Ballou Tabla

[VinceA]

I know we all want to see Tabla succeed and move up quickly but really he needs sustained excellence over a number of seasons. 

He's been too much of a flash in the pan player for too long. He needs to be a stable contributor long term. 

Boakai had one good season in the Finnish 2nd division and then immediately jumped when a better chance came his way and then floundered and now he's out of the game. I'd hate for that to be Tabla's fate.

[Obinna]

1 hour ago, VinceA said:

I know we all want to see Tabla succeed and move up quickly but really he needs sustained excellence over a number of seasons. 

He's been too much of a flash in the pan player for too long. He needs to be a stable contributor long term. 

Boakai had one good season in the Finnish 2nd division and then immediately jumped when a better chance came his way and then floundered and now he's out of the game. I'd hate for that to be Tabla's fate.

I wouldn't mind a 2nd season at Ottawa for those reasons. Maybe he can grab some silverware, play in the champions league, make a deep run in the V cup, etc. 

Then, make a move up at the age of 25. Would still have plenty of career in front of him.

[InglewoodJack]

Just saying- Jutgla who was another now 23 year old product of Barcelona B that never stuck on the main team is now looking like a world beater on Club Brugge…

[Obinna]

1 hour ago, InglewoodJack said:

Just saying- Jutgla who was another now 23 year old product of Barcelona B that never stuck on the main team is now looking like a world beater on Club Brugge…

Did him and Tabla cross paths, I wonder?

[Unnamed Trialist]

1 hour ago, InglewoodJack said:

Just saying- Jutgla who was another now 23 year old product of Barcelona B that never stuck on the main team is now looking like a world beater on Club Brugge…

First, Jutglà went through Espanyol academy and was signed already at 21 by Barça, think it was. So the whole developmental path is that much older.

Then, he was never really rejected at Barça. They played him due to injures, like when Ansu Fati went down. He scored a lot for the B team. They might have kept him, he was effective in his few minutes, and you could see he had the moves (he has high IQ, the kind of player kids should watch). 

Ballou went out probably too young, with too little support. There were some emotional problems I believe, hard to be away from home. He too, by the way, could perfectly well have continued with the B. He was under contract. They were not as unhappy with him as he was unhappy with his situation.

For me, this personal development aspect is important. It is a sort of "way back" story, starting all over, almost from scratch and crawling back slowly. 

I personally would not be surprised if a team in Spain put in an offer, like a 2nd tier side even, just on his former reputation, the highlight reels and the affililation with Atlético.

Edit, answering @Obinna  Tabla was gone by the time Jutglà was signed, though they are a similar age. Tabla played with Riqui Puig, with Aleña at Getafe, with Collado who was on loan to Granada last year and Elche this, with Juan Miranda the Betis outside back, with Jorge Cuenca, CB at Villareal. Abel Ruiz now at Braga. A chunk of that team are in strong teams in top flights.

Edit...geez, just remembered, Araujo the Uruguay/Barça defender had just come in, Konrad de la Fuente; Ansu got minutes even though he was younger; Mingueza, who had a few years with the first team and was sold this summer to Celta. But there were plenty of players on that team who did not do as well.

Edited September 26, 2022 by Unnamed Trialist

[DeRo_Is_King]

3 hours ago, VinceA said:

I know we all want to see Tabla succeed and move up quickly but really he needs sustained excellence over a number of seasons. 

He's been too much of a flash in the pan player for too long. He needs to be a stable contributor long term. 

Boakai had one good season in the Finnish 2nd division and then immediately jumped when a better chance came his way and then floundered and now he's out of the game. I'd hate for that to be Tabla's fate.

For sure. It's a great goal and he has done well at Atletico, but more sustained success will be the real indicator. Whatever the case, still rooting for him. 

[InglewoodJack]

27 minutes ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

First, Jutglà went through Espanyol academy and was signed already at 21 by Barça, think it was. So the whole developmental path is that much older.

