Nicholas in the Argus

[Dave the OAP]

Seemly he has been fit most of the year and his attitude has been excellent, but still MM has not been playing him and he doesn't know why.

MM wants him to play in the 3rd Division and reading between the lines, he would rather play in Europe than in teh 3rd Division.

Cant blame him really.


Oh and Naylor recons Carpenter will get another 1 year contract.

more of the same next year then

 

[Barrel of Fun]

It is a shame as whenever I have seen NiColas, he has been fairly good. Perhaps McGhee has been trying to boost our team with experience and Alexis has been missing out.

I really hope he will stay, but I suspect he would accept most offers coming his way, as he said it has been very frustrating. Shame.

I would perhaps give chippy a pay as you play deal. He has always been fairly good at League One level and if Charlie is going to be plagued with injuries, heaven knows we need some experience in the middle. The drop in standard may suit Chippy. He looked good vs Luton, which was helped by the very slow pitch.

 

[CHAPPERS]

You've really got to wonder what exactly McGhe thought he was doing with Nicholas this season. He was clearly one of our most talented midfielders and he's been stuck in the stiffs all season. Now McGhee wants to keep him on even though he hardly gave him a chance this year. Nice one Mark, you utter tool.

 

[Albion Dan]

Have to admit that this has been a LARGE f*** up by McGhee, Alexis would have been much better alongside Chippy in many games this year.

 

[JJ McClure]

Remember him having a stonking game against the Spammers last season, but has done nothing since or has not been given the chance to. Very strange considering he showed such promise when he first came to us.

 

[dwayne]

people have short memories. Nicholas is rubbish and the games he has featured in this season, he's been rubbish.

 

[D'Angelo Saxon]

Its the quote from McGhee going something along the lines of... "maybe I underestimated what Alexis could bring to the team..."

Bit late now isn't it?

 

[Les Biehn]

That is all.

 

[B.M.F]

I think your comments are harsh Dwayne. He has hardly played and thus it is going to take time to get back up to match fitness and pace so he is going to be rusty. What he did do in the few games he did play was hold the ball up and not waste the ball all the time. He has got vision, tackling, passing and natural ability. I hope he stays as he has the attributes to be a very very good player but would not blame him if he walked.

 

[Silent Bob]

Nicolas could go abroad

by Andy Naylor

ALEXIS Nicolas revealed today Albion face competition to keep him from going abroad.

The young former Chelsea midfielder is among nine players out of contract at the end of the season.

Nicolas, handed his first start since November for the relegated Seagulls in Saturday's 1-0 defeat at Wolves, said: "It's been a hard year for me, not playing. I need to play.

"There are options for me, other avenues apart from England but I've always said I love it here. I love the fans, I feel at home here, so hopefully something can be sorted out.

"To be fair to the gaffer, he's said to me all year he doesn't want me to leave at the end of the season and that he does want me here next year.

"That's all I know. In the next couple of weeks I should think he will get together with my representatives and I'll take it from there.

"It's disappointing that we are down. I'm trying to cope with everything and I really have to see what the club say to me and what the proposals are."

Manager Mark McGhee was pleased with the performance of Nicolas, deputising for the rested Richard Carpenter.

"I thought he did well," McGhee said. "I said in the dressing room afterwards that maybe we have under-estimated the contribution he might have been able to make and that's something I've got to consider.

"He's been very patient. He was injured for a while and he did lose his way a little bit but he has worked really hard in training.

"His attitude has been first class. We have now got to consider next year and Alexis has certainly played himself into the frame."

Meanwhile, Paul McShane has indicated his future lies back at Manchester United after ending his loan stint with Albion.

The centre half returns to Manchester today for hernia surgery tomorrow, ruling him out of Sunday's last match of the season against Stoke at Withdean.

McShane, who handled to gift Wolves Kenny Miller's first-half penalty, said: "I've got another season left on my contract. My aim is to get on the outskirts of Manchester United's first team."

 

[Icy Gull]

Really can't be blamed for looking elsewhere as it seems his attitude has been good. Be a shame to lose him but I won't be suprised if he takes up an offer somewhere else.

