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O'Brighton and Hove O'Albion



Postman Pat

Well-known member
Jul 24, 2007
6,973
Coldean
Another Irish kid signed to the development squad:

A FORMER Tralee Dynamos player has put pen to paper on a three year deal at Championship side Brighton and Hove Albion.

Rian O’Sullivan from Camp, who has just recently completed his junior cert in Mercy Mounthawk, will now set his sights on a career in football at a side currently managed by former Irish international, Chris Hughton.

A post on the Tralee Dynamos Facebook page the club said: “Congrats to Rian O’Sullivan who has signed a 3 year contract with Championship side Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club. Tralee Dynamos would like to thank John Morling, Academy Director and Michael and Therese O’Sullivan for all their assistance in finalising the contract for Rian.”

A left sided player, Rian has been capped for Ireland U16’s and had a few trials with English clubs, before signing for ‘The Seagulls’.

Brighton’s interest was tweaked after Rian impressed while over for a week long trial where he performed well in a match against Aston Villa U16.

The terms with Brighton accounts for a 1 year YTS contract, a two year professional contract and a one year potential club extension for the fourth year.
 




Papa Lazarou

Living in a De Zerbi wonderland
Jul 7, 2003
19,361
Worthing
Good work - if we can get a few good Irish lads onboard we could be seen as the 'go to' Enlgish club for top Irish talent going forward.
 


B.W.

New member
Jul 5, 2003
13,666
I'm confident we're getting the future right, it's just the here and now that still worries me...
 












W.C.

New member
Oct 31, 2011
4,927
I'm confident we're getting the future right, it's just the here and now that still worries me...
Agree with you. It's hard not to get frustrated with what we've had the last season but I think/hope in 5 years we'll be alright.
 




Eeyore

Colonel Hee-Haw of Queen's Park
NSC Patron
Apr 5, 2014
25,922
Must plan for the long term. Good to see the club active in this area.
 


BigGully

Well-known member
Sep 8, 2006
7,139
John Moreland (Head of Academy) is the link, had some involvement with the Irish U17's or similar.

Good luck to the lad, but unlikely to be any better than some talented local lad. I am sure Man Utd, Liverpool, Arsenal etc. have cherry picked the best that is on offer over there and we end up with a lad that is no more than a decent prospect, just like lots of Sussex lads.

Why not support, develop and offer opportunities to the scawny looking kid thats been at the club since the age of 10 ??
 


hans kraay fan club

The voice of reason.
Helpful Moderator
Mar 16, 2005
62,759
Chandlers Ford
John Moreland (Head of Academy) is the link, had some involvement with the Irish U17's or similar.

Good luck to the lad, but unlikely to be any better than some talented local lad. I am sure Man Utd, Liverpool, Arsenal etc. have cherry picked the best that is on offer over there and we end up with a lad that is no more than a decent prospect, just like lots of Sussex lads.

Why not support, develop and offer opportunities to the scawny looking kid thats been at the club since the age of 10 ??

Morling.

Why would you assume he'll 'be no better'? They've had him over for a trial. They know what they are signing.
 




BigGully

Well-known member
Sep 8, 2006
7,139
Morling.

Why would you assume he'll 'be no better'? They've had him over for a trial. They know what they are signing.

The question might be why would you think 'he would be better' ??

I am not commenting directly on the lad, I genuinely wish him well, but he has I am guessing been at numerous clubs, unlikely he has turned down one Premiership club to sign for us, no chance.

So common sense should tell you that he is likely to fall within the talent pool below those prodigious talents that invariably get snapped up by big clubs.

Therefore he is no better than the best Sussex lads but will be afforded greater support beyond perhaps his talent commands.

Again this isnt aimed at this lad, its the policy of getting kids from Iceland and Ireland whilst squirting out local talent.
 


FamilyGuy

Well-known member
Jul 8, 2003
2,513
Crawley
Good work - if we can get a few good Irish lads onboard we could be seen as the 'go to' Enlgish club for top Irish talent going forward.

It worked for us in 1982 ...
 


Papa Lazarou

Living in a De Zerbi wonderland
Jul 7, 2003
19,361
Worthing
The question might be why would you think 'he would be better' ??

I am not commenting directly on the lad, I genuinely wish him well, but he has I am guessing been at numerous clubs, unlikely he has turned down one Premiership club to sign for us, no chance.

