So what to do about Jakey then?

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

But he is not a ckr type player he isnt strong enough to be a loan striker.

Excellent news. We're going to be pretty well f***ed if we play a lone striker all season.

 

[Schrödinger's Toad]

I just can't see where he'd fit in right now - if you bring him in for Knight, that would seem ridiculous, based on how he appears to have been playing, and if you drop C K-R, you'd either have to abandon Knight's withdrawn role to give him support or play him on his own up front, which seems pretty unlikely to work.

He needs a bigger player alongside him, and with Knight in the team, I can't see that he can start right now. The bench is the best place for him.

 

[Northstander]

what hat-trick?

He got a hat trick in the reserves!

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

Thought he only got one?

 

[Yorkie]

Thought he only got one?

He did. He got two assists though.

I spoke to Jake after the match and he looks pretty happy.

He knows he will get his chance.

 

[London Irish]

Wouldn't harm to start Jakey on the field and CKR on the bench. Just so, y'know, we find out how good he actually is. Then if it's not working, give CKR a go. Might even provide that elusive cutting edge. Who knows. While he's limited to ten minute cameo roles at the end of games, he's likely to remain unproven.

The lottery approach to selection Gotta be a bit more informed than that. McGhee has plenty idea of how good Jake is compared to his other options because training drills would be designed to test this.

 

[B.M.F]

Re: Re: So what to do about Jakey then?

Who ever said MM had a blind spot for Jakey? I've never heard anything negative from MM about the boy, surely it's just that he just doesn't think he's quite ready for the physicality of Championship football ... yet?

Maybe I've missed something, but my perception is that MM has always suggested the Jake has the talent and will get his opportunity ...

I hope that by the time he get's his chance he isn't too weighed down by the expectations of some fans who seem to think he is some kind of footballing messiah.

Well said mate. MM has always been quoted as saying that he is not strong enough for full games yet and IVO this Jakey has been working on his strength and MM has said he is pleased with his development. I can not see why everyone on here is so negative about everything. Jakey will play a part soon and will be a big star, we will get Falmer and we are going to stay up.

 

[London Irish]

It wasn't a deliberate pass to Hammond, fair enough, but Jake got just goal-side of a defender who put him under pressure. He did well to get anything on it and we wouldn't have scored if he (and Hammond) hadn't been in there.

I see - the boy can do no wrong.

And we all know you would (and many others would) have been that generous if Big Mac had mis-timed a shot from about two yards out

Your point about McGhee's subbing of Carole for Nicolas is a very good one, but you must admit a touch of 20/20 hindsight there. With 20 or so minutes to go, replacing an attacking midfielder with a defensive midfielder is not a terrible idea tactically. It's just in this instance, it didn't work because Nicolas's industry could not quite make up for the deteriorating teamwork of the rest of the players. The idea that Jake would have definitely compensated for it remains a theoretical one we can only guess about. And fun it is too to speculate.

That 4-4-2 you would put out against Hull looks too loose and unproven to me to field in a key away game. It also ignores the fact that we've played our best football of the season playing the 4-5-1 system. I say if it's not broke, don't fix it - just ensure you have better plans to cope if the team begins to lose its mental edge in the second half. That plan could well include Jake - I'll be fascinated to see if so this Saturday.

 

[Jim D]

Jake's progress so far reminds me a lot of the way we handled Peter Ward when he first came here. He wasn't played at all in the first team, but scored loads in the reserves. Eventually he played as a result of an illness (to Binney, I think). He scored after about 30 seconds and the rest, as they say, is history.

The important thing about this is that he must be ready when his chance comes. Lee Steele was in a similar situation a few years ago and let himself down badly by getting sent off in a reserve match and being suspended when Adams needed to use him (and there was the car accident too). Jake needs to stay calm and really go for it when McGhee does play him.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

The lottery approach to selection Gotta be a bit more informed than that. McGhee has plenty idea of how good Jake is compared to his other options because training drills would be designed to test this.

Not really. Too many posters falling back on stock cop-out answers:

'Dan Harding has potential' (no he didn't)

'McCammon/Molango/David Lee can do a job for us' (no they couldn't. Ever)

'Jakey needs to work on his all-round-game and develop hidden powers.' To make the lame to walk perhaps...

But enough of Paul Kitson.


Not sure how you see it as a lottery approach to team selection in the least. Seems perfectly straightforward to me:

Jakey = proven himself at every level he's been allowed to play at

vs.

CKR = 250K buy therefore must be the Best Thing Ever

vs.

A never-ending series of random trans-global buys of random quality


Lot of people who normally have a lot to say on all things Albion keeping suspiciously quiet on this one.

In the end, fuckit, don't really care, if truth be told. I'll go and watch whoever the Albion care to put out on the field. That's how life is. Sure, let Jakey spend the rest of his Albion career on the bench. Who cares. He's almost certainly in the little black books of a dozen clubs more astute than the Albion. Just so long as selling him on helps balance the books, eh?

 

[Dez]

The coca cola kid looks pretty avearge to me. Jake comes on and creates problems. He's lively, direct and causes defenders nightmares. Just because he's short shouldn't mean he can't play in the first team. Defoe, Rooney, Owen are all about 5'8. Jake has to start at Hull - he's going to be a Brighton legend.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

The coca cola kid looks pretty avearge to me. Jake comes on and creates problems. He's lively, direct and causes defenders nightmares. Just because he's short shouldn't mean he can't play in the first team. Defoe, Rooney, Owen are all about 5'8. Jake has to start at Hull - he's going to be a Brighton legend.

Well NOW you've gone and done it - LI and his trusty Search Engine are gonna be down on you like a ton of bricks.

Be afraid, be very afraid...

 

[London Irish]

CKR = 250K buy therefore must be the Best Thing Ever

Well, in the 3 games so far I think he's done really well up front holding up the ball and linking play, the best I've seen from an Albion forward since Zamora departed. I'm willing to bet there are more scouts watching him than the Aldershot wonderboy

 

[London Irish]

Well NOW you've gone and done it - LI and his trusty Search Engine are gonna be down on you like a ton of bricks.

Be afraid, be very afraid...

Good call, but wrong target

 

[Dez]

Well NOW you've gone and done it - LI and his trusty Search Engine are gonna be down on you like a ton of bricks.

Be afraid, be very afraid...

I'm not sure what this means, but it really annoys me when our manager continually goes on about the need for tall strikers. The amount of lanky, lumbering, unskilfill crap we've had to tolerate upfront drives me mad! Why not take a risk and play the quality youngster with the talent?

Play Jake now!

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Well, in the 3 games so far I think he's done really well up front holding up the ball

Ask yourself one question (or phone a friend, or more likely a Search Engine): 'As lone striker, who's he holding the ball up FOR?'

 

[dougdeep]

I'd still like to see Jake and Federico play together. Maybe at Shrewsbury?

 

[London Irish]

Ask yourself one question (or phone a friend, or more likely a Search Engine): 'As lone striker, who's he holding the ball up FOR?'

Our three goals from our attacking midfielders?

 

[Yorkie]

What do to about Jakey? We can do nothing but we can be assured the playing staff know what can be done.

AND I make no apology for toeing the club line. Jakey will be given his chance and soon

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

I trust mark mcghee on this one - seems to know a thing or two about blooding young players - Robbie Keane anyone?