Conor Thomas- Anyone know anything about him?

[JD74]

Conor Thomas- Anyone know anything about him?

 

Ive seen that we have signed him on loan til the end of the season and that he plays in midfireld but thats all i know!!

[jamespp]

hes got black hair

[Liverpool lad]

My mate is a Coventry fan, hasn't seen much of him, said the club think highly of him, hope this helps

[Pidge]

Transfer Deadline Day - Liverpool FC

 

Liverpool today signed 17-year-old Conor Thomas from Coventry City on loan until the end of the season with a view to a permanent move.

 

The central midfielder, who has represented England U17s, made his full debut for the Championship outfit in this weekend's FA Cup defeat to Birmingham City.

 

Thomas will be based with the reserves at the Academy.

 

 

Anyone know if he's eligible for Youth Cup games?

[Moorsey]

Conor Thomas once shook Gladiators referee John Andersons' hand outside the Birmingham NEC.

[Gym Beglin]

Arguably a stranger transfer than Carroll's.

Why are we getting a 17 year old on loan from Coventry for the rest of the season?

 

BBC Sport - Football - Coventry City hand professional deal to Conor Thomas

 

Fans' verdict: Coventry City fans on Conor Thomas deal - News - Coventry City FC - Coventry Telegraph

 

[Kurt]

Arguably a stranger transfer than Carroll's.

Why are we getting a 17 year old on loan from Coventry for the rest of the season?

 

BBC Sport - Football - Coventry City hand professional deal to Conor Thomas

 

Fans' verdict: Coventry City fans on Conor Thomas deal - News - Coventry City FC - Coventry Telegraph

 

 

It`s a loan with a view to make it permanent in the summer.

 

Better to loan him to have a proper look before deciding if will take up the option to make the deal permanent, than to splash out £300 000 now and release him in a year.

[Allan]

Posted this on the MF yesterday:

 

Done a quick search on Google and the Coventry offal.

 

He's an England Under 17 International, and has made 2 appearances for Coventry this season, both in the FA cup. He came off the bench in their 3rd round tie against Palace, and started their 4th round tie against Birmingham.

 

 

Here's what Aidy Boothroyd had to say:

 

A MINOR injury to Sammy Clingan gave Conor Thomas the chance to make his FA Cup debut for Coventry City this weekend, said Aidy Boothroyd.

 

The Coventry City boss opted to turn to the talented teenager for the FA Cup derby with Birmingham City after the Northern Ireland player tweaked his ligament.

 

And Boothroyd insists he was right to throw Thomas into the deep end.

 

He said: “It was a big game to throw him in, but he’s a big talent and the fact that Sammy Clingan had tweaked his ligament again meant I didn’t want to risk him.

 

“Conor’s been around the first-team squad for a good three or four months and you’re never going to find out about players unless you test them. I’ve always believed that you should stretch talent, and that’s what we did with him. He’s 17, only just passed his driving test, but he didn’t look out of place.

 

“I didn’t have too many other options, to be honest, because the depth we’ve got isn’t fantastic.

 

"That’s all right – I’d much rather go for quality than quantity – but we need to get our big players back, add to what we’ve got and see where that takes us.

 

There's a few comments on the below site regarding the lad.

 

Coventry Telegraph

 

LIVERPOOL FC have made a shock move to sign Coventry City's Conor Thomas on loan until the end of the season, according to reports.

 

BBC Sport reports that the 17-year-old has agreed to move to the Premier League giants until May.

 

And Sky Sports says that the move made be made permanent at the end of the season - with a £1m price-tag being mooted.

 

Thomas made his first Coventry City start on Saturday in the 3-2 FA Cup defeat against Birmingham City and has been regularly monitored by Anfield scouts.

[Allan]

McMahon on Thomas Capture

 

John McMahon believes Liverpool have signed an exciting prospect for the future in Conor Thomas who has joined the club on loan from Coventry City.

 

The loan deal is until the end of the season with view to a permanent deal.

 

The 17-year-old has represented England U17s and made his full professional debut for the Sky Blues first team against Birmingham in the FA Cup last Saturday.

 

He will now train with the reserve team squad under the influence of McMahon, and could make his debut in a friendly against Tranmere Rovers next week.

 

"We see Conor as a good acquisition," McMahon told Liverpoolfc.tv.

 

"He is another young lads who has had international recognition with England so it's a good opportunity for him to come and play with us.

 

"We have got some really good prospects at the club and he will come straight into the reserve team squad.

 

"I am sure he will fit in well with us as we have a good bunch of young lads at this club. Like all our youngsters we've got big hopes and prospects for them."

 

McMahon's young side reached the semi-finals of the Liverpool Senior Cup last night after a 2-1 victory over Prescot Cables.

 

Tom Ince capped an excellent display by netting the winner and also winning a penalty which was converted by Gerardo Bruna.

