Ex-Player Thread Malcolm Ebiowei

[Carpy]

Malcolm Ebiowei Signed: 2nd August 2024 (On Loan) - 3rd Jan 2025 ​

 

[Jster]

Eze, Hudson-Odoi, Zaha, Guehi, Tomori, Konsa, Saka, Conor Gallagher - all came through playing cage football. Many others too. Not sure what the point is - cage football has evidently been a positive force in developing players.

 

[Mad Dog]

Needs an attitude change quick if he’s to make it in the game!

Being out until the early hrs the night before matches. Being locked out his hotel numerous times. Certainly didn’t seem to be willing to put the effort in during his rare appearances.

Ended up training with the youth team last month.

You monster! How dare you say such judgmental things, without knowing him personally? He might have "personal circumstances" How dare you question his attitude?

I assume everyone will go after you, the way they've just gone after me, for saying exactly the same things...

Oh no sorry, you're off the hook, because I mentioned "inner city football cages" so I'm now some sort of judgmental snobby dinosaur

 

[RgYellows]

You monster! How dare you say such judgmental things, without knowing him personally? He might have "personal circumstances" How dare you question his attitude?

I assume everyone will go after you, the way they've just gone after me, for saying exactly the same things...

Oh no sorry, you're off the hook, because I mentioned "inner city football cages" so I'm now some sort of judgmental snobby dinosaur

i think UTO is claiming to know things that happened, whereas you admitted you were making things up.

 

[Mad Dog]

Eze, Hudson-Odoi, Zaha, Guehi, Tomori, Konsa, Saka, Conor Gallagher - all came through playing cage football. Many others too. Not sure what the point is - cage football has evidently been a positive force in developing players.

It also produces a lot of overrated s**t!

 

[Mad Dog]

What a very bizarre rant.
You obviously know Malcolm very, very well or are making huge assumptions about his attitude, ability and skill set based on limited minutes on the pitch and your broad, pre conceived views on the attitude of the youth of today.
So much to unpack here but I fear brick wall and head will come into play.

I'm simply going by what I saw on the pitch, and everything I read about his history at previous clubs and academies, that was posted on here by others, who I don't seem to remember being crucified for saying it at the time, the way I'm being crucified for saying the same now.

Forget it. I'll keep my opinions to myself in future.

 

[TobyDavis34]

You monster! How dare you say such judgmental things, without knowing him personally? He might have "personal circumstances" How dare you question his attitude?

I assume everyone will go after you, the way they've just gone after me, for saying exactly the same things...

Oh no sorry, you're off the hook, because I mentioned "inner city football cages" so I'm now some sort of judgmental snobby dinosaur

I'm simply going by what I saw on the pitch, and everything I read about his history at previous clubs and academies, that was posted on here by others, who I don't seem to remember being crucified for saying it at the time, the way I'm being crucified for saying the same now.

Forget it. I'll keep my opinions to myself in future.

Didn't realise this was the Mad Dog forum of over-sensitivity and emotion

 

[Carpy]

Well this thread has descended into lunacy

 

[Eaststanding]

I'm simply going by what I saw on the pitch, and everything I read about his history at previous clubs and academies, that was posted on here by others, who I don't seem to remember being crucified for saying it at the time, the way I'm being crucified for saying the same now.

Forget it. I'll keep my opinions to myself in future.

First time I’ve noticed you be sensitive to a bit of feedback.
Surely you expect a reaction to your original post with so many opinions?

 

[werthersoriginal]

I'm simply going by what I saw on the pitch, and everything I read about his history at previous clubs and academies, that was posted on here by others, who I don't seem to remember being crucified for saying it at the time, the way I'm being crucified for saying the same now.

Forget it. I'll keep my opinions to myself in future.

You started it by posting a rather fantastic grumpy rant. You can’t really be a snowflake about a few people raising reasonable and mild objections.

 

[90syeIlow]

I'm simply going by what I saw on the pitch, and everything I read about his history at previous clubs and academies, that was posted on here by others, who I don't seem to remember being crucified for saying it at the time, the way I'm being crucified for saying the same now.

Forget it. I'll keep my opinions to myself in future.

You basically put Ebiowei into a box to suit your narrative and then acted like a hurt child when people questioned your opinion stated as fact.

 

[Mad Dog]

First time I’ve noticed you be sensitive to a bit of feedback.
Surely you expect a reaction to your original post with so many opinions?

You started it by posting a rather fantastic grumpy rant. You can’t really be a snowflake about a few people raising reasonable and mild objections.

My opinions have been merely football related, based on yet another loan signing that's gone tits up, and my opinion of the loan market as a whole these days.

