I am lost for words I doubted we could replace shinnie but damn the guy has skill.

 

this is worth a watch aswell

 

Edited June 4, 201313 yr by Ayeseetee

By these videos, I am looking forward to the pre-season friendlies!   This young man looks good! - has our Super Scout Steve found another wonder kid for ICT?

If he can adapt to the physical nature in this league he could become a crackin player

He reminds me of myself in the Welfare League.

His name reminds me of Greenalls bitter and this 1980's advert.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-IY78Lid6U

 

  I am lost for words I doubted we could replace shinnie but damn the guy has skill.

 

this is worth a watch aswell

 

Yup, I looked this up yesterday and was about to post the exact same thing. I posted in the who should we sign thread about him and this proves what I wrote. He has skills and pace, plus he's great at free kicks which we've been missing for a few years so that will be good! I'm also looking forward to see how he adapts to the Scottish game and our team and where he will play. I think he's a left footer so that's handy for left wing plus he could possibly fit in at the A Shinnie role, fingers crossed. Another thing is that his manager at Inter was the great Jose Mourinho! Wonder what he learnt from there, an awful lot and that's amazing for a player at ICT, to be taught by possibly now the worlds greatest manager (well one of them)!!! Thumbs up to Mr Marsella and Mr TB

Actually from those clips, he looks amazing! Every time I watch that, I smile as ICT look to have signed another gem! Looks better than Shinnie in that but that's a massive statement to make as that is just playing against young lads. He looks to have a lot of good stats tho :D

no big deal.

its only him and ronaldo.

Edited June 5, 201313 yr by Ayeseetee

no big deal.

Ben Greenhalgh-1738667.jpeg

its only him and ronaldo.

Woah! Yup, Jose and Ronaldo eh, not bad.

Edited June 5, 201313 yr by HeScoresWhenHeWants

I think he's a left footer . . .

What's his religion got to do with it?

Sorry, wrong Forum . . . . ;-D

Yes, he definitely looks like a promising prospect but it all depends on how well he adapts, plus the fact he will be a target for the usual suspects who use brute force over ability to put a player out of the game. we will see how he copes with the "attention".

I just hope not too many of the above poster's got too involved in similar thread's about Robert Eagle and Dean McDonald.

I really do not think that we should be extolling this youn lad to this extent as he will suffer from high expectation. He may well be extremely skillful but football is far more than that. It may be cruel but if he was that special he wouldn't be in the ICT squad next season. Hopefully he will fit in at that level and he learns from the experience. I suspect that he will initially be warming the bench.

Actually from those clips, he looks amazing! 

 

If he was "amazing", it wouldn't have taken him six months to find a new club after being released from Inter and it certainly would've been a higher standard than Maidstone and Welling.  As mentioned previously, I remember when a video of Dean McDonald was put up prior to him signing where he looked incredible.....and then when we finally saw him, he wasn't.  Gil Blumenshtein was another people were praising to the heavens before he signed, before it finally dawned on everyone that he was rubbish.

 

I'm not trying to give up on the guy before he's started, but lets not go nuts just yet.  Going by what fans of his previous clubs have said, he is indeed fast and skilful, but can be very selfish and he does come across as awfully cocky.

 

Sure, I want him to be a huge success, but lets see how he gets on in actual matches first before creating such high expectations.

Edited June 5, 201313 yr by Renegade

Yeah, I too have been alarmed at the expectation levels surrounding this guy! This really needs to be tempered. He's still very much unproven. Show-reels of players can be very misleading. Even the dullest of Big Brother contestants can be made to look sparkling when their 'best bits' are highlighted at the end! I'm sure Claude Gnakpa's show-reel would make him look sensational. They showcase glimpses of skill etc. but obviously don't address things like fitness, work rate and attitude. Many managers have lived to regret signing a player on the evidence of a DVD without properly assessing a player's potential. He's maybe got a 'big time Charlie' attitude (Richie Foran will be pleased!) due to the Ronaldo and Inter Milan links which is why he maybe hasn't greatly progressed as expected since winning that reality TV series on SKY. Indeed, the Inter Milan link maybe a curse for the boy, fuelling expectation. However, it was largely a SKY gimmick as he didn't actually 'play for Inter Milan' as some seem to think. The truth is, he trained with their youth team before being sent out to Como on loan who were in Serie C. Again, he wasn't with the first team, instead turning out a few times for their U20's. On his return, Ben's highest level of football has been with Welling in the Southern Conference. To put it in perspective, It's strange that little excitement surrounds recent capture, James Vincent who's played 3 levels higher (League 1) than Greenhalgh...but then again Vincent hasn't 'played for Inter Milan'!

I dont think we are expecting too much from him as a player he just needs to fill shinnies boots and looks like a great gamble with the money we have.

