ChrisMcQuillan Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 I thought he was excellent again today and he's shown a lot of bottle to take the s*** that's been thrown at him by his manager and prove him wrong. Our back four when fit are more than good enough, we just need to sort out the midfield in front of those and we'll be OK. Our midfield when fit is more than good enough. Unfortunately, they're always injured, suspended or in prison. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mick Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Our midfield when fit is more than good enough. Unfortunately, they're always injured, suspended or in prison. Any midfield that might consist of any of Butt, Duff and Smith isn't good enough. Our midfield, even when fit, are one dimensional snails. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NE5 Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 I thought he was excellent again today and he's shown a lot of bottle to take the shit that's been thrown at him by his manager and prove him wrong. Our back four when fit are more than good enough, we just need to sort out the midfield in front of those and we'll be OK. what exactly is "OK" I like Enrique, he is strong as hell and much quicker than he looks. He chased a ball with Bellamy when we played West Ham, and kept up with him and got ahead of him. Two great attributes which are shared by Bassong too. Enrique has an occasional bad game, and when Barton had a go at him the other week at Blackburn he was right in what he saw, it was poor concentration by Enrique. But this sort of thing can be improved, if the player has the real appetite to work at his game and the hunger to succeed. Overall though, I like him. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisMcQuillan Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Our midfield when fit is more than good enough. Unfortunately, they're always injured, suspended or in prison. Any midfield that might consist of any of Butt, Duff and Smith isn't good enough. Our midfield, even when fit, are one dimensional snails. Barton, Guthrie, Nolan, Jonas. That's fine by me. And Duff can a strong player, he's just not showing it. I blame management and tactics for that - I think the talent's still there. Smith's not a midfielder, and never was. Should be a striker at another club - we have too many. And Butt's just past it. But I think we have four quality midfielders in the first four, with average backup. Just like our defence - four quality defenders with an average backup in S Taylor. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mick Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 what exactly is "OK" I like Enrique, he is strong as hell and much quicker than he looks. He chased a ball with Bellamy when we played West Ham, and kept up with him and got ahead of him. Two great attributes which are shared by Bassong too. Enrique has an occasional bad game, and when Barton had a go at him the other week at Blackburn he was right in what he saw, it was poor concentration by Enrique. But this sort of thing can be improved, if the player has the real appetite to work at his game and the hunger to succeed. Overall though, I like him. OK depends on who the midfielders are. We're one dimensional and have no pace other than Jonas who I hope is suffering because of those around him. Somebody like a Rob Lee type of player would make a massive difference playing through the middle. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mick Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Barton, Guthrie, Nolan, Jonas. That's fine by me. And Duff can a strong player, he's just not showing it. I blame management and tactics for that - I think the talent's still there. Smith's not a midfielder, and never was. Should be a striker at another club - we have too many. And Butt's just past it. But I think we have four quality midfielders in the first four, with average backup. Just like our defence - four quality defenders with an average backup in S Taylor. Barton, Guthrie and Nolan of those 4 offer little or no creativity. They'll run around all day but are not likely to split teams with a single pass often enough to make a difference and they have no pace. Barton did well at Man City but he hasn't done it here and we're getting towards the end of his second season. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocksammy Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 :smitten:enrique Hes starting to prove his worth ! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest firetotheworks Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 To think that this thread title was once 'Joke Enrique' Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
colinmk Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Our midfield when fit is more than good enough. Unfortunately, they're always injured, suspended or in prison. Any midfield that might consist of any of Butt, Duff and Smith isn't good enough. Our midfield, even when fit, are one dimensional snails. Barton, Guthrie, Nolan, Jonas. That's fine by me. And Duff can a strong player, he's just not showing it. I blame management and tactics for that - I think the talent's still there. Smith's not a midfielder, and never was. Should be a striker at another club - we have too many. And Butt's just past it. But I think we have four quality midfielders in the first four, with average backup. Just like our defence - four quality defenders with an average backup in S Taylor. That midfield bar Jonas couldn't be much more average. As Mick says Barton has done nothing to suggest he is the same player he was at man city, Guthrie doesn't cut it for me. Decent backup yeah. Nolan is a good player on his day but not what I would call a quality midfielder. We pretty much need a whole new midfield and should be looking to get rid of Barton, Smith, and Duff if possible. The rest are good enough for backup and will be lower earners bar Butt. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest battyleespeed Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Growing in confidence and I've really noticed I think he's picking up tips from Bassong. They way he's just timing his pushes to outmuscle others and win the ball is really something he started to do when Bassong arrived, and something I'm sure he's learned from him. That's a great observation. I thought Bassong's technical ability and composure to trap the ball under pressure is a massive asset to the team. Trapping the high ball with his chest and laying it off simply - now that's a clever play. Lot of the defenders just keep heading the ball back up the field which often results in loss of possession. Now that Enrique is playing the same way maybe this composure and way of playing will start to spread across the team (STaylor? Colo?). Yesterday on few occasions Enrique could had played the easy option of passing back to Harper but instead turned around and played the ball forward on deck despite the attentions of couple Everton players. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
