Eunan O'Kane's move to AFC Bournemouth has taken the income made in the transfer market by Torquay United manager Martin Ling during the close season above the £500,000 mark.
The Cherries paid £175,000, which, added to the £380,000 received from the sales of Bobby Olejnik and Mark Ellis to Peterborough United and Crewe Alexandra, takes the monies received by the Gulls in the summer of 2012 to £550,000.
It also lifts the total fees received by Torquay since Ling's arrival to £655,000, which includes the sales last season of Chris Zebroski, Billy Kee and Chris Robertson.
The only fee spent by Ling to date is the £70,000 paid to Swindon Town for Billy Bodin, which was made possible following a donation of £50,000 from a mystery fan.
All transfer fees received by Torquay United since Martin Ling's appointment as manager:
July 2011 Chris Zebroski to Bristol Rovers £40,000
August 2011 Billy Kee to Burton Albion £15,000
January 2012 Chris Robertson to Preston North End £60,000
June 2012 Bobby Olejnik to Peterborough United £300,000
June 2012 Mark Ellis to Crewe Alexandra £80,000
July 2012 Eunan O'Kane to AFC Bournemouth £175,000
Total fees received: £655,000
Footnote: The Torquay United manager who has made the most money in the transfer market is Wes Saunders who received £1.5million from player sales during his reign as manager from 1998 to 2001.
Saturday, 28 July 2012
Friday, 27 July 2012
FAREWELL TO THE OK KID
Torquay United midfielder Eunan O'Kane's memorable two-and-a-half year stint at Plainmoor came to an end yesterday as he completed a £175,000 move to League One side Bournemouth.
The Cherries triggered a release clause in his contract, which had been activated earlier in the summer by Crawley Town, but O'Kane turned down a move to the Sussex side, that pipped the Gulls to automatic promotion from League Two.
Instead, he will be heading to the Fitness First Stadium where he will be looking to develop his promising career, whilst Martin Ling will assess the options open to him regarding his replacement.
“I
am now looking at my squad and the 4-3-3 system we play, and what we
have available for that midfield three. There is obviously Lee Mansell,
plus Ian Morris, Damon Lathrope, Craig Easton and Nathan Craig.
“My final word on Eunan would be, as I’ve always said, he is a player who reminds me of myself. He can unlock defences and likes to use the football.
“As a person and a player, I have nothing but admiration and goodwill for Eunan O’Kane.”
O'Kane first arrived at Plainmoor in January 2010 as a raw recruit from Irish League side Coleraine looking for his second chance in English football after being released by Everton as a youngster.
He made his debut away to Chesterfield on January 16th 2010 as a substitute and by the end of the 2009-10 campaign had made 16 appearances and scored once away at Darlington on March 6th 2010.
During this time he had sufficiently impressed the then Gulls boss Paul Buckle to offer him a two-year contract.
The following season saw Eunan build on the progress he made during his first campaign as he scored eight goals in 55 appearances in all competitions, as Torquay reached the League Two Play-Off final where they were beaten by Stevenage.
One of his eight goals included the winning strike in the Gulls FA Cup third round win over Carlisle United, a moment which Eunan described as a childhood dream come true.
After their Play-Off final heartache and the departure of Paul Buckle to Bristol Rovers, Eunan became a pivotal figure for his successor Martin Ling as he looked to rebuild the side after the departures of key individuals such as Guy Branston, Chris Zebroski and Scott Bevan.
Perhaps the greatest memory Gulls' fans will have of his time at Plainmoor would be the two goals, which he scored in Torquay's 3-1 win over Plymouth Argyle on November 19th 2011.
After a turgid first half the game sprung to life in the 47th minute when Eunan fired home a stunning opening strike from distance.
If that goal was merely a good goal, his second, two minutes later, was a fusion of beauty and intelligence as he spotted Argyle keeper Romain Larrieu off his line and struck from 40-yards to double the Gulls' lead as they eventually ran out as 3-1 winners.
As well as being the Gulls' first first win over the Pilgrims in 40 years, it was also their biggest ever win over the Pilgrims.
Unfortunately, the 2011-12 season would end in a similar manner to the previous one as Torquay missed out on automatic promotion on the final day of the season to Crawley before losing to Cheltenham Town in the Play-Offs.
