Balli001
Well-Known Member
Rumour today Diallo is going to Southampton
Do we need a centre mid? (5 Viewers)
- Thread starter shmmeee
- Start date
clint van damme
Well-Known Member
But he's not essentially an AM, he's more box to box, his defensive work is hugely underrated, (though its great people are talking as if he's definitely here next season!).
As for the original question, yes, and assuming Gus stays, ideally I'd like other midfielder but there are bigger priorities at the moment.
Agree with the point about Howley, think he needs a loan.
D
Deleted member 5849
Guest
Have to assume a full-ish season from Eccles will see him come on more again next season, though.
clint van damme
Well-Known Member
Happy enough with that, I expect them to be challenging for the autos so would rather see him go there than the likes of Boro or Sunderland who I see as direct competition to us.
Earlsdon_Skyblue1
Well-Known Member
I don't disagree with that point, but his goal contributions as soon as he moved into that position were what dragged us into and through the playoffs. I value end product over anything else and for me it would be counter productive to move such an effective player back down the pitch. He's the best AM we have, even if as you say, it isn't his first position.
shmmeee
Well-Known Member
He’s also the best CM and probably the best RWB.
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Deleted member 5849
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Yeah, and Allen got a run of goalscoring, Palmer should get more than he does, and if we expect improvement next season he will... and for that matter it's Hamer's willingness to shoot that should get him goals. Even if playing a little further back I'd ask him, Allen and Palmer to aim for 25 goals between them. Ask Sheaf / Eccles to get, say, eight between them and the midfield gets some proper punch.
Earlsdon_Skyblue1
Well-Known Member
I would say so. In which case it is where is he most useful? Towards the end of the season in that advanced position he was scoring or contributing towards a goal pretty much every game. I don't know why you would deprive your team of that.
Him behind Simms, and one other striker (maybe Godden) would be a really effective attacking force I would think.
clint van damme
Well-Known Member
but I don't think he was actually playing AM towards the latter part of the season, I agree, keep him playing as he was but it's just that I think he was more box to box and maybe the end product he was producing has distracted a bit from his defensive work.
So we're probably agreeing, just semantics, I just wouldn't like to see him relieved of his defensive duties.
Matt smith
Well-Known Member
Depends if Gus stops
if he does think we’ve got enough
if he does think we’ve got enough
Yeah, this - he wasn’t playing at the 10, he was just a man possessed in getting forward and winning the ball high up the pitch. His input from deep and his ability to dictate the play was still a huge part of our gameplan.
Just keep him here and let him train with better players every day. He should get enough game time with our current squad depth.
Legia Sky Blue
Well-Known Member
I imagine a few Championship clubs will be waiting to see if Scott Twine will be loaned out by Burnley.
Skybluecol
Well-Known Member
With Palmer and O'Hare back by October I'm hoping we'll be OK but think if we're really targeting promotion then yes, 1 more CM is required. Neither CAM or CDM but a quality standard CM with experience imo.
I've got a horrible feeling we'll lose Kelly to injury for most of the season and too early for Burroughs for what we want to achieve.
I've got a horrible feeling we'll lose Kelly to injury for most of the season and too early for Burroughs for what we want to achieve.
Jimmy Hill’s Goatee
Active Member
Defo need to an additional playmaker anyone rememeber when we lost key playmakers like Marsden, Rosario , Robson in the past team went to shit. We need to have depth and back up for Hamer(assuming he stays) as without a player of his ilk we aren’t the same team.
Earlsdon_Skyblue1
Well-Known Member
I respect your point of view, of course, but I just think goal contributions and end product cannot be overlooked. Semantics maybe, but he was definitely the most advanced midfielder behind the strikers a lot of the time towards the end of the season. Anyone that says he wasn't playing an effective 10 is blind, as he wasn't playing deep at all. That was the difference really. In fact, playoff final we only had one striker starting. The most advanced player after him was between Hamer and Allen more or less.
He's really good as that anchor of course, I agree with you there, I just think end product going forward is far more vital to a team. Goals win games. He has proved that he provides that.
clint van damme
Well-Known Member
He was still putting in a defensive shift though. Was outstanding defensively in both legs of the semi, particularly away and in the last game of the season at boro
. Rewatch them games and you'll see.
I'm not overlooking his attacking contribution, but we need both.
Skybluedownunder
Well-Known Member
CovLad94
Well-Known Member
*Bradley Dack has entered the chat*
SkyblueDad
Well-Known Member
I like him
That’s only really true of the play-off final. His average position that game:
Looks pretty advanced but it was highly unusual compared to where he was usually playing. In the other last few games of the season he played a lot deeper. For example, the Middlesbrough away leg:
….or the Middlesbrough home leg:
…..or Middlesbrough away in the last game of the regular season:
It’s not that he didn’t get forward - he scored in all but one of these games - but he had so much work to do on both sides of the ball, his average position often isn’t much further forward than Sheaf and Eccles. That’s what makes him so amazing to watch.
skyblue025
Well-Known Member
Personally I'd play Hamer further forward. He bought so much to that last ten games when played in there. Sheaf, Eccles and Kelly as the holders.
As much as Allen improved last year I'd try and replace him if we are trying to be a play-off candidate.
Is this a mute point now Sakamoto is here?
As much as Allen improved last year I'd try and replace him if we are trying to be a play-off candidate.
Is this a mute point now Sakamoto is here?
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shmmeee
Well-Known Member
I wouldn’t want Kelly or Eccles as first choice. If we’re moving Hamer up (I wouldn’t personally) we need another QB in the holding role.
On the break last year we were typically moving forward with 3 players - usually Gyok, Godden & Palmer/Allen.
When all of our 10's got injured and we moved to 3-5-2, the responsibility to provide that 3rd attacker fell to (mainly) Hamer and Eccles.
Doubt we'll go back to that system next year so hopefully we can continue to create opportunities for him to break forward (if he stays) as he looked incredible in that last 10 games.
When all of our 10's got injured and we moved to 3-5-2, the responsibility to provide that 3rd attacker fell to (mainly) Hamer and Eccles.
Doubt we'll go back to that system next year so hopefully we can continue to create opportunities for him to break forward (if he stays) as he looked incredible in that last 10 games.
Earlsdon_Skyblue1
Well-Known Member
He's the most attacking central player in pretty much every single one of those diagrams, from a series of games where we were deep a lot of the time anyway. It's quite obvious that in comparison to earlier in the season, and with absences of Allen, COH, and Palmer, that he was given to the job of playing that role. It doesn't mean he wasn't doing the dirty work of a CM at times either, but he was also doing the 10 role too, which is the key difference. It's the reason such a high level of goal contributions came during that time from him.
Given his clinical nature in both scoring goals and getting assists, it would seem a bit counter-productive to give a player of that much quality a seat further back on the pitch. If Doug is splashing the cash then I would rather give the AM role to Hamer and bring in someone else to play deeper.
Briles
Well-Known Member
Last seasom cms were our most stocked position and we ended up struggling. Ohare, palmer, sheaf Kelly and Allen were all injured at some point, and all together I think at one stage. If we don't have that kind of luck again and keep hamer I don't think we need another cm
Sky Blue Harry H
Well-Known Member
Howley will be a year older, better too.
long way home
Well-Known Member
Watched the lad Joel Latibeaudiere again today playing more as a midfielder. He would be a good player for us age, style and the fact he looks very comfortable in multiple positions would make him a very good addition to the squad.