Eddie's Barn Door worrying mags v Dummy-Spitter Lego Head's "long suffering" Crybabies

[PaddockLad 19013]

And another thing, the key to Saturday wasn’t Longstaff not giving the ball away every 2 minutes for a change, it was the Hall x Willock x Joelinton axis down the left. A fit Willock has more influence on the side than a turbo charged Longstaff iyam

[Dr Gloom 23642]

19 minutes ago, PaddockLad said:

Yep. And people should stop fretting about Tonali, the fuckin paddy power enabled cunt. Am telling you, he’s Viana with A levels and a 2020’s fitness coach

you don’t think he looked good against Chelsea in the cup? He was motm in that deeper role 

[Gemmill 49974]

Scapegoating the foreigner. He'll be out patrolling the white cliffs in the morning. 

 

[Dr Gloom 23642]

25 minutes ago, Holden McGroin said:

He’ll play the same team v Forest.

Forest will have a go at us at home, I expect, with the form they’re in so Sean might be the right selection.

 

My only criticism of Howe has been his loyalty to certain players and his reluctance to tweak the system.

 

If we accept he isn’t switching from 4-3-3, I hope this past week where he picked the right team for the right opposition is the future. Not being scared to rotate/rest big players depending on the game plan for the individual game, in other words. 

[Holden McGroin 7625]

Howe tries to evolve the team, in this case he has tried to give Tonali a chance (he did this at the start of last season as wel) but ends up putting him back in cos we don’t win games. So either Longstaff adds something vital to the team or he is a fucking lucky charm. 

[PaddockLad 19013]

52 minutes ago, Dr Gloom said:

you don’t think he looked good against Chelsea in the cup? He was motm in that deeper role 

Chelsea reserves. He’s looked average v everyone else. Hes plainly got ability but he’s never going to thrive in the system Howe uses…

Edited November 4, 2024 by PaddockLad

[Dr Gloom 23642]

49 minutes ago, PaddockLad said:

Chelsea reserves. He’s looked average v everyone else. Hes plainly got ability but he’s never going to thrive in the system Howe uses…

harsh. Their reserves were still littered with £60m+ internationals, including a World Cup winner and a European champion 

[spongebob toonpants 4361]

1 hour ago, PaddockLad said:

Chelsea reserves. He’s looked average v everyone else. Hes plainly got ability but he’s never going to thrive in the system Howe uses…

He's not played for a year, let's not rush to judgement quite yet

[Gemmill 49974]

541 minutes played this season. Basically 6 x 90 minutes. 

 

WRITTEN OFF by Lewellyn Bowen. 

[aimaad22 4690]

Played really well for Italy too hasn't he in a different role where he's running everything.

 

Keeping him, Barnes, Trippier and Willock fit for most of the remainder of the season could be the difference in making Europe or losing out again. We obviously just didn't have these options last season. I almost added Wilson to the list but trying to keep it serious here. 

[PaddockLad 19013]

As I’ve said at this stage it’s the system more than the player. He shows more aptitude than Harvey Barnes though who is weak on the ball when starting but seems to be able to contribute a lot more when coming off the bench which is where I’d have them both at the moment. Not writing either off totally and it’s tactics more than anything else. In a way it does to an extent call into question the wisdom of signing both though. It wouldn’t be the first time we’d signed players because they’re available . That’s how we ended up with Ba and Cisse  

[Dr Gloom 23642]

51 minutes ago, PaddockLad said:

As I’ve said at this stage it’s the system more than the player. He shows more aptitude than Harvey Barnes though who is weak on the ball when starting but seems to be able to contribute a lot more when coming off the bench which is where I’d have them both at the moment. Not writing either off totally and it’s tactics more than anything else. In a way it does to an extent call into question the wisdom of signing both though. It wouldn’t be the first time we’d signed players because they’re available . That’s how we ended up with Ba and Cisse  

I question the signing of Barnes too given how well-stocked we are down the left wing compared to the right. But he was signed before Gordon had that break-out season down the left where he was our best player. I don’t think anyone expected him to be as good as he has been. But Barnes became available so we went for him, a bit like Hall and Tino.

 

Howe hasn’t got much wrong in tne transfer market so far. I’ve seen enough from a Tonali to think we’ve got a proper player if deployed correctly. He’ll be a massive asset this season. 

Edited November 4, 2024 by Dr Gloom

[spongebob toonpants 4361]

4 hours ago, Dr Gloom said:

 

My only criticism of Howe has been his loyalty to certain players and his reluctance to tweak the system.