It's then been implied that I'm some sort of insensitive dinosaur, or some sort of judgemental monster, for simply saying pretty much what everyone else has been saying the whole time he was at the club, and going off information that others had posted previously about his history at other clubs and academies.

Then my comments about inner city football cages, has led to it being implied I'm some sort of social class snob.

Maybe I'm wrong about Ebiowei, only time will tell, but I'm entitled to my opinion, and all of the above accusations could not be further from the truth.

 

[billyturleyscurlywurly]

Good f*****g riddance

 

[unification]

Whilst @Mad Dog seems to have turned his view up to 11 for some unknown reason, I sense some selective recency bias has emerged here.

Basically we have had a least one PL loanee who has ended up being a dud join us in each of the last three seasons running; Ateef Konate (2022-23), Sonny Perkins (2023-24) and Malcolm Ebiowei (2024-25).

Loans that don't work out are just part of football. To focus on those three glosses over the very positive contributions of Beadle, Stevens, Mills, Bate, Nelson and Scarlett who have joined us from PL sides in the same period. Our strike rate with them has been pretty good although it is easy to focus on those who have joined us and essentially wasted a squad space.

Who knows what career Ebiowei will have? He's in control of it though and could have a long and productive career or be without a club in the summer with a 'I was on the books of Palace once' story to tell as he plays Sunday league a few years down the line.

Just a personal view, but I do think that PL sides hoard too many players which actually stymies their development. Playing PL2 matches and keeping the apron strings attached for so long is never going to help players. Seeing some leave often at the age of 25-26 to play 'proper' football for the first time is bizarre. Todd Kane and Luke Garbutt for example stayed with their parent club for years before leaving in their mid-20s. I guess the salary for just being a pro on the books at a PL side will be more than any League 1 side will pay you.

 

[SirAndyOfCrosby]

Well this thread has descended into lunacy

I'm still trying to work out what an 'inner city football cage' is.

I'm imagining something dystopian - a tiny rusty shipping container suspended 40 feet in the air (somewhere in Lambeth or Southwark) with spikes on all sides (inside and out).

The Crystal Palace 'scouts' deposit young black men into said 'inner city football cage' - where they force them into a Hunger Games/Running Man type trial against their peers - something involving step-overs and spears.

The winner gets a lucrative contract at Selhurst Park and a subsequent EFL loan, whereas the loser (if they survive) get thrown to the lions (or picked up by Bromley).

 

[Mojofilter]

Are these football cages like hell in the cell matches in the wwe?

 

[SteMerritt]

I'm still trying to work out what an 'inner city football cage' is.

You've obviously never played PowerLeague. The bloody cages are painful if you get nudged into them at full speed. Got a couple of nice scars from being shoulder charged into the cages.

 

[bazzer9461]

Where are the sources to any of this? I have heard previously mentioned about the youth team training, but do we have actual sources? Or again, is this just speculation / hearsay?

You obviously don’t know @UTO

 

[bazzer9461]

D

Well this thread has descended into lunacy

Do your stuff……..

 

[RgYellows]

I'm still trying to work out what an 'inner city football cage' is.

I'm imagining something dystopian - a tiny rusty shipping container suspended 40 feet in the air (somewhere in Lambeth or Southwark) with spikes on all sides (inside and out).

The Crystal Palace 'scouts' deposit young black men into said 'inner city football cage' - where they force them into a Hunger Games/Running Man type trial against their peers - something involving step-overs and spears.

The winner gets a lucrative contract at Selhurst Park and a subsequent EFL loan, whereas the loser (if they survive) get thrown to the lions (or picked up by Bromley).

It’s 100% the Nike advert with Cantona.

 

[ljs]

A lot of rubbish on this thread to be honest. He was the wrong fit for us, sure, but you don’t play for England U20s and get handed a 5 year deal at a Premier League club without talent. And that’s more than just being good in a “cage”

I fancy him to have a decent career.

Hope this goes better than your other predictions...

 

[tonyw]

Just a personal view, but I do think that PL sides hoard too many players which actually stymies their development. Playing PL2 matches and keeping the apron strings attached for so long is never going to help players. Seeing some leave often at the age of 25-26 to play 'proper' football for the first time is bizarre. Todd Kane and Luke Garbutt for example stayed with their parent club for years before leaving in their mid-20s. I guess the salary for just being a pro on the books at a PL side will be more than any League 1 side will pay you.

Or Jamie Cumming! Didn't leave Chelsea until he was about to turn 25.

Agree 100%. Although we all derided their inclusion (still do), what the introduction of the Premier League youth teams into the EFL Trophy has shown is that those young players, however talented they may be, are not able to live with even your average, clogging League Two team in a real football match. PL2 is not preparing them for that. Almost a decade into the experiment and no PL U21 side has yet made a final - and this year only one (Villa) even made it out of the group stage. Hell, they're losing more games than they're winning to National League sides in the new National League Cup.

