| Bye Kwadwo? on 10:44 - Jan 21 with 2038 views | smaclad1 |
Kwadwo feature in the Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/jan/21/kwadwo-baah-rochdale-ballboy-fa
“I’ve heard quite a few rumours about other clubs being interested but that’s not really important to me right now,” Baah says. “What’s important is carrying on playing at Rochdale, scoring more goals and getting more recognition. There are certain areas I need to improve on but there’s more to come and I can show people what I’m made of. |  | |  |
| Bye Kwadwo? on 10:51 - Jan 21 with 2011 views | IOMDale |
| Bye Kwadwo? on 10:44 - Jan 21 by smaclad1 |
Kwadwo feature in the Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/jan/21/kwadwo-baah-rochdale-ballboy-fa
“I’ve heard quite a few rumours about other clubs being interested but that’s not really important to me right now,” Baah says. “What’s important is carrying on playing at Rochdale, scoring more goals and getting more recognition. There are certain areas I need to improve on but there’s more to come and I can show people what I’m made of. |
Great read, that.
You just feel at such an impressionable age, players will assume agents have their best interests at heart. Some will, some won’t. If Kwadwo’s being touted about, it tends to suggest his agent is more concerned with making a buck than Baah’s development
If he continues to develop as he has been, he’ll get his big move regardless. |  |
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| Bye Kwadwo? on 10:53 - Jan 21 with 1996 views | fitzochris |
| Bye Kwadwo? on 10:51 - Jan 21 by IOMDale |
Great read, that.
You just feel at such an impressionable age, players will assume agents have their best interests at heart. Some will, some won’t. If Kwadwo’s being touted about, it tends to suggest his agent is more concerned with making a buck than Baah’s development
If he continues to develop as he has been, he’ll get his big move regardless. |
Well, how this interview came about gave me a great insight into how his agent operates and I'll leave it there... |  |
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| Bye Kwadwo? on 10:59 - Jan 21 with 1965 views | IOMDale |
| Bye Kwadwo? on 10:53 - Jan 21 by fitzochris |
Well, how this interview came about gave me a great insight into how his agent operates and I'll leave it there... |
Haha! No more questions, your Honour. | |
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| Bye Kwadwo? on 11:02 - Jan 21 with 1949 views | tony_roch975 |
| Bye Kwadwo? on 10:53 - Jan 21 by fitzochris |
Well, how this interview came about gave me a great insight into how his agent operates and I'll leave it there... |
yes, if the inference is his agent got the interview, free ('unbiased') publicity for his client but don't think it harms Dale - if he's going the more that want him the higher the fee? | |
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| Bye Kwadwo? on 11:03 - Jan 21 with 1941 views | fitzochris |
| Bye Kwadwo? on 11:02 - Jan 21 by tony_roch975 |
yes, if the inference is his agent got the interview, free ('unbiased') publicity for his client but don't think it harms Dale - if he's going the more that want him the higher the fee? |
That's not the inference. | |
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| Bye Kwadwo? on 14:18 - Jan 21 with 1583 views | AtThePeake |
| Bye Kwadwo? on 10:51 - Jan 21 by IOMDale |
Great read, that.
