I thought it was on purpose at first but on the replay you could see him looking up and tracking the runs of his teammates followed by an "oops" expression once he hit the ball, so I think it was a cross. Which is also the right decision from that angle, even if it almost turned into a goal.
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[Albion] Alireza Jahanbakhsh joins Feyenoord
- Thread starter alexanderhills
- Start date
I thought it was on purpose at first but on the replay you could see him looking up and tracking the runs of his teammates followed by an "oops" expression once he hit the ball, so I think it was a cross. Which is also the right decision from that angle, even if it almost turned into a goal.
Johnny RoastBeef
These aren't the players you're looking for.
- Jan 11, 2016
- 3,471
It can only be what Potter has seen in training.
I did notice last night that on one occasion he lost the ball and made no attempt to chase the man and win the ball back.
Could it be that aspect of his game?
Of course it was a cross. Totally clear from his body shape and where he looks (on the reverse angle replay they showed), that the intention was never anything other than to cross it
Icy Gull
Back on the rollercoaster
- Jul 5, 2003
- 72,015
Doesn't this always come down to the same thing: players proving in training, day in and day out, that they can do the job requested of them to the level expected. That's the thing that none of us get to see.
We have no real choice but to trust Potter on that, not forgetting there is a whole coaching team and, although Potter will have the final word, if he has a genuine blind spot on a player, you'd expect the rest of his team to highlight that for him.
People may point to quotes where Potter has spoken enthusiastically about Ali J's training previously, but it comes down to actions speaking louder than words and, once again, I wouldn't expect Potter to ever publicly express negative sentiment about a player's training performances.
That's not to suggest Ali J doesn't put a shift in every day but, for whatever reason, Potter has not been convinced that he is worthy of an extended run in the team as of yet.
portlock seagull
Well-known member
- Jul 28, 2003
- 17,777
Bob'n'weave
Well-known member
Chipping in nicely from the right for a goal and then smashing one in from the left. I like the more flexible and confident Ali J we are seeing this season. Stay or go, he is getting better and more confident as a top flight player. Very humble man, just itching to perform at his best. We need players like this. I hope he continues to do well for us. UTA
The situation is a bit weird on so many levels:
He generally did well when he played last season, but didnt get to play much.
The club tried to ship him in the summer, I see no reason why the AZ director of football would lie about this and then Potter a few weeks later spoke about trying to get more goals from him.
Its possible that GP & staff identified in training that he was good, but not good enough for his allegedly high wage and probably could be sold for a decent fee due to his success in the Eredivisie, and decided to not play him much since it would be unnecessary to use a player with no future at the club (and according to what they saw, not significantly better than anyone else) instead of someone they werent planning to ship.
A normal summer some Eredivisie or Bundesliga club or similar would have paid up the £10m or so that he could be worth and invest it in a winger they believe more in, but this summer no one had the money to pay up for a question mark like him. With this reality in mind, GP & crew might just think "well, alright, lets see what we can do with him then".
I dont think he will start a lot. He is a bit of a luxuary player as, despite his obviously good end product, he is - from what I've seen - defensively not really what is required from a PL winger in a team that will often have to defend as much as it attacks. I could see him used as a very commonly used sub and infrequent starter however.
He generally did well when he played last season, but didnt get to play much.
The club tried to ship him in the summer, I see no reason why the AZ director of football would lie about this and then Potter a few weeks later spoke about trying to get more goals from him.
Its possible that GP & staff identified in training that he was good, but not good enough for his allegedly high wage and probably could be sold for a decent fee due to his success in the Eredivisie, and decided to not play him much since it would be unnecessary to use a player with no future at the club (and according to what they saw, not significantly better than anyone else) instead of someone they werent planning to ship.
A normal summer some Eredivisie or Bundesliga club or similar would have paid up the £10m or so that he could be worth and invest it in a winger they believe more in, but this summer no one had the money to pay up for a question mark like him. With this reality in mind, GP & crew might just think "well, alright, lets see what we can do with him then".
I dont think he will start a lot. He is a bit of a luxuary player as, despite his obviously good end product, he is - from what I've seen - defensively not really what is required from a PL winger in a team that will often have to defend as much as it attacks. I could see him used as a very commonly used sub and infrequent starter however.
Badger Boy
Mr Badger
- Jan 28, 2016
- 3,658
Opinion changed now, then?