 

New addition Jason Banton made his first start for the second-string, Dean Bouzanis enjoyed his first outing in goal since November 2, while McMahon also welcomed back Alex Cooper from injury and handed first starts of the season to Danish starlet Nicolaj Kohlert and Czech Republic centre-back Jakub Sokolil.

 

He added: "It's difficult when you come to a place like this and the lads did well and showed good application and a good attitude.

 

"We made a mistake for their goal but it was a good response from us.

 

"Tom Ince has come back to us in fantastic form. He took his goal really well and in training he's been fantastic, his attitude has been fantastic so fair play to him."

 

"It was good to give some of the lads who haven't played much some games. There is always chances and opportunities in football and they came in and did themselves justice."

 

McMahon also had words of praise for right-back John Flanagan who captained the side at Valerie Park.

 

"John Flanagan was fantastic. What you see is what you get from him and he is starting to learn his trade more.

 

"He makes good decisions at the right times and he can push on now."

[dansoc]

200k loan fee, raising to over 1m if signed in the summer.

 

well thought of - but not the best - of that age group in england.

[Gym Beglin]

well thought of - but not the best - of that age group in england.

 

Wouldn't read anything into that.

The likes of Milner, Lennon, Carroll, Young, and Johnson weren't thought of as the best 14 and 15 year olds in the game at that age either.

I remember the 1993 England under 17 team with Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt, Gary Neville, Sol Campbell, and Robbie Fowler, but the stars of the team and the ones everyone talked about was Kevin Gallen and Darren Caskey.

 

Not so long ago everyone talked about Nathan Porritt...now he's fucking nowhere, released by Boro.

[dansoc]

Wouldn't read anything into that.

The likes of Milner, Lennon, Carroll, Young, and Johnson weren't thought of as the best 14 and 15 year olds in the game at that age either.

I remember the 1993 England under 17 team with Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt, Gary Neville, Sol Campbell, and Robbie Fowler, but the stars of the team and the ones everyone talked about was Kevin Gallen and Darren Caskey.

 

Not so long ago everyone talked about Nathan Porritt...now he's fucking nowhere, released by Boro.

 

only saying what i know...

[cartman]

Completely unnecessary to buy players/loan like him and Bantone, would have been much better to play Conor Coady and Raheem Sterling in the reserves then!

 

Btw: Can he play in the Youth Cup?

[Glen C]

Completely unnecessary to buy players/loan like him and Bantone, would have been much better to play Conor Coady and Raheem Sterling in the reserves then!

 

Btw: Can he play in the Youth Cup?

 

How can you say its unnecessary when you know very little about him? He could be a lot better than both coad and sterling for all we know. Hardly a gamble when we're just taking him on loan until the end of the season to have a look at him. If he proves worthwhile then we buy him, where's the harm?

[Allan]

Completely unnecessary to buy players/loan like him and Bantone, would have been much better to play Conor Coady and Raheem Sterling in the reserves then!

 

Btw: Can he play in the Youth Cup?

 

He played in Coventry's 3-1 defeat to Southend in the 3rd round of the Youth Cup, so I'd assume he'd be cup tied.

[JohnnyH]

He's gone to be immense. Huge huge huge prospect.

 

 

Ok, I've never heard of him. But I've decided to try and be a bit more positive these days.

[Hugo Sanjeev]

Frank McParland on Thomas from offal:

 

I was actually at Melwood the day the two lads arrived but it was just a case of trying to stay out of the way! I was there because we brought a young lad in from Coventry called Conor Thomas and we had to give him his medical.

 

I've watched him for some time now and feel he is a top prospect.

 

Damien was involved in the negotiations with Coventry and we now have Conor here until the end of the season. It's a great situation for us to be able to bring in a top young English player like that.

 

He's played for England at various levels and it's now up to him to show us what he is capable of. We think he can do really well, otherwise we wouldn't have brought him here. It's up to him to use this as a platform to step up his development and show just how good he is.

 

He'll train with the reserves and will be involved in some of the work the first-team do. It's quite a fluid situation now with a lot of the boys moving between the U18s, the reserves and the first-team squad.

[Guest Dog Chaser]

Wouldn't read anything into that.

The likes of Milner, Lennon, Carroll, Young, and Johnson weren't thought of as the best 14 and 15 year olds in the game at that age either.

I remember the 1993 England under 17 team with Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt, Gary Neville, Sol Campbell, and Robbie Fowler, but the stars of the team and the ones everyone talked about was Kevin Gallen and Darren Caskey.

 

Not so long ago everyone talked about Nathan Porritt...now he's fucking nowhere, released by Boro.

 

Currently playing for R.O.C. de Charleroi-Marchienne after being release by 'boro in February 2010.

 

I had also forgot about this........

 

Secret filming for BBC Panorama's programme "Undercover: Football's Dirty Secrets", aired in September 2006, exposed an agent acting without Middlesbrough's permission in offering the then 15-year-old Porritt to club representatives, including Chelsea's youth director Frank Arnesen, in contravention of the Football Association's rules

[Major Tom]

The U18's beat City today didn't they? Did this fella get any minutes?

