Khalid Abdo

[eastie]

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.
 

Very informative post- welcome !

[fredm]

Yes, thankyou.  Very interesting to get the full lowdown on these lads.  As someone said earlier, let's hope he follows in Olof's footsteps and if he does, his name will be up there with the other top players who have worn the claret and blue.

[Ducksworthy]

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.

If I remember rightly, his Facebook (or even Myspace it was that far back) said something like "Birmingham's a shithole but at least they pay me to be here" or similar. It got brought up in the General's thread, he was made to delete it and fined.

[eastie]

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.

If I remember rightly, his Facebook (or even Myspace it was that far back) said something like "Birmingham's a shithole but at least they pay me to be here" or similar. It got brought up in the General's thread, he was made to delete it and fined.

Ireland wasn't quite as critical -


Ireland continued to live in Manchester after joining Villa and he added: 'Houllier asked me to come and live in Birmingham because it was taking me 75 minutes to come to training. But there were 15 players in the same position as me. Some came from London and took more than two hours, but he only asked me to move.
'For a start, Birmingham is a c**p city and I wasn't going to make the effort, especially as I wasn't playing. Might as well be in Manchester if I had to stay home on match days.'


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1362891/Birmingham-c-p-city-Houllier-didnt-want-Stephen-Ireland-reveals-Aston-Villa-hell.html#ixzz2CDhk037i

[ciggiesnbeer]

16? Bloody hell thats like 25 in Lambert years. Lets get him in the first team

Seriously, happy about the signing. Looks like a good bet. Couldnt give a toss about his comments, he is 16 ffs. Boys say daft things, no big deal.

[Ron Manager]

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.

If I remember rightly, his Facebook (or even Myspace it was that far back) said something like "Birmingham's a shithole but at least they pay me to be here" or similar. It got brought up in the General's thread, he was made to delete it and fined.

Is it me or is it Bannans bodyshape?. He looks as if he should be working harder on improving his physical conditioning. 

[Rip Van We Go Again]

Ireland And Bannan should worry less about where they live and more about being an underachiever and simply not good enough respectively.

[Pete3206]

Quite

[Monty]

They relatively achieved and were good enough the last two games.

[Merv]

So, we're now chewing over a quote Bannan made a few years ago (as a teenager?) and something Ireland said during the time Houllier had banished from him the first team and he wasn't even involved on match day?

[Chico Hamilton III]

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

Makes me laugh - a kid from Glasgow calling Brum a shithole.

Nearly as funny as 2000 Villa fans singing "Fulham's a shithole, I wanna go home" where must these fans live if it's posher than Fulham? 

[Rip Van We Go Again]

So, we're now chewing over a quote Bannan made a few years ago (as a teenager?) and something Ireland said during the time Houllier had banished from him the first team and he wasn't even involved on match day?

Being a Teenager or being out of favour with the first team doesn't justify them saying that Birmingham is 'crap' or a 'shithole.'

[Sexual Ealing]

That's right. Birmingham is as beautiful as Florence and as vibrant as Tokyo. If some teenagers are fooled by its surface greyness then they should be killed, or even egged.

[London Villan]

Whatever your age, slagging off the the city where you play your football is pretty stupid whatever way you look at it. As is stating you want a move to a bigger club before you have even pulled on the shirt of the club you've just signed for.

Both sum up modern day footballers, their lack of real life experience and general stupidity.

[Mazrim]

That's right. Birmingham is as beautiful as Florence and as vibrant as Tokyo. If some teenagers are fooled by its surface greyness then they should be killed, or even egged.

I have to disagree with you on a couple of points. Birmingham is a bit more beautiful than Florence and slightly more vibrant than Tokyo. Otherwise, yes, teenagers dissing Birmingham should be killed.
Save the eggs for some of the cities many Michelin Starred restaurants on the Brindley Riviera, Cote de Sparkbrook or Place de la Martineau.