Adam El Abd

[ali jenkins]

What a miserable bunch you lot are. Adam El-Abd is one of our more committed players and hasn't done anything more or less than any of the other members of the defence to warrant the ludicrous criticism he gets on here (which rather reminds me of some of the stick Charlie Oatway used to get).

Personally I am happier to see him at centre back than full back, but in either position at least you know you get a committed if unspectacular performance from someone who can head and tackle well.

Someone with a bit of sence!

He might not be the most skillfull player we have but he does a job and he is a grafter, something that a few other players in the team could learn a bit about!

 

[CliveWalkerWingWizard]

What a miserable bunch you lot are. Adam El-Abd is one of our more committed players and hasn't done anything more or less than any of the other members of the defence to warrant the ludicrous criticism he gets on here (which rather reminds me of some of the stick Charlie Oatway used to get).

Personally I am happier to see him at centre back than full back, but in either position at least you know you get a committed if unspectacular performance from someone who can head and tackle well.

Agree with most of that , although not a great header often waits for the bounce or ducks under the ball.

 

[Mendoza]

What a miserable bunch you lot are. Adam El-Abd is one of our more committed players and hasn't done anything more or less than any of the other members of the defence to warrant the ludicrous criticism he gets on here (which rather reminds me of some of the stick Charlie Oatway used to get).

If he is so committed, why does he back off from attackers for 20-30 yards allowing them to get near or into our penalty area?

Ask Kuipers how he feels about El Abds defending after a back pass that cost him a red card, a one match ban and maybe a spell as sub goalie. And a back pass that left him needing 2 operations and 10 months on the sidelines?

 

[jimmypbha]

Please for the love of God, play ME instead of him, I'll be in my jeans, but with my Albion shirt.

Russel, im here..

Na you cannot play defence!!!

 

[Curious Orange]

If he is so committed, why does he back off from attackers for 20-30 yards allowing them to get near or into our penalty area?

That is probably a question better asked of the coaching staff - from the results this season so far it is clear that the defensive unit needs to be better drilled.

 

[Simon Morgan]

In my view, Adam El-Abd is a decent footballer (bare with me), but there's something wrong with his mentality. Hard to explain, but he's one of those who I think looks naturally suited to playing football. However, he does have a tendency to make horrendous mistakes. The season where he actually played well (2007-08), he still made stupid mistakes like the goal at home to Leeds. However, as another rightly said, he played an absolute blinder in the middle of defence at the Den last year. When he's bad, he is terrible, but when he's good, he's a good player to have in the team. The trouble is, it would seem he is more often bad than good

 

[Southover Street Seagull]

The thing that I still can't understand is that again we are putting players in incorrect positions like we did last season, when we have players like Livermore still on the pay roll of the club.
Now I know Livermore has made mistakes in the past, but he is a better leftback than Whing and Whing is a better rightback than El-Abd.
So you've got to ask yourself this, has Livermore upset both Adams and Slade?

 

[Curious Orange]

Oh he has. Easily. Over the last couple of years I can think of plenty of goals El Abd has single-handedly cost us. Christ, there were three at Huddersfield only last week! None of our other defenders, whatever you think of them, are in the same league when it comes to goal-costing mistakes. For example, I don't subscribe to the Elphick love-in on here whatsoever, but if you compare the number of mistakes he makes to El Abd there is a world of difference.

Statistician are you? I wasn't at Huddersfield so I don't have a view on that particular team capitulation, but I am a regular supporter so I can give a valid view on the player himself, and I stand by the view that he is getting an unwarranted amount of stick.

 

[BobbySmith]

Dear Curious

I dont think anyone could slag off El-Abd for his committment, it is just in my eyes and lots of other people opinion as well, that he is not good enough, he always makes mistakes and as other people states, he does not know how to mark, so he leaves himself exposed and then goes into recklass tackles. I really do not like having a go at him as he is BHA through and through, but so am I and I am not good enough either (or maybe I am)

 

[folkestonesgull]

its the consistency of errors he makes, rather than his actual footballing ability that worries me.

 

[Peter Grummit]

The thing that I still can't understand is that again we are putting players in incorrect positions like we did last season, when we have players like Livermore still on the pay roll of the club.
Now I know Livermore has made mistakes in the past, but he is a better leftback than Whing and Whing is a better rightback than El-Abd.
So you've got to ask yourself this, has Livermore upset both Adams and Slade?

Yes, he upset Slade by playing at leftback against Walsall last season. Livermore should never play leftback again.

