[Albion] Percy Tau - SIGNED on a 4 year deal - The Lion Returns. RRROOOAAAARRRRR

[HitchinSeagull]

I presume this has been said already but does anyone else think he was never going to play for us, but be huge in Belgium2 to get them promoted?

This is my thinking, why not get him used to European football while potentially getting his team promoted. After that any players we loan will be playing at a higher level and a genuine 2 way exchange of players might happen. Tau may be sold on or possibly qualify for a permit over time. A well funded team in Belgium may get European qualification more easily than here.

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[GT49er]

Assuming that's written by a South African.

I'd be amazed if it wasn't!

 

[Johnny RoastBeef]

With regards to our purchase and subsequent loan of Percy Tau, There are 2 important statements made at the end of the explanation issued by FIFA to help understand the new world ranking calculation method.

The Confederation weighting variables of the previous formula, which made rising in the standings more challenging for teams from Confederations other than Europe or South America, has been be removed. Teams will now have an equal chance to improve in the standings irrespective of their regional affiliation.
​

This means that African nations will not be penalised because they have fewer higher ranked nations taking part in their confederations tournament. This will see a general rise in the better performing African nations rankings.


New categories of matches and match weightings have been introduced to effectively distinguish the least from the most important types of matches. To begin, friendly matches are given a lower weighting relative to competitive matches. Further, friendlies are now also distinguished between those played during International Match Calendar windows (value = 10) versus those played outside the official calendar dates (value = 5). ​

South Africa are due to play a number of confederation tournament qualifiers over the coming months, and hopefully take part in the African Cup of Nations next summer. If they do qualify, the tournament will deliver higher points to them than those gained by European teams over the same period. South Africa could benefit over a number of teams currently above them, rapidly moving them up the rankings.

Time will tell, but these changes seem to have made buying talent from Africa more plausible from a UK work permit standpoint in the future. Take a look at the number of excellent African players playing in the French league, many of whom wouldn't get a UK permit, and imagine how keen British clubs must be to tap into this market.

This deal is another sign of our clubs foresight which has helped us to steal the march on our league rivals. Shrewd.


 

[GT49er]

It’s nonesense, he could have easily gone to a mid table Dutch/Belgian/French side and got proper experience. I was at a Belgian 2nd division game last weekend and it’s National League standard.

Not if none of them wanted him, though. Which is quite possible - see post below.

Could he though?
This is the problem- he is utterly unproven. Any loan would almost certainly include a clause to insure he played. Would you sign him if you were a mid-table Dutch/Belgian/French side over someone who knows that league, or someone who has excelled in another European league? AK for instance replaced Ali J with a Romanian international who played 20 times in Belgium's last season for Club Bruges.
Nobody is going to go 'oh he signed for Brighton he must be decent'.
To everybody else he is an absolute unknown quantity.

Assuming the loan system works roughly the same in Europe as it does here, if he sets the Belgian 2nd.division alight maybe some higher level teams will become interested - in which case, could we not recall him in January and lend him to someone else?

 

[Uncle C]

He has every incentive to do well, so we will see what he's made of.

 

[ManOfSussex]

It’s nonesense, he could have easily gone to a mid table Dutch/Belgian/French side and got proper experience. I was at a Belgian 2nd division game last weekend and it’s National League standard.

I've never seen a Belgian 2nd division game, but I've seen a few ABSA Premiership games though so he'll be playing at a similar level to what he was used to with Sundowns in that case.

 

[Icy Gull]

I wonder if he’s a bit gutted to be signed by a Premier League club and then farmed out to the wastelands of the Belgium second division?

Be interesting to know how he was sold this transfer, pretty sure going to a second division Belgium team on loan was not at top of the list for the “why you should sign for BHA” conversations.

This is not in any way a criticism of the recruitment team just wondering if he was expecting this outcome. Clearly he would have to loaned out due to work permit issues, but this SEEMS to be a pretty low level. Not that I know feck all about the Belgium 2nd tier.

