SydneySkyBlue
Member
First time I've seen Gael Bigirimana and I was very impressed. He ran the show in the middle there; he was everywhere.
Did anyone hear the Leam GK (Tony Breedon I assume?) call him a "Fucking shithead" 1st half in the filthiest Brummy accent ever? Possibly highlight of the game. Hilarious it was. He looked kinda sheepish at us all laughing at him after that, but pulled off a blinding 2nd half save.
He just has that certain something..the touch, the way he moves, the passing vision...he's no way near the finished article, but boy doesn't he just look a footballer? You just know when you see someone like that for the first time. I think the Delph comparison I made after the Nuneaton game is fair-I think he's at that level already.
Do you think Gail could cut it in the championship?
Yes I do. He's got a few things to learn, but his ability is stunning. He needs experience to know better what to do in certain situations, and there will be games where he finds it hard and old-heads teach him a few tough lessons. He is only 17. But in 6 months to a year we will have a cracking player on our hands. I'm not even worried about him making it in the top flight-if he keeps his head screwed on, he can go as far as he wants. England need a player in that Hargreaves position.
At the very least I'd rate him as good as those quality youngsters Palace produce every year (Watson, Moses, Bostock, Scannell). But if he was at a big 4 Premiership club, he'd still be considered one of their top prospects.
There's a few things that really stand out. His passing and technique are superb. He just pings the ball like proper players do. And I'd love to see his passing stats tonight-they'd be a bit like a Barce or Spain player, 54/57 or something ridiculous like that. A lot of his passing tonight was first touch-the ball kept moving. I don't know when I last saw a City midfielder do that quite so well. Oh yeah, Wise. Suddenly makes the Doyle and Carlsey debates on here look a bit silly! Every so often he plays a pass with the instep or outstep that doesn't really look right..like a trick, sort of disguised..and it looks strange..you know, like Brazilians and Italians do. They all worked perfectly
His movement-he doesn't stand and admire a pass, he follows it or sprints into space, "gives and goes", and takes up excellent positions. These tend to be behind the ball as that is the role (heard AT scream "drop in!" a few times), but in the RCM/LCM role I'd like to think he could dart forwards into gaps in a similar manner. Certainly adds a more dynamic element to the middle than Aron or Baker for me.
His stamina-he was on the ball almost constantly tonight, dictating the tempo, especially once his partner in crime Deegan went off and he had to carry the midfield himself. Every other pass came back to him, and he was probably on the ball whenever we had it within 5-10 seconds most of the time.
His desire-the 2 or 3 times he did misplace a pass, he sprinted back to close down space, force people wide or make a challenge. Very gutsy and driven.
His temperament-great credit to AT, SH and Rioch. He seems to know exactly what he's meant to be doing and is very self-assured and confident. He looks like he's loving every moment, and he smiles. Very charismatic, and looks like a leader of that young group.
He'll get more creative as he learns when to play the through ball-something Thomas is possibly ahead of him with, and Sammy, Bell, Sheff and Deegan certainly are. He wasn't helped tonight by some good Brakes defending and inexperienced teamates-with Bell, Keogh, Hussey and Sheff moving for him tonight he'd have had a field day.
And something else..the way he moves: his balance is incredible, a bit like a basket-ball player. Several times tonight he was crowded out and with a couple of sways of the hips just ducked and glided past men into space, as if they wern't there. And there were times tonight in the second half as the other players tired where you got the feeling he could have just kept running past the entire Leamington defence, but he knows he won't be able to do that every week, it serves no purpose, so he stuck to the pass-and-move gameplan to the letter. I'd like to see him run with the ball a bit more, as I think he has the grace, skill & pace to beat a man-and he doesn't quite realise it yet.
OK it was Nuneaton and Leamington..but the only players I've seen anywhere near his class this preseason are Sammy and Deegan, probably followed by Hussey & Christie. I can't ever remember a City youngster in this class, although my dad is probably screaming "DANNY THOMAS!"
Ahhhhh...positivity!
Nonleague, thanks for outlining this player's qualities in such fine detail. Think you've made a few more people aware of some very good news for the club. Yes, recall how Danny Thomas just stepped up to first team action. I recall he wasn't especially outstanding in the reserves but seemed to come alive when he got his first team chance. What sort of physique is he? How Tall? With him and Thomas we have to remind ourselves these lads are not yet 18. But used by the manager with sense, they could be an asset - even this season? No?
well some of their fans thought they played better then us with nearly a full strenght team out.
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