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Perth-raised Tom King gets his chance at Melbourne City

 

BRYCE CONWAY

 

OCTOBER 17, 2014

 

 

IT’S been a rollercoaster five years in professional football for Norwegian-born, Perth raised Tom King.

 

“It was a big move at 15/16 moving to England, but at the same time it’s something I’d been working towards for years,” he said.

 

“It was always the goal to sign overseas, so I think when the opportunity arose I was ready to pursue it 100 per cent.”

 

Injuries have hampered his progress during stints at the prestigious Liverpool Academy and more recently Bristol Football Club, but he insists “the passion’s always remained.”

 

The 20-year-old defender has been able to navigate his way through difficulties to find himself at Melbourne City - now run by current Premier League champions Manchester City – where he’s seeking to establish a spot in the first team.

 

King is now plying his trade alongside high calibre players such as Spain’s record goal-scorer David Villa (World Cup Winner, La Liga Champion), as well as Irish winger Damien Duff (2x Premier League Winner with Chelsea, capped 100 times by the Republic of Ireland) and midfielder Robert Koren (Former Slovenian Captain, Premier League player with West Bromwich Albion & Hull City).

 

“I think the A-League has changed dramatically in the few years I was overseas, and it’s constantly improving,” he said.

 

“There is a clear pathway now through the Australian system and overseas clubs are showing more and more interest in the players the A-League is developing.” Kind added.

 

Melbourne City’s profile has risen drastically to now being regarded as the glamour club of the tenth season of the A-League, and King insists the hype is justified.

 

“They’ve created a fantastic professional atmosphere” he said, and adding that the 17-day pre-season camp at the parent club’s Carrington Training Centre was a “fantastic experience”.

 

Melbourne’s training grounds at La Trobe University have received a state-of-the-art overhaul, which is one of the great bonuses of being 80 per cent owned by the English giants.

 

Away from the glitz and glamour of being a professional footballer, the Applecross local has added that “it’s a high pressure job with contracts on the line”, which has contributed to many footballers facing emotional difficulties as the majority don’t get to enjoy the success and fame so synonymous with the profession.

 

The “instability of the job”, as King noted, is something that doesn’t receive enough attention despite the “great support of player liaisons” at football clubs.

 

“I also missed my best mates and the lifestyle you’re lucky enough to lead in Australia. I had a tight-knit group of mates I grew up with, so I missed them,” he said.

 

Constantly moving from city to city, country to country, is “part and parcel of the game” as King described, and it’s an aspect he’s become all too familiar with.

 

“Bristol was such a nice place, I made some great friends, which helped me really settle in,” King said.

 

But he admitted a move back to Australia was “refreshing” and a move that was necessary to develop at this stage of his career.

 

After achieving his dream for playing with Liverpool as a junior, King advised young players to “work hard and be persistent” as young talent is “always being watched and there’s always an opportunity.”

 

Melbourne City drew their opening game with Sydney FC 1-1 on the weekend with David Villa scoring on debut off the bench. City host the Newcastle Jets at AAMI Park this Saturday [sic].

 

http://www.perthnow.com.au/sport/football/perthraised-tom-king-gets-his-chance-at-melbourne-city/story-fnk6rldg-1227094257580    

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It seems that he's certainly contracted. Probably on a NYL contract. Solid pedigree for a young player in the NYL team (I reckon most, maybe all, other A-League sides could only sign him on a senior contract. Another sign of the City difference IMO).

 

Good to hear that he's vying to get into the first team as well.  

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95% of these guys end up in Conference South or the state leagues.

Has he even played a senior game before? Is there anything to separate him from any other player in our NYL squad? Is there anything that suggest he has more than a 5% chance (at best) of being an A-League standard player?

Presumably the club thinks enough of his potential to have spent time and money on him during the Carrington visit, and we now have confirmation that he's signed for the NYL squad for this season.

Numbers game. Spend fairly minimal amounts on a bunch of decent youngsters, only need one in a hundred to become a solid player to make it worthwhile. There are many players every year that City is spending more on in their academy, and there wouldn't even be one a year that will become a regular City player.

I hate always being negative about these young players, I wish them well, but the reality is most are not and will never be A-League standard players.

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I hate always being negative about these young players, I wish them well, but the reality is most are not and will never be A-League standard players.

 

Well you're right, but that's OK.  By being in a NYL squad, these players will receive some great training and this will help them raise the standard of the NPL, which in turn  will help further raise the A League standard.  Elite players don't exist unless you have an even greater pool of players at sub-elite pushing them.

 

It also means that the ones who do make it from our NYL are (hopefully) stand out footballers.

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