General A Leagues thread (Men and Women) 2025/26 season

[Decentric]

Jake Hollman is a good singing for Sydney FC, it was a strange to move to a league 2 side given he was playing in the a-league.

He's technically a much better player to play in that kind of lower tier England, it will be interesting if he plays as one of the No.6s or as a No.10 where it's he's best position.

Hollman for mine was a future Socceroo.

He might have wasted a year of his career in L2.

 

[Barca4life]

Hollman for mine was a future Socceroo.

He might have wasted a year of his career in L2.

He’s career path reminded me of Kai Trewin’s one, agree he looked like a future Roo at one stage.

 

[erogenouszone]

Hollman for mine was a future Socceroo.

He might have wasted a year of his career in L2.

They play 46 games per season in League 2, the waste is he only started in 3. Never underestimate the conditioning affect of regular football.

 

[rebelliousfeminist974]

They play 46 games per season in League 2, the waste is he only started in 3. Never underestimate the conditioning affect of regular football.

Jake Hollman only got forty minutes' worth of game time in League Two all season across three matches and never started any of them, only playing a further five matches in both the EFL Trophy and Carabao Cup which is arguably more of a waste of a year in his career.

 

[Football us life]

They play 46 games per season in League 2, the waste is he only started in 3. Never underestimate the conditioning affect of regular football.

Exactly...

Players who play lots of games build superior physicality. ~46 League Two matches means players develop match-specific endurance, repeated sprint ability, strength in duels, and injury resilience through high-intensity running and contact.

Jake Hollman’s limited starts at Walsall highlight how bench time hinders this conditioning compared to consistent footballers. Game volume forges tougher, sharper athletes....

To be brutality honest I'm not sure why players from the A League go to lower divisions in England in this day and age....

It can't always be a money thing.

Places like Austria, Holland or Belgium offer better technical fit, smoother adaptation, and probably more game time.

If it's to get noticed by the big boys anywhere if you're good enough Modern scouting and data analytics like Wyscout, Opta, AI-driven recruitment tools, and global networks mean you can get noticed from almost anywhere now.