Tranmere Rovers
Jennings Destined For Great Things
By Sam Robinson
November 11 2010
With exciting youngster Dale Jennings currently the name on the lips of every Rovers fan, Sam Robinson takes a look at the story so far and in particular the last few weeks which have been something of a whirlwind for the player since making his first team debut......
When Dale Jennings burst onto the scene against Charlton on September 18th, little under two months ago, few would have predicted that his rise to prominence amongst the Tranmere Rovers squad would come so soon.
Since his debut, Jennings has grown into a key asset for Tranmere despite playing only ten games for the first team. His first goal for the club came away to Bristol Rovers; the only goal in a 1-0 win for Tranmere. He followed that up a month later with a brace against MK Dons in a man of the match performance to celebrate being given his first professional contract which runs until 2012.
Upon signing the contract, Jennings said, “It is a great day for me, all apprentices dream of the day they sign their first professional contract. I’m really pleased the club has given me this opportunity and hopefully I can repay them on the pitch.”
The seventeen year-old top-scored for the reserve and youth teams after joining Tranmere’s Centre of Excellence as an under-sixteen with nineteen goals and already has five goals for the reserve team this campaign.
With blistering pace to go with trickery, Jennings has the key assets to make a good winger as proven against MK Dons when right-back Danny Woodards was withdrawn after twenty-five minutes due to being unable to cope with Jennings – a testament to his performance that day.
Whilst being a fresh new talent, there is an air of unpredictability surrounding Jennings for the opposition. However, the real test of his talent is to come as, over the coming weeks as teams begin to learn about Dale, he will need to find new ways of beating his man and contributing to the team success.
If he is doubled-up on, it leaves space for another player elsewhere on the field which can only benefit Tranmere so even if he doesn’t have an impact on the game with his feet then his movement could also be key for the Whites.
As Dale progresses he will attract scouts from clubs across the land and he would do well to keep his feet on the ground given the hype surrounding him. He would do well to listen to an experienced professional like Ian Thomas-Moore, a veteran of the game in comparison to most of the Tranmere squad, to improve his all-round game.
Some Tranmere fans say it is about time we had another quality player come off the production line as the days of Ryan Taylor, Jason Koumas and Iain Hume are long-gone for the Wirral club. If Jennings can realise his potential he will surely demand a large fee and emulate the successes of the likes of Taylor and Koumas.
This article first appeared on Sam's own Blog Webpage which can be found HERE and we are indebted to him for allowing it to subsequently appear on Total Tranmere.
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11/11/2010 17:55
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I think Tranmere have had some of the best crop of young players coming through in a long time. Players that look destined to progress, rather than play their early years or possibly their whole careers, lower down the system.
Tranmere have a right to expect £500,000 at least for such new players and much as I'd be loathed ot see them go, if the chance to boost the wage budget and build was there, it would be necessary.
Hopefully such players would be like Moore and return one day, when still in good enough nick, for regular games in a Tranmere shirt.
By then players like Cresswell Collister and Stockton, could be sold for tidy amounts, (though not necessarily as much), which would permit the increased budget to remain pretty much as was, especially if the team were finishing higher up the table and making more prize money.
Frankly having that much money wouldn't be a megabucks wage allowance, but beggers can't be choosers and if in 2 years, Tranmere could get a few players for £1,500-£2,500 a week wage payments, it would be better for overall strength in depth and possible to then compensate for what Jennings wouldn't give the team any more.
Personally, I think Les needs to make sure, providing he maintains his current level of development that we tie him to a longer, improved deal at the end of the current season. Let's learn from the Thornton, Davies scenarios and not wait around. 5 year contract, plus big incentives. That automatically drives up his value and gives Tranmere more bargaining power - simple sports economics Pj!
Same goes for Joe and Aaron.
Also, on the grapevine, ITM is supposedly doing a few UEFA coaching courses - future manager???
Rotherham might possibly get £3,000,000 for the whole first team, but nobody would sell all ther best 11 players.
I'm wondering if Ronnie Moore is starting to show symptoms, of whatever Roberto Mancini is suffering with. If Ronnie starts saying at some point he could sign Torres, I'll know he's got the Mancini disease bad
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Unless he was referring to Sergio Torres of Crawley Town, in which case yeah maybe.
COME ON YOU MIGHTY WHITES
Firstly it could be argued he's raised the bar too early for his own good. Craig Curran anyone?
I'm not saying Dale will be another Curran, but he'll find it hard to maintain his current form.
It's imperative we use him correctly, more so for his own benefit, rather the short term benefit of points on a Saturday.
If he's as good we all think he is then over cooking him won't help.
Hume was used sparingly at times. Frustrating at the time, but probably for the best, with hindsight.
Another point is, there isn't a great deal of money in football these days.
Premier League clubs like ready made player that can go straight into the first team. The few English/British kids they sign for big clubs have so many clause's in their contracts that it's really hard to fathom out how much the selling club actually make. Simmo to Everton spring to mind, but more recently the Taylor and Koumas deals were dependent on certain things.
We'd get a small fee with add on's. Appearances, future transfers etc
And no doubt he'd rot away in a bigger clubs reserves and end up being loaned out left, right and centre.
If he went to a Championship club the fee wouldn't be massive. Talk of seven figure transfer fee's are ridiculous, and even that sort of deal would have so many add on's in the Championship.
I honestly believe if we sold him today, we wouldn't get more than £300,000 up front.
That's market forces.
Personally I want to see him develop at Tranmere, and if he's good enough he'll get his move eventually
I know money is everything in football, but if and when he's ready I hope he moves for footballing reasons too, and we make a few quid to aid our survival.
Quote:Mighty White
It was reported on the radio this morning that Jennings was watched by Everton, Fulham & Sunderland on saturday. We could do with keeping him for the rest of this season at least.
COME ON YOU MIGHTY WHITES
Yeah, clubs with no money, certainly not mega bucks which now goes for most of the premiership.
My bet, with PJ in mind, will be "for an undisclosed fee "
Comparing Jenno and curran is like comparing ronaldo to bas savage, the kid has the class but from his past history could go down the thornton route if he doesn't keep his head screwed on.
Anything less than a million would be our board making yet another cock up.
Look at what Delph's fee was when he left leeds, dawson from rochdale. Dale is a player who impacts the game more than them 2 and as a result should command a higher fee.
Every ball is a white ball............TRFC
That's the kind of money clubs like Tranmere could have to pay these days for top Conference strikers.
I read somewhere if I read correctly regarding Steve Davis, Tranmere got £250,000, then supposedly £275,000 on appearances and a sell on fee of £250,000 IF he was sold within 3 years.
So potentially a £775,000 deal that could be worth the £250,000 initial fee, when Derby work the system to their advantage.
If he had to play 50 games to release the £275,000, they could easily give him about 45 games in 3 and a bit years, then sell him and Tranmere would get either fee.
Annoying, as the way they were playing that season, the team looked pretty solid certs for promotion and Tranmere would have gotten a vastly better deal for him and held on to players like Coyne and Kay in the long-term, but Davis's injury put the mochas on a superb season.
I also think Tranmere got around £1,250,000 for Ryan Taylor, if I read correctly, so why not a big fee for Jennings too?
Hopefully judging by a few of the youth team reports I've read here, if Jennings leaves, Stockton could at some point replace him. He scored 3 in the Stockport 4-1 youth game didn't he and 2 in the previous game?
