Moses Must Be Wary About Throwing It All Away

It was hopeful more than anything. Lee Hills lofted the ball from the halfway line towards the general direction of the box; seconds later it was nestling in the Plymouth Argyle goal. Victor Moses, having impeccably chested the ball down, turned his marker and fired a shot past the Argyle goalkeeper, Romain Larrieu.

The Crystal Palace forward has been labelled as a teenage sensation from many quarters recently (why is sensation the only noun used to describe a promising footballer? It is almost as overused as the term ‘wily Scot’ to describe excelling managers from north of the border), and he has lived up to the hype in recent weeks. Six goals in his previous eight games has exhibited his talent to the watching world, Real Madrid scouts and all. Neil Warnock has predicated that Moses’ vastly improved form of late is down to his development of ‘the ugly aspects of the game’. Critics of Warnock would suggest that ‘ugly’ is indeed the word most synonymous with Warnock’s general footballing philosophy, but no-one can argue with the terrific job the Yorkshire man is doing at Palace: they are just one point off the play-offs despite being crippled by financial difficulties and possessing a tiny and depleted squad.

Warnock and chairman Simon Jordan are both resigned to losing Moses and, unless the club is bought, his departure this month is imperative. Warnock’s constant insistence that Moses will depart soon is possibly the most telling sign that the Eagles’ finances are in peril. Jordan has been looking to sell the club for well over a year now, his decision coming after Palace received only £700,000 from a tribunal after youngster John Bostock joined Tottenham Hotspur at the age of sixteen. Jordan has fought ferociously to keep hold of his top assets in the past and there is no way he would allow Warnock to blatantly promote the club’s biggest talent if the need to sell him was not exigent.

Moses’ decision making is just one of the many elements of his game that has improved this season. The Nigerian born forward, like lots of young players, often made the wrong decision when faced with more than one option, but improvement in this area is noticeable. At such a young age, this progress is impressive, but it is now off the field where his decision making will be tested. With four clubs who have won the European Cup (Liverpool, Barcelona, Nottingham Forest and the previously mentioned Madrid) among those vying for his signature, Moses should be advised to take great care when selecting his next club. Bostock has since admitted he regrets leaving Palace for Spurs, and fellow academy products Tom Soares and Ben Watson are both back in the Championship after failing to benefit from moves to Premier League clubs. Wayne Routledge is another example. On the back of an admittedly successful season in the Premiership, Routledge showed total disregard for the club that had nurtured and developed his talent by jumping ship to Tottenham at the first opportunity. Short of joining fierce rivals Brighton & Hove Albion, Moses will not be the recipient of the abhorrent abuse that Routledge regularly endures when returning to SE25, but care must be taken nonetheless.

Routledge’s career has been extremely disappointing since making the move across London. Five appearances for Spurs led to a transfer to Aston Villa, where he played just twice. Sandwiched between these two were comparatively successful loan spells at Portsmouth and Fulham, but there remains a huge sense of loss lingering over the winger, a feeling that could so easily have been avoided had he stayed, like Andrew Johnson, just another season at Palace before seeking pastures new.

Despite all the talent and promise shown thus far, Moses is undeniably inferior to Routledge in one way. He has yet to play in the Premier League. Only the most ardent of Palace fans would reject claims that Routledge performed well in that 2004/05 season – perhaps the animosity displayed towards him stems from disappointment at his decision to leave the Eagles in what, retrospectively speaking, was a counterproductive move. It would be ridiculous to hold this lack of Premier League experience against Moses: it is not his fault that he has broken through at a time where his team mates are, in the main, not as talented as the ones Routledge once shared the Selhurst Park pitch with. Furthermore, despite his excellent performances recently, Moses was inconsistent last season and was at times kept out of the side by the more industrious Sean Scannell. Although it can be accepted that he is far from the finished article, Moses must not lose focus whilst doing all he can to avoid his promising career fizzling out before it has begun.

Ideally, Moses would go to an established Premiership team where he would play regular football while continuing to develop under the guidance of an experienced manager and a talented coaching staff. Fulham is a club that has been mentioned by many Palace fans as a plausible transfer, not only for the reasons stated above, but also for the fact that he would remain in the capital. Moses’ parents were tragically murdered when he was just eleven, and, upon moving to England, it is reported that he was so traumatised he did not speak for two years. Stability is vital for the youngster, and a move to Spain or even the north of England may jeopardise his performances on the pitch. Regardless of brilliant displays lately, Crystal Palace is a world apart from Barcelona and Moses is not yet of sufficient quality to merit a move to the Catalan giants. Clubs may be persuaded by his potential, but the England under-19 international is a long way from challenging Lionel Messi for a place in Barcelona’s starting line up. Moses must also be cautious about being swayed by financial offers: his choice should primarily be football-related. Somewhat unfairly, the decision the nineteen year old makes now may just shape the rest of his career. It must be more than hopeful.

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