However, this shouldn't diminish Eunan's displays in midfield, which compare favourably to those of Alex Russell and Jason Fowler during the Gulls' automatic promotion winning side of the 2003-04 season.
During the summer prior to his move to the Cherries, Eunan completed his switch of international allegiance from Northern Ireland, whom he had represented at Youth and Under-21 level, to the Republic of Ireland and represented their Under-21 side twice during the close season.
It's fair to say O'Kane did more than OK during his two-and-a-half seasons at Plainmoor, he did pretty darn good.
The Cherries triggered a release clause in his contract, which had been activated earlier in the summer by Crawley Town, but O'Kane turned down a move to the Sussex side, that pipped the Gulls to automatic promotion from League Two.
Instead, he will be heading to the Fitness First Stadium where he will be looking to develop his promising career, whilst Martin Ling will assess the options open to him regarding his replacement.
“There has been an expectation that Eunan may leave
and I did plan ahead for life without him when he was talking to
Crawley,” said Ling.
“I always felt, after the
season Eunan had last year, that a club from League 1 or above would
come in and pay the release clause in his contract.
“I would have loved to keep him but, in the same breath, it is a good move for him personally and good for our club financially.
“My final word on Eunan would be, as I’ve always said, he is a player who reminds me of myself. He can unlock defences and likes to use the football.
“As a person and a player, I have nothing but admiration and goodwill for Eunan O’Kane.”
O'Kane first arrived at Plainmoor in January 2010 as a raw recruit from Irish League side Coleraine looking for his second chance in English football after being released by Everton as a youngster.
He made his debut away to Chesterfield on January 16th 2010 as a substitute and by the end of the 2009-10 campaign had made 16 appearances and scored once away at Darlington on March 6th 2010.
During this time he had sufficiently impressed the then Gulls boss Paul Buckle to offer him a two-year contract.
The following season saw Eunan build on the progress he made during his first campaign as he scored eight goals in 55 appearances in all competitions, as Torquay reached the League Two Play-Off final where they were beaten by Stevenage.
One of his eight goals included the winning strike in the Gulls FA Cup third round win over Carlisle United, a moment which Eunan described as a childhood dream come true.
After their Play-Off final heartache and the departure of Paul Buckle to Bristol Rovers, Eunan became a pivotal figure for his successor Martin Ling as he looked to rebuild the side after the departures of key individuals such as Guy Branston, Chris Zebroski and Scott Bevan.
Perhaps the greatest memory Gulls' fans will have of his time at Plainmoor would be the two goals, which he scored in Torquay's 3-1 win over Plymouth Argyle on November 19th 2011.
After a turgid first half the game sprung to life in the 47th minute when Eunan fired home a stunning opening strike from distance.
If that goal was merely a good goal, his second, two minutes later, was a fusion of beauty and intelligence as he spotted Argyle keeper Romain Larrieu off his line and struck from 40-yards to double the Gulls' lead as they eventually ran out as 3-1 winners.
As well as being the Gulls' first first win over the Pilgrims in 40 years, it was also their biggest ever win over the Pilgrims.
Unfortunately, the 2011-12 season would end in a similar manner to the previous one as Torquay missed out on automatic promotion on the final day of the season to Crawley before losing to Cheltenham Town in the Play-Offs.
However, this shouldn't diminish Eunan's displays in midfield, which compare favourably to those of Alex Russell and Jason Fowler during the Gulls' automatic promotion winning side of the 2003-04 season.
During the summer prior to his move to the Cherries, Eunan completed his switch of international allegiance from Northern Ireland, whom he had represented at Youth and Under-21 level, to the Republic of Ireland and represented their Under-21 side twice during the close season.
It's fair to say O'Kane did more than OK during his two-and-a-half seasons at Plainmoor, he did pretty darn good.
Tuesday, 24 July 2012
THE FINAL PIECE IN THE JIGSAW
Torquay United manager Martin Ling has moved to fill the central defensive vacancy left by the departure of Mark Ellis by securing the services of Aaron Downes.
Ling watched the Australian-born Downes, 27, play as a trialist for Yeovil Town against Plymouth Argyle at the Avenue Stadium, Dorchester, and is confident his fitness and talents will flourish after overcoming two serious knee injuries.
"Aaron is a 27 year-old Australian who played for Chesterfield and Bristol Rovers last season. He was going to be a massive product at Chesterfield but has suffered a couple of bad knee injuries.
