[Football] A mIssed opportunity?

[Bob!]

As we have space in the 25, why not register Crofts? He is there to work with the U23s and would have been some use in midfield even for 45 minutes.

He is registered

He got injured in the last U23 match, didn't he?

 

[dazzer6666]

Wonder how you would have felt if you were over from Australia for a couple of weeks and that was the only home match you could catch....

Great point, I think the club should clearly consider the 0.01% of people in similar situations before risking injury to the depleted first team squad......................

 

[Mellotron]

Any idea what happened with Bissouma?

Certainly implicit suggestions via the club’s insta that he was going to feature? Last minute knock?

 

[Wozza]

Great point, I think the club should clearly consider the 0.01% of people in similar situations before risking injury to the depleted first team squad......................

Don't be a d1ck. I was addressing a fan from Australia - whose opinion, i think, is slanted by the fact that he's 10,000 miles away.

 

[wellquickwoody]

That was the only home game that I have seen since promotion to the Prem. I had a round trip of 21,000 miles, I was a little disappointed in the team selection!

 

[Bozza]

This horribly exposes the clubs strategy of loaning players out.

I get it in principle, the likes of Gyokeres, Sanders, Sanchez etc are getting first team football for other teams. And senior players like Hemed, Kayal probably don’t only want to play in the Carabao Cup. I just think we’ve overdone it. We pick up a few injuries and now have to play a ridiculous line up like that. And we have an u23 game on Friday, who is going to play in that? The u18s.

The club are looking after the long term future. But what about the short term? What about trying to win some silverware? What about trying to get some home wins to keep the fans happy? There has to be a balance. We’ve gone from too few out on loan, to too many.

We need a better strategy around fringe players. We are around 5 players light at around the Kayal, Gyokeres, Locadia level, (ie won’t play every week, but is a genuine option).

I broadly agree with this sentiment - our squad does seem to be ridiculously thin.

 

[wellquickwoody]

Wonder how you would have felt if you were over from Australia for a couple of weeks and that was the only home match you could catch....

Errr.......hello.

 

[Soton Seagull]

Best opportunity for a trophy for a lower half Prem team. The second the line up was announced it was evident we'd lose; barring some freakishly poor performance by the far more experienced Villa line up. Even if you want to frontload with youth, at least have some experience on the bench for that tiniest of chances of it not going well!

 

[Mellotron]

I broadly agree with this sentiment - our squad does seem to be ridiculously thin.

I’m #teampotter but seeing Locadia not even starting for Hoffenheim does grate a bit.

 

[Doc Lynam]

This horribly exposes the clubs strategy of loaning players out.

I get it in principle, the likes of Gyokeres, Sanders, Sanchez etc are getting first team football for other teams. And senior players like Hemed, Kayal probably don’t only want to play in the Carabao Cup. I just think we’ve overdone it. We pick up a few injuries and now have to play a ridiculous line up like that. And we have an u23 game on Friday, who is going to play in that? The u18s.

The club are looking after the long term future. But what about the short term? What about trying to win some silverware? What about trying to get some home wins to keep the fans happy? There has to be a balance. We’ve gone from too few out on loan, to too many.

We need a better strategy around fringe players. We are around 5 players light at around the Kayal, Gyokeres, Locadia level, (ie won’t play every week, but is a genuine option).

The players loaned out aren’t good enough and wouldn’t be happy rocking up for a cup game once a month. The squad is evolving as it always will, especially after a managerial change. I understand your frustration but realistically you’d have a group of very unhappy players who are used to playing first team football, but not good enough to rep us in the league! Some appear to be loaned out because of attitude issues other out of respect to their careers after they’ve been so good to us. If we stay up the transfer window at the end of this season will be very interesting.

 

[Wozza]

Errr.......hello.

Yeah, sorry to hear that!

 

[Greg Bobkin]

(Some) Albion fans when CH was in charge: "He never gives the young players a chance"

(Some) Albion fans when GP is in charge: "Why the HELL has he put a load of young players in the starting 11?"



