Jamie Vardy's tale should make him Premier League's poster boy as they eye next generation

[davieG]

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/jamie-vardys-tale-should-make-23157344

 

As the Premier League gets ready to adapt to post-Brexit academy rules the likes of Jamie Vardy should be highlighted as a way of using the non-league to further players' careers

Stan Collymore
ByStan Collymore
07:00, 13 DEC 2020

Jamie Vardy's is a proper, old-school story.

He was 27 before he made his Premier League debut, but, with 112 goals in the six-and-a-half years since, he has still risen to 21st – and counting – on the list of top scorers.

He has been the catalyst and driver of a miraculous Premier League ­triumph and has become a Golden Boot and Player of the Year winner, too.

On top of all that, he won 26 caps for England, despite not making his international debut until the age of 28.

His is a remarkable tale of strength through adversity, a tale of someone who didn’t give up as a youngster despite not having the rub of the green.

Benchmarks

All of that is why the FA, if they are clever, should be approaching the Leicester striker and asking if he’ll be their poster boy in the search for ­post-Brexit talent.

Jamie Vardy has overcome plenty of barriers to reach the top

And, if he agrees, they should be pinning up ‘Lord Kitchener Wants You’-style pictures of Vardy in Saturday and Sunday league dressing-rooms up and down the land which say, ‘If I Can, You Can’.

As we’re only going to be permitted to have over-18s from overseas in academies as part of football’s new Governing Body Endorsement plan, we will have to look for more homegrown players.

And if the points system is more robust, with players ­coming from abroad having to hit certain benchmarks – ­whether they are internationals or have played for clubs who have been in the Europa League or Champions League, or one of the big leagues – again the focus will turn to what we can produce.

I know there will be Premier League watchers from abroad who will say, ‘Good luck, you lot can’t play football, can you? It’s only because of such as Jurgen Klinsmann, Juninho, Eric Cantona, Robin van Persie and Heung-Min Son that the Premier League is what it is’, because I’ve heard them, but I completely disagree.

The striker is a non-league success story (Image: Getty Images Europe)
We have great ­academies and, in them, an overwhelming amount of English ­talent coming through.

They are technicians who read the game and understand the game well – strikers, ­midfielders, defenders, goalkeepers… you name it, they’re out there.

But we also need scouts to get off their backsides and go and discover players again – in the same way they did with Vardy and with Ian Wright and me. A return of the old buddy-up system would work well, too, with ­informal tie-ups like the one Aston Villa used to have with Walsall.

That’s because it doesn’t just have to be about bringing eight-year-old prodigies into a system, then moving them into academies they can go into twice a week when they’re 12, before getting taken on at 16, 17 or 18 and becoming the cookie-cutter English pro.

It’s great that we have been able to do that with players such as Harry Winks, Jack Grealish, Jadon Sancho and Co.

Players like Jack Grealish prove we have talent in this country (Image: Pool via REUTERS)

But what about the raw players who have been bombed once, but are hungry for a second chance and one they won’t let pass them by?

Opportunity

We have to open our doors and our minds to the fact we need a lot more who did it the hard way.

Like Vardy, like Ian Wright and like me, lads who have cut their teeth in non-League football and just need another opportunity.

[CloudFox]

It would be great if the club could help Vardy relaunch the V9 Academy. The events used to be held at Man City's training ground I think, but with Seagrave opening up soon it would be ideal to host it there and let us have a look at them too.

 

We seem to be quite good at spotting talent at the lower or non-league level as it is - Josh Gordon and Jacob Wakeling spring to mind in particular.

[Corky]

I wonder when Pearson and Walsh first looked at Vardy? I know they were interested at Hull so would it have been before Fleetwood?

 

I do think the story of Vardy is slightly misleading. He was never a non-league level striker. Probably a Championship-level player in the Conference that needed a chance.

 

You get found out in the Premier League if you aren't up to it, he's proved that he's more than good enough but I don't think there will be many more like him. Probably the most comparable player, Ian Wright, was 25 years before Vardy.

[Aus Fox]

11 minutes ago, Corky said:

I wonder when Pearson and Walsh first looked at Vardy? I know they were interested at Hull so would it have been before Fleetwood?

