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Allan Saint-Maximin (now playing for Fenerbahce, on loan from Al-Ahli)


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Make or break season to me - if the lad can look up more often and release the ball just a little earlier he’ll be a cracking footballer.   I thought the last two or three games of last year were the best ‘all round’ games he’d played for us - if we can get a better player on the other flank to take the pressure off his side it could make a massive difference.  Plus Howe has a full pre-season to work with him.

 

If next season is all running down blind alleys and shooting tamely from ludicrous angles then that’ll be it. 

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33 minutes ago, TheBrownBottle said:

Make or break season to me - if the lad can look up more often and release the ball just a little earlier he’ll be a cracking footballer.   I thought the last two or three games of last year were the best ‘all round’ games he’d played for us - if we can get a better player on the other flank to take the pressure off his side it could make a massive difference.  Plus Howe has a full pre-season to work with him.

 

If next season is all running down blind alleys and shooting tamely from ludicrous angles then that’ll be it. 

 

Sorry, I disagree. The 'release it sooner' line is an observation built upon years of Bruce-ball - the movement off him was non-existent. Wilson tried, but one player won't cut it, you need to attack as a team. Wood, off the ball and when we're in possession, is generally woeful. Allan's literally only had a couple of games with Bruno and Wilson. The amount of one-twos and passes between Bruno and Allan is like night and day, I think Allan's had more completed passes to Bruno than the rest of the team combined. This guy recognises quality and I think he's going to flourish with more players around him who are comfortable in possession and know how to find space off the ball.

 

When opponents know they can't just defend one 'magic-man', because we've got threats on both flanks and through the middle, he'll have more space and options.

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47 minutes ago, HawK said:

 

Sorry, I disagree. The 'release it sooner' line is an observation built upon years of Bruce-ball - the movement off him was non-existent. Wilson tried, but one player won't cut it, you need to attack as a team. Wood, off the ball and when we're in possession, is generally woeful. Allan's literally only had a couple of games with Bruno and Wilson. The amount of one-twos and passes between Bruno and Allan is like night and day, I think Allan's had more completed passes to Bruno than the rest of the team combined. This guy recognises quality and I think he's going to flourish with more players around him who are comfortable in possession and know how to find space off the ball.

 

When opponents know they can't just defend one 'magic-man', because we've got threats on both flanks and through the middle, he'll have more space and options.

Nowt to do with Bruce-ball whatsoever.  The most naturally talented players I’ve seen in B&W - Beardsley, Ginola, Robert, HBA - didn’t hold on to the ball like ASM because all of those players had footballing intelligence.  ASM, to date, has shown few signs that he has it - and I’m hoping some can coached in.  Better players around you help, yes.  No good team - or manager - would have put up with play that shite for any length of time.  

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1 hour ago, TheBrownBottle said:

Nowt to do with Bruce-ball whatsoever.  The most naturally talented players I’ve seen in B&W - Beardsley, Ginola, Robert, HBA - didn’t hold on to the ball like ASM because all of those players had footballing intelligence.  ASM, to date, has shown few signs that he has it - and I’m hoping some can coached in.  Better players around you help, yes.  No good team - or manager - would have put up with play that shite for any length of time.  

 

Sorry but you really can't compare this team with the ones that either of Ginola or Robert played in. Hatem also had 2 decent strikers to play off in Ba and Cisse. 

 

They're not fair comparisons. 

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31 minutes ago, HawK said:

 

Sorry but you really can't compare this team with the ones that either of Ginola or Robert played in. Hatem also had 2 decent strikers to play off in Ba and Cisse. 

 

They're not fair comparisons. 

What about the one I saw Gazza play in?  That was a side filled with mediocrities and a footballing genius.

 

ASM is exciting in a shit team because he can beat a man.  Playing in a shit team has potentially helped not hindered him - his worst excesses have not been curbed.  If NUFC becomes the side we hope in the next couple of years he’ll have to either improve massively or be shipped off.  
 