Let's face it, even a half decent Albion team could've got turned over by Villa last night. These kids are not likely to get an opportunity like last night very often and who's to say what it might have done for their value, development and experience?

I get why people are pissed off, but I also knew that was a possibility that a team like this might play, so...

 

[hans kraay fan club]

I’m #teampotter but seeing Locadia not even starting for Hoffenheim does grate a bit.

I'd imagine it is considered better that they pay him to not play, rather than us doing so.

 

[maltaseagull]

First two posts above sum it up, couldn’t risk the thin squad but as a PL team this is arguably our best ever chance to win silverware, disappointing that we don’t take it seriously. Wonder if Bloom has any input into it.

Dean Smith said;
"This football club has got a very proud history in all cup competitions - we've won this five times, we've won the FA Cup seven times.

You've seen the numbers that have travelled down from Birmingham and they deserve our utmost respect - and we've given it that tonight."
Whilst we don't have that history, we don't have an academy as strong as the big 6 yet and so should not expect them to roll over teams that do take it seriously.

Disappointed we were not bothered and feel sorry for those that made the effort to go.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

(Some) Albion fans when CH was in charge: "He never gives the young players a chance"

(Some) Albion fans when GP is in charge: "Why the HELL has he put a load of young players in the starting 11?"



Let's face it, even a half decent Albion team could've got turned over by Villa last night. These kids are not likely to get an opportunity like last night very often and who's to say what it might have done for their value, development and experience?

I get why people are pissed off, but I also knew that was a possibility that a team like this might play, so...

Sorry but that is nonsense.

Nobody would have complained about Potter playing youngsters last night. Almost universally it would have been welcomed. Just not EIGHT of them, FFS.

 

[Wozza]

I get why people are pissed off, but I also knew that was a possibility that a team like this might play, so...

Of the Premier League sides remaining, we played the weakest (least experienced) team - and perhaps the weakest line-up (relatively) in a League Cup game in our history.

Fair play if you knew this was coming...

Assume you had a HUGE bet on Villa before line-ups were officially announced? Would have made a killing.

 

[Easy 10]

(Some) Albion fans when CH was in charge: "He never gives the young players a chance"

(Some) Albion fans when GP is in charge: "Why the HELL has he put a load of young players in the starting 11?"



Let's face it, even a half decent Albion team could've got turned over by Villa last night. These kids are not likely to get an opportunity like last night very often and who's to say what it might have done for their value, development and experience?

I get why people are pissed off, but I also knew that was a possibility that a team like this might play, so...

A half decent team (with a sprinkling of youngsters) would've had a better chance of winning the tie. Then another half decent team could have had a go in the next round, giving them another opportunity to gain some valuable experience in another game.

Instead we played almost an entire team of children, so thats that for the Cups and their 1st team opportunities until January, when our next Cup game will be (which almost nobody will bother with now, I'd wager).

 

[blue-shifted]

(Some) Albion fans when CH was in charge: "He never gives the young players a chance"

(Some) Albion fans when GP is in charge: "Why the HELL has he put a load of young players in the starting 11?"



Let's face it, even a half decent Albion team could've got turned over by Villa last night. These kids are not likely to get an opportunity like last night very often and who's to say what it might have done for their value, development and experience?

I get why people are pissed off, but I also knew that was a possibility that a team like this might play, so...

Extraordinary sense of foresight you have mate. Because if you look at the team for Villa thread there are about 40 suggested teams and not one of them was remotely similar to one we actually saw. You haven’t got Saturdays lottery numbers have you?

 

[Brovion]

I’m #teampotter but seeing Locadia not even starting for Hoffenheim does grate a bit.

Interesting. Why's that? Surely it's proof that Potter was right to ship him out? If anything it suggests that Locadia aimed too high by picking a club like Hoffenheim.

 

[Perfidious Albion]

If that is the best team we could muster then, ok..... but if it betrays an indifferent attitude to the competition than I disagree.
Realistically the only chance for glory for a club like us is one of the two cup competitions..... let's go for it !