"These have definitely thwarted his career in terms of where he wanted to go and he is looking to rebuild.
"He played 22 games last year between Chesterfield and Bristol Rovers and wants to get back to where he was aiming.
"He was available for most of last season and I've spoken to a lot of people about him, and all I've heard has been positive.
"I watched him play for Yeovil in pre-season and they wanted to take him, but as a cover player rather than a starter. I've told Aaron I'm looking for a left-sided centre-half and he has played 90% of his football in that position, even though he is right-footed."
Aaron's arrival at Plainmoor takes Ling's close season signings up to six, a list which includes Ryan Jarvis, Craig Easton, Michael Poke, Thomas Cruise and Billy Bodin.
Ling watched the Australian-born Downes, 27, play as a trialist for Yeovil Town against Plymouth Argyle at the Avenue Stadium, Dorchester, and is confident his fitness and talents will flourish after overcoming two serious knee injuries.
"Aaron is a 27 year-old Australian who played for Chesterfield and Bristol Rovers last season. He was going to be a massive product at Chesterfield but has suffered a couple of bad knee injuries.
"These have definitely thwarted his career in terms of where he wanted to go and he is looking to rebuild.
"He played 22 games last year between Chesterfield and Bristol Rovers and wants to get back to where he was aiming.
"He was available for most of last season and I've spoken to a lot of people about him, and all I've heard has been positive.
"I watched him play for Yeovil in pre-season and they wanted to take him, but as a cover player rather than a starter. I've told Aaron I'm looking for a left-sided centre-half and he has played 90% of his football in that position, even though he is right-footed."
Aaron's arrival at Plainmoor takes Ling's close season signings up to six, a list which includes Ryan Jarvis, Craig Easton, Michael Poke, Thomas Cruise and Billy Bodin.
JAMES TRAINS WITH GRECIANS
Exeter City have received an experienced addition to the ranks this week in the form of former England goalkeeper David James.
A resident of nearby Chudleigh, James has been without a club since his release by Bristol City at the end of last season and is working with the Grecians at their Cat and Fiddle training ground in a bid to regain his match sharpness.
Exeter's Director of Football, Steve Perryman, who has recently returned to his role following heart surgery, was James' first senior manager when he started his career at Watford and believes the presence of the ex England keeper can be of great benefit to the entire squad.
"It can only help and it can only add some interest to the squad and the goalkeepers when they're training." said Perryman.
"I would hesitate to suggest that there's anything else in it from his part, or our part, but we're more than happy to help.
"No matter what you think, no matter what you try to do, if you don't train you'll go rusty and that's why he's here.
"I'm sure he won't mind me saying he's not played for a couple of months and he needs to train to get that sharpness back and I'm sure a couple of sessions a week with us and he'll start picking it up again."
James, who won the last of his 53 England caps in their 4-1 defeat at the hands of Germany in the 2010 World Cup, also worked as a pundit for the BBC during Euro 2012.
A resident of nearby Chudleigh, James has been without a club since his release by Bristol City at the end of last season and is working with the Grecians at their Cat and Fiddle training ground in a bid to regain his match sharpness.
Exeter's Director of Football, Steve Perryman, who has recently returned to his role following heart surgery, was James' first senior manager when he started his career at Watford and believes the presence of the ex England keeper can be of great benefit to the entire squad.
"It can only help and it can only add some interest to the squad and the goalkeepers when they're training." said Perryman.
"I would hesitate to suggest that there's anything else in it from his part, or our part, but we're more than happy to help.
"No matter what you think, no matter what you try to do, if you don't train you'll go rusty and that's why he's here.
"I'm sure he won't mind me saying he's not played for a couple of months and he needs to train to get that sharpness back and I'm sure a couple of sessions a week with us and he'll start picking it up again."
James, who won the last of his 53 England caps in their 4-1 defeat at the hands of Germany in the 2010 World Cup, also worked as a pundit for the BBC during Euro 2012.
Monday, 23 July 2012
CAULKER'S OLYMPIC DREAM
The footballing education of ex Yeovil Town loanee Steven Caulker continued last Friday night as he appeared as a substitute for Team GB in their Olympic warm-up match against Brazil.