You're new here aren't you?Why not just be happy that an Albion player has had a great game instead of looking to justify why your agenda against the player won’t be wrong. You are just gagging to say “I told you so” aren’t you? Quite sad imo, as an Albion fan you’d think you’d like to be proved wrong rather than right about a player wouldn’t you?
I hope to be proved wrong about Solly March every time he plays and delighted I was against Chelsea.
As said elsewhere, I never would have credited Ali with the intricacies of some of his passes last night.
It was probably a League 1 thing, maybe just confidence or perhaps the relaxation that comes with actually winning!
Chances are it was a mixture of all 3, in a nice quiet stadium.
Now if IF that can be replicated when the pressure is on he's in with a chance, finally.
It was probably a League 1 thing, maybe just confidence or perhaps the relaxation that comes with actually winning!
Chances are it was a mixture of all 3, in a nice quiet stadium.
Now if IF that can be replicated when the pressure is on he's in with a chance, finally.
Seasidesage
New member
Trouble with that is do we write off those 5 games while he gets up to speed? If he gets up to speed? At this level you have to take your chance when you get it and he hasn't. There is some talent there but he needs an injury crisis or a cup run, something that gives Potter a chance to see him on a run of games.
Remember of course though Potter sees him every day in training is clearly not adverse to giving untried players a chance see Alzate. Connolly et al and yet AJ hasn't broken through? Maybe he's just not good enough?....
FatSuperman
Well-known member
- Feb 25, 2016
- 2,922
Under Potter he has played in the league for 308 minutes, across 11 games. That includes 3 starts, but zero full games. In eight of those matches, he played 20 minutes or less. His longest time on the pitch in a single match is 85 minutes, against Bournemouth.
Based on his league games under Potter, his stats are:
Notes:
- Small sample size, so not that representative I would have thought
- Seems to outperform his xG significantly. So, either he's been lucky, or is a fantastic finisher.
- Apologies to all who abhor statistics and prefer to use instinct to tell the story x
Alireza Jahanbakhsh signs on a 5-year deal for a club record fee
As opposed to Propper, Aaron and Solly who have been banging the goals in left right and Center?
Those guys are showing AJ how it’s done clearly.
As opposed to Propper, Aaron and Solly who have been banging the goals in left right and Center?
Those guys are showing AJ how it’s done clearly.
Seasidesage
New member
Slow down! None of them are contributing greatly to the goals tally so that's why everyone is screaming for a striker right? If we had 20 goals from midfield it wouldn't be a problem would it? But whatever, you, I or anyone else think Potter feels the others contribute more in other ways or AJ would play. AJ to get in the side as a AM needs to contribute goals and assists and with a couple of excellent exceptions he hasn't really done that.
After 5 consecutive games he might turn into Kevin De Bruyne but its also possible that exactly the same inconsistencies will still be there. I suspect we will never find out.
Megazone
On his last warning
Ironically, De Bruyne wasn't rated at Chelsea and spent most of the time there on the bench.
Seasidesage
New member
That's possible too. He does do some great things but they are too few and far between. It could be the next club benefits sometimes that is the way it is.
The point is you’re holding up AJ to a higher standard then others in the squad for some reason.
His games to goal record is no different to Solly, Propper or Conolly’s for instance. Yet you criticise him for being inconsistent and not scoring enough.
Jimmy Grimble
Well-known member
Alireza Jahanbakhsh signs on a 5-year deal for a club record fee
Weirdly, when I think of Jahanbaksh, the first moment that comes into my head is the dipping thunderbolt he hit against the bar vrs. Huddersfield at The Amex in his first season. I just remember thinking if that had gone in, how his time with us may have panned out differently.
I’m still not convinced by him as a consistent enough PL performer, but I do think he’s in the top 3 purest strikers of the ball at the club, if not the purest. I imagine he’s the sort of fella who pings them in for fun from 20+ yards in training.
Weirdly, when I think of Jahanbaksh, the first moment that comes into my head is the dipping thunderbolt he hit against the bar vrs. Huddersfield at The Amex in his first season. I just remember thinking if that had gone in, how his time with us may have panned out differently.
I’m still not convinced by him as a consistent enough PL performer, but I do think he’s in the top 3 purest strikers of the ball at the club, if not the purest. I imagine he’s the sort of fella who pings them in for fun from 20+ yards in training.