 

[Blue3]

From the South African Sunday Times

Brighton & Hove Albion have loaned out Bafana Bafana striker Percy Tau to their feeder team Royale Union Saint-Gilloise in the Belgian 8-team second division league, the English Premier League club announced on Wednesday August 15 2018.
Image: Brighton and Hove Albion/TWITTER
Percy Tau’s new Belgian second division club Royale Union Saint-Gilloise is one of the most successful in the country’s history‚ but it’s best days are long behind it having not won a major trophy in the last 83 years.

Tau has made a loan switch from English Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion‚ with the spin around the transfer aimed at suggesting it will give him a chance to acclimatise to European football and bide time while he becomes eligible for a work-permit.

But it is also likely part of a plan from Brighton chairman Tony Bloom‚ who is also majority shareholder in Union SG‚ to help his club win promotion to the Belgian top-flight.

The club have lost both their opening two matches of the season‚ going down 1-0 away to Lommel and 2-1 at home to OH Leuven on Sunday to sit bottom of the early standings.

Union SG‚ who also play in yellow home shirts and blue shorts‚ just like Tau’s former side Mamelodi Sundowns‚ finished sixth in the last Belgian second-tier season.

They are coached by the Slovenian-born‚ French-raised former defender Luka Elsner‚ who had an underwhelming playing career and was last with Cypriot side Pafos.

Union SG have been through an unstable period with an astonishing 12 coaches in the last six years‚ but are hopeful that Elsner‚ appointed this year‚ will prove a long-term fit.

Tau will not be the only player from Africa at the club‚ they also have Cameroon attacker Serge Tabekou and Mali striker Youssoufou Niakaté.

As well as former Argentina Under-20 defender Federico Vega and Spaniard Carlos Moreno‚ the squad is also made up of players from Germany‚ France and Norway.

One of the great claims to fame from Union SG in their 120-year history is that they went unbeaten in 60 matches between 1933 and 1935‚ which remains a record in Belgium.

They won the last of their 11 league titles in the 1934/35 season‚ and the last of their two Belgian Cup wins in 1913/14.

They have not played in the Belgian top-flight since the 1972/73 season‚ but there are hopes that under the stewardship of Bloom‚ they can return to the main table.

The side play their home games at the 50‚000-seater King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels‚ while their regular home‚ the 8‚000-seater Stade Joseph Marien‚ is undergoing renovations.

 

[Stat Brother]

'we're' playing Westerlo tomorrow.

I reckon Percy will score 4 against that bunch of no mark waffle makers.

 

[schmunk]

'we're' playing Westerlo tomorrow.

I reckon Percy will score 4 against that bunch of no mark waffle makers.

"We" being high mark waffle makers?

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

'we're' playing Westerlo tomorrow.

I reckon Percy will score 4 against that bunch of no mark waffle makers.

Stream? [emoji6]


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[Stat Brother]

Stream? [emoji6]


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The club will show the full game as part of tomorrows 'big game build up'.
The one question being:-

Will it be before or after the Ladies?

 

[Dave the OAP]

So they have played two, lost two and are at the bottom of the league.

Let's hope after Sunday that is not our fate.

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

It is an odd league though.

The season is split into a first and second half.

The winner of each half season plays off for promotion. If the same team wins both half seasons they go up automatically instead of there being a playoff.

The relegation system is even more complex !

 

[dazzer6666]

I wonder if he’s a bit gutted to be signed by a Premier League club and then farmed out to the wastelands of the Belgium second division?

Be interesting to know how he was sold this transfer, pretty sure going to a second division Belgium team on loan was not at top of the list for the “why you should sign for BHA” conversations.

This is not in any way a criticism of the recruitment team just wondering if he was expecting this outcome. Clearly he would have to loaned out due to work permit issues, but this SEEMS to be a pretty low level. Not that I know feck all about the Belgium 2nd tier.

Before being gutted, I wonder if he's looked at his salary..........

 

[TSB]

We should send Calderon there to get his teeth into management...

No, we really shouldn't.

 

[Blue3]

Has anyone made contact with Union fans

 

[Wozza]

Has anyone made contact with Union fans

Both of them?

 

[Blue3]

Both of them?

Both or either

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

On the bench today for UnionSG.