I'm hoping that Powell can fire up Racon for the rest of the season but is he willing to take a chance with his passes? He seems to want to pass it square rather than go for a through ball. I see Macca as a stand in rather than a star.
In the past, for short-term expediency, we have tried a number of so called "creative" midfielders. Virtually none of them either fit enough or not up to much.
Other than the extremely talented Jonjo, the best playmaker we had for some while was Andy Reid but Pardew struggled to find the right formation/team to play around him. Indeed I believe that Parky struggled to find a settled role for Jonjo which is why in the end he tended to play him less and less.
I can see somebody like Bostock coming in and either firing us to the top or crashing and burning.
I still come back to the players we have and getting the best out of them.
Racon is capable of being much more of a playmaker than he shows much of the time. The coaches need to get more from him because I am sure there is more there.
I come back to Waggy who I think could be the player to step up. He is technically competent. He can certain hit a quality ball into the box. He is good on the ball, he has pace, he has a decent scoring record and above all he'll die for the cause. Given the players available to CP, I'd certainly have him in my team!
So if they can get in somebody decent in the short term, that maybe the way to go but if not, I'd look to young Scott.
I think waggy is a good player, but he is not a that good a crosser...
most of the time he seems to hit it behind our players (fortunatly bwp managed to score from one the other week)
I am not sure about us having anyone at the club who can "step up" and take on the role of playmaker. I have scene scant evidence to make me think otherwise. Racon would be the closest but during all the time he has been with us I don't see any signs that he can be anything other than a competent player but certainly not enough to run a midfield. How many goals and assists ? We need that player to come in if we want to push Brighton and Southampton all the way. Failing that I definitely agree that we could get promoted but I can't see automatic with what we have.
Racon a few months ago was our best player during our run of wins. If he gets back to that level and Semedo plays like he did vs Colchester and finds his usual end of season form that could fire us up. Add people like Reid and Ayinseh who have more to offer we might just do it.
[cite]Posted By: Henry Irving[/cite]But Kish was never a playmaker. He could pass a ball but he and Semedo have similar roles (Kish was much better). Keith Jones was another converted defender who was there to break up play and pass to the other, more creative/attacking players like Kinsella, Jensen, etc.
very good insight there Henry, noticing Kish wasn't a midfield playmaker. To suggest jackson could be may not be such a good spot - anyway, lets get back to discussing some of the more fringe issues and forget about the nitty gritty of why our team are so incapable of creating chances shall we?
[cite]Posted By: Bexley Dan[/cite]at home we struggle chronically to create chances - Jackson, the answer to our midfield problems is ridiculous, now don't be so touchy Henry.
Wind your neck in, if anyone is being touchy it's you.
So we create chances away but not at home. Does that not tell you that that means it's not the personnel (who are the same) but the way we and the other team set up and play differently.
Jackson can and has played in CM. Forget the pens and he is still doing well with the goalscoring and with the assists. He can defend, he can pass and he can arrive late in the box to score ala Graham Stuart.
[cite]Posted By: Bexley Dan[/cite]at home we struggle chronically to create chances - Jackson, the answer to our midfield problems is ridiculous, now don't be so touchy Henry.
Wind your neck in, if anyone is being touchy it's you.
So we create chances away but not at home. Does that not tell you that that means it's not the personnel (who are the same) but the way we and the other team set up and play differently.
Jackson can and has played in CM. Forget the pens and he is still doing well with the goalscoring and with the assists. He can defend, he can pass and he can arrive late in the box to score ala Graham Stuart.
in my opinion, your comments above are ridiculous - so we are blaming the away team for sitting back rather than a deficiency in our own team who can only play on the counter. Take a look at yourself Henry - you appear to like dishing it out but i'm not so sure you lkike being pulled up yourself do you?
Thing is sometimes, as I think Shelvey showed, it's futile having a creative player spraying passes with a vision beyond the vision/ability of surrounding teammates. Although with BWP and NE up front I think they would have latched onto his plays more having played at a higher level.
No point having Lionel Messi or Iniesta pulling the strings in the middle of the park if the other players are a couple of steps behind.
I agree with Henry about Jackson . His position at Colchester was mainly CM who could play LM . He also got rave reviews from some of his earlier loan clubs and Spurs when in this role.
The comparison as a 'left footed Graham Stuart' is a good one. We can rotate Jacko and Reidy on the left and pull him inside to cm when necessary and Reidy's more direct approach would suit us .
I notice he was criticised at Yeovil by most who attended , yet it was his assist that led to the goal . I think rather like Stuart much of Jacko's good work goes unnoticed but he then seems to pop up to deliver valuable goals and assists. We certainly look more solid with him playing wide .