You just feel at such an impressionable age, players will assume agents have their best interests at heart. Some will, some won’t. If Kwadwo’s being touted about, it tends to suggest his agent is more concerned with making a buck than Baah’s development
If he continues to develop as he has been, he’ll get his big move regardless. |
Just playing devil's advocate here - is there any proof that remaining at a L1 club is better for development than going to a PL academy? |  |
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| Bye Kwadwo? on 14:25 - Jan 21 with 1558 views | D_Alien |
| Bye Kwadwo? on 14:18 - Jan 21 by AtThePeake |
Just playing devil's advocate here - is there any proof that remaining at a L1 club is better for development than going to a PL academy? |
I'm not sure there can be such a thing as 'proof' on that score, and may depend on the individual player and their attitude; but Ryan McLaughlin's interview suggests he'd recommend it, at least on loan
[Post edited 21 Jan 2021 14:26]
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| Bye Kwadwo? on 14:32 - Jan 21 with 1533 views | DaleiLama |
| Bye Kwadwo? on 14:18 - Jan 21 by AtThePeake |
Just playing devil's advocate here - is there any proof that remaining at a L1 club is better for development than going to a PL academy? |
It would be very interesting to hear the views of Luke and Dan on the subject, having both gone down the PL route at a similar age (although they can't really speak about remaining at a L1 club, obviously, and their respective stories are far from complete + Norwich are a yo-yo club between PL and Ch). In KB's shoes, if a potential move does come up, I'd be canvassing opinion on both sides of the coin though. |  |
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| Bye Kwadwo? on 14:39 - Jan 21 with 1504 views | AtThePeake |
| Bye Kwadwo? on 14:25 - Jan 21 by D_Alien |
I'm not sure there can be such a thing as 'proof' on that score, and may depend on the individual player and their attitude; but Ryan McLaughlin's interview suggests he'd recommend it, at least on loan
[Post edited 21 Jan 2021 14:26]
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I think a loan can definitely be beneficial if you've only been with a PL club previously.
I remember having a discussion with a City supporting relative a year or two ago about Foden's future and whether he would benefit more from spending a year out on loan at a lesser PL club than he would by sitting on the bench at City. But of course, at City, he will have been training day-in, day-out with some of the world's best players and arguably the world's best coach... is that enough of a trade-off to be losing out on first-team football for a while longer?
Obviously Baah's situation is on a smaller scale but I do think some are quick to assume that staying at Dale for a year or two is more beneficial than being at a Premier League club when, as you say, it probably depends on the needs and attitude of the individual. | |
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| Bye Kwadwo? on 14:43 - Jan 21 with 1489 views | fitzochris |
| Bye Kwadwo? on 14:39 - Jan 21 by AtThePeake |
I think a loan can definitely be beneficial if you've only been with a PL club previously.
I remember having a discussion with a City supporting relative a year or two ago about Foden's future and whether he would benefit more from spending a year out on loan at a lesser PL club than he would by sitting on the bench at City. But of course, at City, he will have been training day-in, day-out with some of the world's best players and arguably the world's best coach... is that enough of a trade-off to be losing out on first-team football for a while longer?
Obviously Baah's situation is on a smaller scale but I do think some are quick to assume that staying at Dale for a year or two is more beneficial than being at a Premier League club when, as you say, it probably depends on the needs and attitude of the individual. |
This is what Kwadwo's agent told me, which I will post here because I’ll never use it in an article now:
“He just stood out a mile, y’know?” he says. “I could tell he could easily cut it in the professional game. I took him on and started to get him trials at all the big London clubs. He could have easily gone on to sign for any of them, but then Rochdale got in touch. The manager, Brian Barry-Murphy, said to me, ‘If he comes to Rochdale, he won’t be in our under 18s, he will be with me, in the first team’. That was enough for me and Kwadwo. We knew this was the best decision for his development.” | |
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| Bye Kwadwo? on 14:46 - Jan 21 with 1481 views | AtThePeake |
| Bye Kwadwo? on 14:43 - Jan 21 by fitzochris |
This is what Kwadwo's agent told me, which I will post here because I’ll never use it in an article now:
“He just stood out a mile, y’know?” he says. “I could tell he could easily cut it in the professional game. I took him on and started to get him trials at all the big London clubs. He could have easily gone on to sign for any of them, but then Rochdale got in touch. The manager, Brian Barry-Murphy, said to me, ‘If he comes to Rochdale, he won’t be in our under 18s, he will be with me, in the first team’. That was enough for me and Kwadwo. We knew this was the best decision for his development.” |
In which case, you'd hope they're set to stick around for a little while longer!
FWIW I meant in a broader sense regarding whether it's better to be at a L1 club or a PL club rather than Kwadwo's case specifically, although it is relevant. I think some expect that it's better to be playing L1 football irregardless of the individual but it's often a bit more nuanced than that. | |
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| Bye Kwadwo? on 14:49 - Jan 21 with 1474 views | fitzochris |
| Bye Kwadwo? on 14:46 - Jan 21 by AtThePeake |
In which case, you'd hope they're set to stick around for a little while longer!
