Shopping at Bluewater with my daughter tonight and bumped into him in the food court.
Happy to pose for a photo with her and have a brief chat (his English is probably better than mine). Credit to himself and the club.
I'm not being funny mate but how on earth would you're recognise him ?
I've been to 3 pre-season games and seen his photo on the O/S. I was 99% sure it was him, but the fact that he had someone from the club (older guy decked out in a tracksuit) with him sealed the deal.
Why do people constantly try and.call others out on here?
I've seen players out and unexpectedly recognised them straight away. I wouldn't approach them but that's me I'm quite shy, quiet and unassuming in person.
You shouldn't have to expect explain exactly how you knew.
How do we know you're shy, quiet and unassuming in person?
I remember running into Rob Elliot in the stands at Southampton away when we were in League One... Was so shocked to see him behind me I had to ask him if it was him and not just someone who looked very similar as didnt want to look a complete prat, did the same with Peter Crouch at Euston Station a few years ago.
Instead when they answered... Yeah I am, I felt a prat anyway because I'd had to ask lol!
To be fair Dazzler I don't think PL54 was digging Clem out and I thought it a very reasonable question. If I were in Bluewater I'd recognise players who'd been with us a season or more but there is no way I'd recognise Ba, Kashi, Bauer, Charles-Cook etc with the exception being Big Mac because he's pretty distinctive. A reasonable question in my opinion.
I didn't think I was being cross-questioned. Assumed he was just surprised I recognised him.
Ba seems to be a bit of a scapegoat right now - but when he played those handful of games alongside Kashi earlier on in the season he looked a solid 7/10. There's a player there.
Ba seems to be a bit of a scapegoat right now - but when he played those handful of games alongside Kashi earlier on in the season he looked a solid 7/10. There's a player there.
Agreed. He's got a lot of promise. Just needs games now.
Undoubtedly shows some nice touches, but drifts about most of the time like he's half asleep. For me he is one of the best examples of what is wrong with our recruitment policy.
The analysts seem to dig up players with a decent amount of talent, but completely lacking in competitive drive and character.
It's the same all over the squad. Players that could be fine in a team that was ticking over well - but not got the Tony Cojones to take responsibility themselves and really influence a game.
He has also looked good (well far more effective than Jacko who he has replaced) more times than not when coming on recently.
Another one who should do the job next season.
But will he want to play in the third division?
Well I cant see him having a queue of Champ clubs after hardly appearing this year. Think he may have no choice. Same with Kashi - good player, but after missing most of the year will need to re build his reputation.
He has also looked good (well far more effective than Jacko who he has replaced) more times than not when coming on recently.
Another one who should do the job next season.
But will he want to play in the third division?
Well I cant see him having a queue of Champ clubs after hardly appearing this year. Think he may have no choice. Same with Kashi - good player, but after missing most of the year will need to re build his reputation.
But we won't be able to afford them, so both will be off-loaded to balance the books, along with about 15 others!
I'm expecting about £15m in sales this summer, and the team next season to contain academy youngsters (Ahearne-Grant, Lennon, Holmes-Dennis, Solly, Pope, Charles-Cook, Umerah, Kennedy, Konsa, Yao, Muldoon, etc) and a couple of senior pro's (maybe Jacko, and Johnson?).
Say it quietly, but he has a touch of the Scott Parkers about him.
He really gets about the pitch. Has a proper air of class about him. If I'd turned up today and knew nothing about him, I'd be asking which Premier League team had loaned him to us.
*Edit* someone compared him to Ramires on the match thread. That is probably a better comparison than Parker.
We can't be watching the same person - I hesitate to say player. I watch my home town team Dartford several times each season as Charlton fixtures allow. They've yoyoed between Conference National and South in recent times and I genuinely don't think EHB would get a regular game for Dartford. Physically he has come up against a few bigger specimens at the Valley than he'd meet at Princes Park but his lack of awareness, tackling and passing ability would mean he'd struggle alongside the likes of Elliott Bradbrook at Conference South level, his engine might just about get him through. Lack of ability is nobody's fault but going missing in games when he (inevitably) has a tough 20 minutes or so is unforgivable, so often his body language is terrible. Unless Diego Poyet is struggling with a bad case of COPD or emphysema (unlikely), I can't begin to imagine why anyone would put Ba further up the foodchain, and I saw DP's non-performances against Colchester and Hull. If Riga sees any sort of footballer in EHB then I'd like a couple of grams of what JR's taking. EHB ain't anywhere nearly good enough for English 2nd division football (or 3rd come to that) and whoever worked him a transfer to Charlton is an utterly shameless genius and knows some very very bad secrets about KM and/or RD.
