Sean Longstaff

[arnonel]

Besides being a willing runner, he brings very little to the team 

[Geordie_once_removed]

This has nothing to do with his ability but it dawned on me yesterday that he is the spit of Morty from Rick and Morty.  Time to get a new barber I think.

[Lotus]

Thought he showed a good engine in extra time. Looks like he’s getting his fitness back. His ability to run and run is his only advantage over any other journeyman so I’m hoping he gets his distance legs back. He’ll be playing for the remainder of the season so I hope he runs enough to make a difference.

[Orphanage]

1 minute ago, Lotus said:

Thought he showed a good engine in extra time. Looks like he’s getting his fitness back. His ability to run and run is his only advantage over any other journeyman so I’m hoping he gets his distance legs back. He’ll be playing for the remainder of the season so I hope he runs enough to make a difference.

Thats it ? He runs a lot ? Maybe he should do the 1500 metres instead then 

[ponsaelius]

He's an OK PL player. His attributes shine more when the team is well-oiled and playing well, where his running and and off the ball play can be an asset. On the contrary when we're not playing well his lesser technical ability and composure in possession stick out badly.

 

He's never going to be a top player and Howe worked wonders getting high level performances out of him last season. I've seen suggestions that he has lacked effort and commitment, which is just a nonsense. But it's hardly unusual for fans to incorrectly try and percept a lack of effort from the stands. Knowing when/how to run/pass/tackle is ultimately a skill issue as a top level midfielder.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

He’s below OK, I can’t see many if any other PL teams starting him. 
 

We could’ve swapped him for a Blackburn CM and had a much better lineup last night. 

[TBG]

Had the misfortune of reading the comments on his Insta post after the game. 

 

Wonder how many of them were happy to belt out 'Support the team. Not the regime' 

 

 

Edited February 28, 2024 by TBG

[AyeDubbleYoo]

I don’t blame him and I’d never slag him off in comments or anything. He wouldn’t be a PL player except for Mike Ashley. He tries but he’s not up to it. 

 

 

Edited February 28, 2024 by AyeDubbleYoo

[huss9]

1 minute ago, TBG said:

Had the misfortune of reading the comments on his Insta post after the game. 

 

Wonder how many of them were happy to belt out 'Support the team. Not the regime' 

 

 

 

he looks like the typical confidence player.

being a local lad and reading abuse on social media must be killing him.

not really gonna help things.

[gbandit]

Would never slag any player off on social media, coward’s trick. He should never have had to play the minutes he’s done this season. It’s not his fault or anyone else’s really. He’s a really likeable lad and I don’t have an issue with him being a squad player other than the fact that he generally looks even poorer when he’s not had game time. Would be happy to see him play in cup games, Europa and get minutes as a sub in the league but starting him this much is just not helping him or us sadly 

[KaKa]

25 minutes ago, TBG said:

Had the misfortune of reading the comments on his Insta post after the game. 

 

Wonder how many of them were happy to belt out 'Support the team. Not the regime' 

 

 

 

 

Cannot believe people go on these players pages and abuse them for poor performances.

 

I mean .... can we then really complain when they are so poor out there? These fans are partly culpable.

 

These players need to seriously consider not having social media or at least keep it all private.

[Geordie_once_removed]

I put Longstaff into same category as Almiron and Murphy. In that I love them as players/people (in so much as I know them) but if we are to kick on next season they need to no longer be starting regularly.

 

Specifically to Longstaff while his breaking the line runs are great his final product, be it a shot or a cross, isn't good enough to be a starter in a team aiming for the Champions League or higher.  All three can be great options off the bench, however, the one Longstaff specific concern I have is that is that he seems to play best when given a run and I don't recall seeing him be a particularly effective sub.

 

I can see two out of Longstaff, Murphy and Almiron being sold in the summer to raise money for those "next level" signings the club will need to make.

[huss9]

if willock tonali and joelinton had been avialiable he wouldnt have been playing every game.

we didnt have an option.

in a couple of weeks willock and anderson should be getting almost fully match fit.

[Lotus]

33 minutes ago, AyeDubbleYoo said:

I don’t blame him and I’d never slag him off in comments or anything. He wouldn’t be a PL player except for Mike Ashley. He tries but he’s not up to it. 

 

 

 

Think that's unfair. He's shown he can play in this league. He has some limitations but his engine is excellent when he's fit and that is worth something. Is certainly is in EH's system anyway.

