sfcfan
Alan Finley's Headband
Posts: 1
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Post by sfcfan on May 9, 2018 9:43:08 GMT
Hi Stevenage fan here
James Ball has agreed to sign with us for a five figure fee, your record fee received in non league. I was just wondering if you could tell me a little bit about him and what to expect, cheers all
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Post by hatter_in_macc on May 9, 2018 10:10:08 GMT
Hello, mate - and thanks for posting. You have a good 'un in Jimmy Ball. He was rather lightweight for us in his first season (2016/17), but, under Jim Gannon, improved markedly last term. Much tougher in tackling now, distributes well, and has scored a healthy number of goals - the majority of them absolute crackers, and often at vital times - from midfield. Personally, am not surprised to see him move onwards and upwards. He is a smashing lad, and I hope he does well for Stevenage. We shall certainly be keeping an eye on his progress!  |
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Post by hatter_in_macc on May 9, 2018 10:36:12 GMT
You will probably have clocked these, as they are on your own club website - but, just to prove that I am telling the truth about the quality of his goals... and we Heaveners can enjoy them again...  |
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Post by hermannsays on May 9, 2018 12:08:09 GMT
He played as a #4 and #10 for large parts of the past 2 seasons but neither really brought out his strengths. He was also used as a #9 a few times, even against DM's Nuneaton side, without too much success. However, once used as the 'box-to-box' player in a central midfield pair, or an attacking midfielder in a central midfield 3 (where I think he was best), his skill set shone and he was able to make a consistently good impact.
Although he's 6'3, don't expect some sort of enforcer type - well, certainly not yet - or a player who is good defensively in the air. I'm sure those things will come with time and practice but, as of now, you've got a hard working player who should be able to step up into L2 and perform. His main attributes are his fitness, mobility and running the ball at pace. He'll retain the ball fine and link up with others higher up the pitch.
A good indicator on his professionalism is that this time last season he was a pretty gangly figure but by the time he returned for pre-season, he had the physique you now see. Our manager had a lot of belief in him and always singled him out for a move into the FL. Given his knowledge of the game, obviously backed by your manager's first hand knowledge as an opponent manager, I think you'll be pleased once he gets settled in to your team.
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