I have been saying for a while that if we cant get a creative midfielder on loan we should try Jackson in the Centre of midfield. What he would give us is a goal threat from the centre of midfield, where we have none at the moment. Why we find it harder to score at the valley ,than away, is that most teams sit behind the ball and we find it hard to break them down. If Jackson is in the middle and Reid out wide we have more ammunition to break down a defensive formation at home. But can't see Powell changing a winning team.
worth a try but not the solution in my opinion - also i think he'ds score less as a lot of his goals seem to come from drifting in unnoticed on the far post.
[cite]Posted By: bingaddick[/cite]You know, I just don't buy this "we must have this type of player, or that type of player". This is the Premier League mentality and what is wrong with much of football these days in my opinion. What happened to good coaching and individual skills?
The two teams at the top of our league are playing decent football. Neither of them have had a pot to p*ss in for many years. Its good coaching/team management which has made the crucial difference.
Poyet didn't make things happen overnight. He has been steadily improving the way the team plays.
I remember Tigana at Fulham a few years back getting his team to pass the ball, including playing it out from the back. Of course he improved the playing squad but he also improved the existing players.
When Curbs built the play off winning team, it wasn't just down to Mendonca's goals - important though that was. It was the 10 -15% improvement in the existing players like John Robinson and Mark Kinsella.
When he signed Robbo, frankly I couldn't really see a potentially great player there. Indeed his head didn't seem right. Robbo worked at improving his game in one to one sessions with Les Reed. Players like Kins had potential but he was pretty raw and unfocussed at the start. Both the players not only improved to an excellent Championship level, they became good enough to be part of the Premiership team.
Take Powelly himself. His whole career was about gradual and continuous improvement. He became an England International at 31.
We really must read what Slater says. I take him at face value. It is evolution not revolution. We have some great coaches now at the club, and with the work done by Damian Matthew, we have another crop of youngsters coming through. The first team squad needs work both in tactical play but also in improving their individual performances. This is not going to happen over night. What has happened is a change of mood. The feeling around the place has become more upbeat. That in itself has led to improvement on the pitch.
For me the most telling thing about last nights game was the tenacity shown by CP and staff at getting the Ref to change his mind and disallow the goal. It is those things, compounded over time which can make the difference. It is why at Man U, Fergie taps his watch and injury time is known as Fergie time. It is why very few penalties are given against Man U at Old Trafford. These things might be erksome and the subject of criticism by rivals but they are important in creating a winning mentality. That's what we need now, even more than this player or that player - we need a winning mentality and I think we have the people in charge who have that.
So believe, keep the faith, be steadfast and above all try to be patient. The new project has just started. I am looking forward to the journey.
The counter argument to this however Bing is looking at the signings made by Lennie Lawrence in the summer of 1985. We virtually bought a team that summer and they gelled and won promotion. The promotion under Curbs wouldn't have happened had we not signed Mendonca, followed by the boost that Mills and Youds gave us. Sometimes you can't make a silk purse out of and all that. I agree we shouldn't rush in and by anybody but with the right addition or two, this squad is good enough to go up but without it they aren't and i think it will be a missed opportunity if we do not get the right players in to compliment what we have. The two Powell have brought in so far were definitely needed but i think we will come up short again if we don't add a proper ******** player. (couldn' bring myself to type the words). The team doesn't lack effort, it lacks a bit of class pulling the strings.
[cite]Posted By: ShootersHillTechnicalDirector[/cite]You all makevery good and valid points but can I just say that if we don't get things right and get ourselves a team that beats all before it then I shall hold you all personally responsible ;0)
Yes, Boss.
;o)
He does live near where the "proper" Technical Director once lived!
The counter argument to this however Bing is looking at the signings made by Lennie Lawrence in the summer of 1985. We virtually bought a team that summer and they gelled and won promotion.
Good point , he also brought in Jim Melrose at the end who contributed some vital goals that season.
Agreed, but without the nouse that the likes of Curbishley and Flanagan had to add to the trickery of Rob Lee and the gritt of Aizlewood and Thompson, I doubt we'd have gone up.
Personally I think they are a decent partnership and compliment each other well, not quite sure who some on here think we should be signing !, we are a league 1 club with (in my opinion) 2 championship standard centre midfielders currently playing for us.
I'm hoping that maybe a change in coaching will continue their improvement (3 games, 3 wins, 0 goals conceeded!)
[cite]Posted By: Elthamaddick[/cite]Personally I think they are a decent partnership and compliment each other well, not quite sure who some on here think we should be signing !, we are a league 1 club with (in my opinion) 2 championship standard centre midfielders currently playing for us.
I'm hoping that maybe a change in coaching will continue their improvement (3 games, 3 wins, 0 goals conceeded!)
i'm not looking for an argument but if they compliment each other so well, why can we not create chances at home?
