Matt Ritchie (now playing for Portsmouth)

[madras]

He really has go tthe annoying goalies habit of f***ing up then blaming every bugger else for it, shouting and pointing etc.

[mrmojorisin75]

Glad he is finally getting called out. Didnt impress me last season and has been a passenger based on reputation this season. Whilst he does put a shift in he is always the first person to point the finger or in todays case just point in general. He is far from the biggest issue right now but i wouldnt have him anywahere near the first 11 if we were wanting to progress

I can honestly only think of 2-3 players that should be anywhere near our team if we want to progress like.

[TRon]

He's just too slow. I think he's got some quality, and decent work rate, but there's nothing he can do when he gets caught forward and the winger gets in behind him. He's not catching them if they slow down to light a fag.

[HaydnNUFC]

Glad he is finally getting called out. Didnt impress me last season and has been a passenger based on reputation this season. Whilst he does put a shift in he is always the first person to point the finger or in todays case just point in general. He is far from the biggest issue right now but i wouldnt have him anywahere near the first 11 if we were wanting to progress

I can honestly only think of 2-3 players that should be anywhere near our team if we want to progress like.

Merino, Yedlin, Lascelles?

[Interpolic]

Glad he is finally getting called out. Didnt impress me last season and has been a passenger based on reputation this season. Whilst he does put a shift in he is always the first person to point the finger or in todays case just point in general. He is far from the biggest issue right now but i wouldnt have him anywahere near the first 11 if we were wanting to progress

I can honestly only think of 2-3 players that should be anywhere near our team if we want to progress like.

 

You can do pretty well with a few weak links, as long as they're not too weak.

 

Our options at GK/LB/AM/ST are a fucking disgrace though, they need to be addressed first.  Everything else could wait, potentially.

[mrmojorisin75]

 

 

Glad he is finally getting called out. Didnt impress me last season and has been a passenger based on reputation this season. Whilst he does put a shift in he is always the first person to point the finger or in todays case just point in general. He is far from the biggest issue right now but i wouldnt have him anywahere near the first 11 if we were wanting to progress

I can honestly only think of 2-3 players that should be anywhere near our team if we want to progress like.

Merino, Yedlin, Lascelles?

 

Basically yeah. Woodman sniffing about as well given his potential.

[mrmojorisin75]

Glad he is finally getting called out. Didnt impress me last season and has been a passenger based on reputation this season. Whilst he does put a shift in he is always the first person to point the finger or in todays case just point in general. He is far from the biggest issue right now but i wouldnt have him anywahere near the first 11 if we were wanting to progress

I can honestly only think of 2-3 players that should be anywhere near our team if we want to progress like.

 

You can do pretty well with a few weak links, as long as they're not too weak.

 

Our options at GK/LB/AM/ST are a fucking disgrace though, they need to be addressed first.  Everything else could wait, potentially.

Agree. I'd argue, generally speaking, you basically need 7 competent players as a minimum and the rest can be absorbed. At the moment our balance is the exact reverse of what it needs to be.

 

Also reminds me how infuriating Pardew was as a few times in his tenure he had sufficient balance but made a cunt of it as is his modus operandi.

[Papavasiliou]

He's just too slow. I think he's got some quality, and decent work rate, but there's nothing he can do when he gets caught forward and the winger gets in behind him. He's not catching them if they slow down to light a fag.

 

I've noticed a few times when we've had breaks on he's been abscent this season.

 

Perez will get it around the centre of the pitch and you'll see Atsu set off down the left, Joselu do something useless and the right will be completely empty.

[TRon]

He's just too slow. I think he's got some quality, and decent work rate, but there's nothing he can do when he gets caught forward and the winger gets in behind him. He's not catching them if they slow down to light a fag.

 

I've noticed a few times when we've had breaks on he's been abscent this season.

 

Perez will get it around the centre of the pitch and you'll see Atsu set off down the left, Joselu do something useless and the right will be completely empty.

 

He was stranded in the centre of the pitch when the ball was played in behind him for a couple of their goals. I think with his lack of pace, that's where he feels less exposed. He knows he's not going to get far on the break, probably why he doesn't offer an out on the right.

[ElDiablo]

It's the first time I've seen him live in a premier league game for us on Saturday and it struck me how much inconsequential running he does - I like the fact he wants to close down and is willing to run his arse off, but often it's on his own and they simply pass round him, leaving Yedlin and the centre exposed. Doesn't seem when to know when to close and when to sit off.

[afar]

He needs to step it up tonight both going forward and helping out Yedlin. His simply not been good enough on the whole this season, had a little purple patch where he got a few assists and no coincidence that that was during our only decent spell of the season, he's vital to us but not playing anywhere near the level we need him to, to win games.

[triggs]

It's the first time I've seen him live in a premier league game for us on Saturday and it struck me how much inconsequential running he does - I like the fact he wants to close down and is willing to run his arse off, but often it's on his own and they simply pass round him, leaving Yedlin and the centre exposed. Doesn't seem when to know when to close and when to sit off.

Another consequence of this is that when we get a chance to counter he's often too fucked to get forward so he can't even show the technical ability he has

[AyeDubbleYoo]

The good thing is that every other time his level has dropped he’s come storming back a couple of games later. Guy has bags of character, needs summon another one of those brilliant periods.

[54]

The good thing is that every other time his level has dropped he’s come storming back a couple of games later. Guy has bags of character, needs summon another one of those brilliant periods.

Pretty much, he's had a bad few games, but he was crucial in our first few wins.

 

Glad he is finally getting called out. Didnt impress me last season and has been a passenger based on reputation this season. Whilst he does put a shift in he is always the first person to point the finger or in todays case just point in general. He is far from the biggest issue right now but i wouldnt have him anywahere near the first 11 if we were wanting to progress

Considering he pretty much carried us in the back end of the season last year, and got about 12 goals and 10 assists, he was crucial to us. He's also gotten the majority of assist for goals scored this season.

 

He's the sort of player, that if the team is doing well, he will be there, but hes not the type of player to drag you through the rough patches, even though he'll try. If he was 5/6th best player in your starting 11 youre in a good place, currently he's probably the 3rd after Merino and Shelvey.

[Guest]

The first sentence of your second point contradicts the first sentence on the last one surely?

[afar]

The good thing is that every other time his level has dropped he’s come storming back a couple of games later. Guy has bags of character, needs summon another one of those brilliant periods.

 

This season he's been good in 3 or 4 games and pretty poor in the other 10 or so. Those games he has performed in have seen us pick up points, he's essential to us, we have so few creative outlets that when probably our best one is underperforming we don't have a chance.

[Rich]

[triggs]

Worth his place for putting a decent corner in once every 4 games at the moment

[Guest firetotheworks]

...and being immeasurably better than all of the alternatives, even if he hasn't been great recently.

[triggs]

...and being immeasurably better than all of the alternatives, even if he hasn't been great recently.

He doesn't do anything in open play so I disagree

[Sho Time]

2 assists after I took him out of my FPL team.

[Bimpy474]

2 assists after I took him out of my FPL team.

 

Left him in 

[AyeDubbleYoo]

I'm disappointed with how little he can from open play in this league, maybe we're seeing why Bournemouth let him go. Still think he's not really a winger. Great for his workrate, desire and set pieces though.

[Guest firetotheworks]

...and being immeasurably better than all of the alternatives, even if he hasn't been great recently.

He doesn't do anything in open play so I disagree

I disagree with that, but even if I agreed, compared to who?

[Disco]

They stood off him second half which makes a huge difference but I have to say if I was an opposition manager I'd be pressing him massively. I say that as someone who likes him too.