09 May 2021 20:07:49
Reading all of the posts on today's performance, there is a lot of frustration out there and rightfully so. Most, if not all of our current demise, is a mixture of self inflicted lack of quality and poor decision making by coaches and players alike. Many on here don't like what i say and I accept that, however I have been consistent for some time now about the total lack of quality of most of our current squad. Barkley, Luiz, Elghazi, Traore, Mcginn were all very average at best today and that has been the case for a long time. let's hope we start afresh next season with at least six quality signings. If the ref had been recruited from the holte end the result would have been exactly the same. So forget the excuses, we have to do far far better next season, with a fresh coaching approach and hopefully a significant increase in quality players otherwise we will be in an extremely uncomfortable position and pressure will be on the owners to act swiftly. Not doom and gloom but a genuine view of a loyal fan who wants the best for his club.
09 May 2021 21:39:47
Luiz is a tricky one for me, he's not a defensive midfielder but is being asked to play as such. I honestly believe if we signed an out and out HMF in the summer and removed that from his job spec we would have a phenomenal player on our hands - He is young, and yes he has the occasional brain fart like today but I've seen enough to know there is a real talent there, albeit not at HMF. Also, a HMF would free McGinn up to play further forward where he is much better.
Going to be an interesting summer - Agree we need 6 quality signings to really push on!
09 May 2021 23:38:15
BK, why is he being asked to play in that position then.
If the Manager knows what he is doing, like so many are saying, he is in the right position.
Transfer market has him listed as a Defensive Mid, the real truth of the mater is that he is not great at his job.
Never rated him, sorry mate.
10 May 2021 09:21:56
To be fair to him now the most has settled, he was our best player following the mid season break last year, playing as a defensive midfielder. That then flowed into this season where we had our best first quarter of a season in decades with some of the best performances in a similar time frame, with him as a defensive midfielder. So he’s proved him can do it, not just on the odd occasion but for a stretch of 20+ games. In the first half yesterday he was brilliant, one two touch, demanding the ball off the centre backs so they didn’t just lump it, quick triangles to play through Uniteds press.
For me, it’s not his ability, it’s his brain, jumps all over people when they are countering, fair enough, we haven’t had someone who will make the cynical fouls when needed and we are out numbered. But now he does it when players are running away from our goal, when they are running straight into two or three players, his sending off against wolves earlier in the season was another complete brain fart.
In ability he’s one of our best players, and we aren’t at the point where we turn our nose up at full Brazilian internationals, not by a long stretch😂. In my view he needs time and competition, everyone can name players who were ok in their early twenty’s and went on to be brilliant players (De Bruyne) . So definitely sign a new defensive mid in the summer, but shouldn’t be selling Dougie in a month of Sunday’s.
10 May 2021 10:57:56
Dave I think that's two separate conversations :-) I agree with you, some of Smith's team selections and game management leaves a lot to be desired but for me he deserves to be in charge next season - Now why does he play Luiz as a HMF, for me we look a lot better in possession when Luiz plays instead of Nakamba. Marvelous is better defensively but offers zero going forward, and (for me) the majority of our best performances this season have come with Luiz on the pitch. I'm convinced there is am extremely good player in there, as Chris says we aren't in a position to turn our noses up to a player who makes Brazils 11 - He only just turned 23, we are crying out for our youth to be given a chance but Luiz isn't dramatically older and will 100% get better with time and, most importantly, better players around him.