Ballou Tabla

[Unnamed Trialist]

The Spain LB Miranda on the Spain Olympic team (Betis) and Abel Ruiz (Braga) the striker were both teammates of Ballou at Barça B, both players he associated well with on the field.

Just to gauge the age group and development.

[GasPed]

1 hour ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

The Spain LB Miranda on the Spain Olympic team (Betis) and Abel Ruiz (Braga) the striker were both teammates of Ballou at Barça B, both players he associated well with on the field.

Just to gauge the age group and development.

I think it's fair to say that Tabla isn't in the "developmental" stage anymore.  At 25 he's getting pretty close to the finished product, whatever that might be.  He's older than Liam Millar, older than Shaff, older than Davies, same age as Tajon, all of whom are levels above him.  I'm not necessarily saying it's the end of the road for him, but it's basically his last chance saloon.  No more excuses about "he needs more minutes/experience/coaching/maturity" etc. - unless he lights it up this year, I think we can safely say this is his level.  And while that's disappointing given what we all hoped, it's far from the first time we've seen a big gap between promise and reality.   

[Ozzie_the_parrot]

You still see brief moments in CanPL games that explain what led to Barcelona signing him because he will do something flashy that is on another level but the quality of decision making and awareness of what's happening around him just isn't there.

[Aird25]

He's nearing his prime, and he hasn't really advanced beyond a CPL bench player. There have certainly been flashes, but there doesn't seem to be enough in this player. This will happen. It might actually be pretty common going forward, but I don't see a need to place blame on anyone at this stage. Tabla is still a pretty good player. 

[Obinna]

5 minutes ago, Aird25 said:

He's nearing his prime, and he hasn't really advanced beyond a CPL bench player. There have certainly been flashes, but there doesn't seem to be enough in this player. This will happen. It might actually be pretty common going forward, but I don't see a need to place blame on anyone at this stage. Tabla is still a pretty good player. 

Hasn't he started all but one game in the CPL? For the league leaders?

[Aird25]

4 minutes ago, Obinna said:

Hasn't he started all but one game in the CPL? For the league leaders?

I don't watch Ottawa, but from what I can gather he rarely plays 90. I've also seen hopeful comments that recent signings will stick him permanently on the bench

Edited August 9 by Aird25

[Obinna]

3 minutes ago, Aird25 said:

I don't watch Ottawa, but from what I can gather he rarely plays 90. I've also seen hopeful comments that recent signings will stick him permanently on the bench

I just happened to be looking at the Ottawa player stats for the season today, just briefly, and that's what I saw. 

But this goes to show how stats may not tell the true story, depending on which ones you look at. 

Eye test is often the best, but like yourself I haven't watched Ottawa this year either. 

Anyway though, I do agree with your point. For every success, they'll be a "what could have been" like Tabla. Doesn't mean he's not talented. I think you need a bit of luck along the way and if you don't get it, you can get stuck.

I am just glad we have the CPL so he can keep earning a living while playing the game he loves. And while he's entering his prime now, I wouldn't say it's too late for him to try again in Europe or elsewhere. Bustos did it at 27 years old and has been able to maintain a spot with an Allsvenskan team since 2023, which is a step up from the CPL, so there's hope. 

[Aird25]

5 minutes ago, Obinna said:

I just happened to be looking at the Ottawa player stats for the season today, just briefly, and that's what I saw. 

But this goes to show how stats may not tell the true story, depending on which ones you look at. 

Eye test is often the best, but like yourself I haven't watched Ottawa this year either. 

Anyway though, I do agree with your point. For every success, they'll be a "what could have been" like Tabla. Doesn't mean he's not talented. I think you need a bit of luck along the way and if you don't get it, you can get stuck.

I am just glad we have the CPL so he can keep earning a living while playing the game he loves. And while he's entering his prime now, I wouldn't say it's too late for him to try again in Europe or elsewhere. Bustos did it at 27 years old and has been able to maintain a spot with an Allsvenskan team since 2023, which is a step up from the CPL, so there's hope. 

