I don't think he's as bad as some believe and certainly not poor technically. He only actually started three League games and never got a chance to play as a striker alongside SM.
It's also easy for Fraeye to deflect any attention on the inadequacies of the current squad by making a headline making statement about a kid he's sending home two days early.
Perhaps he needs reminding that our joint top League scorers are Tony Watt and JBG with just two goals and they have started 10 and 14 League games respectively. And the last time one of those two found the net? Back in August!
Lepoint stated in a Belgian newspaper today that he is/was really pissed of with GL because he was positioned in front although he's a midfielder. Anyway, as I said before, he's really doing well at his current club. Anthony Knockaert (some of you may remember him) ... less so. Who would have expected that ?
I think it probably just goes to show that the skill sets required to be successful in England (particularly the Championship) and Belgium are subtly but crucially different and not all players have what it takes do well in both countries.
To be fair to Lepoint, he didn't play much in midfield (or anywhere for that matter) but that was because he was a player we just didn't need at the time because we had better players in his best position. Same goes for McAleny, he was doomed to fail from the start because we need(ed) a left footed winger who could go down the outside and cross, I'm not sure young Connor did that once while he was here. He was never the player we needed, tough for us to really judge him fairly.
This is my main issue with our recruitment policy. We seem to just get bodies in without actually thinking if they can add to the team in any way. A scouting network with a proper remit from the manager would know exactly what we require.
Karel Fraeye looks like he is trying to be tough. It just looks ill judged. How does sending a player back from loan, 2 days early, send any messages to any of the other players ? Deflecting blame onto McAlney for the run (or the supporters) just shows him signing from the Duchatelet hymn sheet that it is anyone's fault apart from Emperor Duchatelet's strategy. McAlney's not a winger or creative midfielder and that is not his fault that he was played mostly out of position or that no wingers or creative midfield are in the team.
It is not a good sign. It is likely though that Fraeye did not scout McAlney and is trying to deflect some blame onto Phil Chappell, who may have suggested that player. I wonder if any of Fraeye suggested players come in for the same type of criticism ?
UK based player means KF probably did not scout him so an easy target to pick on and they can spout some nonsense about picking Eurotrash players because the UK ones are not up to the fight keeping the ridiculous current policy going
2 days, they've cut the loan short by 2-days, that'll save enough wages to turn the heaters on in the ticket office on a thursday surely
Along with that interview from Fraeye it feels like a political point. As in they're using it as an opportunity to show that they're fighting, by shaving two days off the loan of a player who Fraeye has implied doesn't want to be part of a scrap. I can't think of any other reason why they'd shuck two days off it and have the coach say the first negative thing I've seen him say. Lose 3-0? Take the positives. Conor McAleny? Gut the bastard!
Easy to take a swipe at a player who is not part of the club and who you have just sent home. Assume that Fraeye thinks the rest of the squad are good enough and completely up for a scrap?
I wonder after what Harriott did under the Riga /Fraeye tenyer that Fraeye might well recall him from Colchester!!
I was wondering why he hasn't already. Think it would be good for Harriott as well to have Fraeye put an arm round his shoulders and remind of that time.
I wonder after what Harriott did under the Riga /Fraeye tenyer that Fraeye might well recall him from Colchester!!
I was wondering why he hasn't already. Think it would be good for Harriott as well to have Fraeye put an arm round his shoulders and remind of that time.
Because he's on a half season loan meaning he can't be recalled. Link doesn't work anymore but Richard Cawley confirmed it a while ago.
I wonder after what Harriott did under the Riga /Fraeye tenyer that Fraeye might well recall him from Colchester!!
I was wondering why he hasn't already. Think it would be good for Harriott as well to have Fraeye put an arm round his shoulders and remind of that time.
I don't thinkthere is a re-call clause in Harriott's loan - even though we could do with him back here
Will probably be made pemanent anyway like Morrison last January!
I thought he showed glimpses of good skill and link play. Those around him didn't help. Think he might end up being a bit better than most of you think
I thought he showed glimpses of good skill and link play. Those around him didn't help. Think he might end up being a bit better than most of you think
I agree. He arrived when we had already hit our slump and was thrust into a team of injured players, out of form players and inexperienced youngsters and despite that you want him to perform? Behave. He must wonder why he agreed to come and I doubt he knew the extent of our problems when he did. It's not surprising he has gone back early, he probably asked to or Martinez told him to and, like a lot of things at the moment, we have spun it in our favour.
