nbthree3 Posted August 24, 2021 Share Posted August 24, 2021 Dubravka 8 weeks so I presume Darlow Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
et tu brute Posted August 24, 2021 Share Posted August 24, 2021 1 minute ago, nbthree3 said: Dubravka 8 weeks so I presume Darlow So leave Dubravka out. Absolutely pointless to miss any opportunity for bringing a player in just to keep everyone happy. By the time he returns and gets back up to fitness levels, you could be talking getting towards 3 months. Absolutely stupid even though he is our number 1 keeper. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chapo Posted August 24, 2021 Share Posted August 24, 2021 So much for banging the door down for signings. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yelevats Posted August 24, 2021 Share Posted August 24, 2021 Only thing Bruce is banging the door down for is a donor kebab Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorkie Posted August 24, 2021 Share Posted August 24, 2021 He can more than afford his own. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kanji Posted August 24, 2021 Share Posted August 24, 2021 20 hours ago, Tomato Deuce said: we’ll be grandads and Kanji will still be banging the Praet drum. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fantail Breeze Posted August 24, 2021 Share Posted August 24, 2021 58 minutes ago, et tu brute said: So leave Dubravka out. Absolutely pointless to miss any opportunity for bringing a player in just to keep everyone happy. By the time he returns and gets back up to fitness levels, you could be talking getting towards 3 months. Absolutely stupid even though he is our number 1 keeper. It’s just the latest excuse to make no signings. Weird how we always have so many issues preventing us from spending money, that no other teams seem to have. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gjohnson Posted August 24, 2021 Share Posted August 24, 2021 (edited) 1 hour ago, et tu brute said: Absolute no need to name 4 keepers whatsoever. You ask the medical staff which keeper out of Dubs and Darlow will be ready to return first and then you leave the other one out of the squad until January. Absolute bullshit as usual from Bruce. Of course it is...there's already 4 senior keepers feasibly available if you include Woodman. Even if two are out injured and you've got a desperate fetish to have 3 available, then thats what the reserves and youth sides are for. The excuses are coming out early this season, and they're weaker than ever. Blaming the officials is old after two games, then what was it the other day? Training in the dry and it rained on match day? Obviously it rains all the time in Birmingham which is why Villa won without breaking sweat. I'd like to say the next one would be science but I doubt he has the originality or creativity to come up with something like that. We all knew it was balls when Pardew came out with it, but at least it was original when he did. So at a guess i'll say it will be the players horoscopes in the Sun all pointed to a bad day. TBF Steve looks and acts like he'd read it.....probably where he gets most of his transfer information from too Edited August 24, 2021 by gjohnson spelling Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco Posted August 24, 2021 Share Posted August 24, 2021 ? Someone’s knocking on the door, someone’s a total bell ? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gjohnson Posted August 24, 2021 Share Posted August 24, 2021 1 minute ago, Disco said: ? Someone’s knocking on the door, someone’s a total bell ? Haha...Charnley probably told him to knock on the door down the corridor which has been an empty office for 14 years Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRon Posted August 24, 2021 Share Posted August 24, 2021 1 hour ago, reefatoon said: Naa, not having that. He is just so bang average like every other midfielder we have had for donkeys years. Why we have never looked at trying to upgrade our midfield over the years is crazy. I know we spend fuck all, but for me that engine room should be a priority. It's been woefully lacking for an eternity. You've picked out the biggest flaw in your own argument there. I agree Hayden is bang average, if that. But he's the only central midfielder on our books who you could describe as having an engine. The rest of them are either too small, or move like a tugboat. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
nbthree3 Posted August 24, 2021 Share Posted August 24, 2021 Would rather our only dedicated holding midfielder (that I can think of) didn't leave without a direct replacement Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest reefatoon Posted August 24, 2021 Share Posted August 24, 2021 12 minutes ago, TRon said: You've picked out the biggest flaw in your own argument there. I agree Hayden is bang average, if that. But he's the only central midfielder on our books who you could describe as having an engine. The rest of them are either too small, or move like a tugboat. Don't quite agree. He might run around a bit but there is nothing to go with that. He doesn't really offer anything apart from running around. Just don't find him productive at all. Think you didn't quite understood what i meant by engine room. I meant the heartbeat of the team. Players that can dictate play, control games, support attack and break up play. I didn't mean players that can just run about. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest HTT II Posted August 24, 2021 Share Posted August 24, 2021 He’s shite like most of them and should have been replaced with better quality after promotion. Whether he goes or stays is immaterial, we will either not replace him or if we do it won’t be with anyone better. So, meh… Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abacus Posted August 24, 2021 Share Posted August 24, 2021 Steve will have clogged up the fax machine with his fat buttery fingers anyway, so no more transfers. Haydn though, I think is underrated. As a purely defensive midfielder sitting in front of defence, he's not bad. The problem is that he has to play alongside Shelvey, who also falls back because he has no athleticism, but he can't tackle either. So him and Haydn occupy the same position, cutting off any link with our front players. It's why St Max drops back into our own half and has to run past half a team instead of just beating one, which you'd back him to do most times. It's also why Haydn goes charging forward out of his depth like a headless chicken - because Shelvey is always drifting around there doing nothing - he's not the link player we need but given the right role, he'd be good. It's a bit like Longstaff again - play to his strengths with a decent coach instead of just throwing players onto the pitch. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashley17 Posted August 24, 2021 Share Posted August 24, 2021 I always harp back to this but Hayden was so good towards the end of Rafa’s tenure. Pressing high up at times and helping us turn over possession quicker. Never had the opportunity to recapture that form under Bruceball Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shearergol Posted August 24, 2021 Share Posted August 24, 2021 57 minutes ago, nbthree3 said: Would rather our only dedicated holding midfielder (that I can think of) didn't leave without a direct replacement That was my thought a couple of years ago. Nowadays it doesn't matter. Let them all leave. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRon Posted August 24, 2021 Share Posted August 24, 2021 1 hour ago, reefatoon said: Don't quite agree. He might run around a bit but there is nothing to go with that. He doesn't really offer anything apart from running around. Just don't find him productive at all. Think you didn't quite understood what i meant by engine room. I meant the heartbeat of the team. Players that can dictate play, control games, support attack and break up play. I didn't mean players that can just run about. Well running around is quite important for a midfielder, especially if you want him to do any of those things you mentioned there, especially breaking up play. The likes of Shelvey or Longstaff would probably end up breaking legs rather than play, as they are usually 5 mins late on the tackle because of lack of mobility. I'm not saying Hayden is any good, just think he's probably the best all round midfielder who can actually operate effectively when pressing the opposition. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest reefatoon Posted August 24, 2021 Share Posted August 24, 2021 (edited) 29 minutes ago, TRon said: Well running around is quite important for a midfielder, especially if you want him to do any of those things you mentioned there, especially breaking up play. The likes of Shelvey or Longstaff would probably end up breaking legs rather than play, as they are usually 5 mins late on the tackle because of lack of mobility. I'm not saying Hayden is any good, just think he's probably the best all round midfielder who can actually operate effectively when pressing the opposition. Yes, I totally agree with that bit in bold, but I wasn't saying it wasn't important though. I was saying we need so much more than having players in there that can just run around. Midfield is pivotal, you need players in there that can do the things I mentioned earlier. Having a bunch of anonymous players in there, who don't want the ball and when they do get it they go sideways is never going to get us anywhere. Majority of the time, this is why the ball is walloped up the pitch as nobody in midfield wants to take any kind of responsibility. I see Hayden the same as the others we have in this respect. Just another midfield player that goes missing and doesn't really do anything. We are brimming with the same old same old in there. Non of them offer anything different or really offer anything. Willock could hopefully be a player that breaks that mould. He certainly was at the back end of the season. Edited August 24, 2021 by reefatoon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted August 24, 2021 Share Posted August 24, 2021 4 hours ago, Yorkie said: Aye. Keep Rondon and Perez, improve the wing-backs and invest properly in a good b centre-mid and we'll be flying. [/May2019] Think we've needed a left back almost the entire time I've been a fan. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happinesstan Posted August 24, 2021 Share Posted August 24, 2021 1 hour ago, Ashley17 said: I always harp back to this but Hayden was so good towards the end of Rafa’s tenure. Pressing high up at times and helping us turn over possession quicker. Never had the opportunity to recapture that form under Bruceball Was just getting ready to post something similar. He can definitely do the job of DM quite effectively, if the rest of the midfield take care of their own responsibilities. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happinesstan Posted August 24, 2021 Share Posted August 24, 2021 1 minute ago, Mike said: Think we've needed a left back almost the entire time I've been a fan. First thing I do on every FM is search for a new LB. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted August 24, 2021 Share Posted August 24, 2021 Just now, Happinesstan said: First thing I do on every FM is search for a new LB. It's tradition. Every one of our FM saves has a shit hot LB. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest reefatoon Posted August 24, 2021 Share Posted August 24, 2021 2 minutes ago, Happinesstan said: Was just getting ready to post something similar. He can definitely do the job of DM quite effectively, if the rest of the midfield take care of their own responsibilities. The thing for me is, playing 5 at the back doesn't really warrant a DM in there too. It's not like our wingbacks are way too forward. Having six players sitting deep in there is a reason why we never look like getting forward, creating chances or scoring goals. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happinesstan Posted August 24, 2021 Share Posted August 24, 2021 1 minute ago, reefatoon said: The thing for me is, playing 5 at the back doesn't really warrant a DM in there too. It's not like our wingbacks are way too forward. Having six players sitting deep in there is a reason why we never look like getting forward, creating chances or scoring goals. Agree with that, but he's still a reliable ball winner, and would probably pair up well with Willock. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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