[Shays Given Tim Flowers]

He doesn't score anywhere near enough goals for someone who gets into the positions he does. 

[TRon]

19 minutes ago, Lotus said:

Think that's unfair. He's shown he can play in this league. He has some limitations but his engine is excellent when he's fit and that is worth something. Is certainly is in EH's system anyway.

 

He's a support player at best. When the big lights are out through injury and you need the lesser lights to shine, he goes missing. I can't recall who said it, might have been Ayedoubleyou, but you could replace him with any of the Blackburn players last night and I doubt we'd have looked worse.

 

I get that he might look more useful once all our better midfielders are back, but then who wouldn't?

 

 

[ponsaelius]

2 hours ago, AyeDubbleYoo said:

He’s below OK, I can’t see many if any other PL teams starting him. 
 

We could’ve swapped him for a Blackburn CM and had a much better lineup last night. 

 

Nope. If that's the case you can say it for the whole team last night, bar Bruno, as their players matched us to a man. We're not playing well and that goes for everybody at the moment. 

 

The lad played more than anybody last year in a team that got CL football and to a major cup final. He's not good enough for where we want to be, but he's not Danny Guthrie either.

[ponsaelius]

1 hour ago, Shays Given Tim Flowers said:

He doesn't score anywhere near enough goals for someone who gets into the positions he does. 

 

Yet he's also our 4th highest goalscorer in the squad this season with 6 goals, only being outscored by the three regular centre forwards.

[Shays Given Tim Flowers]

7 minutes ago, ponsaelius said:

 

Yet he's also our 4th highest goalscorer in the squad this season with 6 goals, only being outscored by the three regular centre forwards.

 

Jesus. 

[ponsaelius]

Well exactly. This is the thing - there are plenty of other culprits in the squad in terms of output. Many don't even get themselves into goalscoring positions in the first place to actually miss, despite playing in more advanced positions. 

 

Longstaff doesn't get himself injured or banned for a year for being a daft cunt, so ends up playing every game until he's been ran into the ground and gets exposed. Takes flak despite costing us nowt. Yet our £55 million signing that was supposed to replace him has two different chants that get aired at every away game, despite contributing the square root of fuck all to the club (and a reasonable chance he never will). 

 

All irks me a bit tbh, even though I'd still be shopping Longstaff around in the summer.

 

 

Edited February 28, 2024 by ponsaelius

[AyeDubbleYoo]

There's a reasonable chance Tonali will never contribute anything?

[ponsaelius]

I'd put it at about 50/50 that he is a success next season or back on a favourable loan-to-buy option at one of the Italian big 3 within 18 months.

[Shays Given Tim Flowers]

That's fair. Its strange because I felt he was becoming one of our most important players last year in a very low key way. Now I just struggle to see beyond his limitations. 

 

This has been a fairly jarring season, basically from December onwards it has been incredibly heavy weather. That almost certainly plays a part in assessments of players. 

[Sibierski]

I thought he was unlucky to be dropped for Tonali start of season, we looked better when he came in (mostly because we went back to last seasons personnel) and he would be an outside chance of England squad as that donkey CM that Gallagher currently occupies. 
 

But just hasn’t kicked on. Still feel he’s a useful squad player, but considering we need to generate some funds in summer, he’s got to be up there to be sold. Potentially him or Anderson for the CM to be moved on, and I suspect it will come down to who generates the interest and the fee we’d want.

[TRon]

14 minutes ago, ponsaelius said:

Well exactly. This is the thing - there are plenty of other culprits in the squad in terms of output. Many don't even get themselves into goalscoring positions in the first place to actually miss, despite playing in more advanced positions. 

 

Longstaff doesn't get himself injured or banned for a year for being a daft cunt, so ends up playing every game until he's been ran into the ground and gets exposed. Takes flak despite costing us nowt. Yet our £55 million signing that was supposed to replace him has two different chants that get aired at every away game, despite contributing the square root of fuck all to the club (and a reasonable chance he never will). 

 

All irks me a bit tbh, even though I'd still be shopping Longstaff around in the summer.

 

 

 

 

 

What you're actually saying there is he scores some goals, stays fit and runs tirelessly. All true, but there are championship midfielders who can do that. It's what he can't do which is the missing piece in the puzzle:

 

• Show for the ball when the midfield is faced with a tight press
• Carry the ball out of danger when being pressed
• Look for one twos to evade the press
• Confidence to perform when the big games come round

At the highest level when you are trying to build a team that can play out from the back you need all those attributes.