FWIW I meant in a broader sense regarding whether it's better to be at a L1 club or a PL club rather than Kwadwo's case specifically, although it is relevant. I think some expect that it's better to be playing L1 football irregardless of the individual but it's often a bit more nuanced than that. |
No, I totally get that and, again, while that was the view of Kwadwo's agent at the time, it may well not be now. | |
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| Bye Kwadwo? on 14:55 - Jan 21 with 1446 views | AtThePeake |
| Bye Kwadwo? on 14:49 - Jan 21 by fitzochris |
No, I totally get that and, again, while that was the view of Kwadwo's agent at the time, it may well not be now. |
What happened with the interview/article - is there a reason you won't be posting it now? | |
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| Bye Kwadwo? on 15:01 - Jan 21 with 1421 views | fitzochris |
| Bye Kwadwo? on 14:55 - Jan 21 by AtThePeake |
What happened with the interview/article - is there a reason you won't be posting it now? |
Well, I had been chasing an interview with Kwadwo for ages and did the correct thing by going to his agent first and foremost. His agent, like all agents, get back to you in their own time and there was a lot of back and forth.
An interview date was finally agreed (last Friday evening) and I also agreed to a lot of conditions that a journalist wouldn’t usually agree to, such as copy approval and not to ask certain questions. I agreed to this because, at the end of the day, you are talking to a 17-year-old lad and his wellbeing, for me at least, comes before any juicy story.
At the 11th hour, the interview was pulled. This isn’t unusual. Happens a lot. However, after some digging I discovered that his agent had agreed an exclusive interview with the Guardian instead — how that came about I’ll not go into — and he then instructed Kwadwo not to answer the phone to me, which he didn’t. I don't blame Kwadwo one bit for that, by the way.
So, while the Guardian has a much bigger reach than I could ever hope to and was the obvious option in a straight choice between me and them, it was the way I was treated and how the Guardian interview even came to be an option in the first place which rankles. His agent also knows I am a Dale supporter as well as a journalist. That won’t matter to him in terms of his client, but it matters to me. Anyway, lesson learned.
The Guardian article is great, as you would expect, but they clearly have asked some of the questions that were off the table, so hopefully that at least hits home.
I know a bit of Kwadwo’s personal background and, despite my misgivings about the way I was treated, I know his agent does want the best for him — but definitely more from a financial perspective ultimately. | |
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| Bye Kwadwo? on 15:16 - Jan 21 with 1371 views | IOMDale |
| Bye Kwadwo? on 14:39 - Jan 21 by AtThePeake |
I think a loan can definitely be beneficial if you've only been with a PL club previously.
I remember having a discussion with a City supporting relative a year or two ago about Foden's future and whether he would benefit more from spending a year out on loan at a lesser PL club than he would by sitting on the bench at City. But of course, at City, he will have been training day-in, day-out with some of the world's best players and arguably the world's best coach... is that enough of a trade-off to be losing out on first-team football for a while longer?
Obviously Baah's situation is on a smaller scale but I do think some are quick to assume that staying at Dale for a year or two is more beneficial than being at a Premier League club when, as you say, it probably depends on the needs and attitude of the individual. |
It definitely differs for each individual. I reckon if you asked members on here whether Dan Adshead should have stuck around for another year or two, it’d be split down the middle.
However, in terms of developing his technical and tactical ability (and in terms of ‘growing up’), there’s probably few better places he could currently be than the Netherlands.
One example that comes to mind is Ahmad Benali, who looked completely out of his depth when he arrived here from City on loan. Granted, we were abysmal at the time but playing at our level (and with us specifically) suited him about as much as a vegan at a farmers’ market. He’s gone on to make a pretty decent career for himself in Italy. | |
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| Bye Kwadwo? on 15:27 - Jan 21 with 1324 views | IOMDale |
| Bye Kwadwo? on 15:01 - Jan 21 by fitzochris |
Well, I had been chasing an interview with Kwadwo for ages and did the correct thing by going to his agent first and foremost. His agent, like all agents, get back to you in their own time and there was a lot of back and forth.
