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

[nufc123]

3 minutes ago, The Prophet said:

I'd argue for a player with such immense natural talent, he doesn't have enough direct goal threat.

Thats my sticking point with him. Its always chaotic and frantic. His finishes is quite poor really.

[Nobody]

But he did some standing still step overs against Palace once

 

 

[Kid Icarus]

I often wonder if other fanbases are like ours like. There's a very clear disagreement on the true value of flair players that I've seen in our fanbase over and over again for coming up to 30 years now. 

[madras]

Just now, Kid Icarus said:

I often wonder if other fanbases are like ours like. There's a very clear disagreement on the true value of flair players that I've seen in our fanbase over and over again for coming up to 30 years now. 

Possibly because they had major flaws. Hence how they ended up here and never really went on to the top and fulfilled their talent.

[KaKa]

The ASM complaints are truly perplexing.

 

He's a wonderful talent that I believe would have grown under Howe and adapted to his style as we were seeing signs of it already.

 

However, the man's body seemingly can't handle the intensity and for the most part he is either injured or not quite up to speed form wise because he can't get a run of games together.

 

On top of that there has been talk of him wanting a new contract, and although his ability probably warrants it, his availability and consistency does not.

 

This is a very straight forward and simple decision to allow him to move on and get better wages while we get some money in and improve our FFP situation.

[Erikse]

9 minutes ago, HaydnNUFC said:

 

Why do you think Isak was being left out by Howe post-WC when Wilson was stinking the place out from January-March?

 

 

 

 

He was left on the bench 5 times all season. And he was a brand new player bought last summer. 2 of those were right after recovery of a knee injury. Did Maxi go through recovery all season?

 

 

Edited July 19, 2023 by Erikse

[Alberto2005]

People need to chill, he's a great talent but he's been here 5 years now and never had one consistent season. I'm honestly more bothered about his injuries, that is only going to get worse IMO and we can't afford for our key players to be injured for so long.

 

Is Barnes better? Not really but he'll be fit more often and I've no doubt he'll suit Howe's style of play.

 

Most importantly, we can now go and get 2/3 more players before the end of the window.

 

If we sign Tonali, Barnes + 2 more and lose ASM in the process I'd say our squad is a lot stronger.

 

 

Edited July 19, 2023 by Alberto2005

[SEMTEX]

The hang up on the palace game is beyond me like. Might as well just drain all entertainment out of the game.

[KaKa]

6 minutes ago, nufc123 said:

Thats my sticking point with him. Its always chaotic and frantic. His finishes is quite poor really.

 

Yeah, never had the curled finish with the instep. Always thrashes at the ball when he goes to shoot.

[Pata]

2 minutes ago, Alberto2005 said:

he's a great talent but he's been here 5 years now and never had one consistent season.

 

What was inconsistent about his 21-22?

[Guest reefatoon]

2 minutes ago, SEMTEX said:

The hang up on the palace game is beyond me like. Might as well just drain all entertainment out of the game.

I think it’s just funny, it was so unnecessarily pointless. 

[TRon]

58 minutes ago, Skeletor said:

Haven't seen anyone desperate to sell him. Just an acceptance that we're hamstrung by FFP and he's our only saleable asset without selling the likes of Bruno, Isak etc...

 

That's it for me, can't speak for anyone else. If we could buy players without selling Maxi or for example, Almiron, why would you want to sell them? Next season we will need as many good players as we can carry, even if they weren't regularly making the first team they would be invaluable squad members getting plenty of games. Howe has said he doesn't want to lose ASM, but that's the only we can bring new players in.

[Memphis]

It's totally understandable to be a bit upset that ASM is being sold. He's such a talented player, so much fun to watch. 

 

But there has to be a ruthlessness in terms of finding a group of 15-20 players that play exactly how you need them to play as a team. Look at Pep last year with Joao Cancelo - he was an undeniably huge talent at LB, but he wasn't playing the way Pep wanted. He let him go and replaced him with Nathan Ake (and sometimes the young Rico Lewis). That's a drop in skill level for sure, but it led to a better run of form and ultimately they won the treble. 

 

Sometimes you have to move past pure talent in search of a proper team fit. And on top of that, if his sale allows us to be more flexible in acquiring new players, all the better.

[Eveready]

1 hour ago, reefatoon said:

The only thing about that bollocks is nobody is/was desperate to get him out the club you daft dramatic sod.

Absolute nonsense.  Just read this thread, plenty of people want him gone.

[Geordie Boyo]

Yep, that’s him gone  

 

 

[Kid Icarus]

13 minutes ago, madras said:

Possibly because they had major flaws. Hence how they ended up here and never really went on to the top and fulfilled their talent.

Ginola and Robert came here as league winners/challengers, internationals, and CL players coming here to get us to the top. The only player you can argue it really applied to where being at Newcastle vs their potential was a huge gap was HBA.

 

At the end of the day all players have major flaws, it depends on whether you consider those flaws relevant to a player's role or whether those flaws are worth putting up with because of their strengths.

