please log in to view this image 'I don't have any regrets about leaving Arsenal - I'm pleased with how things have gone' He's at No.31 in FFT's Football League Top 50 with good reason. Almost three years after leaving Arsenal, Jay Emmanuel-Thomas is thriving at Bristol City and on the rise. Joe Brewin finds out more... Two stepovers, an insane hocus pocus, and heâs away from two men. Cutting inside, his next touch â a left-footed drive â sends the ball into the back of the net. Itâs November 2010, and Jay Emmanuel-Thomas has just scored a goal for Arsenalâs reserves that heâll probably never match again. Skill, ingenuity and power â it combined all of the qualities that earmarked him for a bright future at the Emirates Stadium. Second-string football was childâs play for the north Londoner, but breaking into Arsene Wengerâs first team wasnât quite so straightforward. For all his promise, the young midfielder played for Arsenal five times (only once in the league) in between being packed off to the Football League with loan spells at Blackpool, Doncaster and Cardiff. But now things are different. Itâs taken a while â four different clubs, in fact â but Emmanuel-Thomas has finally found the perfect environment in which to unleash his prodigious talents. The 23-year-old now lights up in the red shirt of a different kind at Bristol City, where his 17 goals in all competitions match those of his previous six clubs combined. So whatâs changed? âIn the past I've only ever played out wide, but aside from a couple of games this season I've only been playing as a centre-forward,â he tells FourFourTwo. âPlaying as an actual striker is a bit different because I'm closer to the opposition goal where I can try and do as much damage as I can. This season it's paid off.â Heâs quite right. Although the Robins would perhaps consider their season somewhat disappointing (they currently sit in 15th - âup and down, but itâs starting to come together,â weâre told), Emmanuel-Thomasâs 15 goals in League One have contributed to an impressive goal haul bettered by only four sides this season. In fact, the young hitman forms one half of the divisionâs most lethal strike partnership; partner Sam Baldock is five goals ahead on 20. You wonât, however, catch the former Gunner taking a greedy potshot to catch up in the scoring stakes. âIt's not really a battle â more of a partnership,â he admits. âItâs all based around the team. If he ends up scoring more goals than me but I end up setting up most of them, I'll be just as pleased. I get more joy providing for others than I do from scoring, so I think I'm quite unselfish in that respect.â It's a statement backed up by the stats; only two men, Dean Cox (Leyton Orient) and Bakary Sako (Wolves), brag more than his nine assists in League One this season. Missed potential So far the Robins duo have been a sight for boss Steve Cotterill's sore eyes â but it hadnât always looked like panning out this way. For a while it seemed settling down would be difficult; even when Emmanuel-Thomas finally left Arsenal in search of regular first-team football, a move to Championship also-rans Ipswich didnât quite go to plan. By the time heâd left Portman Road after two years in a straight swap deal with Paul Anderson, it was largely agreed that he hadnât lived up to his obvious promise. âBut it's one of those scary ones,â conceded boss Mick McCarthy. âJay did not fulfil his potential here, but he may well do so somewhere else.â It turns out his premonitions were right. âAt Ipswich I ended up playing as a wide man,â Emmanuel-Thomas says. âI didn't mind that, even though it wasn't really my position, because I like facing players one-vs-one. That's one of the good things about being out there. But I've always felt I was a striker.â please log in to view this image Emmanuel-Thomas is thwarted by Bartosz Bialkowski on this occasion Itâs not like his form has come completely out of the blue. When impressing for Arsenalâs kids, Wenger made no secret of his belief in Emmanuel-Thomas. âOne thing is for sure - he can score goals,â declared the Frenchman in October 2010. âThat is a massive talent you cannot give to people. âThe guy is an unbelievable finisher, inside and outside of the box. He has outstanding qualities, and the build you dream to have. It is down to him how far he wants to go because he has big potential.â Tough Call Ask the burly frontman to reflect on how close he came to wooing Wenger, and there are no regrets. He made more appearances than most youngsters manage in north London, but by 21 he'd exhausted his options. It was about getting priorities straight â and that meant leaving his boyhood club. âI had a few experiences in and around the first team, but at the age I was, in and out through injuries and other things, I just wanted to be playing a lot more,â he admits. âI had to make a decision whether I was going to stick around or whether I was going to leave. I had to make that based on my football career, and not which club I wanted to be at. âWe were brought up a certain way to play a certain type of football, and I think that was always going to put me in good stead to wherever I would go next,â he adds. âYou can always add more to your game, but being good on the ball always benefits you in the long run. I'm quite pleased with how things have gone, and I don't really have any regrets.â Of Arsenalâs Class of '09, who won the FA Youth Cup with a 6-2 two-legged battering of Liverpool, only Jack Wilshere remains at the club as a first-team regular. Emmanuel-Thomas scored in each round before the Gunners dismantled a Reds side including the likes of Andre Wisdom, Tom Ince and Alex Kacaniklic. âSanchez Watt is still one of my best friends and now he's in League One with me at Colchester,â he says. âI speak to Craig Eastmond and Emmanuel Frimpong too. Jack not so much â I do if I see him, but not much otherwise. A lot of the boys have gone into the Football League and done well for themselves, which is good.â please log in to view this image Emmanuel-Thomas celebrates in '09 with baby-faced duo Wilshere and Watt In Demand Five years later the 23-year-old is back on the bounce â and after a season like his, interest from the Championship (fancy it, Mick?) is to be expected. In January, former boss Sean OâDriscoll informed Emmanuel-Thomas that he may have to be sold to balance the books. He wasnât, much to Robins fansâ delight, but financial pressures mean an acceptable summer bid may prise him away from Ashton Gate after just a season. âI'm not sure myself what's going to happen, it depends on interest from other clubs,â the youngster admits. âAt the moment I'm just trying to focus on doing the right thing until the end of the season.â Internationally too, Emmanuel-Thomas has options. Born to a St. Lucian mother and Dominican father, the time is nigh for him to decide his future for either nation. âIt's something that will be considered in the next year or so, although I'm not sure which one I'll choose yet,â says the Robins man. âIn the past there have been some discussions about it, but soon I want to look into it further and get in contact with the hierarchy of the two countries to see which one I'll play for. It's going to be a bit of an argument between my mum and dad, but that's between them to sort out!â At this rate they won't be the only ones scuffling for his services Read more at http://www.fourfourtwo.com/features...ased-how-things-have-gone#g5I1KM77hv4CrmHr.99 Brilliant factual about a great guy and exciting Bristol City striker. (IMO)
What a turn in fortune those 3 players have had over their careers, with one looking to fully reach his potential..