 

[bhaexpress]

Re: Re: Nicholas in the Argus

I bet near enough EVERY one of the 9 out of contract players are kept on - and that really will be unforgivable. Here is a perfect chance to rip up this excuse of a team, and McGhee is probably going to keep them all together

Ahh, I see your hidden agenda, you really just wanted to have a pop at McGhee, your supposition that 'near enough every one of the 9 out of contract players' will be kept on is merely guesswork.

Maybe we should make you the manager.

 

[Harold]

Blame the manager all you want but if Nicholas was anywhere near as good as being made out on here he'd have walked into Hammonds place this season. Sorry but I don't think he's all that. IMHO League One is about the level of our current midfield, and Nicholas would still be on the bench.

 

[Gwylan]

Who's Nicholas?

 

[Harold]

Who's Nicholas?

Mental block, it's my sons name.

Nicolas then.

 

[blockhseagull]

At least three will go, McCammon, McPhee, and Dodd... reckon Mayo is in the not sure yet catagory, Nicolas will be offered something but go elsewhere anyway.

We do need to keep three or four as they are our more experienced players and we can't take too much of a chance about getting loads of new faces in as as we have seen this season we aren't great at bringing players in.

I would give Butters, Chippy, Oatway, and Hart all a year, Mayo will prob get one.... the other i would wave goodbye

 

[Dr Bandler]

Poor Chippy seems to have lost it - shame as he has contributed so much over the years. Cant help thinking that if the midfield consists of two out of Chippy, Oatway and Hammond again we will be going nowhere. I wouldn't put it past McGhee though. I would rather see Reid and Nicholas as the central midfield pairing - between them they have accurate passing ability, energy and tackling.

I think a few people are getting rose-tinted over Charlie because he has been absent for so long. Dont forget the crowd were really getting at him earlier in the season - he will not suddenly have new abiliites next season.

 

[London Irish]

This is the usual stuff of a player trying to talk up his value by talking of other clubs prior to contract negotiations. He has a right to do it and protect his interests, but I just I don't think we should fall for it.

I guess I hope we do keep Nicolas, but there are a few other out- of-contract players I would keep before him so I am a little bit in two minds about him.

If he goes to another club, he will face the same problems as he has had here. But it might be better for him if he did go to the Continent, the style of football might suit him better there. He reminds me a bit of El Turi and Molango who are not at their best with the very physical side of English football.

Although he is a dogged tackler, I've never seen him win a header or a physical shoulder-to-shoulder challenge, and that can be a weakness in a League 1 footballer where the football is physical.

My main problem with him has always been his reluctance to play the progressive forward pass - to be fair to him, I'm sure that's a legacy of his earlier training that you probe around at the back to find an opening in the opposition. But it can be a problem if the rest of the team is not on that same wavelength and you then surrender possession cheaply in danger areas as a result of over-playing.

He also often loses composure when he approaches the opposition penalty box and his shooting has been often been disappointing. We may be disappointed with 4 goals from Hammond, but for me Nicolas would probably not get 4 goals in total if he spent the next 6 seasons with us. But to be fair again, this is no different to Oatway.

All in all, I do wonder if he is the type of player we need for League 1. But we'll see.

That said, although I am critical of aspects of his play, he is without doubt a model professional and his attitude towards loyalty to the squad and fighting for his place has put a 2 or 3 other misfits this season to shame. Good luck to him whatever he chooses, he deserves a first team place and success somewhere.

 

[Les Biehn]

I think with Nicolas the more physical side of his game will improve with playing. He seems a fairly intelligent player so will no doubt begin to step it up a bit harder when he realises he needs to to survive. The thing is it is easier to improve a player physically then ability wise. I also believe MM's strengths are in getting the best out of players physically, Nicolas already has the ability.

In terms of his crab like passing, that is no different to Hammond except Nicolas usually retains possesion. So play them together as Nicolas will hold onto the ball and Hammond can concentrate on what he is good at, namely his forward running. Not only do I believe Nicolas will improve in this area the more he plays but Reid and Frutos are both good passers when moving forward and if we have that target man crossing will be essential. Not only this but a lot of Hammond's goals seem to be the result of wing play, so if he is free to get forward and the creative stuff is coming from the wings then we could benefit in that way to.