had
Bare bones sure only a handful of subs! Those two chances spurned were a sickener. A penalty and a really poor second goal.
Ah Hodge lad
Finishes 4-0 and that really flatters Portugal. Great learning experience for a very young side and next years tournament in Norn Iron should be a real target with a full selection.
1 Like
RISING STARS
Rising Stars: Troy Parrott ā the Tottenham striker, 17, seen as the heir to Robbie Keane
In the first of a series about Premier League academy graduates who could be set for a breakthrough season, Gary Jacob looks at the rise of Tottenhamās Troy Parrott
The Times, August 5 2019, 12:00pm
When Mauricio Pochettino received a glowing report from his son Maurizio about Troy Parrott Tottenham Hotspur wasted no time in signing the teenager.
The striker was a prolific goalscorer in Ireland, which brought him to the attention of Chelsea and Manchester City, among other English clubs. But it was Tottenham who stole a march after being tipped off by Marty McGuigan, their scout in Ireland at the time.
Tottenham invited the then 15-year-old for a trial at a youth competition in Belgium in the summer of 2017. Parrott played alongside Maurizio against Club Bruges and soon after made the move to London from Belvedere, the Dublin schoolboy club.
Parrott, 17, has made rapid progress and has taken further strides this summer by turning heads in pre-season. He played against Juventus last month, holding his own against Leonardo Bonucci. There was a moment against Manchester United when Parrott cushioned a touch on the turn which left Chris Smalling flailing. Having been invloved in much of Spursās pre-season campaign, it is thought Parrott will be given opportunities in the first team, particularly with Fernando Llorente having left the club and Son Heung-min suspended for the first two games of the season.
Given Parrott is Irish, comparisons with Robbie Keane are obvious but he has displayed glimpses of the former Spurs strikerās movement, eye for goal and hold up-play. Parrott shares the same football agency as Harry Kane and Tottenhamās hope is that his career trajectory can replicate the England captainās.
Parrott ended last season with 14 goals in nine Under-18 Premier League matches, three in five Uefa Youth League games and two for the under-23s. Notable among them was a stunning strike against Inter Milan in November, 2018. An Italian television company who covered the match compiled a DVD of Parrott and the commentator can be heard calling him āParrattaā.
The striker has a strong work ethic, which is imperative for Pochettino, who gave him the experience of travelling with the first-team squad to Leicester City for a league match in December. A month later the Tottenham manager promoted the youngster into the first-team training and began to mention him in the same breath as Oliver Skipp and other academy players who would get a chance.
Parrott grew up as a Liverpool supporter and was raised in north Dublinās gritty inner city. He went to OāConnell School and played for Belvedere in the Dublin Schoolboys League. Kwame Ampadu, who played for Arsenal, the father of the Chelsea player Ethan, and Ken Gillard, who played for Luton Town, played for the same school and team. Gillard is now Under-18 coach at Arsenal.
Parrottās family are neighbours with Wes Hoolahan, who also came through at Belvedere. The club have also produced Stephen Kelly, the former Tottenham right back, Matt Doherty, of Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Speaking about his childhood, Parrott has said: āMy mother couldnāt get me in off the street every day. Whether I was out on the road or in the local park with my mates, I enjoyed having the ball at my feet.ā
He joined Belvedere around the age of eight and a big influence on his career was Vincent Butler, the clubās director of football affairs and founding member. At the request of the manager Parrott played for a team one year above his age but when he was 12 Belvedere moved him back into his natural group. Regardless of age group he scored goals for Belvedere and the Dublin & District Schoolboys League representative team.
Butler arranged for a trial with Everton, who were the first team to take notice. Parrott, then 13, was invited to play for Everton in a four-team tournament in County Antrim in 2015. Parrott was superb. He scored twice and was tripped for a penalty against Rangers. He got up and handed the ball to a team-mate who converted the spot kick. Butler recalls what Parrott told him when he asked why he did not take the penalty, āHe said, āthat young lad laid on two goals for me and I felt I needed to do something for him so I told him to take it.ā
āThat is his whole attitude. He is a nice lad with a great heart. He tore apart Rangers.ā
Scouts were in attendance at the tournament but had specifically gone to watch a different player. And being from Northern Ireland, they were unaware of Parrott until then. They were seemingly impressed and phoned their Dublin counterparts who passed on the news to the English clubs they represented. Hours later Butlerās phone started to ring with clubs wanting to know about Parrott.
The striker had several trials at Manchester City, plus spent time at Aston Villa and Celtic. Nothing came of them and in the summer of 2017 Butler was approached by McGuigan. McGuigan immediately arranged for Parrott to travel for a trial with Tottenham who were taking part in a youth tournament in Belgium in June. Usually clubs have wound down for the summer at that time and do not run trials but Tottenham went the extra mile.
After the trial Butler received a call from John McDermott, the Tottenham academy manager, āHe said, āWithin ten minutes of arriving Parrott was on speaking terms with everyone and everyone like himā.ā
By then Parrott was attracting wider interest. Leipzig wanted him and Chelsea were keen but Tottenhamās initiative helped to secure his signature.
Butler used to manage Ireland Under-15 and Under-16 between 1996 and 2009. He has been to London to check on Parrottās progress at Tottenham, āWith some you can tell from nine or ten, with Troy it didnāt become clear just how good he was until he was around 12 and thatās when we realised,ā he says. āNow he is big, strong, skilful and very brave. He never stops running, he chases everything down. He is very level-headed.ā
In Ireland Parrott is already seen as their most exciting prospect since Keane. In 2017 he played for three different age groups. He scored and assisted another for the Under-15s in two games against Holland and led the Under-17 side to the quarter-finals of the European Championship in May 2018, scoring three in four games at the finals in England. In attendance for some matches was David Pleat, the former Tottenham manager, who now advises the club on the best youth players.
Martin OāNeill watched Parrott when he was Ireland manager and predicted great things. Mick McCarthy, his successor, might fast-track him in the autumn if he continues his progress. āWe have to be careful with Troy Parrott,ā Keane has said in the Irish Times . āA couple of us here have to be careful not to pigeonhole him with being the next me and all of that. Heās Troy Parrott so we have to let him develop as a young player. Has he got ability? Absolutely. I speak to Pochettino all the time and he loves him. He definitely has potential but then heās just turned 17; I know I got thrown in at 17 but heās still young and heās had a lot of attention. People at Tottenham love him. Heās a lovely lad, he definitely has the mentality, he has everything so he certainly has a chance but itās up to him.ā
Parrott has just started his journey and has the determination to make it a positive one.
3 Likes
Mauricio Pochettino christened his son āMaurizioā. 
1 Like
I see a proposed deal Delaney had negotiated with Sports Direct has collapsed. The FAI got a ā¬6m advance payment and now have to pay it all back.
Plus interest at 5%
I think not only did the deal collapse, the FAI board were the cause of it collapsing by renewing some other deal that should have been closed off
Della negotiated the new sports direct deal without giving the current long term provider a shot at it. They are also claiming thatās a breach of contract and they are threatening to sue the FAI.
2 Likes