If any have, it won't have been a direct jump. They will have gone up bit by bit and educated themselves at progressively higher levels of the game. Jumping in at the deep end is rarely likely to come off. Interesting to note nobody talks about Chris Smalling amongst these non league players, now that is a very impressive jump - non league straight to premier league, never looked out of place before earning himself a (something like) £10m transfer fee to the worlds biggest football club and regular England international. I know he's been a bit shakey at times over the last year or two but he surely has to currently be the biggest non league to riches story.
I'm not sure there's any from the tenth tier that have made the Premier League, the closest are probably Stan Collymore (8th tier) and Ian Wright/Jamie Vardy (9th tier).
The lowest Vardy has played in is 8th tier. That means Sam Clucas could make history next season, assuming we don't get rid?
FFS, give your heads a bang. He couldn't even score in 2 games against Hull United. That's how good he is.
We signed Vardy from a side that had just won the 5th tier. Bit of a difference. This lad knocks them in for fun against defenders still hanging from the night before and knackered after a week of labouring. It's an impressive number but he's probably playing 3/4 levels below his ability.
Eh? Just about eveyone has been talking about Smalling's rise. It's just been eclipsed by Vardy's though.
They don't, everyone's been talking about Vardy and last season Austin, no one mentions Smalling. And it absolutely hasn't. Smalling went straight from tier 7 to tier 1, has earned earned two premier league medals, three community shields, europa league runner up and champions league runner up. Jamie Vardy went from tier 8, to 7, to 5, to 2, to 1 and has done nowt other than scored a couple of goals. It's incomparable, Smalling has risen higher, faster and achieved far more. His record outshines Vardy's like a xenon headlight outshines an iphone torch.
When Smalling is breaking records like Vardy is, come back to me. Smalling was clearly playing above his level for Maidstone, he stuck out like a sore thumb which is why (after only 12 non-league games) sides in the Premier League and Championship were interested. Vardy played 73 non-league games before someone (us) took a punt on him. Here we are 3 and a half years later and he's the top scorer in one of the planet's best divisions having equalled a record that's stood for 60 odd years. Smalling may well be playing for United (and out of his skin), but in terms of personal achievement. His don't come close to Vardy's, which is why people are talking about Jamie Vardy now. Also worth noting that Smalling has been a Premier League player since he was 19. Vardy didn't join the Premier League til he was 27. Smalling may well have gone on to better things than Vardy, but Vardy's explosion onto the scene has been incredible and won't be seen again for a long, long time.
I'm not sure if you're completely delusional, or just pulling a leg. League titles, medals > scoring a couple of goals. By your book Charlie Austin has been more succesful than Rio Ferdinand then? He scored more goals you see.
If you want another argument about whether Vardy's **** or not, take it to the Leicester board, I'm not having another thread ****ed up. Ta.
He actually scored twice against us at their place. One was a penalty but the other one was a hell of a strike. I watch this league most weeks and it really isn't that bad. Even the Humber Premier League (which is level 11 and a lot worse than the NCEL D1) is still perfectly watchable. It's not all hoofs up the pitch by drunken oafs. People don't realise how strong the grassroots leagues are in this country.
Ignore my argument completely then Jamie Vardy's rise from non-league to top scorer in 3 and a half years has been more impressive than Chris Smalling's rise from non-league to Champions League starter in 7 and a half years.
So he did, apologies. I appear to have changed his name halfway down the list. Well that's pissed on my chips!
I think many more teams are scouting non league football than ever before. Our scouts have just paid their Sky subscriptions for next year, so we will be ok!!!
I read an article about him last week. Think it said they were in NCEL Prem or D1 when he signed for them so that's level 9 or 10.
As above, they were a lot lower down when France first played for them. They got two promotions after he signed.