I agree that we shouldn't be bigging him up too much.  I'm not overly convinced he'll be a great player for us but i am optimistic he can come good in the future very much like Connor Pepper.  Last season when we signed Gary Warren i was one of the few that stated he wasn't good enough before he even played for us and now i rate him as our best defender since Darren Dods.

 

So lets just forget everything about where the players come from and just focus on what they do on the park for us.  Its a fresh start for some of these players that are trying to get their football back on track.  I'm sure some of the players from lesser known clubs will outshine those from well known teams.

I dont think we are expecting too much from him as a player he just needs to fill shinnies boots and looks like a great gamble with the money we have.

 

You claim to be "lost for words" and someone else is saying he's "amazing"!  Sounds to me like we think he's going to be a sensation when there's really no evidence to support that.

 

Of course, that's not to say he won't be a success.  He could well be the new Shinnie, but he may well the next Blumenshtein.  I don't think we should judge or big him up too much just yet.

Edited June 5, 201313 yr by Renegade

Expecting him to fill Shinnie's boots is way too much expectation for a start. He is certainly worth the gamble as he has definite potential. My expectation initially is that he shows enuff that he hits the bench early doors and is a worthy replacement and that if he does break through that he does enuff to hold his place.

Ireland had a similar program, last year, and the winner got a place at Celtic's youth academy, Gareth McDonagh. seemingly STV had a similar show, with a place at Ross County for the winner, but no one passed the preliminary rigorous banjo boot camp, tobacco long spit, or parallel parking of a 1982 Vantage Phantom caravan in Aldi.

In all seriousness, that's two players in the SPL from those shows. I think he will do well, I watched the show, hardest trials and a lot of pressure, he won't lack nerves.

The highlight reel and TV show maybe helped him get to this point, but what he does from here is up to him .....

 

I am happy enough to trust in TB and his backroom team when it comes to recognising potential, realising that potential is always up to the player

In all seriousness, that's two players in the SPL from those shows. I think he will do well, I watched the show, hardest trials and a lot of pressure, he won't lack nerves.

 

Three!  I believe Rogic at Celtic was found on the Australian version, or a similar programme.

In all seriousness, that's two players in the SPL from those shows. I think he will do well, I watched the show, hardest trials and a lot of pressure, he won't lack nerves.

 

Three!  I believe Rogic at Celtic was found on the Australian version, or a similar programme. You are correct! the TV show was called The Chance, I have since learned. Any future show should just say, 'you will end up in the SPL, one way or another'

I remember the TV Series Blue Heaven about 10 years ago! It showcased the cream of the young crop of players from Rangers. A team I remember from a couple of years ago...

Anyway, only one of those boys forged a career of note - Charlie Adam. Often young potential doesn't equate to future success. I should know. I played for Crown Primary and then once for Millburn. Turned up in trainers for a game (instead of football boots) and never got picked again by PE teacher, Derek Dewar. That's as good as it got. I'm honestly not bitter. *bangs computer*

Actually from those clips, he looks amazing!

 

If he was "amazing", it wouldn't have taken him six months to find a new club after being released from Inter and it certainly would've been a higher standard than Maidstone and Welling.  As mentioned previously, I remember when a video of Dean McDonald was put up prior to him signing where he looked incredible.....and then when we finally saw him, he wasn't.  Gil Blumenshtein was another people were praising to the heavens before he signed, before it finally dawned on everyone that he was rubbish.

 

I'm not trying to give up on the guy before he's started, but lets not go nuts just yet.  Going by what fans of his previous clubs have said, he is indeed fast and skilful, but can be very selfish and he does come across as awfully cocky.

 

Sure, I want him to be a huge success, but lets see how he gets on in actual matches first before creating such high expectations. Lets just say, he looks good

Scotty has nailed it, This lad has proven potential , he has now joined the Club with the ' know how ' to get the best out of a player. Once again I ask for patience, don't go condemning or lauding him above the norm until he has had good opportunity to take in the teachings of the Masters. Time will tell, for now just encourage and support him, after all he is an ICT player.

Bughtmaster has nailed it.  Personally I think these clips are generally pretty meaningless.  Most of us on this site will have played football at some time in our lives and I am sure most of us have stand out memories of goals we scored, tackles we made, inch perfect through balls we played which if filmed and shown together would make us seem like the next Lionel Messi.  Truth is that whilst a poor player may be able to do something special once in blue moon, quality players display those skills on a regular basis.

 

I am sure that the lad has genuine potential (just like our other signings of obscure players from down south) but if he was as good as some seem to be expecting then he would have been obviously a class above players in the league he was playing in and an obvious target for richer clubs than us.

 

The recent history of our club suggests that of the new signings, some will do very well, some will be OK and some will simply not live up to the promise seen in them.  If they come good, then great - let's rejoice in that.  But if they don't, let's not knock the club for signing rubbish players or knock the players for not meeting our expectations.  Let's give them support and encouragement when they are here