Gaël Bigirimana rejoins Coventry on a permanent basis

[James]

He's incredible for a teenage holding midfielder.

 

His weakness is his over-enthusiasm with some of his passes really.

 

Is it set in stone that he's going to play international football for Berundi? Because if not the English FA need to take a good look at him as he is a potential cornerstone for a top quality midfield IMO.

[Heron]

Love notorious me like.

[Dave]

Thought he was excellent today and didn't deserve or require subbing.

[Skeletor]

Thought he was excellent today and didn't deserve or require subbing.

 

[Ishmael]

A shining light.  This boy can play football and I hope that he retains his first team place when Cabaye and Anita return.

[Tiresias]

Unfairly subbed, Pardew fears upsetting players more than getting results I think

[Hanshithispantz]

Pointless leaving Cisse on the wing and subbing Bigi like, it makes no sense.

[KaKa]

Bet Wenger was lusting after him. Classy little player.

[Ste]

Very promising prospect that'll only improve. Very solid displays in two tricky away trips for such a young lad. Encouraging.

[toontownman]

He's incredible for a teenage holding midfielder.

 

His weakness is his over-enthusiasm with some of his passes really.

 

Is it set in stone that he's going to play international football for Berundi? Because if not the English FA need to take a good look at him as he is a potential cornerstone for a top quality midfield IMO.

 

Should certainly be in the U21 set up, surprised this hasn't already happened. His passing decisions are a bit wayward but overall a really quality player in the making.

[Guest loven Mag 11]

Twice we have taken him off, its made us lose the shape and the midfield battle. We have been hammered for the final 15 minutes of both games once we lost his energy.

[Varadi]

This kid is going to be a player, can't believe he's just a teenager.

[Oakie Doke]

what a find.

[Tiotes Witch Doctor]

Already looks a better player than Tiote in most areas IMO, needs games and confidence and he will be great I have no doubts about that, I agree that he often makes questionable decisions on the ball but his actual passing range is great.

[Ketsbaia]

I know I keep saying this but this lad is gonna be a star. To say we've unearthed a gem is an understatement.

[Cajun]

Can we get some defensive and forward versions of this lad please?

[samag]

Thought he was excellent today and didn't deserve or require subbing.

spot on

[Wullie]

We've looked significantly worse after his withdrawal in both of the last two games.

[Skirge]

We've looked significantly worse after his withdrawal in both of the last two games.

 

Its a fact that cannot be overlooked

[AyeDubbleYoo]

He is an absolutely cracking player for his age. Especially considering he was expecting to be starting League Cup games every so often and he's now thrown in against top PL teams.

 

Fitness permitting he'll be one of our best signings for years.

[CPL]

He has enormous potential if hes standing out playing this season, imagine what he would have been like in the team last year playing with confidence. Great upgrade from Guthrie.

[Dave]

http://www.nufc.co.uk/articles/20121229/bigirimana-keeping-the-faith_2281670_3022041

"Weeping might endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning." That verse from Psalm 30:5 of the Bible is helping Gael Bigirimana to stay postive after two demoralising defeats in the last four days.

 

God has guided the 19-year-old throughout his life and career so far. It is Him who Bigirimana believes urged him to ask for a trial at Coventry City's Academy while he was buying a pint of milk as a youngster and it is to Him that he prays before every game he plays.

 

And it is Him who the Burundi-born midfielder will again turn to to ensure that he and his team-mates come back stronger in the weeks ahead after their 7-3 reverse at Arsenal, which came three days after the Boxing Day meeting at Manchester United when Newcastle led on three occasions before eventually going down 4-3 to the league leaders.

 

At the Emirates Stadium, the Magpies trailed on three occasions but equalised each time - only to slip to a 7-3 thrashing, with four of the goals coming in the final 20 minutes. Both defeats were hard to take given how much the players put into each match, but Bigirimana is one young man who will always keep the faith.

 

"Sometimes life will hit you down, hit you down, hit you down but God is just looking at you to see if you're going to give up like the verse in the Bible," he told nufc.co.uk after emerging from the away dressing room. "Football can be a cruel sport. You work hard and you do most things right - but you've got to do it 100 per cent right for the full 90 minutes.