Then, he was never really rejected at Barça. They played him due to injures, like when Ansu Fati went down. He scored a lot for the B team. They might have kept him, he was effective in his few minutes, and you could see he had the moves (he has high IQ, the kind of player kids should watch). 

Ballou went out probably too young, with too little support. There were some emotional problems I believe, hard to be away from home. He too, by the way, could perfectly well have continued with the B. He was under contract. They were not as unhappy with him as he was unhappy with his situation.

For me, this personal development aspect is important. It is a sort of "way back" story, starting all over, almost from scratch and crawling back slowly. 

I personally would not be surprised if a team in Spain put in an offer, like a 2nd tier side even, just on his former reputation, the highlight reels and the affililation with Atlético.

Edit, answering @Obinna  Tabla was gone by the time Jutglà was signed, though they are a similar age. Tabla played with Riqui Puig, with Aleña at Getafe, with Collado who was on loan to Granada last year and Elche this, with Juan Miranda the Betis outside back, with Jorge Cuenca, CB at Villareal. Abel Ruiz now at Braga. A chunk of that team are in strong teams in top flights.

Edit...geez, just remembered, Araujo the Uruguay/Barça defender had just come in, Konrad de la Fuente; Ansu got minutes even though he was younger; Mingueza, who had a few years with the first team and was sold this summer to Celta. But there were plenty of players on that team who did not do as well.

I'm just talking shit given the comparison- I don't think Tabla is good enough for Club Brugge right now, and if he did go there, he probably wouldn't play 10% of the minutes they're giving Cyle Larin anyways. It is crazy though that FCB has such an abundance of assets that a guy like Jutgla who played pretty well for FCB's first team last year was let go.

I think talks of transfer are very premature, but the CPL has had some guys land in some surprising transfers, so it's not out of the realm of possibilities for me. Spanish 2nd div, given his familiarity with Spain could be an option. I wonder if he can leverage the Atletico group here- whether it's with Atletico Madrid B, or San Luis in Mexico.

[narduch]

Nominated for CPL player of the year

[RS]

 

[toontownman]

A step up but a weird one. Hope he does well there. Manisa are firmly in the middle of the 2nd tier. Should get some solid playtime hopefully.

[narduch]

Turkish 2nd tier 

[InglewoodJack]

That’s a move someone makes if they think they can move on to a better team in the near future. I hope he reproduces his form with Ottawa.

[Olympique_de_Marseille]

I recall a CanMNT player playing at this level for awhile. Who was it?

[El Hombre]

8 minutes ago, Olympique_de_Marseille said:

I recall a CanMNT player playing at this level for awhile. Who was it?

Ricketts?

[Pottsy3]

8 minutes ago, Olympique_de_Marseille said:

I recall a CanMNT player playing at this level for awhile. Who was it?

Tosaint Ricketts spent two years in the Turkish second division

[VinceA]

Don't like this move personally. Could have used another strong season with Ottawa. He hasn't shown he can consistently be good over long stretches other than his one season with Ottawa.

[Obinna]

Interesting, if not surprising move for Tabla. Not quite sure how to feel about it yet.

I mean, it's a step up, I think, but the part about his team being mid-table is not great. He's also an offensive player who will rightly or wrongly be judged on production. In this regard, it's good he took a step up that was small. By contrast, if he made a move to Pau in Ligue 2, he possibly gets lost in the shuffle at that level.

Maybe with this move he can transfer up the Turkish ladder and find a team like Hatayspor in the Super Lig. At that point he's surely back on the NT radar. Good luck to him, anyhow. 

[dyslexic nam]

4 minutes ago, VinceA said:

Don't like this move personally. Could have used another strong season with Ottawa. He hasn't shown he can consistently be good over long stretches other than his one season with Ottawa.

