Joe Willock

[Geordie_once_removed]

I see him or Longstaff being sold. I'd rather Longstaff as I feel Miley is a more natural and potentially significantly superior replacement.

 

Willock's issue is he needs games to show his best but he doesn't make our best starting lineup. I'd keep him as he will get more games next season with European football and while he is a bit of a square peg in our current system he could be a really useful player in a slightly different one and we really need to add rotation of players and systems to our game to move up to the next level, which I really believe we're on the verge of doing.

 

As others have said yesterday was a game that was really ill suited to his main assets which are fast transitions and stretching play. Imagine next year he gets 75 minutes in Europe midweek, so he's not rusty like now, then on the weekend with us drawing or even losing he comes on in a game that is getting stretched (or visa versa). He could be really valuable.

 

Also that assist, he can have magic in his boots.

 

 

Edited 9 hours ago by Geordie_once_removed

[Terrymac1966]

Contributes little no impact whatsoever sell.................

[Fak]

Just now, Terrymac1966 said:

Contributes little no impact whatsoever sell.................

 

Not the best sales pitch. 

[Terrymac1966]

Ok roll up roll up......free Longstaff with every Willock

[Dr.Spaceman]

He's shit. He was decent once upon a time but in 2025 he's offering very little and it feels like we've been waiting for him to recapture his form for a while now. He's not even doing the little things well, his first touch is all over the place, decision making questionable and his shooting... My god, I'd rather see Nick Pope have a pop from the edge of his box than see Willock have a go from the edge of theirs.

[Shearergol]

Murphy was “shit” until a run in the team. Barnes was “shit” until a run in the team.

 

you’d think we’d learn.

[80]

Regardless of how good he is (I'm a supporter), I do think there's a solid chance he goes this summer. If we've got big moves in mind like Cunha. Really it's that or doubling down and extending his contract.

[Holmesy]

Said it before, if he had end product he'd be a £50-60m player. But he doesn't and never will have, which is why we should cash in while his stock is still relatively high.

He's the kind of squad player we should be looking to upgrade as we evolve - onwards and upwards

[Shearergol]

I mean, he had end product, so saying he never will have is a bit of a stretch.

[nufcjmc]

15 minutes ago, Shearergol said:

I mean, he had end product, so saying he never will have is a bit of a stretch.

The end product seemly dried up following the loan spell though his stats outside of the context of minutes played isn't great. Not sure what he's meant to be he's not physical enough to be a DM and isn't potent enough to be a goal scoring midfield his driving runs we all enjoyed a few seasons ago has been replaced by underwhelming and frustratingly poor performances. 

 

https://www.premierleague.com/players/14446/Joe-Willock/stats

 

 

 

 

Edited 7 hours ago by nufcjmc

[Sibierski]

48 minutes ago, Shearergol said:

Murphy was “shit” until a run in the team. Barnes was “shit” until a run in the team.

 

you’d think we’d learn.

I think the issue with Willock, if he gets a run in team he gets better, but for that CM role that won’t happen. It’s going to be couple games in couple games out, and so we need players that are up to speed and not require confidence building up. 
 

I like Willock, but he needs to improve his game in terms of being confident/conditioned to come in as and when we need him to make impacts straight away. Otherwise we get back to situations of not being able to rotate midfield confidently.

[Holmesy]

19 minutes ago, Shearergol said:

I mean, he had end product, so saying he never will have is a bit of a stretch.

I disagree. He used to regularly get in good positions and then balloon his shot over the bar, like clockwork. That’s the part of his game we all thought Eddie would improve but if anything he’s gone backwards. The assists side of his game is also pretty poor too.

i love his energy and running but it’s not enough.

[Terrymac1966]

The stats don't lie and he doesnt have the tools of a Murphy who could always cross and always shoot when he was bang average but just not as well as he has this season.

Willock runs ....then what???

Good tackler x

Good crosser x

Good hard striker of the ball x

Assists x

Good in the air x

Good hairdo x

[Groundhog63]

1 hour ago, Dr.Spaceman said:

He's shit. He was decent once upon a time but in 2025 he's offering very little and it feels like we've been waiting for him to recapture his form for a while now. He's not even doing the little things well, his first touch is all over the place, decision making questionable and his shooting... My god, I'd rather see Nick Pope have a pop from the edge of his box than see Willock have a go from the edge of theirs.

Text Eddie. He's, obviously, got it all wrong 

[Dr.Spaceman]

3 minutes ago, Groundhog63 said:

Text Eddie. He's, obviously, got it all wrong 

 

He hasn't though, he's barely picked him all season 

[Dr.Spaceman]

1 hour ago, Shearergol said:

Murphy was “shit” until a run in the team. Barnes was “shit” until a run in the team.

 

you’d think we’d learn.

 

Harvey Barnes was never shit.

[Menace]

Murphy was regularly shit even when he got a run in as well so that post was a bit nonsense tbf 

[Shearergol]

5 minutes ago, Dr.Spaceman said:

 

Harvey Barnes was never shit.

According to plenty on here he was.

[Holmesy]

15 minutes ago, Groundhog63 said:

Text Eddie. He's, obviously, got it all wrong 

It's not that he has it wrong - he's just using the tools he has at his disposal. I'm sure if he had a better option in the squad, that option would be picked over Willock. His versatility and energy are his strengths but if you offered Eddie those attributes with goals and assists added in, we likely wouldn't see Willock again.

 

 

Edited 6 hours ago by Holmesy

[Holloway]

Any criticism coming his way is from the 'angry lads'

He wasn't fine yesterday, he was anonymous. Even the co comms stated he had a very frustrating afternoon

[Dr.Spaceman]

5 minutes ago, Shearergol said:

According to plenty on here he was.

 

You must be new here.

[Shearergol]

3 minutes ago, Dr.Spaceman said:

 

You must be new here.

Kinda my point like

[arnonel]

Apparently you are either a world beater or shit

 

[Ghandis Flip-Flop]

I think Willock's issue beyond confidence in his body and a run in the team, is that he isn’t really a central midfield player. He’s a bit of a hybrid 8/ wide forward. Now that the team has developed and we have better options on the left side of attack, where does he fit in? There was a period where him and Big Joe dovetailed well, but are you going to drop Gordon or Barnes to accommodate him? 
 

We need genuine midfield options and I am not sure if Willock suits us any longer.

[nufcjmc]

3 minutes ago, arnonel said:

Apparently you are either a world beater or shit

 

I put him in the squad player sub appearance bracket but he's an asset that cost nearly 30m for that outlay I would want more. Hence why I am happy for him to be sold being the main man starting more games may get him back to the Willock we loaned.