David Kelly 1244 Posted June 12, 2017 Share Posted June 12, 2017 I went to every home game and a fair few away games last season fwiw. He's definitely not a natural finisher and lacks the pace that would ever give him the chance to get up to that 20 goal a season mark in the premier league. But given that he scored 9 goals in his first season (a season in which we created next to nowt), I see no reason to think he couldn't a few more goals to get up towards 15 in the future. And that would represent a good total for a player playing for a club in our position. However I do agree that he's not particularly suited to playing up top on his own (primarily down to that lack of pace and suspect temperament) and I don't think Rafa trusts him to follow the instructions he has for him, so I do think he'll be moved on. I'm not convinced we'll be able to bring in anyone better than him without spunking most of our budget on one player or striking it lucky with someone like Abraham, but I do think we should be able to find someone who fits in better with what Rafa wants and that's what is most important. I think it's a shame in that his attitude and desire to do well here is first class, and it would have been great if he could have made it as he would have been a real hero if he had. With regards to that Bristol game, I'd say that as much as he wasn't doing well at getting on the end of crosses, Atsu should have realised that he wasn't playing with Gayle and played in balls for the player who was on the pitch. It was just as infuriating as when we put high balls in for Gayle that he's never going to get. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anorthernsoul 1221 Posted June 12, 2017 Share Posted June 12, 2017 8 minutes ago, David Kelly said: With regards to that Bristol game, I'd say that as much as he wasn't doing well at getting on the end of crosses, Atsu should have realised that he wasn't playing with Gayle and played in balls for the player who was on the pitch. It was just as infuriating as when we put high balls in for Gayle that he's never going to get. You're playing devil's advocate there mate He's putting dangerous balls into areas virtually impossible to defend against. It's exactly where he expects a lone striker to be. Absolutely no blame can be attributed to Atsu there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Kelly 1244 Posted June 12, 2017 Share Posted June 12, 2017 Just now, Anorthernsoul said: You're playing devil's advocate there mate He's putting dangerous balls into areas virtually impossible to defend against. It's exactly where he expects a lone striker to be. Absolutely no blame can be attributed to Atsu there. I disagree. If you know you have a pacey striker like Gayle you know you can put those sorts of balls in. If you have someone who's not likely to get beyond there back four then what's the point in putting those balls in? Play in balls that give the players you have on the pitch a chance. It's exactly the same as standing one up to the back post to try and get up above their defenders. Gayle has next to no chance of getting on the end of those even if they are excellent balls for a different type of player to attack. So I would expect our wide players to realise that and play accordingly. Atsu's inability to work that out against Bristol concerned me. He is either lacking in a football brain or the ability put in a different type of ball. Mind you he's not he only one, the amount of long high balls we played up to Gayle throughout the season that he had no chance of winning was a regular cause of frustration. To him more than anyone else I'd imagine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Kelly 1244 Posted June 12, 2017 Share Posted June 12, 2017 Can't say I'm that fussed. I'd be very interested if we were signing him on a permanent deal but I want to see us sign someone with more top flight experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anorthernsoul 1221 Posted June 12, 2017 Share Posted June 12, 2017 8 minutes ago, David Kelly said: I disagree. If you know you have a pacey striker like Gayle you know you can put those sorts of balls in. If you have someone who's not likely to get beyond there back four then what's the point in putting those balls in? Play in balls that give the players you have on the pitch a chance. It's exactly the same as standing one up to the back post to try and get up above their defenders. Gayle has next to no chance of getting on the end of those even if they are excellent balls for a different type of player to attack. So I would expect our wide players to realise that and play accordingly. Atsu's inability to work that out against Bristol concerned me. He is either lacking in a football brain or the ability put in a different type of ball. Mind you he's not he only one, the amount of long high balls we played up to Gayle throughout the season that he had no chance of winning was a regular cause of frustration. To him more than anyone else I'd imagine. You're talking out of your arse mate, it's either laziness on Mitrovic's part or just purely down to him being unfit when he's yards behind the play and offering fuck all options in the middle. Why defend Mitrovic? Is he your kid's godfather or something? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Kelly 1244 Posted June 12, 2017 Share Posted June 12, 2017 1 minute ago, Anorthernsoul said: You're talking out of your arse mate, it's either laziness on Mitrovic's part or just purely down to him being unfit when he's yards behind the play and offering fuck all options in the middle. Why defend Mitrovic? Is he your kid's godfather or something? Your attitude which is the same as many others I can't understand is why I defend him. He had a poor game against Oxford in the cup apparently and the next game there were people at the match saying he should never play for us again. It's fucking ridiculous really. He's not a great player but he's not awful by any stretch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howay 12496 Posted June 12, 2017 Share Posted June 12, 2017 25 minutes ago, Ant said: exactly, a lad with no prem experience weighing up a move here with rafa or "Brighton" isn't sure which to go for "nevermind then kid" would be the answer, it's not like we're courting a proven player, we're taking a risk and benefiting his club with it. Aye I'd be telling him to whistle. As you say I'm not fussed on the deal anyway as I don't see a great deal of upside for us, if he's shit we're stuck with him as a prominent striker, if he's good he goes back to Chelsea and we're back in the position of needing a striker again. I'd rather us get a player on loan with a view to sign permanently or buy one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fish 10856 Posted June 12, 2017 Share Posted June 12, 2017 57 minutes ago, Anorthernsoul said: You're talking out of your arse mate, it's either laziness on Mitrovic's part or just purely down to him being unfit when he's yards behind the play and offering fuck all options in the middle. Why defend Mitrovic? Is he your kid's godfather or something? Because the criticism is over the top? He's a regular goal scorer at international level, scored 9 in a relegation campaign and scored 1 in 3 in the Championship despite not playing regularly, yet you're going on like he's Guivarc'h or Luque. The lad has the desire to do well here, he is patently not a shit striker and is a different option to Gayle. Yet you want him moved on asap? You wanted him playing ahead of Cisse a year ago saying: On 4/19/2016 at 11:09 PM, Anorthernsoul said: I'd start Mitro instead of Cisse, he offers a lot more and is a much better footballer. Cisse has a first touch on par with Adam Johnson. Has his stock really fallen so far despite him not playing regularly (11 starts), scoring 4 and setting up 6? He's shown he can get 9 in the top flight (more than Gayle has ever managed), he's improved his discipline and he provides a different option. Can't believe you're writing him off so young, and it's not that you're just saying he won't work in Rafa's system (which if it remains as it was in the Championship, I agree with), you're saying he's gone from "much better than Cisse" to shite in a year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anorthernsoul 1221 Posted June 13, 2017 Share Posted June 13, 2017 Great goal by England there. Shame they can't do it when it matters Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anorthernsoul 1221 Posted June 13, 2017 Share Posted June 13, 2017 Gary Cahill is a shite defender, how is he playing at the highest level still? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meenzer 15524 Posted June 13, 2017 Share Posted June 13, 2017 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizza 105 Posted June 13, 2017 Share Posted June 13, 2017 The F.A can save time next summer by just sacking Southgate now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ayatollah Hermione 13863 Posted June 13, 2017 Share Posted June 13, 2017 May's Mexican wave summed up that second half really. The state of our defence whenever Mbappe and Dembele were running at them, man. They were pacey and direct and it meant that our one-paced knackers had no clue how to deal with them. Compare them to Sterling whose passing in the final third, that backheel aside, was absolutely shocking. Not to mention how much time he wanted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anorthernsoul 1221 Posted June 13, 2017 Share Posted June 13, 2017 The defence is shocking, that needs to be addressed first. Cahill, Stones, Jones as a back three? None of them are good enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howmanheyman 33166 Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 On 2017-6-12 at 3:40 PM, Anorthernsoul said: It's fuck all to do with any young fan clubs, I've watched him time and time again and he's been far from impressive in front of goal for the club. Like I've said before he puts a shift in but he's got no pace, for a big lad rarely wins a header in the box and is never in a goalscoring position when there's a decent ball put in there. I'll take one game for example last season, Bristol City at home. Atsu put some cracking balls into the box, where's Mitrovic? He was either outside the box or behind the penalty spot. It was clearly frustrating for the players, he's the lone striker, he needs to be in there. He lacks that goalscoring instinct, it's as simple as that. It might work in a 4-4-2 with him doing the donkey work and having someone else bang the goals in but he's never up to playing up there by himself. I'm correct in thinking you lads don't go to games? Well you can't do because you are deluded about Mitrovic, although you might just be pissed at every game? That's closer to my thinking than other views on here although tbf I usually am a bit pissed at games. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anorthernsoul 1221 Posted June 17, 2017 Share Posted June 17, 2017 Just watching the Russia game and the Russians had told the press it was a 60k sell out, christ man half the stadium is empty The Russians are so full of shit it's unreal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ewerk 30598 Posted July 14, 2017 Share Posted July 14, 2017 (edited) Lee Griffiths has just got a yellow card for bringing to the referee's attention the fact that he was getting pelted with coins and a bottle of buckfast. Welcome to Belfast. Edited July 14, 2017 by ewerk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anorthernsoul 1221 Posted July 15, 2017 Share Posted July 15, 2017 Another youth trophy, what a summer. Surely they can form a silverware winning senior team out of them? http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/40619862 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ayatollah Hermione 13863 Posted July 16, 2017 Share Posted July 16, 2017 Will just make it all the more infuriating when our lads go crashing out of the World Cup in the group stages next summer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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