I understand it he sentiment, but at the same time I think CPL players probably need to follow the money when it is offered.  No idea what the pay scale is like in the Turkish 2nd division but CPL is on the bottom end of the pay spectrum for professional footballers trying to make a living so I suspect this is a healthy pay bump for Ballou.  Especially for players at the low end of the pay scale, I think that any bump in wages is probably an overriding factor when considering transfer options.  And as others noted this may open up pathways to upward mobility within Turkey.  

[InglewoodJack]

12 minutes ago, Obinna said:

Interesting, if not surprising move for Tabla. Not quite sure how to feel about it yet.

I mean, it's a step up, I think, but the part about his team being mid-table is not great. He's also an offensive player who will rightly or wrongly be judged on production. In this regard, it's good he took a step up that was small. By contrast, if he made a move to Pau in Ligue 2, he possibly gets lost in the shuffle at that level.

Maybe with this move he can transfer up the Turkish ladder and find a team like Hatayspor in the Super Lig. At that point he's surely back on the NT radar. Good luck to him, anyhow. 

I think his realistic peak is playing for a big Turkish club- I can see a 27 year old Tabla who has improved his consistency being a good piece for Besiktas or Fenerbahce or something. I think going to Turkey helps put him on the radar there.

Also, pure speculation, but I think his goal that went viral last year put him back on a lot of teams' maps- they see a former Barca player, still 23, can score goals like that, and is playing in a very small league? I think this was his best chance of going abroad and trying to hang on there again.

[Aird25]

20 minutes ago, dyslexic nam said:

No idea what the pay scale is like in the Turkish 2nd division but CPL is on the bottom end of the pay spectrum for professional footballers trying to make a living so I suspect this is a healthy pay bump for Ballou.

Isn't this the biggest problem we have to solve though?

[Obinna]

15 minutes ago, InglewoodJack said:

I think his realistic peak is playing for a big Turkish club- I can see a 27 year old Tabla who has improved his consistency being a good piece for Besiktas or Fenerbahce or something. I think going to Turkey helps put him on the radar there.

Also, pure speculation, but I think his goal that went viral last year put him back on a lot of teams' maps- they see a former Barca player, still 23, can score goals like that, and is playing in a very small league? I think this was his best chance of going abroad and trying to hang on there again.

If Tabla is consistently playing for a Besiktas, Fenerbahce, or Galatasaray by age 27 I would be thrilled!

[Obinna]

23 minutes ago, dyslexic nam said:

I understand it he sentiment, but at the same time I think CPL players probably need to follow the money when it is offered.  No idea what the pay scale is like in the Turkish 2nd division but CPL is on the bottom end of the pay spectrum for professional footballers trying to make a living so I suspect this is a healthy pay bump for Ballou.  Especially for players at the low end of the pay scale, I think that any bump in wages is probably an overriding factor when considering transfer options.  And as others noted this may open up pathways to upward mobility within Turkey.  

This is a good point, actually. I wouldn't be surprised if he triples his salary (or better) with this move. 

17 minutes ago, InglewoodJack said:

Also, pure speculation, but I think his goal that went viral last year put him back on a lot of teams' maps- they see a former Barca player, still 23, can score goals like that, and is playing in a very small league? I think this was his best chance of going abroad and trying to hang on there again.

I feel like such a thing would especially gain traction in a place like Turkey. Hard to express why exactly, but it just feels to me like it would. Somehow, I imagine the Belgians, Dutch, etc. being less awed by such a thing. 

[freshprinceofmtl]

I am no means an expert on lower division Turkish leagues but looking at their history it seems like the club has seen steady growth in recent years, maybe an ambitious owner took over? Teams 3-7 make a promotion playoff so that could still be attainable this year. Best of luck to Ballou!

 

[jordan]

He was so fun to watch last year so good for him. As it stands though Ottawa has been gutted, so it should make for a fun season…super excited

[Obinna]

Manisa F.K. - Wikipedia

If you think Ballou is joining a club with more a lot more history than Ottawa, you may be surprised to learn that Manisa haven't been around long. They apparently weren't founded until 2019!