Ben Doak

[Bobby Hundreds]

He could be our Damien Duff.

[Ron B]

2 hours ago, dave u said:

Gordon has missed so much time now he probably won't make it here. Hope I'm wrong but there are countless examples of boss kids who get a long term injury that completely derails their progress. It's really hard to develop when you miss a year of football at such an important age.

 

If Doak avoids injury he's defo making it here, he's the best kid I've seen since Owen.

I was mates with a lad who was in the youth set-up for Luton in the 90s and got stymied by a couple of lengthy layoffs in his teens. He was a top man, and a really good pro by all accounts, but the timing of the injuries knocked him out of the reckoning at exactly the worst possible age. 
Long story short (and I’m sure it was devastating for him at the time), he took stock, trained as a physio, went on to work for various Premier League, MLS and NBA sides, and now is a world-renowned physio and doctor of physical performance. 
Anyway, I’d much rather that Gordon and Doak both stay, become world-beaters, and be leading us to an unprecedented tenth consecutive Champions League title in a decade or so’s time. But I guess I’m saying “Don’t despair” if there’s any family or mates of Gordon who read this and he’s feeling low. 

[3 Stacks]

Serious question; is he good at kicking the ball? I get people are excited by the pace and him running past defenders, but thats pretty much all it has been so far. 

[dave u]

34 minutes ago, 3 Stacks said:

Serious question; is he good at kicking the ball? I get people are excited by the pace and him running past defenders, but thats pretty much all it has been so far. 

 

Yes. Needs to improve his end product but he's 17, of course he does. The raw tools are there for that though.

 

He's no Raheem Stering.

[3 Stacks]

24 minutes ago, dave u said:

 

Yes. Needs to improve his end product but he's 17, of course he does. The raw tools are there for that though.

 

He's no Raheem Stering.

I mean, let's be honest, if he becomes Raheem Sterling, that would be tremendous for us, and him.

[Grinch]

Elliot looked a special player this time last year.  Until people started expecting him to be performing consistently week in week out.

 

 

[Pidge]

Elliott is a special talent as well, and had a good season. Those people's expectations for a 20 year old in a flawed team would be idiotic.

[dave u]

19 minutes ago, 3 Stacks said:

I mean, let's be honest, if he becomes Raheem Sterling, that would be tremendous for us, and him.

 

You asked about kicking the ball. Sterling never could.

[3 Stacks]

Fun fact; he is the grandson of star golf course architect Tom Doak.

[Megadrive Man]

Sounds like he may have had a decent game last night.

 

From the Daily Record,

 

Ben Doak leaves Spanish football awestruck with Scotland U21 masterclass as Liverpool kid dusts off his signature move

More than a few within Spanish football dropped their jaw on Tuesday night when Ben Doak delivered a stunning performance for Scotland U21s.

Doak was part of a Scotland team that fell just short against one of the top ranked teams at that age-group and was unlucky not to open the scoring in the first half, a 45 minute period that saw him applauded at one stage by the home support. A sole goal from Turrientes was the difference in the end but it was a Scottish performance to kick off qualifying for Euro 2025 that inspired plenty of hope and optimism.

And it was Doak in particular who stole the show with X (formerly Twitter) on fire about his performance. One Liverpool fan was left with hearts in their eyes when he pulled off "the Ben Doak special" - receiving the ball on the half-way line in a seemingly innocuous position, but turning his defender on the blink of an eye without even touching the ball and racing towards goal. It left Alejandro Frances, tasked with marking him, stumbling to the floor and grasping at his shirt as Doak careered away.

A quick search of his name returns a multitude of Spanish-language posts blown away by Liverpool's 17-year-old sensation. One wrote: "Ben Doak. Electricity, self-confidence, ball retention and the ability to drop his shoulder and create danger. The best of the game, honestly. Looking forward to seeing him with Liverpool in the Premier League," while another added: "What a diamond, 17 years old and pure fire!"