 

"You can't just do 85 or 80 minutes. You've got to keep going and keep going until you can't feel your legs.

 

"We've given our all at Man United and Arsenal, two big teams in the league and in the country but sometimes when you think you're doing the right thing and you're playing well, football takes you and you've got to have the character where you keep going.

 

"Football will punch you down and punch you down and punch you down. But you can't give up, because as a footballer you've got to have a strong character and when football doesn't go your way and it's hitting you down, you've got to stand up, not give up and just keep fighting back.

 

"Eventually it will start falling your way. It's incredible sometimes - you just think 'what's going on?' but that's football. This game could be the last punch, or Everton could be the last punch, but one of these games will be the last punch. Then we'll get our time to start punching back."

 

The Magpies certainly looked a little punch drunk towards the end of Saturday's game but Arsenal's Boxing Day fixture against West Ham was postponed due to the effect of a tube train workers' strike on the London transport system, and Bigirimana felt the Gunners' extra rest proved decisive in the final few minutes as the hosts ran riot against a tired Magpies defence.

 

"It's no excuse but we've had two games in four days - and massive games away from home," said the youngster, who had been replaced by Shola Ameobi with his side trailing 4-3 in the 82nd minute as Alan Pardew understandably threw caution to the wind.

 

"In the last 15 minutes we looked all over the place but we're human beings, we get tired. I can't say that's an excuse but we just have to learn from our mistakes and make sure we don't concede against Everton.

 

"We always knew that we could score, even against Man U and Arsenal here. There was great character to some of our play but you've got to learn from these big teams. You've got to look and say 'what do they do best? What do they do to get even better still?' and we've got to add that to our game."

 

Last season, Bigirimana was playing for Coventry as the Sky Blues were relegated to League One but a sign of how far his star has risen came when he started against both the Gunners and the Red Devils at two of the best stadiums in England. And despite the scorelines in the two games, he has looked completely at home in such surroundings.

 

"I think I've done alright in both games but it's not about me, it's about the team," he insisted. "Even if I play excellent and we lose, I can't say 'I did well.' You lose as a team, you win as a team and you play well as a team.

 

"I just give thanks to my God. I'm thankful to him because I don't deserve it. People might say 'yes you do' but you can't say I deserve everything I get because there are people who live in the street who are better people than probably I am, but they're on the street. So you cannot say 'I deserve this' because the people in the street deserve better.

 

"But playing at Old Trafford and Arsenal and these experiences - I'm just living the dream. God always tests me, and he tests me to see how I react. But I always give him thanks - win, lose or draw, I give him thanks because I know there's always something good coming up."

 

[Mistle17]

His composure on the ball tonight was so impressive.

[The College Dropout]

I know he looks like Tiote but he really isn't a similar player. If he was Italian he wouldn't get the constant comparisons.

 

The lads a passer. He can put a foot in but he's not a holding player at all. Of all the players' he's played alongside/against he's more similar to Carrick than anyone else. Calmly, stroking the ball around. When he's in deep positions he'll often switch play and instigate attacks. When he gets a bit further forward he often chooses the wrong pass but that should improve with experience.

 

In practice he's more Anita than Tiote. You worry a bit about size and power but they won't be outfought and are technically very good.

 

[Jaehyun]

I know he looks like Tiote but he really isn't a similar player. If he was Italian he wouldn't get the constant comparisons.

 

The lads a passer. He can put a foot in but he's not a holding player at all. Of all the players' he's played alongside/against he's more similar to Carrick than anyone else. Calmly, stroking the ball around. When he's in deep positions he'll often switch play and instigate attacks. When he gets a bit further forward he often chooses the wrong pass but that should improve with experience.

 

In practice he's more Anita than Tiote. You worry a bit about size and power but they won't be outfought and are technically very good.

 

Have to agree with you there. He's not a destroyer. It's just that as a young player perhaps without the confidence of stroking the ball around in his earlier performances, we noticed his body strength and his tackling first. He's definitely more of an an Anita rather than a Tiote.