The No Brainer- The loan signing of Albion's 1000th player, Toby Collyer.

1 to 1,000.

The 137 year Baggies odyssey that started with a 6’ 4’ goalkeeper known affectionately as ‘Long Bob’, Albion’s first ever England International player, Bob Roberts, hit the four figure mark on Saturday, when after 87 Minutes, the current Albion phenom, Isaac Price was replaced by a 21 year old loan player from Man United, who may also turn out to be our next phenom.

Toby Collier.

Tobias the 1000th.

There are few better barometers of the direction The Bilkul Group and Albion are moving in, when one player of such youth and promise is replaced by another, witnessed by that 87th Minute moment in Baggies time.

The former, myopic days of two year contracts with aging players, seems, thankfully a thing of the Baggies past, and I’m sure we can all salute this is a very sustainable way for a club such as The Baggies, to build their way out of debt and hopefully set the foundations for a promotion run this season.

When you win your first two league games of The Championship with a much younger team of promise and flair, optimism shines, and the 1000th Baggie may well be one of the important recent pieces in this new Bilkul jigsaw..

Here’s Toby's background story.

Is it me just aging, but I always raise my eyes at our younger players' date of birth? 

Toby’s is a classic case in point, born, 3rd January 2004.

Six days after Collyer’s birth, the last time Albion played a league game v Walsall at home, and it's nice to reflect a pretty star studded array of midfield flair on the field that day, with the likes of Jason Koumas and The Saddlers, Paul Merson shining, also notable for being Lloyd Dyer’s WBA debut.

A 2-0 win for The Baggies.

Collyer is a Sussex lad, born in Worthing, ideally located for that hotbed of a 21st Century production line of youth footballers, the ‘other Albion’, Brighton and Hove, just 14 miles from Toby’s parents house.

Toby joined Brighton in 2016 when he was twelve, and as has been his entire footballing arc, rose quickly through age group levels as part of this true football academy whose mantra seems set in stone.

Recruit.

Develop.

Sell.

Plan

Invest.

Rinse and Repeat.

Collyer, despite being physically small, quickly impressed at Brighton, but the turning point was when Toby was 15 years old and was spotted by Brighton’s Under 18 Coach, Mark Beard,

As Beard reflects, 

‘You wanted eleven Toby Collier’s on the field as he’d work his socks off, run 13Km in a game and absorb information like a sponge’

Beard quickly pushed Collyer into higher age group football, allied to his developing physique and growing confidence, giving Toby a debut at 15 years old in the Under 18 level, on the premise of his own personal decision making and other coaches input,

“Everyone was saying, Collyer was the best player at every age group”.

Collyer’s maturity and obvious talent was also noticed by England, becoming their Under 16 Captain in 2019, making eight appearances for his country.

The high spot of Collyer’s time at Brighton was beating Middlesbrough away in the Premier League U17 Cup Final, 2-0, on May 4th 2021, as Mark Beard reflected, 

“Toby’s ball retention was a different class, you don’t get players like him anymore, very similar to Ngolo Kante”. 

High praise indeed, and after being fast tracked into the Brighton U23 team, making his debut v Spurs at just 17 years old, many of the traditional Champions League contenders were looking to poach The Seagulls’ precarious young talent.

Spurs, Chelsea and Man United were making tempting overtures, and again Collyer took on board the words of his coach, Mark Beard, about the best fit for his future.

“Chelsea won’t give you a chance as they have about 700 players and Spurs don’t have a great record for developing young players, so United’s Academy is your best option”

Indeed fast forward to Wembley 2024 and the Community Shield Final v Man City, Collyer made his full Utd debut, becoming the 251st Utd player to emerge from their historically proven academy.

A deeply impressive stat.

Vindication of Mark Beard’s smart advice.

Collyer signed for Man Utd in March 2022, of course in the process of being a free agent declining all of the offers and efforts Brighton had made to secure him to the club who’d taken a chance on and developed this rare talent.

