Khalid Abdo

[pauliewalnuts]

My sister worked for Hunters estate agents, and asked me if the Villa had a player called Samuel. I said I thought so, the name was familiar although he hadn't played in the first team and I wasn't sure as I wasn't much of reserve watcher in those days. She said he'd been in to ask about houses in the £250k-range. They sent him to look at a few but none were suitable as he needed a double-garage. He ended up paying £300k for one. That would have been over ten years ago I would have thought.

Did you see him when he was on MTV Cribs?

Cringefest doesn't quite explain how cringey it was.

[Brend'Watkins]

My sister worked for Hunters estate agents, and asked me if the Villa had a player called Samuel. I said I thought so, the name was familiar although he hadn't played in the first team and I wasn't sure as I wasn't much of reserve watcher in those days. She said he'd been in to ask about houses in the £250k-range. They sent him to look at a few but none were suitable as he needed a double-garage. He ended up paying £300k for one. That would have been over ten years ago I would have thought.

Did you see him when he was on MTV Cribs?

Cringefest doesn't quite explain how cringey it was.

It also appeared to simultaneously coincide with a massive loss of form thereafter. 

[Percy McCarthy]

Yes. He coulda been a contender.

[pooligan]

Hope he is as good as he thinks he is .If so we will have a decent player Randy can make a profit on.

[not3bad]

Enjoy them while they're here and hope the profit we make on them is well invested.  That's the way it goes nowadays.  Of course they do have to prove they are that good first.

[PeterWithesShin]

Must say i'm massively impressed at how mature a lot of the posters must have been when they were 16 as it seems they didn't say something stupid and/or naive at that age.

[eastie]

Must say i'm massively impressed at how mature a lot of the posters must have been when they were 16 as it seems they didn't say something stupid and/or naive at that age.

A lot more mature than some others may I suggest.

[PeterWithesShin]

Must say i'm massively impressed at how mature a lot of the posters must have been when they were 16 as it seems they didn't say something stupid and/or naive at that age.

A lot more mature than some others may I suggest.

Meaning?

[DrGonzo]

Jesus I wih I'd not bothered reading this thread.  We've just signed a promising 16 year old for fuck all.  A player who has had a trial at Chelsea and is apparently well thought of across Europe, one might expect people to be happy.  Never fucking satisfied...

[Rip Van We Go Again]

I seem to recall Bannan saying something similar on a social media sites a few years back? Can't remember precisely what though. It's just an ill-advised quote but its probably standard fare amongst young footballers with dreams of playing at the very top.

Bannan Tweeted that Birmingham was a 'shithole' as I recall.

[Chico Hamilton III]

Did you see him when he was on MTV Cribs?

Cringefest doesn't quite explain how cringey it was.

JLS's crib made Stephen Ireland's place look a shrine to understated minimalism.

He had a bar in the obligatory snooker room called "sweetboy" (his nickname) but the funniest thing was the cupboard he had built to keep his caps in. Not his England caps (you could have stored those in a small envelope) but for his baseball caps.

And wasn't the house called Park Villa?

[Chico Hamilton III]

Out of interest, does anyone know how much it costs to put a young player through the academy each year?

[PaulWinch again]

Must say i'm massively impressed at how mature a lot of the posters must have been when they were 16 as it seems they didn't say something stupid and/or naive at that age.

Indeed, it's a slightly ill advised comment that's all.

[eastie]

Lets hope that Khalid settles down and proves to be as good a signing as our previous swede mellberg was, if so it will be very good business.

[Nigel Spinks Chin]

I thought that Khalid was only 14 or 15, if he has turned 16 its only recently. He has played a couple of games whilst on trial with us for our U16s where he looked to be in a different class to the other players of both teams. He plays as an attacking midfielder and is very good technically. He was being scouted by Chelsea and one of the Manchester clubs when on trial with us but the Academy recruitment team pulled out all the stops to get him signed.

At his age he is quite rightly going to be dreaming of winning things with the biggest clubs in the world but he and his parents made the decision to join us based on the academy set up which I believe in the recent audit was scored as the best academy in the premier league.

CHICO - As regards how much it costs -  a newly signed scholar (he will be one of the youngest full time players at the academy) will be on around £150 per week. Plus the club pay around the same to a family for his bed and board in digs and obviously the cost of his coaching / running of Bodymoor.