theonesmith
Well-known member
- Oct 27, 2008
- 2,337
A player we should certainly nick off Luton! Very much a Dean Hammond replacement- although we couldn't meet Claridge's valuation. Anyone know more of him?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2009/apr/14/luton-asa-hall-steve-claridge
Scouting report: Asa Hall, Luton Town
Asa Hall is currently deployed in a strange position, tucked behind a lone forward and just in front of two central midfielders which gives him dual responsibilities. When Luton had the ball during the Johnstone's Paint Trophy final he had free rein to get in any position he wanted as long as it was a dangerous one from his team's perspective but when they defended he had to be disciplined and drive himself to get goalside of as many opposition attacks as possible. Both these tasks he achieved with relish. This is not an easy balancing act to carry off but he managed to get it just about right.
His all-round game stood up to the greatest scrutiny as he can certainly play when given the chance. His positioning when Luton had possession was excellent and he was more than aware of what run needed to be made after his centre-forward, Tom Craddock, had decided when and where he would go.
This meant there were plenty of different demands on him when he received the ball. He would sometimes run beyond Craddock, at other times be the link player between the midfield and centre-forward and on occasions pull wide for the diagonal pass.
He was comfortable in whatever position the ball was played to him and he showcased a neat array of headers into his team-mates' paths, lovely touches on the move when coming towards the ball and deft first-time passes which gave his team-mates the chance to hit the ball early.
Another massive bonus for his manager is his awareness and ability in either penalty area – he was the one who marked Scunthorpe's big centre-half and always posed problems for their defence when Luton put the ball in the box from attacking corners and free-kicks.
He is good in possession, rarely loses the ball and is adept with both feet, meaning he could switch the play left or right with ease. Hall is also a strong runner who covers the ground easily and showed great tenacity in the tackle although I wouldn't put him in the hard man bracket in that respect. In fact it was difficult to find any real weakness that stood out.
Some players who have been given the licence to roam all over the pitch use it as an excuse to become lazy defensively and go missing but he was more than willing to get back goalside as quickly as possible. Because of his admirable appetite for work and ability to get about the field he was very good at winning second-phase ball in the middle of the park, dominated every bouncing ball in the air and covered the ground to make most 50–50 challenges 60–40 in his favour. He was also very conscientious of his duties and got himself into position to provide a shield for his midfield four when Luton were being pushed back.
In a very good Luton display he was the player who dictated the tempo and pace for his team. If he decided to push forward it was the catalyst for the rest to release themselves and join the attack but, on the other hand, for the first 20 minutes of the second half at Wembley he sat deep and, consequently, so did his team-mates. So much so that it was only from their second attack of that half that Luton scored, a goal which was inspired by his superb header setting up his team-mate for a chest and volley into the bottom corner.
At his previous club, Birmingham City, the reserves were as far as he went and some would question his reasons for joining a club that after a 30-point deduction were always going to find it a big ask to stay in the Football League. What you would never question, however, is this lad's quality, because if you did Asa Hall would have all the answers.
How he rates
Age 22
Born Sandwell
Position *Midfielder
Height 6ft 2in
Weight 11st 9lb
From Birmingham
Heading 9
Pace 8
Tackling 9
Passing 9
Team *responsibility 9
Value £500,000
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2009/apr/14/luton-asa-hall-steve-claridge
Scouting report: Asa Hall, Luton Town
Asa Hall is currently deployed in a strange position, tucked behind a lone forward and just in front of two central midfielders which gives him dual responsibilities. When Luton had the ball during the Johnstone's Paint Trophy final he had free rein to get in any position he wanted as long as it was a dangerous one from his team's perspective but when they defended he had to be disciplined and drive himself to get goalside of as many opposition attacks as possible. Both these tasks he achieved with relish. This is not an easy balancing act to carry off but he managed to get it just about right.
His all-round game stood up to the greatest scrutiny as he can certainly play when given the chance. His positioning when Luton had possession was excellent and he was more than aware of what run needed to be made after his centre-forward, Tom Craddock, had decided when and where he would go.
This meant there were plenty of different demands on him when he received the ball. He would sometimes run beyond Craddock, at other times be the link player between the midfield and centre-forward and on occasions pull wide for the diagonal pass.
He was comfortable in whatever position the ball was played to him and he showcased a neat array of headers into his team-mates' paths, lovely touches on the move when coming towards the ball and deft first-time passes which gave his team-mates the chance to hit the ball early.
Another massive bonus for his manager is his awareness and ability in either penalty area – he was the one who marked Scunthorpe's big centre-half and always posed problems for their defence when Luton put the ball in the box from attacking corners and free-kicks.
He is good in possession, rarely loses the ball and is adept with both feet, meaning he could switch the play left or right with ease. Hall is also a strong runner who covers the ground easily and showed great tenacity in the tackle although I wouldn't put him in the hard man bracket in that respect. In fact it was difficult to find any real weakness that stood out.
Some players who have been given the licence to roam all over the pitch use it as an excuse to become lazy defensively and go missing but he was more than willing to get back goalside as quickly as possible. Because of his admirable appetite for work and ability to get about the field he was very good at winning second-phase ball in the middle of the park, dominated every bouncing ball in the air and covered the ground to make most 50–50 challenges 60–40 in his favour. He was also very conscientious of his duties and got himself into position to provide a shield for his midfield four when Luton were being pushed back.
In a very good Luton display he was the player who dictated the tempo and pace for his team. If he decided to push forward it was the catalyst for the rest to release themselves and join the attack but, on the other hand, for the first 20 minutes of the second half at Wembley he sat deep and, consequently, so did his team-mates. So much so that it was only from their second attack of that half that Luton scored, a goal which was inspired by his superb header setting up his team-mate for a chest and volley into the bottom corner.
At his previous club, Birmingham City, the reserves were as far as he went and some would question his reasons for joining a club that after a 30-point deduction were always going to find it a big ask to stay in the Football League. What you would never question, however, is this lad's quality, because if you did Asa Hall would have all the answers.
How he rates
Age 22
Born Sandwell
Position *Midfielder
Height 6ft 2in
Weight 11st 9lb
From Birmingham
Heading 9
Pace 8
Tackling 9
Passing 9
Team *responsibility 9
Value £500,000
