Future Football Star: John Bostock (Crystal Palace)

Ollie Irish

30th, November 2007

5 Comments

0%2C%2C10323~3308441%2C00.jpgNeil Warnock wants to build his Palace team around a 15-year-old midfielder. The prodigy’s name is John Bostock. You may have heard of him – the hype wagon is already rolling. Bostock, who hails from Camberwell, made his Palace debut last month against Cardiff, aged 15 years and 289 days. He has already captained England at U-17 level and is a decent bet to be a future England captain at senior level.
Every big club in England (and Europe) knows about Bostock and wants a piece of him. Barcelona have also enquired about him – how refreshing that a big European club should take interest in a gifted English youngster, rather than the other way around. Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp said it’s ‘frightening how good the lad can become’. Simply put, Bostock is the most talented English teenager to emerge since Wayne Rooney. He is worth at least £2m already.


What makes him so good? Well, I haven’t seen him play, so I’ll have go on what I’ve read about him for now. It seems he has all the attributes a modern central midfielder would need: excellent ball control, huge reserves of stamina, pace, physical strength, good passing range, strong in the tackle, cool-headed under pressure. Bostock is not the next Duncan Edwards, but he is a very bright ray of light, and given the cloudy skies above English football, that’s good enough for me.
Have you seen him play live? If you have, add a comment and let me know what you thought? Maybe you go to school with John in Blackfriars – again, feel free to add a comment with your opinion on John…

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5 Comments

  1. Chris H says:

    Have seen JB play a few times now and the lad is sensational. Strongest on his left foot (but basically two-footed) he has so much raw talent mixed with strength and tenacity. Against Watford he showed the two extremes – one minute playing a pass with the outside of his left foot and looking the other way (a la Ronaldinho), the next putting in a bone-crunching tackle on former Palace favourite Jobi McAnuff to rapturous applause. He’s a Palace season-ticket holder, which is pretty much the only reason he is here. A massive future in the game at the very highest level and have no doubt he will be the driving force in a future England midfield. It is a real privilege to see him come through the ranks at our club.

  2. Dave says:

    Two words: Cherno Samba

  3. Kent Paul says:

    I personaly think that to even mention the name Cherno Samba in the same sentance as John Bostock is an insult to John Bostock, because Cherno Samba is not even on the same planet, as John Bostock football wise, because he being John Bostock is the real deal, were as Cherno Samba was just hype, and was never really that good as a football player to begin with? IMO

  4. Kent Paul says:

    P.S and one more thing the only other kid who even remotely comes close to John Bostock talent wise is yet another young 15 year old English kid called Jack Wilshere who plays at my football club Arsenal, and some people in the media say that we do not have any talent coming through our Acadamy ranks, stupid journalists would know better than to make up stories that exist at all Lol IMO

  5. Anonymous says:

    where’s Bostock now….

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