I guess that they feel they have to offer long contracts to these youngsters because they don't want to risk missing the next star player, or having them leave just as they're breaking in Pogba-style. But as a result, all these Premiership clubs are left with scores of youngsters being paid a hefty salary on a long term contract that aren't ever going to contribute to their parent club, that they have to find something to do with.

Palace still have Ebiowei for two-and-a-half years; good luck with finding someone to pay a significant chunk of his salary when he's shown himself to not be good enough for the Championship, and allegedly (and we still believe UTO is ITK, right?) has an attitude problem.

(though I guess Sonny Perkins has done alright this season, so maybe a lower League One/upper League Two side will take a punt if the price is right)

 

[Swaby39]

Are these football cages like hell in the cell matches in the wwe?

Depending on your device of choice, ‘hell on a cell’ would be a very apt description for some of the posts around here!!

 

[Osei Yaw]

It’s 100% the Nike advert with Cantona.

Bunch of show ponies.

 

[Thomas/Brock/Jones]

One good point is the style across the premier u21 teams ....I wonder whether a Placheta relying alot on raw pace with a few tricks would have been like if as a youngster been at one of the academies , would he have been a more ' possession based less risks ' type of modern player ?

 

[38yearsofpain]

One good point is the style across the premier u21 teams ....I wonder whether a Placheta relying alot on raw pace with a few tricks would have been like if as a youngster been at one of the academies , would he have been a more ' possession based less risks ' type of modern player ?

I remember talking to a Chelsea scout a couple of years ago about why he asked 3 players in an under 11 team to go for trials and why he had selected them. Raw pace was his reply, it's the only thing we cannot teach them.

 

[Foley]

Or Jamie Cumming! Didn't leave Chelsea until he was about to turn 25.

Agree 100%. Although we all derided their inclusion (still do), what the introduction of the Premier League youth teams into the EFL Trophy has shown is that those young players, however talented they may be, are not able to live with even your average, clogging League Two team in a real football match. PL2 is not preparing them for that. Almost a decade into the experiment and no PL U21 side has yet made a final - and this year only one (Villa) even made it out of the group stage. Hell, they're losing more games than they're winning to National League sides in the new National League Cup.

I guess that they feel they have to offer long contracts to these youngsters because they don't want to risk missing the next star player, or having them leave just as they're breaking in Pogba-style. But as a result, all these Premiership clubs are left with scores of youngsters being paid a hefty salary on a long term contract that aren't ever going to contribute to their parent club, that they have to find something to do with.

Palace still have Ebiowei for two-and-a-half years; good luck with finding someone to pay a significant chunk of his salary when he's shown himself to not be good enough for the Championship, and allegedly (and we still believe UTO is ITK, right?) has an attitude problem.

(though I guess Sonny Perkins has done alright this season, so maybe a lower League One/upper League Two side will take a punt if the price is right)

Great post. Spot on about the EFL Trophy.
I am surprised a little that the money men at the PL clubs think that paying long contracts to the Garbutt, Ewobei'sto do it.
world is really the best way to do it.

 

[holdsteady]

Cages are for getting muscular men in skimpy, tight shorts in rear mounts and ground and pounding them till they pass or tap out, not fancy little flicks and tricks with a football, you should do that in a park, don’t do the first one though else you will get in trouble.

I think we have all learned that today.

 

[Eric Blair]

Needs an attitude change quick if he’s to make it in the game!

Being out until the early hrs the night before matches. Being locked out his hotel numerous times. Certainly didn’t seem to be willing to put the effort in during his rare appearances.

Ended up training with the youth team last month.

Wow! That is a shocking indictment. I’ve no reason to doubt you @UTO but bloody hell that is terrible if true.

 

[Eric Blair]

Eze, Hudson-Odoi, Zaha, Guehi, Tomori, Konsa, Saka, Conor Gallagher - all came through playing cage football. Many others too. Not sure what the point is - cage football has evidently been a positive force in developing players.

Agreed. Growing up in south London it was where everyone played. Knocked out some superbly skillful players.

 

[Thomas/Brock/Jones]

I remember talking to a Chelsea scout a couple of years ago about why he asked 3 players in an under 11 team to go for trials and why he had selected them. Raw pace was his reply, it's the only thing we cannot teach them.

Athleticism, pace , power are obviously very much part of what is required for a football player rather than actual skill alone , attitude massive also but to the actual games bring a ' flying winger ' who may well give the ball away I'd say might not be seen as desirable in the modern game as once was .