Gone up a level this year…again. Range of passing has improved. Him, Sheaf and Rudoni is a very good midfield 3 at this level. Torp as backup. Allen making the teas.
JDS isn't it?Actually you could see this on the latest City Unsee:
Quality disclaimer, mate.JDS isn't it?
Disclaimer this has nothing to do with race!
They'll come back he has all the attributes snd the right habit of stroking it into the net!If he could add some goals to his repertoire then we have some player
Zoinks!He looks like shaggy ( cartoon character) though!
They'll come back he has all the attributes snd the right habit of stroking it into the net!
His shooting is crap. Has he ever scored a non-deflected goal for us?He was the penalty taker in the U21s (and put one away well in PO final), can do with adding 3-5 to get him to the next level
I don't think that is true tbf Two sublime strokes in the net year of Po's?Nowt lucky about those,he has it within him and will likely get a couple soon!His shooting is crap. Has he ever scored a non-deflected goal for us?
The answer is no. 2 goals in 142 appearancesHis shooting is crap. Has he ever scored a non-deflected goal for us?
Yet his technique is definitely there so I'll wait at least until the WE!The answer is no. 2 goals in 142 appearances
Yeh i agree, his shooting needs to be a lot better. He's only scored 2 goals hasn't he? The one against Blues and the deflected effort vs QPR.His shooting is crap. Has he ever scored a non-deflected goal for us?
It's not because he can't strike a ball though. He seems to lose composure when shooting chances arise. Sheaf's the sameYeh i agree, his shooting needs to be a lot better. He's only scored 2 goals hasn't he? The one against Blues and the deflected effort vs QPR.
I don’t think that pairing is and with all due respect to them both, our results against the the best teams in the league last season speaks for itself. It’s not a good thing either.I can't wax lyrical enough about Eccles, to be honest.
He reads the game superbly, and playing him alongside Sheaf raises his game to a different level, for sure.
Sheaf and Eccles, through my sky blue tinted glasses, is up there as one of the best pairings in the league
Fair challenge, but the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.I don’t think that pairing is and with all due respect to them both, our results against the the best teams in the league last season speaks for itself. It’s not a good thing either.
Against Leeds we looked awful and one of those battlegrounds we lost was in midfield.
I think it was John Barnes that recently said something along the lines of 'if your defensive midfielders are scoring goals - they are out of position.'Yes it would be nice if he scored a couple goals every now and again but it’s a weird stick to beat a mostly defensive midfielder with
That's so old hat though in the new format, when did that change, about ten years ago when Pep got everyone else playing to his model, average!I think it was John Barnes that recently said something along the lines of 'if your defensive midfielders are scoring goals - they are out of position.'
Yeah that is fair. Given that Eccles does actually get into some shooting positions it's also kind of irrelevant.That's so old hat though in the new format, when did that change, about ten years ago when Pep got everyone else playing to his model, average!
While he collared the best player's to play a better version of average, easy when you know he's doing it ain't it.
Now someone follow Arsenal (unpalletable) and get this method down and give us back real football, just like the other night at the CBS!!
Fair challenge, but the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
Leeds was terrible across the board. Sheaf and Eccles were not the problem. The whole team was.
Sheaf has a horrible habit of blazing the ball over the bar!It's not because he can't strike a ball though. He seems to lose composure when shooting chances arise. Sheaf's the same
Should be getting at least 5 each every year IMO
Yes, and there's no need for it. He's probably capable of passing the ball into the bottom corners of the net (Hoddle-style) so it's frustrating that he has a rush of blood to the head and smashes it skywards.Sheaf has a horrible habit of blazing the ball over the bar!
Honestly it's embarrassing.
His goal at Hillsborough last season was sublime mind you. Inch perfect into the top corner, but he wrapped his foot around that one. More often that’s not how he shootsYes, and there's no need for it. He's probably capable of passing the ball into the bottom corners of the net (Hoddle-style) so it's frustrating that he has a rush of blood to the head and smashes it skywards.
Of course, I’ve been critical of the defence too because we just cannot seem to keep clean sheets. Our forward department is the best stocked it has ever been post-Premiership, there’s Wright, BTA and Simms capable of getting 10-20 league goals a season and they’re supported by the likes of Sakamoto, EMC and Bassette.
In Feb, we had a sequence of games in Feb/Mar where we had Norwich, WBA away and PNE at home and we comfortably second best in the latter 2 games.
Our record was that bad against the top half, we can’t seriously say our midfield pairing is one of the best in the league. Too often, we just couldn’t break those teams down. Robins alluded to it several times that we ‘lacked quality’ and this included midfield and there’s a reason we chased several midfielders this off-season.
Eccles and Sheaf both had good games on Tuesday but Blackburn are a side many expect to be closer to relegation than playoffs come May. Despite the good job Eustace is doing. So let’s not get too excited considering it was off the back of a bad performance v Leeds.
One thing that was evident on Tuesday and is reoccurring is the gap between Eccles-Sheaf and Rudoni (COH/Palmer last season) which is likely a reason we sometimes struggle to move the ball through the middle. This is particularly so against the better sides in this division.
One final thing, you can see Eccles is working on his game, particularly his long range passing from deep. Which I respect and he’s progressing quite well here, compared to Sheaf, he doesn’t move quite as quick but it’s a work in progress which Eccles admitted himself. The best example of this being his pass to Bassette v Spurs.
In summary, we definitely still miss that quality that Hamer brought to us. A Sheaf-Hamer CM partnership would undoubtedly be one of, if not the best partnership in the league. Sheaf-Eccles, probably 6-9th best in all likelihood.
Sheaf and Eccles, through my sky blue tinted glasses, is up there as one of the best pairings in the league
Are you fucking surprised? Has to put a proper shift in because ours two wide players stay up top and we then can’t hold it up when they have got it. Constantly chasing the game trying to win possession back. If we could keep the ball well enough maybe he wouldn’t be blowing. Works his arse off.Eccles = Improved a little but still blowing out of his arse after 55 minutes....
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