Northampton_Loyalist
Well-Known Member
I am 40 odds and grew up on Sensible soccer with Finidi George, George Weah, Hristo Stoichkov and Georgi Hagi.
this lad's father is football royalty and anyone who grew up in the same era as myself will know just how good a player he was, domestically and internationally.
His lad has no end of talent too, he has vision and clever feet and while he lacks for a touch of pace, his ability to read the game and position himself well more than makes up for it. He has no fear when it comes to taking a strike and he will take a man on when he feels he can beat him.
None of that deserves the title of the thread though. The reason I say he is a Ranger is not because he is the finished article, some superstar player with the world at his feet, it is because he has not rested on his father's name at all, he has backed himself to come to a 'smaller' league where talent is overlooked in favour of brawn, it is because he takes dull knocks, sore ones, little stamps on the toe and fly elbows for 90 minutes week after week and each and every time he gets right back up, dusts himself off and goes again. it is because he does not always play well, or even nearly well, but he will always, always play with his head up, make himself available for a pass and keep coming back for more, keep trying something, even when it is not coming off for him. He does not hide and he always wants the ball, even if his last 5 passes have been out of the park.
Being a Ranger is not about simply being the best and out-performing teams week in and week out, it is about making sure that if you fail, it is not through lack of heart, desire or effort. Skill plays it's part, obviously, and the lad has enough to make it, but the crux of being a Ranger is what is in the heart, not the toes and that is the reason that Bomber can stand shoulder to shoulder with Laudrup, why McCall does not need to look up to Gazza, why Novo can look Butcher in the eyes. Slightly less talent, more than made up for in application and desire.
Young Hagi has had some pretty poor spells in terms of form. He has been in and out of games and looked like nothing would come off for him. He has pulled himself back into form and won us points with goals.
The lad will absolutely do for me and will be a tremendous asset once some bits of his game are ironed out.
this lad's father is football royalty and anyone who grew up in the same era as myself will know just how good a player he was, domestically and internationally.
His lad has no end of talent too, he has vision and clever feet and while he lacks for a touch of pace, his ability to read the game and position himself well more than makes up for it. He has no fear when it comes to taking a strike and he will take a man on when he feels he can beat him.
None of that deserves the title of the thread though. The reason I say he is a Ranger is not because he is the finished article, some superstar player with the world at his feet, it is because he has not rested on his father's name at all, he has backed himself to come to a 'smaller' league where talent is overlooked in favour of brawn, it is because he takes dull knocks, sore ones, little stamps on the toe and fly elbows for 90 minutes week after week and each and every time he gets right back up, dusts himself off and goes again. it is because he does not always play well, or even nearly well, but he will always, always play with his head up, make himself available for a pass and keep coming back for more, keep trying something, even when it is not coming off for him. He does not hide and he always wants the ball, even if his last 5 passes have been out of the park.
Being a Ranger is not about simply being the best and out-performing teams week in and week out, it is about making sure that if you fail, it is not through lack of heart, desire or effort. Skill plays it's part, obviously, and the lad has enough to make it, but the crux of being a Ranger is what is in the heart, not the toes and that is the reason that Bomber can stand shoulder to shoulder with Laudrup, why McCall does not need to look up to Gazza, why Novo can look Butcher in the eyes. Slightly less talent, more than made up for in application and desire.
Young Hagi has had some pretty poor spells in terms of form. He has been in and out of games and looked like nothing would come off for him. He has pulled himself back into form and won us points with goals.
The lad will absolutely do for me and will be a tremendous asset once some bits of his game are ironed out.