‘Bruce-ball’, if it has skewed anything, is to make people forget what really good footballers actually look like.  ASM is more Ketsbaia with Twitter nous than a footballing genius. 

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47 minutes ago, TheBrownBottle said:

What about the one I saw Gazza play in?  That was a side filled with mediocrities and a footballing genius.

 

ASM is exciting in a shit team because he can beat a man.  Playing in a shit team has potentially helped not hindered him - his worst excesses have not been curbed.  If NUFC becomes the side we hope in the next couple of years he’ll have to either improve massively or be shipped off.  
 

‘Bruce-ball’, if it has skewed anything, is to make people forget what really good footballers actually look like.  ASM is more Ketsbaia with Twitter nous than a footballing genius. 

 

After comparing him with some of our best players in the PL era, you now want to compare him with one of the most talented footballers this country has ever produced? 

 

Look, Allan is a very good player playing in a limited team. He's not as good as Maradona either before you escalate there next. He can't pick a pass or dance around players in slow motion like Gazza or Beardsley, or switch it onto either side at will like Ginola. He can't take a free kick like Robert and he hasn't had a hope of replicating anything that Hatem did in a team with Ba, Cisse, Cabaye and Tiote all playing in their absolute prime years. 

 

No-one is saying Allan's the greatest player of a generation like your examples. I'm saying because of this, as he is a player with weaknesses, he needs better players around him - to be good off the ball, to take his 2nd man marker of him and focus on our breaking midfielders or have more space to operate as the defence is stretched worrying also about whoever will be doing an actual good job on right wing. 

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He has had the weight of literally a whole team and club on him under Bruce. He was literally Bruce's no 1 tactic (and only one). 

 

Pre-season with Eddie and better players and be should be a different player. Needs to improve in certain areas for sure. Lets see.

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On 17/06/2022 at 23:00, TheBrownBottle said:

What about the one I saw Gazza play in?  That was a side filled with mediocrities and a footballing genius.

 

ASM is exciting in a shit team because he can beat a man.  Playing in a shit team has potentially helped not hindered him - his worst excesses have not been curbed.  If NUFC becomes the side we hope in the next couple of years he’ll have to either improve massively or be shipped off.  
 

‘Bruce-ball’, if it has skewed anything, is to make people forget what really good footballers actually look like.  ASM is more Ketsbaia with Twitter nous than a footballing genius. 

 

That's been my main criticism of him as well. He's a fantastic talent, but he doesn't release the ball quickly enough, the best players spot the passes before defenders even see them coming.

 

Yes I do accept that it's harder for him because our players don't make aggressive runs, but I personally don't think it comes naturally to him, he wants to hold the ball as long as possible. I have seen Ekiteke releases the ball quickly when a team mate is better positioned, and he's a lot younger than Maxi. These things shouldn't need coaching.

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I really like the bit where he does loads of tricks, fools no one and ends up standing exactly where he started, but with the added bonus of the defence getting a chance to get set and mark his teammates before he gets the chance to pass.

 

A great laugh for him, but if I was one of the coaches, I wouldn't be laughing, because that's exactly the sort of crap that he needs to get out of the habit of doing.

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1 hour ago, JumpersForGoalposts said:

I really like the bit where he does loads of tricks, fools no one and ends up standing exactly where he started, but with the added bonus of the defence getting a chance to get set and mark his teammates before he gets the chance to pass.

 

A great laugh for him, but if I was one of the coaches, I wouldn't be laughing, because that's exactly the sort of crap that he needs to get out of the habit of doing.

Fuck me - don’t think the coaches are having a melt down about a fun game of 5 a side 

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7 hours ago, JumpersForGoalposts said:

I really like the bit where he does loads of tricks, fools no one and ends up standing exactly where he started, but with the added bonus of the defence getting a chance to get set and mark his teammates before he gets the chance to pass.

 

A great laugh for him, but if I was one of the coaches, I wouldn't be laughing, because that's exactly the sort of crap that he needs to get out of the habit of doing.

He did score though... 

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