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[Albion] Alireza Jahanbakhsh joins Feyenoord
- Thread starter alexanderhills
- Start date
We really need a 'this is sarcasm' smilie for the hard of thinking.
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Eric Youngs Contact Lense
Guest
For what it's worth Stat Brother, I too think that he can come good. I think I have seen the odd flash of technical ability (not recently), limited by a huge drop in confidence as the team has struggled. He has clearly been at the top of his game before he came to us, the go-to guy for his team, the huge farewell to a fan base united in their adoration for him. To adjust and cope with that change may take a long-time, longer than he or anyone else would have wanted. If he can cope with that, and he may not, we may still get to see more than odd flashes (albeit none recently) but he more than anyone will feel the pressure of the fans at the Amex. Whatever about his lack of confidence going forward, he has shown willing to work his socks off defensively - Tuesday night an admirable example. He clearly wants to do well, and with some love from the fans, he may just do it..
I don't know if he'll come good and haven't championed him to do so.
My bone of contention is the desperate need to right him off and call him shitehouse, esp in a season where Ali has a multitude of mitigating circumstances.
Gritt23
New member
Delofeou has been over here for some time, and had generally failed at Everton before going back to Spain, and not really cutting it there either. £13m was a gamble, and he's not been a regular starter for Watford this season, very much in and out. He didn't start the SF either, but does have the ability when he's on it. I would imagine there would be some seriously raised eyebrows at us spending £13m for him when Watford did. "We've already seen at Everton he's not up to the Premier League" I'm sure would have been said.
But I agree, that is the sort of risk we need to be taking in the market, however, we also have to accept that they don't come off very often. And for every Delofeou they'll be plenty of Locadia's and Ali J's. Take our forward situation. Where do we go from Murray, and how much will it cost us? I would like to gamble on some youngsters at big clubs (Tammy Abraham or Eddie Nketiah) or see if talent like Bamford or Gayle can step up. They won't come cheap, but we have to accept that, or accept where we are.
Also, wages. How often will someone simply say "wages" as a response on here to a potential target? Sorry, but again, we either pay the bigger wage to move forward, or accept where we are. I'll throw you an example for this summer. Olivier Giroud. He's 33 and out of contract at Chelsea this summer. They haven't played him anywhere near enough to be considering a new deal for him. Should be on the downturn in terms of clubs that will go in for him, and indeed wages. Are we in that market? Or are we going to see him go to West Ham because we just don't operate in that wage structure?
There's no desperate need. Just a depressing acceptance of what people have witnessed with their EYES.
In fairness though, you are right about the mitigating factors. He is trying to impress with all the following stacked against him:
1. He's adapting to life in a new country.
2. He's adapting to a new team / group / manager /style of play.
3. He missed some of pre-season due to his involvement at the World Cup.
4. He's having to cope with a step up in opposition quality.
5. He's been carrying a couple of minor injuries.
6. He went off to the Asia Cup for a month halfway through the season.
7. He's had to play largely on his less preferred side of the pitch.
8. He's not very good at playing football.
Birdie Boy
Well-known member
- Jun 17, 2011
- 4,387
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Eric Youngs Contact Lense
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Completely agree with Delofeou view - similarly Shaqiri looked like good value and although more "proven" to be effective, wages probably not on our radar - not that you would choose us over Liverpool anyway. Its always a gamble (even at £35m+), and for every one that pays off, there are a number that just haven't.
Our fans showing Ali J love?? Is this possible? He did get booed when subbed last at the Amex lol then we say why he is shite... We clearly aren't helping his confidence.
Stumpy Tim
Well-known member
You're kind of proving my point. Firstly, how are our players meant to burst forward when the striker is playing half-way inside his own half? Where's the outlet? The very point of these defensive tactics is to reduce the space, to make it hard for the opposition - but it also makes it almost impossible for our players to do the same. The difference is, we end up losing the ball in our third of the pitch, or we just boot it back to the opposition's goalkeeper.
And your Bissouma comment is EXACTLY my point. There's no one else going into the box - that has to be tactical to avoid any chance of being countered. It doesn't matter how good you are, it's extremely difficult to pick out your only player in the opposition box, when there are four or five defenders back.
Given that you joined NSC two minutes ago, and post pretty much exclusively on subjects relating to your boy Alireza, I doubt you are particularly well placed to know what 'we' are capable of.
The Albion crowd is pretty docile in terms of reaction to substandard performances. The Albion players get off very lightly compared with their peers at most other clubs (at the ground, this is - don't conflate moaning online, with stadium reaction). For an Albion player or the team to be actively boo'd has been an extremely rare occurrence over the 40 odd years I've shuffled along. You have to be really, really poor (as the team were in the last two home games) or be perceived to not be putting any effort in, to generate such a reaction.
Here we go again with my 'boy'. I take in part alot of other subjects so please lets not go there.
Gritt23
New member
He's another one I would love to get in, but as you say, no chance all the time Liverpool want him. But ...... Coutinho has not settled in Spain (not with the fans anyway) and Shaqiri seems very much out of favour with Klopp lately, so what if Coutinho came back, and maybe they signed another player in that position. How far before Shaqiri is far enough down the pecking order that they would let him go? If Liverpool were to try and unwind what happened, taking Coutinho back and moving Shaqiri out for what they paid for him, would we be in the market at £35m and £80k a week?
If not, then again, he will go to a team in a position that we are not able to compete with. And it would be the likes of West Ham, or Leicester.
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Eric Youngs Contact Lense
Guest
I'm not sure our " Team is being successful" fan base are any better than most. Large sections of Block G in North Stand were pretty vile as soon as Cardiff scored. Its very noticeable that doesn't happen away from home as much. But as much as anyone is free to boo whenever they like, I struggle to understand how it helps a player whose every mistake is greeted with vitriol/boos. Sure, we don't have any throat-slitting antics that others have had, but not sure they are the majority.
And just like the clueless bores who infest our FB, Insta and Twitter pages insisting that we support a player instead of a team, you’ll be gone the second he’s sold.
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Are you willing to put your money where your mouth is?
Your observations carry weight when trying to play the ball out of defence. However not so much when these players are carrying the ball just outside the opposition penalty area. The forwards are already upfield by then. They are not defending in their own half at that point. They are in and around the opposition penalty area at that point but their movements isn't quick enough. And it's at this point. And I never thought I would hear myself saying this. We miss a Sam Baldock Someone who can play with their back to the opposition goal and who can move quickly in behind the opponents. Andone can do that for sure but the understanding isn't quite there yet