So common sense should tell you that he is likely to fall within the talent pool below those prodigious talents that invariably get snapped up by big clubs.

Therefore he is no better than the best Sussex lads but will be afforded greater support beyond perhaps his talent commands.

Again this isnt aimed at this lad, its the policy of getting kids from Iceland and Ireland whilst squirting out local talent.

But from an academy perspective, we ARE a big club - we have a Category 1 training academy and training ground. It gives us equal 1st pickings on the best talent. In this case, with Morling involved, it may give US the edge over other Cat 1 academies - especially if we can continue to demonstrate that 1st team action is very possible from the academy, AND we don't dtop players from moving on. We MUST be a very attractive proposition, especially to these young Irish lads.
 




BigGully

Well-known member
Sep 8, 2006
7,139
But from an academy perspective, we ARE a big club - we have a Category 1 training academy and training ground. It gives us equal 1st pickings on the best talent. In this case, with Morling involved, it may give US the edge over other Cat 1 academies - especially if we can continue to demonstrate that 1st team action is very possible from the academy, AND we don't dtop players from moving on. We MUST be a very attractive proposition, especially to these young Irish lads.

Our new Academy is fantastic and it can be used as a bargaining tool, lets be honest this young player is just a prospect, there seems nothing to suggest he is that prodigious talent that has alerted Man Utd, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea etc etc. to him and these clubs are well immersed in the footballing culture of Ireland, they have first pickings.

Again this is not a comment on this youngster, just a view on policy and its outcomes.
 


Pintos

Well-known member
Jul 28, 2005
564
Oxted
But from an academy perspective, we ARE a big club - we have a Category 1 training academy and training ground. It gives us equal 1st pickings on the best talent. In this case, with Morling involved, it may give US the edge over other Cat 1 academies - especially if we can continue to demonstrate that 1st team action is very possible from the academy, AND we don't dtop players from moving on. We MUST be a very attractive proposition, especially to these young Irish lads.

to be sure
 


Rookie

Greetings
Feb 8, 2005
12,324
Our new Academy is fantastic and it can be used as a bargaining tool, lets be honest this young player is just a prospect, there seems nothing to suggest he is that prodigious talent that has alerted Man Utd, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea etc etc. to him and these clubs are well immersed in the footballing culture of Ireland, they have first pickings.

Again this is not a comment on this youngster, just a view on policy and its outcomes.

Whether you mean it or not, You do come across as very bitter towards the youth/academy side of things. Did your son/someone you know get released?
As you pointed out john morling is a huge plus to us when picking up the Irish lads. He one who joined the other did turn down premier league (west brom I believe) to come here.
 








Diego Napier

Well-known member
Mar 27, 2010
4,416
The question might be why would you think 'he would be better' ??

I am not commenting directly on the lad, I genuinely wish him well, but he has I am guessing been at numerous clubs, unlikely he has turned down one Premiership club to sign for us, no chance.

So common sense should tell you that he is likely to fall within the talent pool below those prodigious talents that invariably get snapped up by big clubs.

Therefore he is no better than the best Sussex lads but will be afforded greater support beyond perhaps his talent commands.

Again this isnt aimed at this lad, its the policy of getting kids from Iceland and Ireland whilst squirting out local talent.

That response is just stuffed with your assumptions and has very little basis in fact.

You would think he's better because John Morling and his guys have been working with and watching Sussex lads over the years and their experience and skills tells them that having watched, scouted and trialled this lad, he is a prospect good enough to warrant a 3 year deal.

You are assuming he has been at numerous clubs.

You are assuming it is unlikely that he has turned down one premiership club. We have a youth on our books from Ireland who turned down West Brom. We have a category 1 Academy, better than some Premier league teams. Well advised kids (along with their parents rather than agents) might think their future career is better served by joining a set up where their talents are properly nurtured rather than become lost in the crowds of youth at a "big team" and eventually end up in the lower divisions.

No one's suggesting that he is a prodigious talent but common sense should tell you that youth footballers develop at different rates and there isn't simply 2 talent pools, one for prodigies and one for lesser players. A player can trial at one club and look poor but make the grade at another the following month.

Therefore your therefore is based on a totally false premise so it is incorrect to assume that he will be afforded greater support beyond what his talent commands.

You are assuming that we are squirting out local talent. Isn't it possible that we are assessing Icelandic and Irish talent and local talent too?
 


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