 

I do think the story of Vardy is slightly misleading. He was never a non-league level striker. Probably a Championship-level player in the Conference that needed a chance.

 

You get found out in the Premier League if you aren't up to it, he's proved that he's more than good enough but I don't think there will be many more like him. Probably the most comparable player, Ian Wright, was 25 years before Vardy.

It’s not misleading at all, he had never played league football before he joined us. 
He had only had one season at conference level the rest of his career had been below conference level and his only association with a league club saw him being told he wasn’t good enough.

Not sure what is misleading there.

[Webbo]

To me he's the epitome of the working class football fan. That "up yours" attitude is why we love him. 

[RGFox]

Similar note...Whatever happened to the movie? Assume they're waiting for him to retire...?

[Steve Earle]

41 minutes ago, Corky said:

I wonder when Pearson and Walsh first looked at Vardy? I know they were interested at Hull so would it have been before Fleetwood?

 

I do think the story of Vardy is slightly misleading. He was never a non-league level striker. Probably a Championship-level player in the Conference that needed a chance.

 

You get found out in the Premier League if you aren't up to it, he's proved that he's more than good enough but I don't think there will be many more like him. Probably the most comparable player, Ian Wright, was 25 years before Vardy.

I’m sure it was first at Halifax?

[Golden Fox]

Although he does talk a lot of sense, I can't stand the comment "we also need scouts to get off their backsides and go and discover players again". OK - so I'm not a scout myself, but I bet there are hundreds of scouts out there killing themselves day in day out trying to find the next Ian Wright, Jamie Vardy or Stan Collymore - which, by definition, is extremely rare. I would have thought scouting networks these days are far more efficient and better run than they ever have been. The argument could be that the scouting networks need to be more focused on non-league rather than worldwide - but it is the focus of the scouts - I very much doubt it is lazyness.

I think it is just arrogance from Collymore to call a whole profession lazy and to think he could do a better job.

 

(And the argument really loses its thrust when talking about strikers - if a striker scores a lot of goals, they will get noticed - Vardy kept scoring goals and moving up a level - his year at Fleetwood had a few clubs after him: you can' really say it was hard graft by a scout that discovered him!)

 

[Leeds Fox]

29 minutes ago, Golden Fox said:

Although he does talk a lot of sense, I can't stand the comment "we also need scouts to get off their backsides and go and discover players again". OK - so I'm not a scout myself, but I bet there are hundreds of scouts out there killing themselves day in day out trying to find the next Ian Wright, Jamie Vardy or Stan Collymore - which, by definition, is extremely rare. I would have thought scouting networks these days are far more efficient and better run than they ever have been. The argument could be that the scouting networks need to be more focused on non-league rather than worldwide - but it is the focus of the scouts - I very much doubt it is lazyness.

I think it is just arrogance from Collymore to call a whole profession lazy and to think he could do a better job.

 

(And the argument really loses its thrust when talking about strikers - if a striker scores a lot of goals, they will get noticed - Vardy kept scoring goals and moving up a level - his year at Fleetwood had a few clubs after him: you can' really say it was hard graft by a scout that discovered him!)

 

What surprises me the most is that if you look at him now, it’s easy to forget how much he struggled until 2015/16 (or the back end of 14/15).

 

Pearson’s perseverance with him was truly remarkable and a credit to Nigel. 
 

Looking back to the promotion season, Vardy was good but was out scored by Nugent. He never looked like he’d be the player he is today back in the Championship. He was capable but did anyone really see 100+ PL goals in him when we walked the Championship? 
 

The closest recent player like Vardy could be Dwight Gayle, and he’s never going to be at a level Vardy is. I’d say a Gayle is a rarity, Vardy is an absolute anomaly. 

[Tom17LCFC]

I’ll never forget when Vardy was subbed on against Middlesbrough I think and conceded a penalty with his first involvement. Never in a million years expected him to cut it in the prem, let alone bag 100 PL goals. Don’t think we’ll see another like him this generation if ever to be honest.  

[honeybradger]

18 minutes ago, Leeds Fox said:

What surprises me the most is that if you look at him now, it’s easy to forget how much he struggled until 2015/16 (or the back end of 14/15).

 

Pearson’s perseverance with him was truly remarkable and a credit to Nigel. 
 

