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

Barca4life said:
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.
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Hollman for mine was a future Socceroo.

He might have wasted a year of his career in L2.
 
erogenouszone said:
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.
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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.
 
erogenouszone said:
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.
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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, then you will 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.
 
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Football us life said:
Jake Hollman’s limited starts at Walsall highlight how bench time hinders this conditioning compared to consistent footballers. Game volume forges tougher, sharper athletes....
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Jake Hollman only got the one start for Walsall in the EFL Trophy and none altogether in his other seven matches across League Two and the Carabao Cup which highlights this even more so.
 
rebelliousfeminist974 said:
Jake Hollman only got the one start for Walsall in the EFL Trophy and none altogether in his other seven matches across League Two and the Carabao Cup which highlights this even more so.
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I wonder if it was his agent pushing him to that club...

There is often an uncomfortable reality in Australian football where agents can sometimes become focused on securing an overseas move rather than securing the right overseas move.

Mind I haven't seen any media evidence that Hollman's agent may have pushed him into Walsall specifically, so it would be unfair to make that claim. But his story so far feels less like a failure of talent and more like a reminder that career planning matters as much as ability.

A footballer his type could almost be seen as a "luxury player" in League 2....

And sometimes the best move overseas isn't the biggest football country, it's the league that actually fits the player!!

He's still young enough to reset his trajectory. One difficult year doesn't define a career and many players stumble on their first attempt overseas. The successful ones treat it as a learning experience, rebuild, and then make a smarter move the next time. For Hollman, regular football and confidence should be the priority over another immediate overseas transfer.
 
Football us life said:
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, then you will 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.
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Also I don’t think the standard is any better over there too, you think someone like him he could have moved to the continent or championship/league 1 side.
 
Barca4life said:
Also I don’t think the standard is any better over there too, you think someone like him he could have moved to the continent or championship/league 1 side.
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I think Jake Hollman is a decent player—probably better than "decent" by A-League standards, though not yet at the level where you'd expect him to walk into a top European league....

And I think it's plausible that Jake Hollman could play in a league like the Belgian Pro League or the maybe the second tier in Belgium, but probably not yet for one of Belgium's top clubs.

Ditto Holland, Austria, Denmark etc...

Im not knocking thw lower divisions in England either, it's the heart and soul of the game but some players have the attributes to thrive in those leagues and some don't.

The mistake people sometimes make is assuming that because a player struggles in League Two, they aren't good enough for slightly up the food chain. Football doesn't work like that.
 
Football us life said:
I think Jake Hollman is a decent player—probably better than "decent" by A-League standards, though not yet at the level where you'd expect him to walk into a top European league....

And I think it's plausible that Jake Hollman could play in a league like the Belgian Pro League or the maybe the second tier in Belgium, but probably not yet for one of Belgium's top clubs.

Ditto Holland, Austria, Denmark etc...

Im not knocking thw lower divisions in England either, it's the heart and soul of the game but some players have the attributes to thrive in those leagues and some don't.

The mistake people sometimes make is assuming that because a player struggles in League Two, they aren't good enough for slightly up the food chain. Football doesn't work like that.
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Agree with the last sentence, well said.
 
Football us life said:
I think Jake Hollman is a decent player—probably better than "decent" by A-League standards, though not yet at the level where you'd expect him to walk into a top European league....

And I think it's plausible that Jake Hollman could play in a league like the Belgian Pro League or the maybe the second tier in Belgium, but probably not yet for one of Belgium's top clubs.

Ditto Holland, Austria, Denmark etc...

Im not knocking thw lower divisions in England either, it's the heart and soul of the game but some players have the attributes to thrive in those leagues and some don't.

The mistake people sometimes make is assuming that because a player struggles in League Two, they aren't good enough for slightly up the food chain. Football doesn't work like that.
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Jake Hollman, on talent is above league two. However signing for Walsall was a disaster. The football they play couldn't be any less opposite to what Jake is suited to and it was a waste of a year. Injuries didnt help either but i expect after 1-2 years he can go back overseas and put himself back into the national team picture. Seriously talented footballer.
 
TheAgent said:
Jake Hollman, on talent is above league two. However signing for Walsall was a disaster. The football they play couldn't be any less opposite to what Jake is suited to and it was a waste of a year. Injuries didnt help either but i expect after 1-2 years he can go back overseas and put himself back into the national team picture. Seriously talented footballer.
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And if you were his agent?
 
TheAgent said:
If i were his agent, league two is definitely not where i would have been suggesting his next move be. Technically gifted player would have been better suited to the Netherlands, Belgium, Bundesliga 2 etc.
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Jake Hollman holds only an Australian passport. Moving to the EU requires navigating strict non-EU salary rules in the Netherlands or squad quotas in Belgium, making Germany’s Bundesliga 2 his easiest pathway...

But it's far easier for an Australian footballer to get past the UK's working visa requirements.

As a football agent you'd be aware of all this of course......😉
 
Football us life said:
Jake Hollman holds only an Australian passport. Moving to the EU requires navigating strict non-EU salary rules in the Netherlands or squad quotas in Belgium, making Germany’s Bundesliga 2 his easiest pathway...

But it's far easier for an Australian footballer to get past the UK's working visa requirements.

As a football agent you'd be aware of all this of course......😉
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Of course its easier. I was only saying where his football would be most suited. Once again, league two definitely isn't it. He had also done a lot more than a handful of boys who have headed off to the MLS as well.
 
TheAgent said:
Of course its easier. I was only saying where his football would be most suited. Once again, league two definitely isn't it. He had also done a lot more than a handful of boys who have headed off to the MLS as well.
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But as a football agent the absolute first hurdle of the business?

Legal eligibility.....

As an agent, a player's passport dictates your entire strategy. Without a EU passport, a move to the Netherlands, Belgium, or Germany isn't just a matter of "styling fits"—it’s a complex immigration and financial puzzle.

In reality, an agent's job is probably 70% immigration bureaucracy, 20% networking, and maybe 10% actually looking at how a player kicks a ball.

Otherwise it's classic "Football Manager" syndrome. It's incredibly easy to spot the forum user who treat real-life football transfers like a video game where you just click "suggest terms" and a player miraculously flies halfway across the world!!

But then as an "agent" you'd know all that.....😉
 
Football us life said:
But as a football agent the absolute first hurdle of the business?

Legal eligibility.....

As an agent, a player's passport dictates your entire strategy. Without a EU passport, a move to the Netherlands, Belgium, or Germany isn't just a matter of "styling fits"—it’s a complex immigration and financial puzzle.

In reality, an agent's job is probably 70% immigration bureaucracy, 20% networking, and maybe 10% actually looking at how a player kicks a ball.

Otherwise it's classic "Football Manager" syndrome. It's incredibly easy to spot the forum user who treat real-life football transfers like a video game where you just click "suggest terms" and a player miraculously flies halfway across the world!!

But then as an "agent" you'd know all that.....😉
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You can relax with the essays. I made two points.

1. Wouldn't of recommended a move to league two (clearly)
2. Stylistically he is suited to the leagues I mentioned

That is all.
 
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