Bustos had an injury and never really came back. Good on his agent for securing a couple more seasons of pay. He's not what he once was, but the move abroad was well timed

[Unnamed Trialist]

5 hours ago, GasPed said:

I think it's fair to say that Tabla isn't in the "developmental" stage anymore.  At 25 he's getting pretty close to the finished product, whatever that might be.  He's older than Liam Millar, older than Shaff, older than Davies, same age as Tajon, all of whom are levels above him.  I'm not necessarily saying it's the end of the road for him, but it's basically his last chance saloon.  No more excuses about "he needs more minutes/experience/coaching/maturity" etc. - unless he lights it up this year, I think we can safely say this is his level.  And while that's disappointing given what we all hoped, it's far from the first time we've seen a big gap between promise and reality.   

Well Dani Morer at At Ottawa was also a teammate of theirs. And so was Riqui Puig. So there are a lot of different levels to attain, and coming through a good academy making pro, even at a lower level, is still an accomplishment. Thinking now Cucurella was just a year ahead of them.

[Obinna]

43 minutes ago, Aird25 said:

Bustos had an injury and never really came back. Good on his agent for securing a couple more seasons of pay. He's not what he once was, but the move abroad was well timed

Indeed. Goes to show what a good agent can do for you, along with some fortunate timing, I suppose.

Yes, his performance dipped with Pacific, and yet he was able to carve out a second-life in Sweden, at a higher level than he was at in Canada, so if he could manage that I would say Tabla making a similar move should definitely be in the realm of possibility.

The question for me is whether he has the hunger to give it a third kick at the can.

Bustos seemed to have a big desire to try Europe, but Tabla has already been there, twice, and both times he came back home without making the impact we expected. 

 

[InglewoodJack]

Tabla is in a good spot for Canadian soccer because the CPL does need homegrown stars. If guys like him, Ollie Basset, so on, can stay in Otttawa for several years, have great moments, maybe lead them to a title eventually, that sells jerseys, it gets young fans excited, it grows local support. I don’t think fans come to games to watch the 17 year old who might play in Europe down the line, they wanna see players who can consistently deliver good moments. I think guys like him are just as important in growing the game as the young talents who move on quickly and eventually make the national team. 

[Aird25]

2 hours ago, InglewoodJack said:

Tabla is in a good spot for Canadian soccer because the CPL does need homegrown stars. If guys like him, Ollie Basset, so on, can stay in Otttawa for several years, have great moments, maybe lead them to a title eventually, that sells jerseys, it gets young fans excited, it grows local support. I don’t think fans come to games to watch the 17 year old who might play in Europe down the line, they wanna see players who can consistently deliver good moments. I think guys like him are just as important in growing the game as the young talents who move on quickly and eventually make the national team. 

I don't really understand the point of your post. Obviously stars in our league are important for selling kits, tickets, and advertising. That's how money in the sport is made 

[dyslexic nam]

15 minutes ago, Aird25 said:

I don't really understand the point of your post. Obviously stars in our league are important for selling kits, tickets, and advertising. That's how money in the sport is made 

I think it is important because a lot of people advocate for CPL to have a dominant focus as a developmental, selling league - but a league that solely focuses on youth development and selling players as soon as they are marketable is a league that will always be challenged to put out a good product for the fans.  I think it is one of the fundamental challenges in a league like CPL.  So having guys like Tabla (and I think Bekker is the archetype), who are quality players but not necessarily looking for the next move - that is an important component for the league’s long term success.  

[Ozzie_the_parrot]

2 hours ago, InglewoodJack said:

Tabla is in a good spot for Canadian soccer because the CPL does need homegrown stars. If guys like him, Ollie Basset, so on, can stay in Otttawa for several years, have great moments, maybe lead them to a title eventually, that sells jerseys, it gets young fans excited, it grows local support...

