colneycanary

Just saw this from Cheep shot and thought i would post it. Norwich are set to sign Wes Hoolahan for £250,000 according to internet reports. But what type of player is the Republic of Ireland’s newest international player? Can he really replace Darren Huckerby as has been suggested by some reports? Against Norwich last season he certainly shined and showed a hell of a lot of guile and skill, but he’s not the paciest man in the world like Hucks was at his best. However, he is widely admired and has attracted a lot of attention from Championship and lower end Premier League clubs as the Seasiders held their own at a higher level after promotion from League One. He began his career with Shelbourne in Ireland before moving on to Livingston and then Blackpool, initially on loan. Last summer he signed a permanent two-year deal with Blackpool, but it seems he had a a quarter of million pound release clause inserted in his contract and the Tangerines, in their desperation to land the player, gave into his demands. Norwich are now set to exploit and grab a player who can play on either flank for a fee that doesn’t relate to his obvious talent. Steve Claridge, writing in The Guardian last year described Hoolahan as having “incredibly quick feet” and a “good range to his crosses”. He wrote: “He has no real pace so, unlike most wingers, he''s not keen on being one-on-one against his full-back, which would require him to go past his marker on the outside. And yet he remains hugely effective. “Hoolahan is the type of player who, if you walked into a ground at any point during the 90 minutes to watch him, you would not know what position he was playing in, such is his desperation to get on the ball. He plays wide, moves up top almost in a front three, sits behind the strikers and pops up all across midfield. “He is a player with incredibly quick feet, a low centre of gravity, excellent awareness of those around him and a supreme confidence in his own ability to get out of tight situations. He is always willing to get involved, switches the ball from left to right foot in a flash, but will instinctively move infield and search out cluttered areas where he feels happiest. “He is small, at 5ft 7in, so you would not expect him to be great in the air - and he is not - but his defending is adequate, he is strong on the ball and combines well with the closest centre-forward. “He has a good range to his crosses, which he needs because he rarely passes from the same position.” Claridge went on to rate him eight out of 10 for shooting; six out of ten for heading; nine out of ten for crossing; and six out of ten for pace. Digging deeper on the internet, you can find a website for Hoolahan’s youth side Belvedere FC, based in Dublin. They have written much about their former player’s talent and they give a great insight into the potential of the player. Belvedere boast winning more than 100 major trophies since the club‘s inception in the 1970s, with 166 of their players going on to win international caps for Ireland at various levels. These players include Mark Kennedy, Curtis Fleming, Richard Sadlier, Thomas Butler, Stephen Elliott, Stephen Kelly and, recently, Hoolahan at full international level. “Weso is undoubtedly one of the brightest prospects around. He''s young, gifted and green,” says one of the site’s writers. They go on to quote former Ireland boss Don Givens: “"He''s got outstanding ability, beats defenders by skill as much as speed and he''s got a great engine for a little fellow. He can play left or right and is willing to learn.” So it seems nobody has a bad word to say about Hoolahan and the Blackpool websites are full of tributes to a player who has always given his best for the club. It seems like City boss Glenn Roeder has struck gold with this signing and Norwich have managed to secure a very good prospect, a new international cap, for a small fee. Good business - more to come please, Glenn.

Sibieski!!!!!!!!!!!! I hope!

Gorkss scored 8 times last season. Not bad for a defender. How many did Doherty score?

I would say its pretty reliable! Even though it is a fans site written by the fans, i can not see them making something up about a player leaving. Would still be nice to see it confirmed on their official site or our official site.

He might be just trying to get Roeder worried and offer him a better contract to stay!

Damn it! You beat me to it!

Gary Doherty is talking to San Jose about a possible move! http://www.mercurynews.com/othersports/ci_9428258

As we are on the subject of ex england managers, it is being reported that Sven is going to be sacked by man city and take over as Mexico boss. http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11679_3629780,00.html

Yes i know, should say Physio role! Maybe the web team can change it!

Quite interesting to read about Neal''s new coaching role at Arsenal. You can''t blame him for leaving really, and sounds like he will get to travel the world. http://norwichcity.myfootballwriter.com/full_article.asp?i=3512

For god sake GROW UP!!!!!!!!!!!!! You want to do stupid posts like this go and do it somewhere else! Web team delete these stupid posts!

His agent said "Open to a move to Burnley" He didn''t say open to a move to Norwich or any other championship team!

ermmmmm! Well Roeder tried to sign him in January!

Link to story: http://www.sportinglife.com/football/cc_championship/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=soccer/08/05/30/manual_125351.html&TEAMHD=nationwide1

Another one bites the dust it seems after Paterson''s agent has said that Paterson "is open to Burnley move".

Cardiff are hoping they can get Ched Evans on a season long loan ahead of us. http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/footballnation/cardiff-city-fc/2008/05/30/jones-targets-evans-for-bluebirds-91466-20997271/

Oh well, that settle''s that rumour then! Strange why he was in norwich and wouldn''t say why he was here.

Sibieski would be one of the best players in this league. That is with out a doubt! He may not score you 20+ goals a season but when he does score, they are normally spectacular goals! Having him up front playing alongside Earnie or Beckford, with Hoolahan and Bell on each wing=promotion!

And for you to even mention wanting to get Hoolahan in your post makes you a hypocrite as we would only get him because of his release cause. So its fine to get players because of release causes but not ok if a player leaves. You can not have things both ways!!!!!

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!! not another one! Scooby like i said to 1st Wizard, Get over it and grow up!!!!!!!

Makes me think of that old quote chase said "If sutton goes, so will i". So maybe if Doncaster goes back on his word, he will go too!

Sorry but one website is reporting its Justin Hoyte and another website is reporting its Gavin Hoyte. I think you could be right that its Gavin.

He would of never played and still be behind Marshall, so no one can say what he would be worth now!

Can''t see them selling him for that much. 2 million at the very tops. Still be nice for any extra money.

Wrong name its Justin Hoyte. Norwich and Palace both want him on season long loan!