Where does Norman fit? (23 Viewers)

[SleepyGinger]

Had great games against Spurs and Sheff U. Got all the tools to become a top striker at this level or higher.

 

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[Deity]

I think he fits in where I would've expected to be honest - a long-term project who will get minutes here or there, will benefit from training with better players, and may well go out and get some loan time next season. I think he's shown that he is (understandably) nowhere near ready to be a lone striker in this league. But we've invested heavily in our forwards and he's still young so it's not exactly a surprise that he's some way down the pecking order. Plenty of time.

It could be argued that none of our strikers suit the lone striker role for differing reasons.

I think Wright Simms has the most potential as a combination should we persist with 2.

 

[Hutch11]

On loan for L1 for a season. Let him get regular games in English football and file some of the rough edges off.

Or let him work around better players and better coaches and develope that way

 

[ccfcricoh]

fits in the "potential" category for me

too early this year for him to feature much if we want to challenge at top end, but hopefully we get some good minutes in him for experience going into next season

currently our 4th best striker

 

[JSL]

League one on loan

 

[shmmeee]

Bassette will be a good player with the right coaching. Right now, he’s not at the level of BTA or Simms who are accomplished Championship players and well versed to English football.

In reality, he’s a rookie who needs to work hard in training and take his chances when he’s given them. I don’t think a L1 loan is appropriate to be honest, we need the depth.

Hes 4th choice CF in a team that usually plays one up front. How much depth do we need?

 

[Hobo]

Bassette is the same as when we bought him, a great young raw talent. Due to injuries he has featured probably more than expected.

He needs to work on his finishing but he does get into the right positions. Some fans got a bit carried away with him at the beginning.

He is great to have coming off the bench, bringing energy, pace and enthusiasm. Some people questioned why we bought another forward when we did? But sometimes when young talent becomes available you have to just go and get it. He is a different type of player to lead the line than Simms. But having the contrast is very beneficial. I think given time to develop he will be a great player for us, but he can learn here he doesn't need a loan.

 

[Cally Fedora]

He fits in as a squad member. Like every other member of the squad.

 

[Trueskyblue20]

Does he automatically turn 18 on his 21st birthday?

 

[Tommo1993]

This is the wrong place, wrong time for him. We’re a top half championship club pushing for the next step. He’s not near the level and he’s not gonna learn an awful lot through cameos and not getting a touch of the ball. Yeah he runs but he’s literally not looking at the space he’s running/pointing in to. So, so raw.

Loan.

 

[Matt smith]

League one loan next season

be plenty of takers

 

[Mucca Mad Boys]

Hes 4th choice CF in a team that usually plays one up front. How much depth do we need?

If we play with wingers Haji will surely be asked to play out wide and he can’t cover 2 positions simultaneously.

We had to change formation in the first place because 2 wingers got injured in the space of a week in the Xmas-NY period.

I’m pretty sure Vik was brought in to be 3rd or 4th choice striker back when we predominantly played the box formation.

Bassette could develop massively over the summer and we may sell BTA, Simms or Wright depending on form so he’s still needed.

 

[Warwickhunt]

his game will improve as Matt Grimes can slide passes along side him to run onto

 

[Speedies_Chips]

Where does Norman fit?
With our injury record anytime soon.

That answer works if the question was when rather than where.

 

[fatso]

I like the forward planning by the club, but players need game time. He got plenty in the first half of the season, of course, but there are signs that he may be surplus to requirements going into the final 16 matches.

He got game time playing as a single striker, trying to do everything on his own, where he struggled, just like Simms did.

Simms has thrived playing as a part of a front two, who's to say Bassette wouldn't thrive as well given a run alongside Wright or Simms or BTA.

 

[Captain Dart]

I don't think he will necessarily feature in the squad all the time once Haji gets back to playing.

 

[edgy]

He got game time playing as a single striker, trying to do everything on his own, where he struggled, just like Simms did.

Simms has thrived playing as a part of a front two, who's to say Bassette wouldn't thrive as well given a run alongside Wright or Simms or BTA.

This for me. BTA has had that chance. Would be fair to Bassette that he gets that chance in a front 2 before he is labelled 4th choice etc.

 

[Mucca Mad Boys]

It could be argued that none of our strikers suit the lone striker role for differing reasons.

I think Wright Simms has the most potential as a combination should we persist with 2.

Are we talking about the same BTA and Simms who scored 32 goals between them playing as a lone striker last season?

 

[stupot07]

Still not sure why everybody is obsessed with 4-3-3 while we are on a run like this?

It's almost as if as soon as EMC is fit we should revert back to what suits him? Not for me.

I agree, he was in great form before his injury, but that was only a 4-5 game burst, there's nothing to say he will come back and hit that form again. We are playing well, and winning games, why change it

 

[Mucca Mad Boys]

I agree, he was in great form before his injury, but that was only a 4-5 game burst, there's nothing to say he will come back and hit that form again. We are playing well, and winning games, why change it

Why change it? It isn’t our best team.

We’ve played 6 games using 5-3-2 under Lampard, if you’re consistent with your opinion on EMC, it’s only been a few games and the fall could be just as quick as the rise if we rest on our laurels.

To parrot one of Lampard’s famous phrases: “there isn’t a magic wand”.