An interview date was finally agreed (last Friday evening) and I also agreed to a lot of conditions that a journalist wouldn’t usually agree to, such as copy approval and not to ask certain questions. I agreed to this because, at the end of the day, you are talking to a 17-year-old lad and his wellbeing, for me at least, comes before any juicy story.
At the 11th hour, the interview was pulled. This isn’t unusual. Happens a lot. However, after some digging I discovered that his agent had agreed an exclusive interview with the Guardian instead — how that came about I’ll not go into — and he then instructed Kwadwo not to answer the phone to me, which he didn’t. I don't blame Kwadwo one bit for that, by the way.
So, while the Guardian has a much bigger reach than I could ever hope to and was the obvious option in a straight choice between me and them, it was the way I was treated and how the Guardian interview even came to be an option in the first place which rankles. His agent also knows I am a Dale supporter as well as a journalist. That won’t matter to him in terms of his client, but it matters to me. Anyway, lesson learned.
The Guardian article is great, as you would expect, but they clearly have asked some of the questions that were off the table, so hopefully that at least hits home.
I know a bit of Kwadwo’s personal background and, despite my misgivings about the way I was treated, I know his agent does want the best for him — but definitely more from a financial perspective ultimately. |
Cheers for the insight Fitz, really interesting. I always assumed arranging an interview would be a matter of contacting an agent (even the individual themselves in some cases) and arranging date/time - clearly anything but!
As an aside, how would you compare your troubles arranging an interview with Kwadwo (not because of him, clearly) to how easy/difficult it was to get Humphrys to agree to an interview? | |
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| Bye Kwadwo? on 15:29 - Jan 21 with 1317 views | fitzochris |
| Bye Kwadwo? on 15:27 - Jan 21 by IOMDale |
Cheers for the insight Fitz, really interesting. I always assumed arranging an interview would be a matter of contacting an agent (even the individual themselves in some cases) and arranging date/time - clearly anything but!
As an aside, how would you compare your troubles arranging an interview with Kwadwo (not because of him, clearly) to how easy/difficult it was to get Humphrys to agree to an interview? |
Night and day. Humphrys is the most approachable guy in the world and a very good interviewee. | |
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| Bye Kwadwo? on 15:35 - Jan 21 with 1291 views | IOMDale |
| Bye Kwadwo? on 15:29 - Jan 21 by fitzochris |
Night and day. Humphrys is the most approachable guy in the world and a very good interviewee. |
Suspected as much. Everything about Humphrys, from his game day vlogs to his interviews, suggests he’s a great bloke. | |
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| Bye Kwadwo? on 15:57 - Jan 21 with 1219 views | DaleiLama |
| Bye Kwadwo? on 15:01 - Jan 21 by fitzochris |
Well, I had been chasing an interview with Kwadwo for ages and did the correct thing by going to his agent first and foremost. His agent, like all agents, get back to you in their own time and there was a lot of back and forth.
An interview date was finally agreed (last Friday evening) and I also agreed to a lot of conditions that a journalist wouldn’t usually agree to, such as copy approval and not to ask certain questions. I agreed to this because, at the end of the day, you are talking to a 17-year-old lad and his wellbeing, for me at least, comes before any juicy story.
At the 11th hour, the interview was pulled. This isn’t unusual. Happens a lot. However, after some digging I discovered that his agent had agreed an exclusive interview with the Guardian instead — how that came about I’ll not go into — and he then instructed Kwadwo not to answer the phone to me, which he didn’t. I don't blame Kwadwo one bit for that, by the way.
So, while the Guardian has a much bigger reach than I could ever hope to and was the obvious option in a straight choice between me and them, it was the way I was treated and how the Guardian interview even came to be an option in the first place which rankles. His agent also knows I am a Dale supporter as well as a journalist. That won’t matter to him in terms of his client, but it matters to me. Anyway, lesson learned.
The Guardian article is great, as you would expect, but they clearly have asked some of the questions that were off the table, so hopefully that at least hits home.
I know a bit of Kwadwo’s personal background and, despite my misgivings about the way I was treated, I know his agent does want the best for him — but definitely more from a financial perspective ultimately. |
Now I can make sense of your tweet from last week which didn't make sense until now!  | |
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