[RoboRiise]

Frank McParland on Thomas from offal:

 

I was actually at Melwood the day the two lads arrived but it was just a case of trying to stay out of the way! I was there because we brought a young lad in from Coventry called Conor Thomas and we had to give him his medical.

 

I've watched him for some time now and feel he is a top prospect.

 

Damien was involved in the negotiations with Coventry and we now have Conor here until the end of the season. It's a great situation for us to be able to bring in a top young English player like that.

 

He's played for England at various levels and it's now up to him to show us what he is capable of. We think he can do really well, otherwise we wouldn't have brought him here. It's up to him to use this as a platform to step up his development and show just how good he is.

 

He'll train with the reserves and will be involved in some of the work the first-team do. It's quite a fluid situation now with a lot of the boys moving between the U18s, the reserves and the first-team squad.

 

 

Exactly how it should be, keep their development moving forward and broaden their experience of the game, let them learn from the players who have the roles that the younger players aspire to.

 

Oh and I know two things about Conor Thomas; nowt and fuck all.

[smurfinaus]

Didnt someone mention central midfield was a weakspot in the reserve and youth sides?. Most likely brought in for this reason if he is a cm ;).

[Hugo Sanjeev]

Conor Thomas always destined for the top, says Coventry City youth boss

 

COVENTRY City Academy boss Gregor Rioch has revealed that Conor Thomas has always been destined for the top.

 

The Coventry-born midfielder, who only turned 17 three months ago, is now developing his young career at Liverpool after flying through the youth ranks with the Sky Blues where he achieved pretty much every goal that was set for him under the watchful eye of several high-profile clubs.

 

In an ideal world he would arguably have stayed and continued his apprenticeship at the Ricoh Arena but with City continuing to lose money it was decided to cash in on the talent, for whom the club have received an initial loan fee that will increase if, as expected, the deal is made permanent in the summer.

 

Asked if the former Coundon Court schoolboy has got what it takes to make it in the Premier League, Rioch said: “Yes, he’s a very, very talented footballer.

 

“He sets himself targets and achieved nearly all those we set him while he was here.

 

"He was a little bit behind when we set him the target of getting on the first team bench at 16 but he achieved it very soon into his Under-17 career and went one better when he got himself a full debut at 17 years of age against Birmingham the other week.

 

“I don’t think we quite set the target of him going to Liverpool quite so young but we certainly set him the target that by his early 20s he wanted to be playing at the top level.

 

“He’s still got a lot to do and he knows that but he’s a level-headed lad and that’s the great thing about him.”

 

And Rioch revealed that his dedication and character have been a major factor in his progress.

 

“He’s a lovely kid; a magnificent lad,” he said.

 

“He was very dedicated from a very young age.

 

"I tried to contact him a couple of times on a Friday night at about eight-thirty or nine o’clock but he was already in bed.

 

"The only person I could speak to was his mum because he had packed himself off to bed in preparation for the match the next day.

 

“He eats the right things, goes to bed at the right time and loves football.

 

"He’s got fantastic parents who have been a pleasure to work with and keep his feet on the ground and he will break into the top level at some stage and good luck to him.

 

"He’s got my best wishes.”

 

Rioch revealed that Thomas had been so sought-after in recent years that he and his staff had to virtually chaperone him before and after Academy games to stop him being tapped up by bigger clubs.

 

“It is a fantastic achievement for the Academy and Coventry City Football Club when you consider that myself and my staff have had to literally man-mark him for two to three years off the pitch because there have been a number of clubs that we knew were interested, both officially and unofficially, which happens in football unfortunately.

 

“We worked ever so hard to make sure that he came into the building as a full-time apprentice when he left school but I have to say it wasn’t as hard as we thought it would be because this was where he wanted to be.

 

"He had been with us since he was 11 and he knew that his progression was going in the right way.

 

“So that was great because you can lose kids before they come in full-time and then you don’t get the recognition for it.

 

"He has done well and the rewards are there for the club, financially.”

 

Rival clubs can seek permission to watch another team’s Under-18s but are not allowed to scout Under-16 games.

 

He explained: “Clubs have to have permission and, generally, with the top clubs they do things right.

 

"We have had to kick one or two off in my three-and-a-half years here that have tried to sneak in because we have got good players and they try to upset them.

 

“But that’s another part of my job and my staff to recognise who the scouts and head of recruitment are but generally they do it right and ask to come and have a look at our Under-18 games and what we have in return is a very good relationship.

 

“We never let them watch the Under-16s because of illegal approaches but in return we have been able to watch kids at clubs like Arsenal and Manchester United in case they let any good players go.

 

"We did that recently by taking a couple of boys released by those clubs and that’s how it works.”

 

Conor Thomas always destined for the top, says Coventry City youth boss - News - Coventry City FC - Coventry Telegraph