 

One fan rated him "the best player on the pitch" with his "explosiveness, speed and audacity" enough to cause any senior team problems. And another, seemingly a Liverpool fan in South America, said: "I said it and I reiterate it again: BEN DOAK IS MORE THAN SERIOUS."

Scotland boss Scot Gemmill was equally pleased - and noted the youngster wasn't even fully fit yet. He said after the game: "It was an exceptional performance from Ben Doak. I would even add that's there more to come from him. He's not fully match fit at the moment because of his limited minutes as he is playing for such a good club.

"Imagine a fully-fit Ben Doak! I thought it was a really top performance and hopefully everyone saw that. Credit to the players for executing the game plan. I am actually not too disappointed because I am really proud of the players."

 

[NoelM]

 

[TheHowieLama]

As direct as you could be. Get him to make some better decisions on the ball and he will be golden.

Had a couple cutbacks wide open in that clip.

[NoelM]

4 minutes ago, TheHowieLama said:

As direct as you could be. Get him to make some better decisions on the ball and he will be golden.

Had a couple cutbacks wide open in that clip.

 

He was playing a lone striker too - he's so strong on the ball for his age!

[El Rojo]

Great performance. At this rate, we'll be able to spend the Salah money on gold toilets for the yacht. 

[3 Stacks]

Its simplistic but how good he can be will genuinely come down to how good he is at kicking a ball. The part of beating defenders, when he wants to do that, he looks unstoppable. 

[Dr Nowt]

I’d just like to bookmark ‘McMo’ now, for when he becomes our next wide-right superstar.

 

Cheers.

[VERBAL DIARRHEA]

Called him ‘Oaky’the moment we signed him.

[Creator Supreme]

On 27/08/2023 at 13:08, Ron B said:

I was mates with a lad who was in the youth set-up for Luton in the 90s and got stymied by a couple of lengthy layoffs in his teens. He was a top man, and a really good pro by all accounts, but the timing of the injuries knocked him out of the reckoning at exactly the worst possible age. 
Long story short (and I’m sure it was devastating for him at the time), he took stock, trained as a physio, went on to work for various Premier League, MLS and NBA sides, and now is a world-renowned physio and doctor of physical performance. 
Anyway, I’d much rather that Gordon and Doak both stay, become world-beaters, and be leading us to an unprecedented tenth consecutive Champions League title in a decade or so’s time. But I guess I’m saying “Don’t despair” if there’s any family or mates of Gordon who read this and he’s feeling low. 

Sounds like a similar story and outcome to Norman Whiteside. Glad it worked out for your mate.

[Creator Supreme]

2 hours ago, NoelM said:

 

Shite!

 

Let's be fair you all knew that was coming!

[AHA]

Really got something about him but does need to think about other options. Number of times there he either kept it too long or went alone when he had passes on. Could be he’s a lot better than his team mates so doesn’t trust them. Think playing with better players would help him with that side of things.

[El Rojo]

34 minutes ago, AHA said:

Really got something about him but does need to think about other options. Number of times there he either kept it too long or went alone when he had passes on. Could be he’s a lot better than his team mates so doesn’t trust them. Think playing with better players would help him with that side of things.

 

Or it may not at all. That's the thing with players of that age, you just don't know how they'll develop and if they'll ever have the required end product in games. Of course we all hope that he will. 

 

I'd also say he's at a slight disadvantage playing with a huge club like us where every little thing he does is judged and scrutinised, that video being a case in point. 

 

He clearly has the physicality for the game anyway, as most of those Spanish lads are a few years older than him. 

[Captain Turdseye]

If he doesn’t start on Saturday then Klopp should go. 

[aws]

If he can stay fit and improve his end-product he could be world class in a couple of years. 

[Colonel Bumcunt]

He seems very driven, that's great. 

Hope his agent isnt an absolute cunt. 

[Aventus]

4 hours ago, El Rojo said:

 I'd also say he's at a slight disadvantage playing with a huge club like us where every little thing he does is judged and scrutinised, that video being a case in point. 

This wee Europa campaign could be the making of him, plenty of opportunity to shine, relatively low pressure considering the club he's at.