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This the lad who was at Barnsley? Not much cop by all accounts. Donnelly would get ten a season up there.
Completely disagree with that. Donnelly wouldn't last five minutes in the Scottish Premier.
Hemmings is a good player and I'm sure Whitey will agree that he didn't do too much wrong at Barnsley - there were just better forwards there. They got Marley Watkins from Inverness and he worked out for them.
I would have either Hemmings or Greg Stewart (his Dundee strike partner) here in a heartbeat, if I were King.
There is an overall poorer standard in Scottish football than in years gone by, but there are still talented players to be had, especially for a club the size of ours competing at the level we are.
Talented player, certainly in terms of finishing. When with us he was often played anywhere but up front. Never got a proper run in the side. Wilson preferred Lita initially alongside Winnall. Then signed Cole, Trotta and Waring on loan. Whenever Kane got a chance it was usually out wide or in the number 10 role. Scored a couple of humdingers, but the goal that stood out for me was his finish against Oldham.
Was never given a chance when Johnson took over and went back to Scotland.
Should score more than 10 goals if fit and selected.
I can point to players such as Robert Snodgrass, Graham Dorrans and Leigh Griffiths as those I rated who have gone on to do well in England (and Scotland again).
Yes there are players who I have rated, that have moved down to England and, for whatever reason, have not shone as brightly as they should.
I’m looking at you, Stevie May.
To be fair, I think Sheffield Wednesday was the wrong club for him at the time. When he moved to Preston, I thought, that’s more him. Then he did his knee and hasn’t played since Christmas. Honestly, though, when he was on form, he was an absolute complete forward. Great feet, fast, powerful, cuts in or drives forward and has a terrific shot. A complete nightmare to play against. An ideal Rochdale AFC forward, for me. Sadly, beyond our reach now, I reckon.
Stefan Scougall is another one. Absolute talent, that lad. A really gifted young footballer. Started brightly enough at Sheffield United, who clearly saw the same potential in him, but then he ended up on loan at Fleetwood last season. Same goes for Bob Harris, and Marc McNulty, who the Blades farmed out to Portsmouth.
Scougall, though, is the best of them. When I saw him at Livingston he could receive the ball with his back to goal and not necessarily have to revert to passing backwards to keep it. His first touch, dexterity when turning and acceleration over five yards were such that he was beyond his opponent within milliseconds of trapping the ball. He did this countless times. The only weakness I could see is that he was tiny.
I sometimes wonder if it’s the step-up in coaching that does for these lads. I’m not saying the coaching in Scotland is bad (I know it’s not as I’ve seen what my lad does even at youth level), but I reckon it’s more intense in England. Hilly’s regime, for example, seems hard enough for established English-league players, never mind those who were maybe once part-time footballers etc.
What surprises me more is some of the Scottish-based players English clubs do take a punt on. Leeds taking on Lee Erwin for example. I never saw anything in him to suggest he would make it in England — and so it’s proved so far.
Bury taking a punt on Nicky Clark is an odd one, too. He had one good season in League One with Queen of the South, but the feeling was that having Derek Lyle there next to him was key. From what I saw of him at Rangers, he’s a hard worker but displayed very little talent. He's a one goal for five chances type. He's not physically imposing, and I think the guys in our division will run over the top of him. My Rangers-supporting pal points out he scored 1 in 4.7 for Rangers. In the lower leagues. “Our fookin' full-backs score more than that,” he says. Watch him have a stormer now and score a hat-trick against us.
So we’ll see how Hemmings does for Oxford this coming season. Perhaps his talents are better utilised in Scotland, or he needs a forward like Greg Stewart alongside him — but he certainly isn’t “not much cop”. I've seen enough of him to know that.
Another lad I saw last season who did well in Scotland was Jackson Irvine. Burton have taken a punt on him, so, again, it’ll be interesting to see how he gets on at Championship level. Perhaps he’ll flourish, perhaps he won’t, but at least he’s been given the chance. Rotherham have signed Will Vaulks, who I also rate highly. Blackburn are also giving a trial to Faissal El Bakhtaoui to see if he can cut it at a decent standard.
I don’t think we, as Dale supporters, should be dismissive of the Scottish leagues. As Hilly has said, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to compete with other clubs for established English-based players and so, thinking outside the box — looking at Scotland, non-league and “lesser leagues” abroad — should always be an option for us. That’s what I think, anyway. The practicalities of that are no doubt more complex.
As a footnote, I don’t want to hear about Marc Twaddle. He was signed by us to play as a central defender, which he wasn’t, and he was never outstanding when playing his natural position as a full back. Kenny Arthur was a decent keeper for Thistle and, by all accounts, Accrington — dunno what had happened to him by the time he rocked up to us.
When Simon rams den, Kallum higginbotham to name but 2 are/were first team regulars in the Scottish prem then it says what the division is like. Mind you daggers didn't succeed a division below, will be interesting to see how Holty does.
When Simon rams den, Kallum higginbotham to name but 2 are/were first team regulars in the Scottish prem then it says what the division is like. Mind you daggers didn't succeed a division below, will be interesting to see how Holty does.
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