 

If we accept he isn’t switching from

 

I don't think it's right to say he doesn't tweak the system, it's much more fluid than bog standard 4-3-3

 

https://twitter.com/Jake_armstrong9/status/1853401601001865584

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ohhh_yeah 3053]

 

   

 

 

[David Kelly 1340]

13 hours ago, PaddockLad said:

As I’ve said at this stage it’s the system more than the player. He shows more aptitude than Harvey Barnes though who is weak on the ball when starting but seems to be able to contribute a lot more when coming off the bench which is where I’d have them both at the moment. Not writing either off totally and it’s tactics more than anything else. In a way it does to an extent call into question the wisdom of signing both though. It wouldn’t be the first time we’d signed players because they’re available . That’s how we ended up with Ba and Cisse  

Totally agree with this.  So far Howe has stuck to his system and it hasn't suited Tonali at all or Barnes other than for coming off the bench (which isn't necessarily a bad thing for us but I suspect will piss him off sooner or later).  I am a bit more hopeful that going back to Joelinton and Willock on the left, will allow Tonali to work but we'll have to see where that goes.

[Dr Gloom 23642]

i'd be amazed if he's as underwhelming for us as hugo viana was. 

 

but on that subject, is tonali a defensive midfielder? 

[PaddockLad 19013]

5 minutes ago, Dr Gloom said:

i'd be amazed if he's as underwhelming for us as hugo viana was. 

 

but on that subject, is tonali a defensive midfielder? 

All things being equal he might not get the chance to prove anything either way.  It’s not football manager, it’s people not pixels. Tonali being indisputably a better footballer than Longy counts for fuck all if the blend on the pitch is wrong. Pity we haven’t got Europe for more game time for the whole squad this season… 

[David Kelly 1340]

35 minutes ago, Dr Gloom said:

i'd be amazed if he's as underwhelming for us as hugo viana was. 

 

but on that subject, is tonali a defensive midfielder? 

When Longstaff first came into the team he looked like he was a midfielder to sit in front of the back four, but once he returned from the injury he had, and particularly under Howe, his game has changed.  I don't think any of our midfielders look like the type to sit but I also think players like Bruno and Tonali are intelligent enough to be able to adapt to do that role if that was what was asked of them.  I don't think Howe asks this though.  We've seen games where we have massive gaps between the defence and midfield and we've been easily played through and we've struggled.  But those occasions have been far less then the times when our set up has worked well for us so I don't think Howe see's a need to change overall.  I do think he sees a need to adapt against the better teams though which is what we've seen this last week.  I just think he needs to be a bit more flexible more often.

[The Fish 11323]

I think Bruno, Tonali and Longstaff can all play a version of that sitting midfielder, but honestly I'd much prefer an out and out destroyer. Both Bruno and Tonali are more suited to playing a little further forward, contributing to the defence absolutely, but focussed more on progressing the ball into the final third. 

 

Gan sign Tiote man.

[David Kelly 1340]

1 hour ago, The Fish said:

I think Bruno, Tonali and Longstaff can all play a version of that sitting midfielder, but honestly I'd much prefer an out and out destroyer. Both Bruno and Tonali are more suited to playing a little further forward, contributing to the defence absolutely, but focussed more on progressing the ball into the final third. 

 

Gan sign Tiote man.

I don't think Howe see's it that way or we would have been after one by now.  I don't think we've ever been seriously linked to a player of that type while Howe's been here.

[Kid Dynamite 7638]

19 hours ago, Dr Gloom said:

I question the signing of Barnes too given how well-stocked we are down the left wing compared to the right. But he was signed before Gordon had that break-out season down the left where he was our best player. I don’t think anyone expected him to be as good as he has been. But Barnes became available so we went for him, a bit like Hall and Tino.

 

Howe hasn’t got much wrong in tne transfer market so far. I’ve seen enough from a Tonali to think we’ve got a proper player if deployed correctly. He’ll be a massive asset this season. 

I hope so, because between Tonali and Barnes we've dropped £100,000,000 on 2 players that don't get in our first XI when everyone is fit, whilst complaining that we don't have the wiggle room financially because of PSR to upgrade our CF and RW contingent 

[Meenzer 16446]

First XI is a bit of an outdated concept for where we're aiming to be, though.

[Gemmill 49974]

Exactly. And you can't buy players in the order that you need them. You buy them in the order that they become available. 

[Kid Dynamite 7638]

3 hours ago, Gemmill said:

Exactly. And you can't buy players in the order that you need them. You buy them in the order that they become available. 

Elliot Anderson rumoured to be in-the England squad this week. A player we sold for £15mil and a shit GK.

 

And yes, hindsight is a wonderful thing, but it fucking stings to see a local lad and lifelong fan developing into one of the best young CMs in the country when he was desperate to stay here. 

[Kid Dynamite 7638]

3 hours ago, Gemmill said:

Exactly. And you can't buy players in the order that you need them. You buy them in the order that they become available. 

I've no doubt a judgement was made on Barnes and Tonali at the time. But it looks a flawed judgement in hindsight since neither are currently starting and both transfers contributed to us having to sell Anderson and Minteh.