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New signing - Ursene Mouanda


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42 minutes ago, MorkenTheMonk said:

From Twitter:

"BREAKING NEWS. Newcastle Benfield (Northern League, Premier Division 1) player Ursene Mouanda has signed for Kilmarnock FC. Best wishes and Good luck in the future Ursene"

Anyone else heard about this?

https://twitter.com/search?q=newcastle benfield&src=typd

Played last night v dalbeattie. I assume a devpt squad signing.

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Seems like a sensible kid but one for the Development League.

 

WONDERKID Billy Gilmour will want for nothing when he trades Rangers for Chelsea this summer.

The precocious playmaker who lit up the Victory Shield for Scotland could have had his pick of any of Europe’s leading clubs before he opted for the English Premier League champions.

While he now has to prove he can survive, never mind thrive, it in a cut-throat environment – with layers of prized prospects standing between him and a first-team place – Gilmour will be able to call on some of the best coaching, facilities and resources in the game to help him along the way.

He is the exception, rather than the rule.

A world away from Stamford Bridge, his former Rangers development squad team-mate, Ursene Mouanda, is still chasing the same dream.

Last August the 18-year-old defensive midfielder was plucked from the obscurity of non-league football in England by Gers scout Billy McLaren and handed a six-month contract to impress.

Despite impressing coaches with his application, Mouanda was released in January and spent the last week being put through his paces in PFA Scotland’s exit trials.

Born in Ivory Coast before moving to Newcastle as a five-year-old, he speaks with a maturity far beyond his years and offers a blunt insight into life as a would-be footballer.

He said: “Billy Gilmour is a great player, probably the best I’ve ever worked with.

“The good thing about him is that he knows he hasn’t achieved anything yet and the hard work starts now. Hopefully he goes on to have a great career but he’s in that one per cent.

“People don’t really see the other side of the game, away from what they see on television.

“I left Rangers in January and, in a way, I feel fortunate because my Dad’s done a lot to help me.

“I offered to get a job but he wants me to focus on myself and put everything into being the best footballer I can be. He really believes in me.

“I’m back down in Newcastle, training and playing with my local Northern League team to stay match-fit and get used to playing in men’s football so I’ll be ready for my next chance.

“It’s like I’m back to where I was before I went to Rangers, but I feel mentally, tactically and technically stronger for the experience.

“The mental side is the most important thing because I’ve seen so many people just drop out of the game completely. Rejection can be hard to take.

“In your group of friends, most of them aren’t players or won’t have that goal so they maybe can’t understand why I can’t do or eat certain things but you have to take care of yourself and be so committed.

“You can’t just turn up for 90 minutes. You have to be strong enough to say ‘no’ a lot of times and you have to hope people can respect that.

“I try to see the positives. I wouldn’t have had my chance at Rangers if I wasn’t good enough in the first place and I learned a lot from being there.

“Drive and motivation got me that far. I can’t let that slip now. That’s what gets me out of bed to train by myself on cold days.”

The position of a trialist is an unenviable one – in a lot of cases living out of a suitcase, travelling around the country at short notice hoping for enough game-time to do themselves justice.

Or at least receive a fair pass…

Mouanda added: “Being on trial’s a difficult experience. I’m definitely a lot better equipped to deal with it now than when I was younger.

“Back then it felt like every single step you took was pressurised and being analysed.

“You go to clubs and boys think that you’re after their spot, which I suppose is the case, and sometimes they’re not too friendly.

“They’ll make things harder for you if they can, playing passes that are a bit short or hit with too much force. They’ll make a show of shouting at you for not dealing with stuff to make you look a bit worse in front of the coaches.

“It’s a test of character and I have seen a lot of lads crumble.

“People tell me that I’m mature for my age in my outlook but I’ve already had that experience of dealing with rejection and moving away from home. If you want it badly enough that’s just part of the game.”

There’s no trace of bitterness when Mouanda talks about his time with the Lightly Blues.

If anything he’s grateful for the opportunity to have briefly lived the life of a full-time footballer.

He recalled: “I moved to England when I was five and I didn’t even really play football until I was maybe 10 or 11 years old.

“I remember we had a Show Racism The Red Card event at my school. We played matched in the indoor hall and I was picked out by Dean Gordon, who played for Middlesbrough.

“After that I trained with Newcastle and Sunderland but there’s such intense competition for only a few spaces in that part of the country. It’s different in London where there are so many more professional clubs.

“I was playing Under-18 county football when I got a message, completely out of the blue, to say that Rangers were interested.

“Everything happened pretty quickly. My trial went well and I signed up with the development squad.

“I moved into a flat in Milngavie with a Finnish boy who has been doing really well, Serge Atakayi.

“Realistically I had my targets set lower than a club like Rangers. I was so happy.

“I knew it would be hard. I’ve got confidence within myself and felt like if I’d got a bit more time I would have got to the level they wanted but I have no complaints.

“It was difficult in some respects. Matt Crooks was coming back from injury so obviously, as a first-team player, he had to play. There were maybe six of us going for one spot after that.

“I had a meeting with Craig Mulholland and they were straight with me. They said if it was all based on attitude and work-rate than I’d have had no problems but because they couldn’t guarantee me game-time it was better to go.”

Mouanda is especially complimentary of Ibrox outcast Philippe Senderos who was largely restricted to a reserve role after a nightmare showing against Celtic.

But he is credited with being a positive influence on the younger players, when he could easily just have gone through the motions, picked up his wages and counted the days until his deal expired.

“Some of the senior players were great, Kenny Miller for one. But Philippe was something else.

“Like me, he speaks French and he’s a really, really nice guy who would think nothing of going out of his way to help you.

“He didn’t have to do that. A lot of players would just keep themselves to themselves but he was always there for advice.

“There wasn’t really any interaction with the first-team management at that point. I understand it’s a bit different now under Pedro Caixinha.”

A training stint with Motherwell ultimately came to nothing, with the Steelmen impressed but unable to offer a contract to someone playing in the same position as their highly-rated academy graduate Allan Campbell.

So, instead, Mouanda hopes someone will have noticed something in him from his week grafting with PFA Scotland.

Whatever happens, he’s in no mood to throw in the towel.

He said: “I have to thank PFA Scotland for the opportunity to come and take part this week.

“I didn’t even know something like this existed until I saw an email drop in from their communications and wellbeing officer, Michelle Evans.

“I sent it on to my agent and we agreed it was definitely worth giving it a go. Even if nothing comes of this week, I’m not ready to give up.”

(Sun)

 

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