Sure, but you could say that about pretty much any of the better CanPL players. Tabla would be a better fit for a Montreal area CanPL team for the homegrown star and local hero sort of angle. Kris Twardek might be the highest profile local Ottawa player at the moment. Not sure on that. Doubt having Tabla around is in any way pivotal to fan interest moving forward. What Atletico Ottawa seem to be doing better than some of the other CanPL clubs is running minor league baseball type promotions like the weiner dog race from earlier this season that draw in the sort of fans that would struggle to name any of the players as well as the diehards.

[Aird25]

12 minutes ago, dyslexic nam said:

I think it is important because a lot of people advocate for CPL to have a dominant focus as a developmental, selling league - but a league that solely focuses on youth development and selling players as soon as they are marketable is a league that will always be challenged to put out a good product for the fans.  I think it is one of the fundamental challenges in a league like CPL.  So having guys like Tabla (and I think Bekker is the archetype), who are quality players but not necessarily looking for the next move - that is an important component for the league’s long term success.  

A lot of people voted for Trump. The masses are stupid. We just need their money

[Obinna]

1 hour ago, Aird25 said:

A lot of people voted for Trump. The masses are stupid. We just need their money

lol did someone piss in your cereal this morning?

@dyslexic nam gave you a pretty solid response explaining the point @InglewoodJack was making. I got half way through a response myself, but then dropped it. Nam put it better than I would have anyway, so not much more to add, really. 

1 hour ago, Ozzie_the_parrot said:

Doubt having Tabla around is in any way pivotal to fan interest moving forward. 

Not sure I agree with that. I know the Cavalry fanbase really seem to adore the lifers, like Camargo for instance. I am sure the same is true of Forge fans with Bekker. There'll always be players we export to greener pastures, but It's also important to have guys stick around for the long haul. It helps fans build an attachment to the players and the team over time. 

Edited August 10 by Obinna

[InglewoodJack]

2 hours ago, Aird25 said:

I don't really understand the point of your post. Obviously stars in our league are important for selling kits, tickets, and advertising. That's how money in the sport is made 

For not understanding my point, you just repeated it. Talking about Tabla’s development or potential or whatever is pointless. He’s not going back to Europe unless it’s to an irrelevant lower tier and he’s never sniffing the NT ever again. Instead, he’s going to carve out a career as a very good CPL player that helps teams win games. This is good for Canadian soccer because fans want to see good players, not some kid who plays 15 garbage time minutes and might go on trial for some team whose games are not broadcast anywhere in Canada. It’s fine. The game needs guys like Tabla to carve out long domestic careers. That’s important too.

 

1 hour ago, Ozzie_the_parrot said:

Sure, but you could say that about pretty much any of the better CanPL players. Tabla would be a better fit for a Montreal area CanPL team for the homegrown star and local hero sort of angle. Kris Twardek might be the highest profile local Ottawa player at the moment. Not sure on that. Doubt having Tabla around is in any way pivotal to fan interest moving forward. What Atletico Ottawa seem to be doing better than some of the other CanPL clubs is running minor league baseball type promotions like the weiner dog race from earlier this season that draw in the sort of fans that would struggle to name any of the players as well as the diehards.

You can say that about any other good CPL player. It’s not about Tabla, it’s about the league needing guys who are going to carve out a long domestic career putting up good numbers and helping clubs win games. Tabla is brought up because his thread keeps getting bumped, seemingly because some people have half a mind that he’ll still meet his teenage potential and end up finding his way back on the national team. Not happening. That’s fine.

36 minutes ago, Obinna said:

Not sure I agree with that. I know the Cavalry fanbase really seem to adore the lifers, like Camargo for instance. I am sure the same is true of Forge fans with Bekker. There'll always be players we export to greener pastures, but It's also important to have guys stick around for the long haul. It helps fans build an attachment to the players and the team over time. 

A guy like Borges has brought a lot of joy to Hamilton. A much more impactful force on growing the game at home than Tavernier or Kane or any of the other young guys who are talk about strictly on this forum.