Ba has made a diff coming on he recent weeks replacing Jackson he gives us energy and can pass a ball forward which seems sadly lacking with both Jackson and cousins Ba deserves a run in the team
He has also looked good (well far more effective than Jacko who he has replaced) more times than not when coming on recently.
Another one who should do the job next season.
But will he want to play in the third division?
Well I cant see him having a queue of Champ clubs after hardly appearing this year. Think he may have no choice. Same with Kashi - good player, but after missing most of the year will need to re build his reputation.
But we won't be able to afford them, so both will be off-loaded to balance the books, along with about 15 others!
I'm expecting about £15m in sales this summer, and the team next season to contain academy youngsters (Ahearne-Grant, Lennon, Holmes-Dennis, Solly, Pope, Charles-Cook, Umerah, Kennedy, Konsa, Yao, Muldoon, etc) and a couple of senior pro's (maybe Jacko, and Johnson?).
15M what mind bending drugs are you on?
Lookman 3 M max, Gudmundsson 1M, Baeur 1 M, Henderson 500000 pounds, Cousins 1 M, Harriott out of contract, Fox 500000 pounds, Vetokele, 1M, Watt1 M, Texeira- 300000 pounds, Lennon- 500000 pounds, The rest next to nothing.
All the games I have seemed Ba play he looked more likely to give a goal away through a defensive error than he looked likely to assist in making a goal.
That's not to say that JJ doesn't need a rest. Shame Kashi and Diarra not fit. I think we need better nutritionist/doctors/physios.
Not sure Ba is the answer except if you have some sort of irrational dislike for JJ.
All the games I have seemed Ba play he looked more likely to give a goal away through a defensive error than he looked likely to assist in making a goal.
That's not to say that JJ doesn't need a rest. Shame Kashi and Diarra not fit. I think we need better nutritionist/doctors/physios.
Not sure Ba is the answer except if you have some sort of irrational dislike for JJ.
All the games I have seemed Ba play he looked more likely to give a goal away through a defensive error than he looked likely to assist in making a goal.
That's not to say that JJ doesn't need a rest. Shame Kashi and Diarra not fit. I think we need better nutritionist/doctors/physios.
Not sure Ba is the answer except if you have some sort of irrational dislike for JJ.
More fair to say that while Ba may not be the answer... JJ certainly no longer is either. It used to be he could manage for his own relative lack of pace and anticipate where to be, but whether through age, fitness or other reasons he seems to now be at the stage of anticipating where to be... but just not able to get there anywhere like soon enough.
Ba is not the greatest player ever. Poyet, Kashi, Diarra, Cousins would all get priority in the centre midfield if fit. But playing JJ is essentially playing with 10 men right now and I say that with no malice and true appreciation of what he's done in the past.
He looked excellent in pre-season started ok and has had a few decent games and a few where he has struggled.
He is nowhere near as bad as some have made out, but what I would say is he has looked decent coming off the bench in the last couple of games. Interesting that Riga has turned to him rather than Poyet each time Jackson has come off.
Definitely a player in there and imo opinion his issues are sometimes dwelling on the ball and over-elaborating.
If Jackson is now injured will be interesting to see whether Riga goes with him ahead of Poyet.
Think he would be a decent foil for someone like Kashi or woould be better suited to a midfield 3.
Unfortunately a percentage of fans have condemned him to the scrap heap and that is a shame.
Steve Walsh the Leicester Chief Scout found Kante playing for Caen in the French Second Division. He got off his backside and went out to France to watch him play. (Even Arsene Wenger admits he wasn't aware of him). That's proper scouting, no guessing or using metrics or relying on recommendations from a Belgian third division coach.