This move to Man Utd inevitably upset some of the Seagulls’ faithful, and of course a scenario we sadly know all too well at the Albion with the seemingly inevitable recent exodus from The Baggies Academy to Villa, something that stings me every single time.

You can only imagine how the both of the ‘Albion’s’ Academy coaches feel who’ve nurtured their home grown talent, only to see them move on.

For at times, nothing.

Collyer moved to Carrington, signing a three and a half year deal, but it was a move that took time to really gestate and impact as Man Utd were on their 2021/22 FA Youth Cup Winning run, and Collyer was ineligible to play from his Brighton days.

It was an early indicator of the player Collyer had to get past in order to be a starter at Utd.

Kobbie Mainoo.

Someone of similar technique, positional strength and style, and highly unlikely to both be selected in the same central midfield area.

Man Utd had a superb youth team that season, beating Forest in the Final, Alejandro Ganacho scored two in that win. 

Mainoo and Ganacho were selected for international football for England and Argentina respectively just two years later.

Ironically the Mainoo/Collyer dynamic is an ongoing theme, through to Toby’s full Man Utd debut, seemingly, the fate of one is the destiny of the other, and it’ll be interesting, long term to see who of the two defensive midfielders has the better career?

Worth remembering, Mainoo is 14 months YOUNGER than Collyer.

Collyer’s first full season at Utd, 2022/23 was one of consolidation and development mixed with niggling injuries as the higher demands of PL2 and PL1 football took its physical toll, but Erik Ten Haag was impressed, and saw a solid future for Toby.

The 2023/24 Pre-Season was unusual for Man Utd and you would have to say, exploitative in terms of name brand and selling tickets on their US tour, for example, having two games in two days.

A fixture pairing of extremes to say the least.

25th July v Wrexham

26th July v Real Madrid

Of course this was the first season since ‘Hollywood’ shined on North Wales and ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ was aired, and a crowd of just under 35,000 saw Wrexham win 3-1 against a very young Man United side, featuring Toby Collyer.

Not unlike the experience of Ryan Mason who impressed Mauricio Pochettino, back in his playing days at Spurs, when a 2014 US Tour truly set the ball rolling in his first team playing career, so did Erik ten Haag’s awareness of Collyer also happened on a US tour.

The 2023/24 season was another one of gentle introduction and development for Collyer, being a substitute for Man Utd, nine times, but never making a first team appearance, but what struck many Utd stalwarts was post 23/24 FA Cup Final shock win v bitter rivals and very heavy favorites, Man City.

The scorer of Utd’s second goal was the seemingly immovable goalkeeper barrier in Collyer’s development, Kobbie Mainoo, but Utd supporters noticed the person ten Haag spoke most intently, post win was Collyer, who wasn’t even a sub for the final.

The exact same ten Haag speak to a talented, unproven player scenario occurred with Kobbie Mainoo after the previous season’s FA Cup Final, and did little harm to him next season and eventual career development?

Wembley is not a bad place to make your first United appearance and just 77 days later, Toby Collyer was to make his Red Devils bow in the 2024 Community Shield Final in front of 90,000 supporters, again against Man City.

The debut for Collyer, who always strikes me from interviews as a very cool, composed and extremely mature person, his debut was something he knew about a day earlier,

“I knew in the hotel the day before the match and the first person I called was my dad”

When asked which senior players he asked for, for advice to deal with this first game nerve wracking occasion, Toby’s answer reflects the maturity we are I’m sure, going to see at The Albion this year, 

“I was chilled, kept to myself in the dressing room.

Do what I need to do to prepare”

Think about it?

A debut at Wembley, but total assurance and self confidence.

Just 20 years old.

And answered the question, without a blink of the eye.

Cool, calm, collected.

Collyer’s traits, and no wonder Saturday's Baggies debut at Wrexham was no big deal.

Of course, as if you need to know by now??

