Remember him??.......
Adam's keeping his feet firmly on the ground
Jun 26 2003
By David Prentice Football Correspondent
ADAM PEPPER has the world at his feet. One of the most talented young footballers of his generation, a queue of clubs at his door - and a name which is a tabloid headline writer's dream.
But for now, Adam Pepper is taking all the attention with a pinch of salt.
Everton, Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal all want the 11-year-old from Kirkdale to represent their Academy teams. But for the time being the youngster is happy to carry on playing for local junior team Allerton.
Adam's progress on the football field - he is the star of the Liverpool Schoolboys team and regularly plays a year above his age - has seen scouts knocking on his door from all across Europe.
But dad Ronnie and mum Mary want the youngster just to carry on enjoying his football.
"I don't want all the bright lights for Adam yet," said Ronnie. "We just want to keep his feet on the ground and let him progress at his own pace."
But such was the interest in the youngster's development, the family were forced to turn to proven sports manage-ment agency X8.
The company which nurtured Wayne Rooney until last year, and still boasts stars like Tony Hibbert, Jason McAteer and Jason Koumas on its books, has agreed to look after the youngster as his fledgling career takes flight.
"It is very unusual to pick up a player of 11 years of age," admitted agent Peter McIntosh, "but you can see the talent in the boy.
"His family were getting pestered by managers, by scouts, by agents - so Ronnie and Mary took some advice from people in the community that they trust and came to John Hyland and myself for help.
"From there we introduced him to Dave Lockwood and John Ebbrell, my colleagues at X8 Sports Management, and the family seemed quite happy with what we could do for them."
After spotting the precocious talent of Rooney before any other agency in the country, Peter Mac is convinced they are onto another winner.
"Obviously there's a certain amount of good luck involved in finding someone like Adam," he explained "but you also rely on people like Steve Hill, Adam's coach at Allerton, who we have a good relationship with.
"I would like to think that we are very well respected in the town and that's why they came to us.
"We have 94 pros on our books from the Premier division right down to Academy footballers -but Adam is undoubtedly the youngest.
"You can see he is a little special, but the nice thing is that everything goes over his head. He's not a big headed kid at all.
"The game of football is changing now. Years ago noone would even have looked at an 11-year-old.
"At Everton and Liverpool you'd have been lucky to break in to clubs of their stature by the time you were 26 or 27. Now people are looking to bring kids through.
"Where Adam ends up depends on his progress, but it's not about money with Adam. It's got to be about where he is going to feel right and where he is going to want to play.
"I would have thought that Everton would be marginal favourites at the moment - because he is an Evertonian. But stranger things have happened. . ."
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Anyways he made his debut for the Under 18's against Sunderland on Weds. He come on as a sub for Bruna.
So he must be 15 now?? I presume we won the race to sign him if he is playing for the under 18's??
Adam's keeping his feet firmly on the ground
Jun 26 2003
By David Prentice Football Correspondent
ADAM PEPPER has the world at his feet. One of the most talented young footballers of his generation, a queue of clubs at his door - and a name which is a tabloid headline writer's dream.
But for now, Adam Pepper is taking all the attention with a pinch of salt.
Everton, Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal all want the 11-year-old from Kirkdale to represent their Academy teams. But for the time being the youngster is happy to carry on playing for local junior team Allerton.
Adam's progress on the football field - he is the star of the Liverpool Schoolboys team and regularly plays a year above his age - has seen scouts knocking on his door from all across Europe.
But dad Ronnie and mum Mary want the youngster just to carry on enjoying his football.
"I don't want all the bright lights for Adam yet," said Ronnie. "We just want to keep his feet on the ground and let him progress at his own pace."
But such was the interest in the youngster's development, the family were forced to turn to proven sports manage-ment agency X8.
The company which nurtured Wayne Rooney until last year, and still boasts stars like Tony Hibbert, Jason McAteer and Jason Koumas on its books, has agreed to look after the youngster as his fledgling career takes flight.
"It is very unusual to pick up a player of 11 years of age," admitted agent Peter McIntosh, "but you can see the talent in the boy.
"His family were getting pestered by managers, by scouts, by agents - so Ronnie and Mary took some advice from people in the community that they trust and came to John Hyland and myself for help.
"From there we introduced him to Dave Lockwood and John Ebbrell, my colleagues at X8 Sports Management, and the family seemed quite happy with what we could do for them."
After spotting the precocious talent of Rooney before any other agency in the country, Peter Mac is convinced they are onto another winner.
"Obviously there's a certain amount of good luck involved in finding someone like Adam," he explained "but you also rely on people like Steve Hill, Adam's coach at Allerton, who we have a good relationship with.
"I would like to think that we are very well respected in the town and that's why they came to us.
"We have 94 pros on our books from the Premier division right down to Academy footballers -but Adam is undoubtedly the youngest.
"You can see he is a little special, but the nice thing is that everything goes over his head. He's not a big headed kid at all.
"The game of football is changing now. Years ago noone would even have looked at an 11-year-old.
"At Everton and Liverpool you'd have been lucky to break in to clubs of their stature by the time you were 26 or 27. Now people are looking to bring kids through.
"Where Adam ends up depends on his progress, but it's not about money with Adam. It's got to be about where he is going to feel right and where he is going to want to play.
"I would have thought that Everton would be marginal favourites at the moment - because he is an Evertonian. But stranger things have happened. . ."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anyways he made his debut for the Under 18's against Sunderland on Weds. He come on as a sub for Bruna.
So he must be 15 now?? I presume we won the race to sign him if he is playing for the under 18's??
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