I would be happiest to see El Abd at leftback and stick with Whing at RB. El Abd has problems when teams run at him, especially on the break. When it is 'all hands to the pump' under pressure he is a rather better defender.

PG

 

[Curious Orange]

Dear Curious

I dont think anyone could slag off El-Abd for his committment, it is just in my eyes and lots of other people opinion as well, that he is not good enough, he always makes mistakes and as other people states, he does not know how to mark, so he leaves himself exposed and then goes into recklass tackles. I really do not like having a go at him as he is BHA through and through, but so am I and I am not good enough either (or maybe I am)

Well, a difference of opinion is fine, I just think that he is a better player than people give him credit for (hence my earlier reference to Charlie Oatway who was similarly maligned and then so spectacularly missed when he broke his ankle), and certainly the things you mention can be sorted out on the training pitch - along with the other issues which are clearly affecting the entire defensive unit at the moment.

 

[Taybha]

fuckin el this isnt rocket science el abd was a hard hitting tackler and bloody good at it,would take his booking and the bloke he clattered would be anonymous for the rest of the game,this worked,we won at home more often than not el bad was worth his place in the team,many a time i would hold my breath waiting for the 30yard knee high sliding tackle within the first 5 mins of a game and more often than not it came.Then some genius tried to make adam into something he isnt a,a quality defender who dosnt foul,i suspect this coincided with MA part Deaux from memory,but it was around this time he completely changed his style,and moreover other teams know they can attack him and he will back off into the net these days. Non of the above is fiction its the facts,bring back the old El bad cos this version simply dosnt work.

 

[Big Ernie McCracken]

fuckin el this isnt rocket science el abd was a hard hitting tackler and bloody good at it,would take his booking and the bloke he clattered would be anonymous for the rest of the game,this worked,we won at home more often than not el bad was worth his place in the team,many a time i would hold my breath waiting for the 30yard knee high sliding tackle within the first 5 mins of a game and more often than not it came.Then some genius tried to make adam into something he isnt a,a quality defender who dosnt foul,i suspect this coincided with MA part Deaux from memory,but it was around this time he completely changed his style,and moreover other teams know they can attack him and he will back off into the net these days. Non of the above is fiction its the facts,bring back the old El bad cos this version simply dosnt work.

Best post of the day, he used to be horrible and intimidate his opposite number

 

[Southover Street Seagull]

Yes, he upset Slade by playing at leftback against Walsall last season. Livermore should never play leftback again.

I would be happiest to see El Abd at leftback and stick with Whing at RB. El Abd has problems when teams run at him, especially on the break. When it is 'all hands to the pump' under pressure he is a rather better defender.

PG

So what you are saying is because Livermore had one bad game at leftback he should be dropped for a player who is not naturally left footed and who has made countless mistakes? I would also like to add that Livermore's pedigree is far higher than El-Abd's.

 

[SittingbourneSeagull]

The bottom line is that Livermore is not in Slades plans and we have no one else, so I would rather Virgo played centre half then right back, and as Al-Abd is not a full back it would seem best to play him at left back and Whing at right back because this only leaves one player out of position.

Al-Abd may surprise us as he often very good in games that require a battle, and I think tomorrow will be a battle.

 

[thedonkeycentrehalf]

Agree with most of that , although not a great header often waits for the bounce or ducks under the ball.

Watching his warm up before the Stockport game was embarrassing. Hawkins was throwing the ball up in the air for El-Bad to head back to him - not a difficult routine for a defender of sunday league quality let alone a professional footballer. Totally unchallenged, hardly any headers made it back anywhere near Hawkins, most went sideways and the most memorable one was a complete misjudgement where he managed to miss the ball completely by about 5 yards.

 

[Southover Street Seagull]

The bottom line is that Livermore is not in Slades plans and we have no one else, so I would rather Virgo played centre half then right back, and as Al-Abd is not a full back it would seem best to play him at left back and Whing at right back because this only leaves one player out of position.

Al-Abd may surprise us as he often very good in games that require a battle, and I think tomorrow will be a battle.

Livermore not being in Slade's plan I cannot understand, he has been given little or no chance by Slade and Adams, and to drop him for a right sided central defender who is prone to many mistakes is madness.
This is starting to look like some of Adams' crackpot decisions last season.

 

[GT49er]

If Cook is fit, he's got to play left back (if not, I guess it will have to be El Abd at RB and Whingy at LB). Assuming a back four, though, of Whing, Tunnicliffe, Virgo and Cook, we might as well stick El Abd in CM - at least we'll know he's committed to the cause, and he can't be any less effective than what we've had already this season.