Mainoo went off, Collyer came on, in the 59th Minute at Wembley.

For sure, Collyer was part of an excellent Man Utd midfield on debut, his two positional partners were Bruno Fernandez and playing his last ever Utd game, Scott McTominay, [I’m certain Man Utd deeply regret that Napoli selling decision?]

For Collyer, it seems high bars are part and parcel of his career arc, no easing into a first team EPL debut, when you come on as substitute against your bitterest rivals, Liverpool, just under a month later.

Just before half time, with Utd being overrun in midfield and luckily on the run of play, just 2-0 down, ten Haag told Collyer to go and warm up, and as Toby reflects,

“It was the complete opposite to the City game, I had no time to think about it”

To try and match such a fast paced and athletic Liverpool team, ten Haag replaced the moribund Casemiro with the energy of Collyer, who became about the only bright spark in an eventual 3-0 defeat.

All part of the learning curve, as Collyer post game, reflected,

“The game was really quick, you realize what is needed at the higher level, and at least I held my own.” 

The last part of that sentence was echoed and more by the Old Trafford faithful.

Two weeks later, Collyer made his full Man Utd debut in the Carabao Cup, a 7-0 home win v Barnsley, and unlike many teams in this competition, Utd had chosen a very strong and experienced XI, but had a different plan for Collyer, starting at left back for the first time in his career.

With Alex Mowatt signing a new two year contract today, you’d think that’s one central midfield place tied up?

Left back is a position we could definitely have more cover and competition, and Collyer’s flexibility of positional play, may possibly have an unexpected future in this role for The Albion?

Although Collyer has only had limited Man Utd first team appearances, it seems dramatic matches are part and parcel of his journey thus far, replacing, [you know who?], in the 81st minute of a tumultuous FA Cup match away to Arsenal in January 1995, Utd down to ten players with Dalot's red card.

This was to be Toby’s first appearance under new boss Ruben Amorim, and the mantra going through Collyer’s mind as he warmed up was,

 “Make it hard for the opponents, work for the team”.

That atypical work ethic extended to extra time and penalties, and a much needed shock win for Utd, Collyer’s efforts being a notable part of their Cup success.

Another formative Collyer experience last season was playing in the frenetic hot bed of the Europa League home tie v Rangers, an atmosphere Toby described as “electric”, learning so much playing next to his midfield partner and Man Utd skipper, whose post match interview, raved about the character and potential of his young midfield prodigy, the ever cajoling Bruno Fernandes.

There is a consistent flow of themes of fellow team mates and coaches of the traits that will stand Toby Collyer in such great stead in his career,

Words and praise not easily earned and from the highest order?

Humility.

Coachability.

Hard working.

Superb athlete.

The test of a loan player can often be the adaptability to the challenge ahead and how you fit in with your new club, and as we’ve seen over the years, those four traits used as exemplars above, have often been missing in action in some of Albion’s recruits over recent seasons.

Ryan Mason correctly sees the range of positions Collyer can thrive in as an absolute strength and as someone he has targeted for weeks, 

“ Toby’s someone that I really believe in.”

One theme Mason knows only too well from personal experience of his many loans as a player back in his days at Spurs, some good, some not so good, with undoubted Mason empathy, he reflects,

“When you go on loan somewhere, you need to know you are wanted by the club and the manager and Toby can certainly feel that”

Add in two influential Man Utd voices as trusted as the ex Baggies, Jonny Evans and Darren Fletcher, extolling the virtues of being at The Albion, and the environment Toby would experience during this loan, Collyer describes the decision to spend a season at The Hawthorns, allied to working with Ryan Mason, as, 

“ A no brainer”.

I see this signing as such a wonderful addition to the Albion squad, a player with potential, talent and attitude to make a very solid impact this season.

In my opinion, Collyer’s signing is ‘the biggest no brainer’ loan since Harvey Barnes back in 2018.

And with Collyer, we get a full season.

No January recall.