An official email landed in my inbox last night, hailing the arrival of an "International Striker"
The player in question is none other than Ying Ming Le (no I hadn't heard of him, either) from China. Ying is on trial with us for three weeks. The mail finished by saying that more information could be found on the club's official website. At the time of writing, more than 15 hours after the mail arrived, no details have been published, so I decided to do a bit of research myself.
For starters, the use of the word "International" may be up for debate, as I have been able to find precisely no evidence to support that tag. Somewhat suspicious about the credentials of our new "International", I dug deeper, and discovered three pieces of info about Ying.
- He wasn't a squad member of any of the Chinese Super League clubs at the end of last season.
- He hasn't featured in the Chinese National Team over the last 12 months.
- He hasn't featured in the Chinese National Team for any of the major competitions they have entered.
In fact, I've found absolutely no evidence of a footballer called Ying Ming Ye (or any alternative combination of those names) actually existing, let alone an international striker called Ying Ming Ye.
So, is this guy really an international striker? Or is he simply a striker who comes from overseas? I tend to think it may be the latter. Regardless, I'd be more than surprised if he ended up making an impact at Gillingham, and fully expect his stay to come and go with little incident.
As yourself this:
Is Ying's arrival...
- A well-scouted arrival with a genuine chance of improving the squad?
- A cheap publicity stunt to tie-in with the Beijing Olympics?
- A desperation move by a manager whose chosen strikers can't find the net?
I'll let you be the judge.