 

[BackRoomRummermill]

He slotted that high pressure pen in easily enough given his age etc -

 

[stupot07]

Why change it? It isn’t our best team.

We’ve played 6 games using 5-3-2 under Lampard, if you’re consistent with your opinion on EMC, it’s only been a few games and the fall could be just as quick as the rise if we rest on our laurels.

To parrot one of Lampard’s famous phrases: “there isn’t a magic wand”.

And at that point you changed things. People are talking about changing for the sake of changing it.

Man for man, it's not our best team, but at the minute it's working. There is no need to rush Wright and EMC into the team, or change formation. That's all Nick and I are saying. Once it stops working you change it.

 

[Legia Sky Blue]

At only 20 it is possible for him to make a big leap forward very quickly. Furthermore, injuries and loss of form to those deemed to currently be ahead of him are likely to happen over the course of a season, when we are likely to need him to step in. Talk of a loan to League 1 seems a very unlikely scenario to me.

 

[Mucca Mad Boys]

And at that point you changed things. People are talking about changing for the sake of changing it.

Man for man, it's not our best team, but at the minute it's working. There is no need to rush Wright and EMC into the team, or change formation. That's all Nick and I are saying. Once it stops working you change it.

It’s not changing things for the sake of it if the manager has a strategy that revolves around playing with wingers.

5-3-2 is a temporary solution until we have a full team available.

 

[Sky_Blue_Dreamer]

He's a development player that will probably benefit from a loan out for at least part of next season.

I wouldn't mind seeing him get time off the bench as part of a front two and with us playing two 8's and Grimes coming in.

 

[stupot07]

It’s not changing things for the sake of it if the manager has a strategy that revolves around playing with wingers.

5-3-2 is a temporary solution until we have a full team available.

We've seen it in the past with robins that sometimes an injury forces a "temporary" solution that just happens to work and that becomes the way it playing. It happened in league two with Jones injury and we went two up top and suddenly McNulty starts scoring and we get promoted, we saw it in league one when jobello got injured and we moved from a 4231 to wing backs and the box, we saw it twice in the championship when tried to play 4231 but injuries forced us back to the box and we got to the play off final, and even last season Fadz illness and bereavement forced us to go back from a 5 at the back to 4231 and we get to the fa cup semi.

We've just won 5 in a row if you include the fa cup tie, and people are like " right EMC and Wright are back in training, let's go back to 4231".

 

[Cally Fedora]

It would be madness to change things now just to go back to a pre conceived idea. Lampard has already shown he’s willing to be pragmatic. Temporary solutions that work normally become permanent

 

[Cally Fedora]

It would be madness to change things now just to go back to a pre conceived idea. Lampard has already shown he’s willing to be pragmatic. Temporary solutions that work normally become permanent

 

[Mucca Mad Boys]

We've seen it in the past with robins that sometimes an injury forces a "temporary" solution that just happens to work and that becomes the way it playing. It happened in league two with Jones injury and we went two up top and suddenly McNulty starts scoring and we get promoted, we saw it in league one when jobello got injured and we moved from a 4231 to wing backs and the box, we saw it twice in the championship when tried to play 4231 but injuries forced us back to the box and we got to the play off final, and even last season Fadz illness and bereavement forced us to go back from a 5 at the back to 4231 and we get to the fa cup semi.

We've just won 5 in a row if you include the fa cup tie, and people are like " right EMC and Wright are back in training, let's go back to 4231".

I’m not arguing to instantly make the changes because not all the players will be back at the same time.

Observing the way we play, the 5-3-2 only really suits the personnel who starts the game. Torp and Rudoni have played really well because they can get so high up the pitch and they can only do that because there’s 3 CBs and Allen covers a lot of distance. Grimes and Sheaf don’t have the same attributes to thrive as that lone CM. We tried that v Norwich and it didn’t go as well. We don’t even finish the games playing 5-3-2. In-game, we leave a lot of space in that midfield area and down the flanks.

It’s no exaggeration to say that Allen is the lynchpin of this setup and hedging your bets on 1 CM who plays a niche role is not advisable. Sheaf, Eccles and Grimes do not fit Allen’s profile.

Ultimately, the squad is just better suited to 4-2-3-1 /4-3-3 and the 5-3-2 to work in its current form long term needs a fundamental rethink from either a tactical or squad building perspective.

The changes will be gradual but it’s pretty inevitable we’ll revert to playing wingers, be it 3-4-3, 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3.

 

[Terry_dactyl]

His feet remind me of JCH, his touch needs developing as it is all at 100 MPH.

Almost like he’s panicked. Maybe he’s better when he doesn’t think about it so much…a la the goal vs Swansea?

 

[Grendel]

If that's the case, and we stick with 2 up top - which I've no problem with, I hope he gets a good amount of game time regularly. Such as at least 20 mins a game.

Why?

 

[Tommo1993]

Why?

Because people need to see more of him not being ready for this level? Is the only thing I can think of.

 

[Grendel]

Because people need to see more of him not being ready for this level? Is the only thing I can think of.

Its just strange - we only give game time if he is good enough

 

[Tommo1993]

Its just strange - we only give game time if he is good enough

Give Ponticelli a go!

 

[Tea & Busquets]

Up top. He is good enough to play semi regularly off the bench and be integrated as a starter in the following seasons