Caulker, who made 44 league appearances for the Glovers in the 2009-10 season whilst on a season long loan deal from Tottenham Hotspur, entered the fray as a half-time substitute, at the Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough, by which time Team GB were already two goals down.
Team GB went on to play out a goalless second half, during which time Caulker was joined on the pitch by former Plymouth Argyle loanee Scott Sinclair.
During this period, Caulker also renewed his England Under-21 central defensive partnership with West Brom defender Craig Dawson.
The duo will be hoping manager Stuart Pearce decides to renew their pairing for Team GB's opening match against Senegal at Old Trafford this coming Thursday for their opening Group A match.
As well as the Huish Park who witnessed Caulker virtually sweep the board in their Player of the Year awards in the 2009-10 campaign, new Tottenham boss Andres Villas Boas is also likely to be watching the young defender's progress at the games with interest.
Following the announcement that Ledley King is retiring from the game, there is a vacancy in the centre of the Spurs' defence that Caulker could fill should he sufficiently impress the former Porto and Chelsea manager.
This would see Caulker build on the progress he has made in the subsequent loan spells he has had since leaving Huish Park at Bristol City and with Swansea City in the Premiership last season.
Caulker, who made 44 league appearances for the Glovers in the 2009-10 season whilst on a season long loan deal from Tottenham Hotspur, entered the fray as a half-time substitute, at the Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough, by which time Team GB were already two goals down.
Team GB went on to play out a goalless second half, during which time Caulker was joined on the pitch by former Plymouth Argyle loanee Scott Sinclair.
During this period, Caulker also renewed his England Under-21 central defensive partnership with West Brom defender Craig Dawson.
The duo will be hoping manager Stuart Pearce decides to renew their pairing for Team GB's opening match against Senegal at Old Trafford this coming Thursday for their opening Group A match.
As well as the Huish Park who witnessed Caulker virtually sweep the board in their Player of the Year awards in the 2009-10 campaign, new Tottenham boss Andres Villas Boas is also likely to be watching the young defender's progress at the games with interest.
Following the announcement that Ledley King is retiring from the game, there is a vacancy in the centre of the Spurs' defence that Caulker could fill should he sufficiently impress the former Porto and Chelsea manager.
This would see Caulker build on the progress he has made in the subsequent loan spells he has had since leaving Huish Park at Bristol City and with Swansea City in the Premiership last season.
Thursday, 12 July 2012
ARGYLE ADD LOWRY TO THEIR MIDFIELD COLLECTION
After Simon Walton's departure to Hartlepool United, Plymouth Argyle boss Carl Fletcher has moved to fill the void by signing former Chesterfield and Crewe midfielder Jamie Lowry.
Lowry, 25, was born in Newquay and came through the Spireites youth ranks and can play anywhere in midfield as well as right-back.
He made 10 appearances for Crewe last season and was heavily linked with a return to Gresty Road before the Pilgrims clinched his signature.
The vacancy of captain that was also vacated by Walton has been taken on by experienced 35-year old centre back Darren Purse who has described his appointment as a great honour.
He said: "I'm honoured, I know everyone says that but it is an honour to captain a football club.
"The club's been in the doldrums for three seasons and we need to start putting that winning mentality back.
"It's been mismanaged off the pitch, but now it's changed and we've got a great owner with a passion for the football club and hopefully the gaffer will get the support from him to put the players on the pitch and get promotion."
Lowry, 25, was born in Newquay and came through the Spireites youth ranks and can play anywhere in midfield as well as right-back.
He made 10 appearances for Crewe last season and was heavily linked with a return to Gresty Road before the Pilgrims clinched his signature.
The vacancy of captain that was also vacated by Walton has been taken on by experienced 35-year old centre back Darren Purse who has described his appointment as a great honour.
He said: "I'm honoured, I know everyone says that but it is an honour to captain a football club.
"The club's been in the doldrums for three seasons and we need to start putting that winning mentality back.
"It's been mismanaged off the pitch, but now it's changed and we've got a great owner with a passion for the football club and hopefully the gaffer will get the support from him to put the players on the pitch and get promotion."
Saturday, 7 July 2012
WALTS EXITS HOME PARK FOR HARTLEPOOL
In years to come, Simon Walton's career as a Plymouth Argyle player will be remembered as a series of highs and lows.