 

 

Edited July 19, 2023 by Kid Icarus

[KaKa]

2 minutes ago, Alberto2005 said:

People need to chill, he's a great talent but he's been here 5 years now and never had one consistent season. I'm honestly more bothered about his injuries, that is only going to get worse IMO and we can't afford for our key players to be injured for so long.

 

Is Barnes better? Not really but he'll be fit more often and I've no doubt he'll suit Howe's style of play.

 

Most importantly, we can now go and get 2/3 more players before the end of the window.

 

If we sign Tonali, Barnes + 2 more and lose ASM in the process I'd say our squad is a lot stronger.

 

 

 

 

Yeah, the fitness problems are the real issue for me. We cannot continue to carry a player whose availability is so unreliable. The squad is nowhere near good enough for that.

 

As for Barnes not being better, I don't know about all that. Stylistically not as exciting, but he is rapid and direct, and he will rack up the goals and assists, and there is still room there for even more growth coming into a better team. Think he's being underated on here.

 

 

[Groundhog63]

Maxi's shit man. Total show pony. Dry ya fucking tears, girls. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

?

[Erikse]

6 minutes ago, reefatoon said:

I think it’s just funny, it was so unnecessarily pointless. 

 

Gotta make content for the instagram account

[Guest reefatoon]

1 minute ago, Eveready said:

Absolute nonsense.  Just read this thread, plenty of people want him gone.

Nope, there are people that can see the benefits of it for being able to move the team forward, but nobody is desperate to see him go.

 

We have evolved so much as a team, sometimes the odd talented player falls by the way side, it’s just what happens when another manager sets a style and system. Not everybody fits into that.
 

People seem to be just talking a bit sense on both sides of the debate, but not seen anyone desperate to get shot, that’s just you being overly dramatic because you are upset about it.

[madras]

Just now, Kid Icarus said:

Ginola and Robert came here as league winners, internationals, and CL players coming here to get us to the top. The only player you can argue it really applied to where being at Newcastle vs their potential was a huge gap was HBA.

 

At the end of the day all players have major flaws, it depends on whether you consider those flaws relevant to a player's role or whether those flaws are worth putting up with because of their strengths.

Ginola was near chased out of France for their failure to reach the World Cup or Euros and I'm sure Robert had similar. Ginola 16caps over 5 years hardly points at being a regular. Robert 9 caps. Both seen as being flawed but mercurial players.

[PauloGeordio]

1 minute ago, KaKa said:

 

Yeah, the fitness problems are the real issue for me. We cannot continue to carry a player whose availability is so unreliable. The squad is nowhere near good enough for that.

 

As for Barnes not being better, I don't know about all that. Stylistically not as exciting, but he is rapid and direct, and he will rack up the goals and assists, and there is still room there for even more growth coming into a better team. Think he's being underated on here.

 

 

Howe and a better team. He’ll do good. Let’s look back on this time later in the season. Harvey Barnes fuck me he’s a baller! Look what Eddie got out of Murph and Krafu FFS.  (oh and Harvey Barnes want us too, no courting required ?feck ya darts celebration) 

 

this deal done yet? 

[Kid Icarus]

Just now, madras said:

Ginola was near chased out of France for their failure to reach the World Cup or Euros and I'm sure Robert had similar. Ginola 16caps over 5 years hardly points at being a regular. Robert 9 caps. Both seen as being flawed but mercurial players.

Nah, not a chance. Ginola was scapegoated for one incident vs Bulgaria, he was still a player at the top of the French league signed by us when we were near the top of the league to try and win the league. He was no more flawed or mercurial than Cantona.

[KaKa]

Just now, reefatoon said:

Nope, there are people that can see the benefits of it for being able to move the team forward, but nobody is desperate to see him go.

 

We have evolved so much as a team, sometimes the odd talented player falls by the way side, it’s just what happens when another manager sets a style and system. Not everybody fits into that.
 

People seem to be just talking a bit sense on both sides of the debate, but not seen anyone desperate to get shot, that’s just you being overly dramatic because you are upset about it.

 

Yeah, quite honestly, if he had come off a season where he had looked much stronger physically and was more of a fixture in the team because of it, I don't think we would have entertained selling him. We'd likely have announced a new contract instead. We just can't make that kind of commitment with the way things played out last season though.

[HaydnNUFC]

16 minutes ago, Erikse said:

 

He was left on the bench 5 times all season. And he was a brand new player bought last summer. 2 of those were right after recovery. Did Maxi go through recovery all season?

 

It was 7 matches he was benched for. Leicester LC, Fulham home, Palace away, both Southampton semi final legs, LC final, Man City away. He returned from injury and was back in full training on the 2nd January.

 

Just find "if he's so good why's he been on the bench" a bit shortsighted. Howe hasn't got all of his team selections right as seen with him persisting with Wilson ahead of Isak when he looked shot to pieces up to mid-March. And in that time there have been times where ASM should also have been in the team ahead of Almiron in 2023, when he sometimes wasn't.