Callum Gribbin: The ex-Manchester United wonderkid starting again in England’s seventh tier

WI_Red

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It's behind a paywall but an excellent bit of writing.

Callum Gribbin: The ex-Manchester United wonderkid starting again in England's seventh tier – The Athletic

There was a time when it felt perfectly reasonable to imagine Callum Gribbin had so much talent, so much natural ability and so much in his favour, it would be almost impossible for him not to reach the top of his sport.
.....
Nicky Butt was never one to mince his words. It was Gribbin’s final week at Manchester United and Butt, the academy director, looked him in the eye. Tough love, they call it. “You’ll either end up working at McDonald’s or we’ll buy you back for £100 million.”
I remember watching clips of him in the academy and was convinced he was going to make it.
 

The Boy

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Why did United let him go? Wasn’t he meant to be the best and most promising youth player since Giggs?
 

Classical Mechanic

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I remember a scouser I work with waxing lyrical about him after watching him play their reserves, adamant that he'd make it to the top. I knew about the issues with him by then though.
 

AltiUn

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Why did United let him go? Wasn’t he meant to be the best and most promising youth player since Giggs?
Reportedly had really bad attitude issues. Got very sensitive about some RedCafe comments too if I remember correctly.
 

AltiUn

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The article is a bit OTT, he was good but nowhere near as good as players like Gomes and Greenwood, in my opinion.
 

lsd

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Can see him doing well around the lower leagues. Seems to be the type enjoys being a big fish in a small pond
 

mu4c_20le

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Had a decent foot for set pieces, but nowhere near the talent of Ravel.
 

Champ

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I don't ever remember the hype around Gribbin at the time, he never really excelled in any age group from what I remember.

Strange piece of journalism, but it's the Athletic so to be expected I suppose.
 

DOTA

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Because it’s not true
Boo! I want to believe.

I love the idea of players getting the hump with us, as if we matter. Reminds me of when Shoretire's dad came on here to set us straight.
 

AltiUn

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Because it’s not true
It is, he called the people on RedCafe clueless on a now deleted Tweet. It might be referenced in his old Caf thread.

The Tweet in question was: "reading some comments on red cafe .thanks for the rating. some people know nothing about me or football! Jerks."
 

Lecland07

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Another overrated prospect. In the end, the vast majority will never make it.

It is like sifting for gold. It turned out he was just a bit of mud to flush away in the river.
 

Drainy

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Wasn't that great. I'd put him in the Jack Barmby Tier of attacking talent - 'played ok to good at times' but never really had 'it'
 

golden_blunder

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It is, he called the people on RedCafe clueless on a now deleted Tweet. It might be referenced in his old Caf thread.

The Tweet in question was: "reading some comments on red cafe .thanks for the rating. some people know nothing about me or football! Jerks."
Heh. Knew one on me. He’s totally nailed it though
 

jderbyshire

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He plays for Radcliffe??

Bloody hell that is step down.
 

Scholsey2004

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The article is a bit OTT, he was good but nowhere near as good as players like Gomes and Greenwood, in my opinion.
Yeah, its a frequent mistake we make on here attributing the most exciting player in an u18's group as automatically being a major prospect since the quality level is completely incomparable to anything in senior football. Gribbin was very stylish but i dont think he was pushed up an age grouo like our most promising players typically are. He had a knee ligament injury as well which for a young player is always a huge set back.
 

holdsteady

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A lot of people itt are misremembering how good he was.

There was a period for about 6 months where he was just as good as Morrison or Januzaj ever were. Greenwood is a special case as it felt like he scored every game. Gribbin though was magical.
 

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The Athletic's writers like these kinds of articles but I don't remember Gribbin ever pulling up trees and the Academy was not at a really high level then anyway. I remember Ollie Kay even wrote a whole book on Adrian Doherty, another who didn't make it at United. I can't fathom why. I can't imagine it sold many copies at all.
 

lsd

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The Athletic's writers like these kinds of articles but I don't remember Gribbin ever pulling up trees and the Academy was not at a really high level then anyway. I remember Ollie Kay even wrote a whole book on Adrian Doherty, another who didn't make it at United. I can't fathom why. I can't imagine it sold many copies at all.

Adrian Doherty was rated higher than Giggs and reached the first team bench before Giggs did before suffering a career ending injury.

Everyone who saw him play rated him the best talent they ever saw people like Giggs, Robbie Savage and Brendan Rodgers etc
 

Stig

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He plays for Radcliffe??

Bloody hell that is step down.
Careful. That's where I'm from. It is a very fine place and Gary Sobers once played for us. Although he played cricket not football.
 

Charlie Foley

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Reportedly had really bad attitude issues. Got very sensitive about some RedCafe comments too if I remember correctly.
Same reason he couldn’t find a new club and is in the 7th tier. He’s an arrogant bellend who no one likes.
:lol: :lol: :lol:

Great player but difficult personality
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sorry it’s the phone


The Athletic's writers like these kinds of articles but I don't remember Gribbin ever pulling up trees and the Academy was not at a really high level then anyway. I remember Ollie Kay even wrote a whole book on Adrian Doherty, another who didn't make it at United. I can't fathom why. I can't imagine it sold many copies at all.
I thought his story deserved to be told
 

harms

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Interesting. I certainly remember him, but I never realised that he was that highly rated.