He arrived at Home Park at the start of the 2008-09 season, when the Pilgrims were still in the Championship, after Paul Sturrock paid what would have become a club record fee of £750,000, including add-on clauses.
However, the fee never surpassed the £500,000 the Pilgrims paid for Steven MacLean and Walton's early career with the Pilgrims didn't quite go to plan either as Simon failed to hold down a first team spot under Sturrock and his successor, Paul Mariner.
He only made 13 appearances in his first 12 months as an Argyle player and found himself loaned out to Blackpool, Crewe Alexandra and Sheffield United between 2009 and 2010.
His loan stint at Sheffield United also came to a premature end as he sustained an cruciate ligament injury, which saw him return to Home Park for treatment.
Towards the end of the 2010-11 campaign, he was restored to the Pilgrims starting XI by Peter Reid.
By which time the club was in Administration and Simon was one of a number of players who were forced to sign agreements to defer their wages in a bid to keep the Pilgrims alive.
Simon made his return to the Argyle side on April 9th 2011 and nine days later, he scored his first goal for the Pilgrims in a 1-0 win over MK Dons.
Unfortunately, his efforts were too late to save Argyle from a second consecutive relegation, but the story doesn't end here.
Early in the following season, Peter Reid was dismissed as manager of the Pilgrims and was replaced by Carl Fletcher at a time when Argyle only had one point to their name and were still in Administration, as James Brent's takeover of the club was yet to be finalised.
In Fletcher's first game in charge, against Macclesfield Town September 2012, he handed Simon the captaincy as the Pilgrims won 2-0 to secure their first three points of the season.
This proved to be the beginning of an Argyle revival as they went on to secure the points they needed to avoid relegation to the Blue Square Premier.
Simon finished the season as Argyle's top scorer with eight goals in 45 appearances and had agreed a deal to remain at Home Park for the 2012-13 campaign before he agreed the release from his contract to join Hartlepool United.
The move will mean he will be closer to his young daughter, Poppy, as Hartlepool is only 45 minutes away from his family base in Leeds.
At the age of 24, Simon has experienced a lot of issues that most professional footballers will face during an entire career and hopefully he will go to achieve great things in the remainder of it.
He arrived at Home Park at the start of the 2008-09 season, when the Pilgrims were still in the Championship, after Paul Sturrock paid what would have become a club record fee of £750,000, including add-on clauses.
However, the fee never surpassed the £500,000 the Pilgrims paid for Steven MacLean and Walton's early career with the Pilgrims didn't quite go to plan either as Simon failed to hold down a first team spot under Sturrock and his successor, Paul Mariner.
He only made 13 appearances in his first 12 months as an Argyle player and found himself loaned out to Blackpool, Crewe Alexandra and Sheffield United between 2009 and 2010.
His loan stint at Sheffield United also came to a premature end as he sustained an cruciate ligament injury, which saw him return to Home Park for treatment.
Towards the end of the 2010-11 campaign, he was restored to the Pilgrims starting XI by Peter Reid.
By which time the club was in Administration and Simon was one of a number of players who were forced to sign agreements to defer their wages in a bid to keep the Pilgrims alive.
Simon made his return to the Argyle side on April 9th 2011 and nine days later, he scored his first goal for the Pilgrims in a 1-0 win over MK Dons.
Unfortunately, his efforts were too late to save Argyle from a second consecutive relegation, but the story doesn't end here.
Early in the following season, Peter Reid was dismissed as manager of the Pilgrims and was replaced by Carl Fletcher at a time when Argyle only had one point to their name and were still in Administration, as James Brent's takeover of the club was yet to be finalised.
In Fletcher's first game in charge, against Macclesfield Town September 2012, he handed Simon the captaincy as the Pilgrims won 2-0 to secure their first three points of the season.
This proved to be the beginning of an Argyle revival as they went on to secure the points they needed to avoid relegation to the Blue Square Premier.
Simon finished the season as Argyle's top scorer with eight goals in 45 appearances and had agreed a deal to remain at Home Park for the 2012-13 campaign before he agreed the release from his contract to join Hartlepool United.
The move will mean he will be closer to his young daughter, Poppy, as Hartlepool is only 45 minutes away from his family base in Leeds.
At the age of 24, Simon has experienced a lot of issues that most professional footballers will face during an entire career and hopefully he will go to achieve great things in the remainder of it.
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