Source: FOOTYMAD
Rioch: Conor Thomas was destined for the top
Rioch: "He has done well and the rewards are there for the club, financially" Coventry City academy manager Gregor Rioch has spoken about the departure of Conor Thomas to Liverpool saying he was always destined for the top. The 17 year old Thomas was snapped up by Liverpool on loan until the end of the season in one of the most unexpected deadline transfer deals. Rioch could not praise Thomas, the footballer and character, highly enough and when asked if he would make in impact in the Premier League, he 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.” Not only is he a very talented footballer, he is a very well rounded, dedicated and sensible lad, “He’s a lovely kid; a magnificent lad,” said Rioch. “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 went on to reveal that Thomas had become a hot property in recent months and had to be carefully monitored to prevent unscrupulous clubs from tapping him, especially just before and after academy games. Rioch continued, “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.” The rules allow other clubs to ask permission to watch another team’s Under-18s but they are not allowed to scout Under-16 games. Rioch then 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.”