As much as I love jet “I'm not sure myself what's going to happen, it depends on interest from other clubs,” the youngster admits. “At the moment I'm just trying to focus on doing the right thing until the end of the season.” This tells me he'll be off in the summer, if someone in the championship comes in. He'll be gone
I can't see anyone above our level rushing in to snap him up right now. On his day, in L1, he's a handful, but when he's not in the mood it really shows and the team suffer for it. If he has a good season next year then maybe he can climb the football ladder again, maybe even with us if we're really turning the corner and can keep Sam and the good 'uns.
Scoring 21 goals in a season will attract interest from clubs in the championship. Even the likes of Wolves, Brentford and whoever else go up might be interested, lower half Championship teams will definitely be looking. My only worry is the idiots who are in control of selling our players. JET has 1 year on his contract and based on this season, he is worth 1-1.5 million to us. Now will a lower half championship team pay this? I doubt it, neither will any of the teams going up from league 1. He could still be here next season due to our valuation. Just hope we don't sell him for 300k like we did Davies One player im certain won't be here though is Baldock. Can see him off and replacing him with Paterson.
I can't see anyone looking to poach him, and I can't see us wanting to sell without JET explicitly handing in a transfer request. It's strange that some people can see his goals and consider him a great player, but other fans can look at him and see a player with individual skill that could ultimately harm the team. I think he's a great player, but he is still a way off from being able to put that skill towards an optimal performance for the team. It's a ridiculous comparison, I know, but I liken him to Cristiano Ronaldo. At the moment he plays like the Ronaldo of old, the one that would mope around if he lost the ball and would wait to be given it. He was also too skillful for his own good, and was more concerned with beating someone well than just simply beating them. With the right coaching and direction, JET could be like the Ronaldo of today, who is an absolute physical machine with unmatched power on the pitch and the kind of ability that makes him the most skilled player in the world football right now. A part of me believes that JET already feels that he's "made it" when in reality he's a decent player in a poor League 1 team. The coaching staff should be doing everything in their power to ensure that JET realises that he's not the best footballer in the League, or even in the team, but that if he puts his energy into it he could become what people have always expected of him.
He's an enigma but yet still an unfinished article. What he gives with one hand he takes away with the other, when lazying around in (I can't be bothered mood,) I could run on the pitch and kick him up the arse, but when he's sublime, surely thats what we all pay to watch football for, and theres been far too little of it at Ashton Gate in recent years. I have often advocated on here letting players settle at clubs for at least a couple of seasons, like I said, I think theres more to come from him, but you either build around him or take a different route, I cant see us being able to do both..
In the opening article it mentions a skill. Hocus pocus is only performed by a few pros. It is bloody hard to master and takes relentless practice to perform adeptly. Jay Emmanulle Thomas makes these tricks look as easy as walking because thats how much practice you need to put in. You practice hard till skill on the ball becomes like walking, and then practice some more. I would question how you get that good by being lazy.
For a few its natural - thats what Wenger could see. a natural footballer. If he spent the next 3 years working really hard - match day and in training, he could find himself making a real impact on world football, and he could achieve all that at Bristol City. Wether that will happen though is another question entirely
I firmly believe that teams like Wolves and Brentford would not take a gamble on him. A team trying to re-establish themselves back in the Championship needs grafters for 46 games or be able to buy a team that has sufficient quality from the off. As for the valuation Shiny put on him, despite the goals, I think that's way off. Maybe £500k if we're lucky. No-one on the planet will pay £1.5m for him. If he really gets his head together, and can iron out his lack of consistency then he could still play at a very high level. He's still young enough.
He's still a young player - this will have an impact on what someone is willing to pay If he's still with us at the start of next season, I'm expecting to see him much fitter (something Cotterill has alluded to)
Jay Emmanuel-Thomas skill is not natural. It can only come from endless intense quality practice. People do not wake up one morning and perform advanced skills. His natural physique could be a drawback. How many men have people seen with such soft quick feet who are built like tanks. He clearly has worked far far harder than others to achieve such a skill level.
I wonder what his agent is telling him? Let's hope he doesn't listen to the obvious hype from his man, somewhat like a former player did, because I'm sure they have a tremendous influence on players like JET.
He has something I have not seen before in thity five years plus watching all sorts. Shooting power like Walsh but in both feet, more skill than Dziekanowski and goals and assists. Bloke should be appreciated for being a cracking player at the top of his game.
Personally think if he can keep the three boys up front, and a couple if additions,we should be a fighting at the top. SC will do all in his power to keep them if he is serious about getting out of this division next season.
I said some months ago we have not seen anything like JET for a very very long time,special talent,love watching him tear defences apart.
If that lazy bastard Flint also ran around more and spent the next 3 years working really hard - match day and in training, he could find himself making a real impact on world football, and he could achieve all that at Bristol City.