Looking back to the promotion season, Vardy was good but was out scored by Nugent. He never looked like he’d be the player he is today back in the Championship. He was capable but did anyone really see 100+ PL goals in him when we walked the Championship? 
 

The closest recent player like Vardy could be Dwight Gayle, and he’s never going to be at a level Vardy is. I’d say a Gayle is a rarity, Vardy is an absolute anomaly. 

Nugent outscored Vardy but he did also score 9 penalties that year, vardy scored more from open play. I rewatched some of the 13/14 season and in hindsight he didnt look that far off the player he would become.

[thegaffa]

I think collymore is right, the scouts have become lazy and prejudiced at the level that they watch, for example most academy or pre academy scouts watch only level 1/ level 2 games to identify talent.

 

yes their are skill camps etc or recommendations, but at the younger age groups, the parents have influence in where their child plays and at what level.

 

I believe pro clubs should have several teams in each age groups, to support the development of a larger base of players, this would only increase the standard of grassroots football.

 

I know there is a cost to this but there are thousands of coaches that voluntarily give up their free time at local clubs that could work in tandem with pro clubs that do not have the finances available for this type of thing.

 

There are many youngsters not in level 1 or 2, that are at least on par with these standard players, but unfortunately their opportunity to be spotted is reduced.

[Leeds Fox]

10 minutes ago, honeybradger said:

Nugent outscored Vardy but he did also score 9 penalties that year, vardy scored more from open play. I rewatched some of the 13/14 season and in hindsight he didnt look that far off the player he would become.

I thought penalties might be a factor but didn’t bother to check. 

[Corky]

1 hour ago, Aus Fox said:

It’s not misleading at all, he had never played league football before he joined us. 
He had only had one season at conference level the rest of his career had been below conference level and his only association with a league club saw him being told he wasn’t good enough.

Not sure what is misleading there.

What I meant was that he wasn't a true non-league player, he was probably a Football League level player who ended up in non-league through circumstances.

 

I think good players are at that level and need the chance but Vardy is a rarity in terms of what he's done and still doing.

[sacreblueits442]

1 hour ago, Leeds Fox said:

What surprises me the most is that if you look at him now, it’s easy to forget how much he struggled until 2015/16 (or the back end of 14/15).

 

Pearson’s perseverance with him was truly remarkable and a credit to Nigel. 
 

Looking back to the promotion season, Vardy was good but was out scored by Nugent. He never looked like he’d be the player he is today back in the Championship. He was capable but did anyone really see 100+ PL goals in him when we walked the Championship? 
 

The closest recent player like Vardy could be Dwight Gayle, and he’s never going to be at a level Vardy is. I’d say a Gayle is a rarity, Vardy is an absolute anomaly. 

..I  think a big difference is the the team around Vardy developed and Gayle's support stayed still!!!

 The possibility of Gayle coming here has been mooted a few times and I would have loved to seen those two in tandem.

 

[filthyfox]

3 hours ago, Webbo said:

To me he's the epitome of the working class football fan. That "up yours" attitude is why we love him. 

He is the inspiration behind my application for a Management position that "requires"a degree. 

 

What it requires is ME

[shailen]

I was thinking about this the other day. Let's say that knockaert scored that penalty against Watford and we went on to win promotion that season, would Vardy have remained with us and would he have become the player he is today. 

 

I thought he was finished after that season and if we got promoted he would have likely moved to another championship or lower league club and whether he would have come back in the way he has since then is a mystery. 

 

There is very little chance of another Vardy as you don't get time in the Premier league. Vardy got his time to adapt in the championship and that first season he was hit and miss in the Premier league but we knew what he was capable of so he got the benefit of doubt, but I can't see it happening again unless one of the promoted teams sticks with their stars from the championship. 

[Manwell Pablo]

4 hours ago, Corky said:

What I meant was that he wasn't a true non-league player, he was probably a Football League level player who ended up in non-league through circumstances.

 

I think good players are at that level and need the chance but Vardy is a rarity in terms of what he's done and still doing.

Bet Sheffield Wednesday wish you had told them that sooner.