EthiGeordie Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Our Back four is very promising at the momment and Enrique improved a lot. I like Bassong the best defender that I saw wearing black and white. I like Colo too its his first season and there is no injuries and every thing he will be better next year for sure in the mean time every team needs one like him. What we need is a combative midfilder and I hope the club will address that in the summer. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sicko2ndbest Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 I think a midfield of Raylor Barton Nolan Jonas is more than ok if you ask me, its just a case of getting them together Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cronky Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 I think people are getting a bit carried away by the fact that we didn't concede a goal. It was a weakened Everton attack that offered little imagination or creativity, but our defence still looked shaky to me. As for Enrique, I'm still not convinced. In a one-to-one battle when he's close to his opponent, he usually comes out on top due to his strength and pace. What bothers me though is the number of times his positioning seems wrong and he gets caught in no man's land. His passing is also dodgy, although that wasn't apparent yesterday because we didn't do that much attacking. I'd agree about his potential, because he's a good athlete. The problem seems to be in his head. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
themanupstairs Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 I thought he was excellent again today and he's shown a lot of bottle to take the s*** that's been thrown at him by his manager and prove him wrong. Our back four when fit are more than good enough, we just need to sort out the midfield in front of those and we'll be OK. what exactly is "OK" I like Enrique, he is strong as hell and much quicker than he looks. He chased a ball with Bellamy when we played West Ham, and kept up with him and got ahead of him. Two great attributes which are shared by Bassong too. Enrique has an occasional bad game, and when Barton had a go at him the other week at Blackburn he was right in what he saw, it was poor concentration by Enrique. But this sort of thing can be improved, if the player has the real appetite to work at his game and the hunger to succeed. Overall though, I like him. spot on Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
themanupstairs Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 I think people are getting a bit carried away by the fact that we didn't concede a goal. It was a weakened Everton attack that offered little imagination or creativity, but our defence still looked shaky to me. As for Enrique, I'm still not convinced. In a one-to-one battle when he's close to his opponent, he usually comes out on top due to his strength and pace. What bothers me though is the number of times his positioning seems wrong and he gets caught in no man's land. His passing is also dodgy, although that wasn't apparent yesterday because we didn't do that much attacking. I'd agree about his potential, because he's a good athlete. The problem seems to be in his head. He put in our only decent cross of the entire match that Lescott nearly drove into his own net. Had he missed the ball, Taylor was in for a certain goal. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cronky Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 I think people are getting a bit carried away by the fact that we didn't concede a goal. It was a weakened Everton attack that offered little imagination or creativity, but our defence still looked shaky to me. As for Enrique, I'm still not convinced. In a one-to-one battle when he's close to his opponent, he usually comes out on top due to his strength and pace. What bothers me though is the number of times his positioning seems wrong and he gets caught in no man's land. His passing is also dodgy, although that wasn't apparent yesterday because we didn't do that much attacking. I'd agree about his potential, because he's a good athlete. The problem seems to be in his head. He put in our only decent cross of the entire match that Lescott nearly drove into his own net. Had he missed the ball, Taylor was in for a certain goal. Well you've got to admit that his crossing is unreliable. They're just as likely to go straight across the pitch into the hands of the opposition central midfield, in which case we're in trouble. I hope he does sort himself out, because he does produce good moments like that. But I can see now why Allardyce, Keegan and Kinnear have all not been so keen on him. You need defenders who you can bank on. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest optimistic nit Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Our midfield when fit is more than good enough. Unfortunately, they're always injured, suspended or in prison. Any midfield that might consist of any of Butt, Duff and Smith isn't good enough. Our midfield, even when fit, are one dimensional snails. Barton, Guthrie, Nolan, Jonas. That's fine by me. And Duff can a strong player, he's just not showing it. I blame management and tactics for that - I think the talent's still there. Smith's not a midfielder, and never was. Should be a striker at another club - we have too many. And Butt's just past it. But I think we have four quality midfielders in the first four, with average backup. Just like our defence - four quality defenders with an average backup in S Taylor. That midfield bar Jonas couldn't be much more average. As Mick says Barton has done nothing to suggest he is the same player he was at man city, Guthrie doesn't cut it for me. Decent backup yeah. Nolan is a good player on his day but not what I would call a quality midfielder. We pretty much need a whole new midfield and should be looking to get rid of Barton, Smith, and Duff if possible. The rest are good enough for backup and will be lower earners bar Butt. the quality in our midfield is definately enough to finish mid table though. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mowen Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Thought he was excellent yesterday, up there with Bassong for MOTM. Got a lot of deserved praise from the crowd too. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jep Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Well you've got to admit that his crossing is unreliable. They're just as likely to go straight across the pitch into the hands of the opposition central midfield, in which case we're in trouble. I hope he does sort himself out, because he does produce good moments like that. But I can see now why Allardyce, Keegan and Kinnear have all not been so keen on him. You need defenders who you can bank on. Not more so than those of any of our other players though, is it? And that's including our so-called wingers. You're supposed to get a sense of excitement when a player makes a run down the flank, gets by his defender and puts one in, but I never do that in our games. Jonas mostly works the ball inwards, Ryan Taylor is still too soon to talk about (in terms of consistency), and I don't even need to mention Duff do I? They're all barely average at crossing, some not even that. That said, I think our strikers make our crossers look worse than they are. Ameobi couldn't head a ball to save his life, Martins, Owen and Løvenkrands are better at the deck, and Viduka can't head it from the treatment table. It's so frustrating seeing our wide players put it in far post and all our players are at the near post, seems to be no sense of teamwork or tactics in us at all, at times. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest firetotheworks Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 I think people are getting a bit carried away by the fact that we didn't concede a goal. It was a weakened Everton attack that offered little imagination or creativity, but our defence still looked shaky to me. As for Enrique, I'm still not convinced. In a one-to-one battle when he's close to his opponent, he usually comes out on top due to his strength and pace. What bothers me though is the number of times his positioning seems wrong and he gets caught in no man's land. His passing is also dodgy, although that wasn't apparent yesterday because we didn't do that much attacking. I'd agree about his potential, because he's a good athlete. The problem seems to be in his head. He put in our only decent cross of the entire match that Lescott nearly drove into his own net. Had he missed the ball, Taylor was in for a certain goal. Well you've got to admit that his crossing is unreliable. They're just as likely to go straight across the pitch into the hands of the opposition central midfield, in which case we're in trouble. I hope he does sort himself out, because he does produce good moments like that. But I can see now why Allardyce, Keegan and Kinnear have all not been so keen on him. You need defenders who you can bank on. Like Nzogbia? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPL Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Glad hes proven the critics wrong had a great game yesterday looked like sonic at one point when he was motoring down the wing Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NE5 Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 what exactly is "OK" I like Enrique, he is strong as hell and much quicker than he looks. He chased a ball with Bellamy when we played West Ham, and kept up with him and got ahead of him. Two great attributes which are shared by Bassong too. Enrique has an occasional bad game, and when Barton had a go at him the other week at Blackburn he was right in what he saw, it was poor concentration by Enrique. But this sort of thing can be improved, if the player has the real appetite to work at his game and the hunger to succeed. Overall though, I like him. OK depends on who the midfielders are. We're one dimensional and have no pace other than Jonas who I hope is suffering because of those around him. Somebody like a Rob Lee type of player would make a massive difference playing through the middle. and "OK" is good enough then Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
STM Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 I couldn't seperate Bassong and Enrique yesterday, both had fine games. The only difference is that when Enrique is defending i think he will deal with it, where as with Bassong i KNOW he is going to. I just wish we had a manager that would sit down with Jose and point out where he is going wrong and where he is not. I think he overlaped (a terrible) Duff yesterday and put in a brilliant cross, which he is capable of. If someone sat him down, showed him it, and encouraged him to do more of the same he would be a better player for it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ikon Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 I know that Enriques passing gets criticised quite often, and i agree with some of it. But imo you also have too look how many times he tries to play it out of defense instead of just kicking it as far as possible without adress. And i love to see that he tries play himself out of pressure, of course you cant always do that but lately he has done it really well, it shows that he's got more and more confident despite getting some unfair comments from some fans and the media and Kinnear. Show's good mental strength. Hopefully he will continue playing well. Im really pleased for him.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronaldo Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 very impressed with his pace and strength recently, we really dont have to worry much about that LB position anymore Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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