I'm not sure, I've always felt that Racon was naturally a more attacking player and I'm surprised he a) doesn't shoot more and b) score more. Racon needs to be encouraged to get forward more and we almost play like a midfield diamond at home and support the front 2 more, he's certainly got the skill to thread the passes I believe, I'm a big fan of his.
I do get where you are coming from, but I think I'd prefer to persevere with coaching what we have, hopefully Matthews has ideas for them
[cite]Posted By: Bexley Dan[/cite]Have they signed new deals? Be interesting to know. Wasn't that something to be addressed recently? Not sure what you mean by trained properly?
I do not think our recent coaching has aided our midfield. What I mean is how do you get the CM's playing well when the balls hoofed over the top of them? I also feel I should ask, how often does the ball come to Racon and he sends it wide to Waggy or Jackson to whip it in and they get the assist?
[cite]Posted By: Bexley Dan[/cite]Have they signed new deals? Be interesting to know. Wasn't that something to be addressed recently? Not sure what you mean by trained properly?
I do not think our recent coaching has aided our midfield. What I mean is how do you get the CM's playing well when the balls hoofed over the top of them? I also feel I should ask, how often does the ball come to Racon and he sends it wide to Waggy or Jackson to whip it in and they get the assist?
game of opinions but i've lost patience with our midfield and to be quite frank, their established footballers, not dogs. I think its just a lack of ability. Anyway, i'll leave it there. It's what Chris Powell thinks that matters.
[cite]Posted By: Elthamaddick[/cite]certainly not lack of ability, I bet there are more than a few championship clubs that would have either Racon or Semedo in their sides.
Comments
I think waggy is a good player, but he is not a that good a crosser...
most of the time he seems to hit it behind our players (fortunatly bwp managed to score from one the other week)
very good insight there Henry, noticing Kish wasn't a midfield playmaker. To suggest jackson could be may not be such a good spot - anyway, lets get back to discussing some of the more fringe issues and forget about the nitty gritty of why our team are so incapable of creating chances shall we?
And to say we don't create chances is ridiculous. We have scored more goals away from home than any other side.
Wind your neck in, if anyone is being touchy it's you.
So we create chances away but not at home. Does that not tell you that that means it's not the personnel (who are the same) but the way we and the other team set up and play differently.
Jackson can and has played in CM. Forget the pens and he is still doing well with the goalscoring and with the assists. He can defend, he can pass and he can arrive late in the box to score ala Graham Stuart.
in my opinion, your comments above are ridiculous - so we are blaming the away team for sitting back rather than a deficiency in our own team who can only play on the counter. Take a look at yourself Henry - you appear to like dishing it out but i'm not so sure you lkike being pulled up yourself do you?
Personally I can't see why trying Jacko in the middle
Besides, he puts in good crosses when he plays on the wing...
However, i dont think he would be terrible there and is probably worth trying...
You never know, he could be amazing there
No point having Lionel Messi or Iniesta pulling the strings in the middle of the park if the other players are a couple of steps behind.
Agree with a lot of what Bing says in his post.
The comparison as a 'left footed Graham Stuart' is a good one. We can rotate Jacko and Reidy on the left and pull him inside to cm when necessary and Reidy's more direct approach would suit us .
I notice he was criticised at Yeovil by most who attended , yet it was his assist that led to the goal . I think rather like Stuart much of Jacko's good work goes unnoticed but he then seems to pop up to deliver valuable goals and assists. We certainly look more solid with him playing wide .
The counter argument to this however Bing is looking at the signings made by Lennie Lawrence in the summer of 1985. We virtually bought a team that summer and they gelled and won promotion. The promotion under Curbs wouldn't have happened had we not signed Mendonca, followed by the boost that Mills and Youds gave us. Sometimes you can't make a silk purse out of and all that. I agree we shouldn't rush in and by anybody but with the right addition or two, this squad is good enough to go up but without it they aren't and i think it will be a missed opportunity if we do not get the right players in to compliment what we have. The two Powell have brought in so far were definitely needed but i think we will come up short again if we don't add a proper ******** player. (couldn' bring myself to type the words). The team doesn't lack effort, it lacks a bit of class pulling the strings.
He does live near where the "proper" Technical Director once lived!
:-)
:-)
Good point , he also brought in Jim Melrose at the end who contributed some vital goals that season.
I'm hoping that maybe a change in coaching will continue their improvement (3 games, 3 wins, 0 goals conceeded!)
i'm not looking for an argument but if they compliment each other so well, why can we not create chances at home?
I do get where you are coming from, but I think I'd prefer to persevere with coaching what we have, hopefully Matthews has ideas for them
game of opinions but i've lost patience with our midfield and to be quite frank, their established footballers, not dogs. I think its just a lack of ability. Anyway, i'll leave it there. It's what Chris Powell thinks that matters.
We'd have sold them by now if that was the case.