[Fox92]

2 hours ago, shailen said:

I was thinking about this the other day. Let's say that knockaert scored that penalty against Watford and we went on to win promotion that season, would Vardy have remained with us and would he have become the player he is today. 

 

I thought he was finished after that season and if we got promoted he would have likely moved to another championship or lower league club and whether he would have come back in the way he has since then is a mystery. 

 

There is very little chance of another Vardy as you don't get time in the Premier league. Vardy got his time to adapt in the championship and that first season he was hit and miss in the Premier league but we knew what he was capable of so he got the benefit of doubt, but I can't see it happening again unless one of the promoted teams sticks with their stars from the championship. 

Vardy was lucky in the sense that Pearson looked after him. Vardy spoke before how he wanted to quit but Pearson talked him around to staying (maybe staying in football let alone just here).

[deanolegend1989]

The real reason is most casual football fans don’t see the truth without looking into it proper thoroughly.

Vardy in 12/13 wasn’t actually as poor as people make out, but with media and overall consensus, they maximise things and suddenly it’s seen as Hes ‘way below’ the level, when in reality he’s not.

 

Im not one bit surprised he became a top player as soon as I saw him.

When he was blanked out for Wood in the lead up to 12/13 playoffs . I was constantly annoyed he wasn’t playing and believed our poor form was down to playing Wood and Kane with no movement. I was absolutely delighted he didn’t leave on the summer and was so certain he’d fire us close.

I remember saying in 12/13 in a game vs Charlton we lost 2-1 at home in February(a game he didn’t start in), that he should be playing and he is good enough for the PL. It was annoying me at the time how I was the only person who seemed to not want him dropping down the leagues again as I was so certain.

He pretty much followed the trajectory I knew he was capable of from 13/14 up until 15/16. That’s when he went up and beyond what I thought 😮.

 

[Apollo]

11 minutes ago, deanolegend1989 said:

The real reason is most casual football fans don’t see the truth without looking into it proper thoroughly.

Vardy in 12/13 wasn’t actually as poor as people make out, but with media and overall consensus, they maximise things and suddenly it’s seen as Hes ‘way below’ the level, when in reality he’s not.

 

Im not one bit surprised he became a top player as soon as I saw him.

When he was blanked out for Wood in the lead up to 12/13 playoffs . I was constantly annoyed he wasn’t playing and believed our poor form was down to playing Wood and Kane with no movement. I was absolutely delighted he didn’t leave on the summer and was so certain he’d fire us close.

I remember saying in 12/13 in a game vs Charlton we lost 2-1 at home in February(a game he didn’t start in), that he should be playing and he is good enough for the PL. It was annoying me at the time how I was the only person who seemed to not want him dropping down the leagues again as I was so certain.

He pretty much followed the trajectory I knew he was capable of from 13/14 up until 15/16. That’s when he went up and beyond what I thought 😮.

 

Vardy was a long way from the level required that season - there was no justification to play him during the run in. Vardy himself has acknowledged he wasn’t up to it that year.

[deanolegend1989]

3 minutes ago, Apollo said:

Vardy was a long way from the level required that season - there was no justification to play him during the run in. Vardy himself has acknowledged he wasn’t up to it that year.

I disagree. He was below his best and he knew it. His best clearly is a world class talent though and he was still far to good for the Championship. We looked a much worse team when he got dropped in the 2nd half of the season.

He needed time but most fans thought he should be shipped back down the leagues, which was absolutely ridiculous at the time regardless of what happened since.

[filthyfox]

On 13/12/2020 at 15:04, filthyfox said:

He is the inspiration behind my application for a Management position that "requires"a degree. 

 

What it requires is ME

Got the interview.   Now I need to believe that I am a Premier League top goal scorer!

[HybridFox]

1 hour ago, filthyfox said:

Got the interview.   Now I need to believe that I am a Premier League top goal scorer!

"So @filthyfox can you give me an example where you delivered at pace"

 

IT'S ELEVEN, IT'S HEAVEN...

[filthyfox]

1 hour ago, TK95 said:

"So @filthyfox can you give me an example where you delivered at pace"

 

IT'S ELEVEN, IT'S HEAVEN...

If I was in a place where I felt comfortable doing so, I certainly would have "delivered at pace..." just like Hoddle does when he talks about the big six