If we want to start playing football through the midfield rather than humping it long to Simon, we need a player like Ba in the team. He's one of the only midfielders in our squad who doesn't get a nose bleed at the prospect of finding himself in the final third, and can actually carry the ball forward. Couple him with a good defensive midfielder ideally Kashi, but Diarra or perhaps Poyet could also work well, and I think we'd have an effective midfield to match the majority of teams in this league. It's our midfield that needs a shake up. The engine of the team has been firing on three cylinders for too long.
If we want to start playing football through the midfield rather than humping it long to Simon, we need a player like Ba in the team. He's one of the only midfielders in our squad who doesn't get a nose bleed at the prospect of finding himself in the final third, and can actually carry the ball forward. Couple him with a good defensive midfielder ideally Kashi, but Diarra or perhaps Poyet could also work well, and I think we'd have an effective midfield to match the majority of teams in this league. It's our midfield that needs a shake up. The engine of the team has been firing on three cylinders for too long.
This But people keep saying "Jackson puts in a shift" "Cousins runs his nuts off" and where is that getting us? Ba is a better option than Jackson and needs a proper run in the team , thats if our pathetic boo boys will allow it.
Comments
Another one who should do the job next season.
The analysts seem to dig up players with a decent amount of talent, but completely lacking in competitive drive and character.
It's the same all over the squad. Players that could be fine in a team that was ticking over well - but not got the Tony Cojones to take responsibility themselves and really influence a game.
I'm expecting about £15m in sales this summer, and the team next season to contain academy youngsters (Ahearne-Grant, Lennon, Holmes-Dennis, Solly, Pope, Charles-Cook, Umerah, Kennedy, Konsa, Yao, Muldoon, etc) and a couple of senior pro's (maybe Jacko, and Johnson?).
I watch my home town team Dartford several times each season as Charlton fixtures allow.
They've yoyoed between Conference National and South in recent times and I genuinely don't think EHB would get a regular game for Dartford. Physically he has come up against a few bigger specimens at the Valley than he'd meet at Princes Park but his lack of awareness, tackling and passing ability would mean he'd struggle alongside the likes of Elliott Bradbrook at Conference South level, his engine might just about get him through. Lack of ability is nobody's fault but going missing in games when he (inevitably) has a tough 20 minutes or so is unforgivable, so often his body language is terrible. Unless Diego Poyet is struggling with a bad case of COPD or emphysema (unlikely), I can't begin to imagine why anyone would put Ba further up the foodchain, and I saw DP's non-performances against Colchester and Hull. If Riga sees any sort of footballer in EHB then I'd like a couple of grams of what JR's taking. EHB ain't anywhere nearly good enough for English 2nd division football (or 3rd come to that) and whoever worked him a transfer to Charlton is an utterly shameless genius and knows some very very bad secrets about KM and/or RD.
Lookman 3 M max, Gudmundsson 1M, Baeur 1 M, Henderson 500000 pounds, Cousins 1 M, Harriott out of contract, Fox 500000 pounds, Vetokele, 1M, Watt1 M, Texeira- 300000 pounds, Lennon- 500000 pounds, The rest next to nothing.
That's not to say that JJ doesn't need a rest. Shame Kashi and Diarra not fit. I think we need better nutritionist/doctors/physios.
Not sure Ba is the answer except if you have some sort of irrational dislike for JJ.
Ba is not the greatest player ever. Poyet, Kashi, Diarra, Cousins would all get priority in the centre midfield if fit. But playing JJ is essentially playing with 10 men right now and I say that with no malice and true appreciation of what he's done in the past.
He looked excellent in pre-season started ok and has had a few decent games and a few where he has struggled.
He is nowhere near as bad as some have made out, but what I would say is he has looked decent coming off the bench in the last couple of games. Interesting that Riga has turned to him rather than Poyet each time Jackson has come off.
Definitely a player in there and imo opinion his issues are sometimes dwelling on the ball and over-elaborating.
If Jackson is now injured will be interesting to see whether Riga goes with him ahead of Poyet.
Think he would be a decent foil for someone like Kashi or woould be better suited to a midfield 3.
Unfortunately a percentage of fans have condemned him to the scrap heap and that is a shame.
But people keep saying "Jackson puts in a shift" "Cousins runs his nuts off" and where is that getting us?
Ba is a better option than Jackson and needs a proper run in the team , thats if our pathetic boo boys will allow it.