Oh dear Carol - that doesn't sound like a message you want to be sending the dressing room. Is this your first time of managing a professional... oh...
McAleny has been poor but this looks like a really cheap shot by Fraeye, designed to deflect attention away from his and the squad's inadequacies. Even if there was some sort of falling out behind the scenes with McAleny, publicly criticising the player's level of commitment (for, I suspect, ulterior motives) looks like really poor judgment on his part. Perhaps Fraeye is trying to impress Roland and Katrien with his steely man management skills.
Oh dear Carol - that doesn't sound like a message you want to be sending the dressing room. Is this your first time of managing a professional... oh...
It's cool though @rikofold , you can bring it up at your coffee morning
If there was a problem with Mcaleny's attitude it should not be made public as he is not our player & will deter other players coming on loan to us or other clubs loaning players to us.
Disagree, he ultimately was being paid by us and if the club believe he was lacking effort then why not go public? Right now we don't need players who are not up for it regardless of quality. Should never have been signed in the first place.
Oh dear Carol - that doesn't sound like a message you want to be sending the dressing room. Is this your first time of managing a professional... oh...
It's cool though @rikofold , you can bring it up at your coffee morning
Will do, but it's a parent/toddlers group - is your mummy bringing you? ;-)
Karel Fraeye looks like he is trying to be tough. It just looks ill judged. How does sending a player back from loan, 2 days early, send any messages to any of the other players ? Deflecting blame onto McAlney for the run (or the supporters) just shows him signing from the Duchatelet hymn sheet that it is anyone's fault apart from Emperor Duchatelet's strategy. McAlney's not a winger or creative midfielder and that is not his fault that he was played mostly out of position or that no wingers or creative midfield are in the team.
It is not a good sign. It is likely though that Fraeye did not scout McAlney and is trying to deflect some blame onto Phil Chappell, who may have suggested that player. I wonder if any of Fraeye suggested players come in for the same type of criticism ?
I agree.
He could've simply said "We appreciated Conor's time here, but his loan was due to end in 2 days so we took the decision of cancelling it earlier to allow the core team members more time to focus on the task ahead.". As long as the players in the dressing room know the real reason that's all that matters.
Purposefully telling the fans wreaks of publicising a purely private matter just to score points, and potentially casts an even darker shadow over Conor's time here when he hardly made an impact as it was. Very poor management and public relations as far as I'm concerned.
I said it when Big Bobby singled out TBH, and even when SCP singled out the Harriott miss after the SUFC game: some things don't need to be consumed by the fans and should be left in the dressing room.
McAleny probably made the mistake of being honest and saying I'm really sorry Carol but unlike the other players I don't think we're good enough , hey check the table out it might give you a clue
So he was making an example of him saying "if you don't like it then go". I'm happy for this attitude behind closed doors as you don't want players who won't play for you or how you want them to play, but publicly doing it is not professional. For the sake of 2 days? Really?? Just proves his lack of experience. Oh wait has 19 years in management. Maybe we are wrong ;-)
Comments
It's also easy for Fraeye to deflect any attention on the inadequacies of the current squad by making a headline making statement about a kid he's sending home two days early.
Perhaps he needs reminding that our joint top League scorers are Tony Watt and JBG with just two goals and they have started 10 and 14 League games respectively. And the last time one of those two found the net? Back in August!
This is my main issue with our recruitment policy. We seem to just get bodies in without actually thinking if they can add to the team in any way. A scouting network with a proper remit from the manager would know exactly what we require.
It is not a good sign. It is likely though that Fraeye did not scout McAlney and is trying to deflect some blame onto Phil Chappell, who may have suggested that player. I wonder if any of Fraeye suggested players come in for the same type of criticism ?
Would have been great getting the Stadium to do this had he scored
Will probably be made pemanent anyway like Morrison last January!
He could've simply said "We appreciated Conor's time here, but his loan was due to end in 2 days so we took the decision of cancelling it earlier to allow the core team members more time to focus on the task ahead.". As long as the players in the dressing room know the real reason that's all that matters.
Purposefully telling the fans wreaks of publicising a purely private matter just to score points, and potentially casts an even darker shadow over Conor's time here when he hardly made an impact as it was. Very poor management and public relations as far as I'm concerned.
I said it when Big Bobby singled out TBH, and even when SCP singled out the Harriott miss after the SUFC game: some things don't need to be consumed by the fans and should be left in the dressing room.