| view Sabin's match-by-match record |
| Éric SABIN | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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When a French centre forward was recommended to Andy King by a scout, King went over to France to watch him play, and he asked not to know which player he was supposed to be viewing. During the match, King said he was impressed by Wasquehal's number nine - and that he couldn't believe his luck when that was the player he was there to see! Sabin joined Swindon during the 2001/2002 pre-season on a Bosman free transfer - though a quick glance at the Wasquehal squad for the previous season shows Sabin wearing the number 28 shirt... did King get the right man? When Sabin arrived at the club, King likened his talents to that of Thierry Henry - a statement which has often come back to haunt them both. While Sabin is almost as quick as his fellow Frenchman, and he might look a little like him, unfortunately, that is where the similarity ends. For a forward player, Sabin's finishing is at best poor, and his first touch too often lets him down. Sabin's main strengths are running at defenders, and he is brilliant at winning free-kicks in dangerous areas, plus the odd penalty - a skill he demonstrated early in his Town career - winning four penalties in his first five games, including one on his debut, in a 0-0 draw with Peterborough on the opening day of the 2001/2002 season. His first goal came somewhat later - coming in a 1-1 draw with Brighton on 24th November 2001. Shortly before his contract expired at the end of the 2002/2003 season, Sabin was offered a reduced deal, and, after Queens Park Rangers had surprisingly expressed an interest in him on transfer deadline day, Sabin played for them in a reserve game. He returned to Swindon to feature in the final game of the season - before confirming that he would leave when his deal ran out. PLAYING RECORD:
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date of birth
usual positions centre forward senior career |
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MARTINIQUE
FRANCE
