NEW GULL PROFILE
Dom Roman
@DomRoman
Deadline Day arrived and the Gulls snaffled ex-Colchester striker Frank Nouble, as Gary Johnson throws the dice once more in our desperate scrap to avoid relegation. Let’s take a look at the latest New Gull….
CAREER SUMMARY
More clubs than Nick Faldo used to be the common phrase for journeyman footballers, well Frank definitely fits into that category. He started out as a youth player at Chelsea, but it was West Ham who gave him his first proper taste of a professional contract with a 5 year deal in 2009. During the next 3 seasons he had loan spells at 7 (SEVEN) different EFL clubs, scoring his first senior goal for Brendan Rodgers’ Swansea City in late 2010. His time at West Ham came to an end in 2012 when he joined Wolves for an undisclosed fee, and from then on a bounce around various football teams continued. Frank represented clubs in far flung lands such as China, Wales and…Plymouth! His longest spell came at Colchester United in 2018-20, he then yoyoed to Plymouth Argyle and back to Colchester again on loan, before eventually returning permanently. He left by mutual consent last week after playing over 150 games for The U’s, and after teasing out plans to sign for a National League club on his Twitter account Frank was unveiled as a United player. By my calculation we’re his 19th club (including Chelsea), he also represented England U17 and U19 teams between 2008-2010 (scoring two for the U19s), busy lad. We need his impact to be as big as his lengthy CV.
NOUBLE STATS
Position: Striker
Date of Birth: 24/09/1991 – 31 years-old
Height: 1.90m
Birthplace: London
Previous Clubs: Chelsea, West Ham, West Brom, Swindon, Swansea, Barnsley, Charlton, Gillingham, Wolves, Ipswich, Coventry, Tianjin Songjiang, Nei Mongol Zhongyou, Southend, Newport, Colchester, Plymouth, Leyton Orient.
League Two Stats 22-23: Appearances 20, Goals 2, Yellow/Red Cards 2/0
MOST/LEAST LIKELY TO
Most Likely to:
- Gee up the Gulls supporters with some excitable tweets.
- Bring experience and knowhow to the Torquay line-up.
- Be rhymed with ‘Double’ if he manages two goals in a game.
Least Likely to:
- Settle for a place on the bench.
- Be phased by the challenge of National League football.
FRANK TALK
Gary Johnson – “Talks have been ongoing, and we’re pleased to say that Frank’s agreed to join us. The Club have worked very hard to make it happen, and to bring in someone at this stage, as experienced as Frank is, is no mean feat”
Frank Nouble – “Booom! Let’s go big challenge ahead 9 cup finals! Let’s believe & hope I can help in a big way with the boys in this mission of #survival Looking forward to see you all soon”
HIGHLIGHTS
OTHER
Frank’s middle name is Herman.
He has dual citizenship – English and Ivory Coast.
He was a team mate of Tom Lapslie’s at Colchester United.
His younger brother Joel Nouble plays for Scottish league team Livingstone.
His total club career stats are 425 appearances and 63 goals.
He scored two goals for England U19 in the 2010 U19 Euro Championships against Austria. Also scoring in that game was future Gull Thomas Cruise! The squad also included Steven Caulker (now at Wigan) and current Notts County midfielder John Bostock.
CONCLUSION
Without getting too caught up on the number of clubs Frank has had during his career and the low ratio of goals per games, this signing could be a good one. A little bit like Kevin Dawson, the striker brings much needed experience and a stronger mentality to a very delicate Torquay United dressing room. He’s already issued a rallying call on Social Media and could quickly become a favourite to the Yellow Army if that sort of enthusiasm is translated to the pitch – he certainly seems to have made a decent impression with supporters at previous clubs anyway. It sounds like Nouble has been used as a striker/winger over his career, someone who will provide movement and work rate out wide and upfront, whilst having a pop at goal when the opportunity arises. It’s a shame Dawson, Stobbs and Nouble weren’t signed a month or two ago, because their presence could have made a difference in this horrible run we’ve been having. Maybe Frank can help kickstart some belief amongst this Gulls squad, we’ll see this Saturday. The first of 9 cup finals? We can but hope!
COYY – DOM
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Let us hope he can lift the team and the fans.
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