Baldock: Happy or unhappy??

[get that board down!]

So the Argus says "Baldock questions his role since joining the Albion" and the tone of the article is he is unhappy. The official website says "BALDOCK ENJOYING NEW ROLE" and is about how he enjoys the freedom.

He can't be both, which is it?

Hard to trust either source really as both looking for a story but from opposite angles.

 

[brightonmark1234]

i reckon hes unhappy and we should be useing him as a lone striker with tex and either lua lua or ledesma out wide

 

[shaolinpunk]

I imagine he's probably frustrated as much as anything else.

He's used to playing as a striker and scoring goals then we signed him and stuck him out wide

 

[KZNSeagull]

I reckon he is a professional footballer who should learn to adapt. Whilst we can question why he is playing out on the left, it is up to him to make the most of it.

For what it is worth, I think he is happy. He didn't say (or was quoted as saying) anything particularly negative in the Argus story.

 

[The Wizard]

Good player doing a job where needed. I just hope we actually give him a chance up top preferably with someone else or I fear we will never see the best from him. He works bloody hard out wide and makes good intelligent forward runs but you can't help but feel he's wasted on the wing.

 

[James Bond's body double]

He wants to be scoring goals bet he is unhappy because he is not. But I am sure he is happy being in the team and being involved in creating goals. I like him and think IF played correctly he will score but having said that some of his crosses on Saturday were brilliant.

 

[get that board down!]

surely he's looking for COG as target man and him sitting behind, two-up-front style. But as a team option I reckon he is effective as a surrogate whinger and occasional unmarked striker - good crosser of the ball. Maybe he is happy to have an effective role in the team but is missing that goal scoring feeling and hurting from criticism about his not scoring, feeling he is played out of position. Would like to see how he gets on in two up front formation but wonder if CH ever picks this kind of team - don't know the stats there.

 

[TonyW]

Assuming he has been accurately quoted, I would say that he is thoroughly pissed off.

He isn't a winger, he's a centre forward.

The tone of the article lays it out pretty clearly.

OK, he is playing, but his value must be decreasing with every game.

Srikers score goals.
Baldock scores goals.

What's the point of playing him out wide, when he isn't a winger.

I agree with the lad.

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

Waste of money. Thanks Burke.

Utterly pointless signing. Osacar didnt want him as he had left by then. Sami didnt want him because he hadnt joined by then but Burke persued him all summer.

He scored goals in L1. So did CMS. Also he scored in a 2 up front with a big man next to him. So did CMS.

Ok Ballsacks touch is better than CMS but players like Baldrick are two a penny (run around a bit, bit of skill, misses chances) but Bristol City got TWO MILLION quid. Come on. Thanks Burke. No wonder you were (rightly) sacked.

 

[Mattywerewolf]

I reckon he is effective as a surrogate whinger

 

[Easy 10]

Argus:

“It was slightly strange that I was signed having been on the back of playing two up front for the previous few years, or as many years as people would have been watching, to then come and either play up front on my own, not very often, or in a supporting role.

“It’s not something that I’ve done too much before and it’s not where I scored my goals, so it’s not the sort of role I got signed for really.

“So it is strange but I’ve had to adapt and try to make the most of it for the team’s sake.”

Seagulls website:

“The manager is happy with me doing my work out wide at the minute and I was glad to chip in with an assist the other day. I feel like I can still come off my wing and create chances, but obviously my natural instinct is to get in the box and try to score goals.

“I’m still a way off from my performances in previous seasons because I’m playing in a different role, whereas in seasons gone by, I might not play particularly well but still get a goal.

“That’s not happened this season, so I’ve had to work on other aspects of my game.

“I’m not restricted to staying out wide and I feel I can offer more to the team by being able to drift around and make those striker’s runs, because I’m almost unmarked as the centre-halves don’t expect me to be there.”

So overall, I'd say pissed off. And rightly so.

Have to say, I don't GET this policy of buying a player based on his performances at another club, then bringing him in and expecting him to "adapt". We did exactly the same thing with O'Grady.

I thought the whole point of this all-singing, all-dancing scouting setup we had was geared towards bringing in the right type of player who can slot into our system of play. Instead, we're bringing players in and telling them to totally change their game. Genius.

Its like me buying a tin opener and trying to eat a bowl of soup with it.

 

[The Wizard]

Waste of money. Thanks Burke.

Utterly pointless signing. Osacar didnt want him as he had left by then. Sami didnt want him because he hadnt joined by then but Burke persued him all summer.

He scored goals in L1. So did CMS. Also he scored in a 2 up front with a big man next to him. So did CMS.

Ok Ballsacks touch is better than CMS but players like Baldrick are two a penny (run around a bit, bit of skill, misses chances) but Bristol City got TWO MILLION quid. Come on. Thanks Burke. No wonder you were (rightly) sacked.

What a steaming pile of turd. How many games has he actually played in his proper position for us?

 

[Iggle Piggle]

Waste of money. Thanks Burke.

Utterly pointless signing. Osacar didnt want him as he had left by then. Sami didnt want him because he hadnt joined by then but Burke persued him all summer.

He scored goals in L1. So did CMS. Also he scored in a 2 up front with a big man next to him. So did CMS.

Ok Ballsacks touch is better than CMS but players like Baldrick are two a penny (run around a bit, bit of skill, misses chances) but Bristol City got TWO MILLION quid. Come on. Thanks Burke. No wonder you were (rightly) sacked.

This all day long

We play one up front and have done since part way through the first Amex season. How in gods name did we end up with not 1, not 2 but 3 players who were not suited to that role at the start of the season? CMS, Baldock and Colunga?

Similarly, if Baldock and O'Grady were not bought as Ulloa replacements (Barbers words last week at the NWSS thingey), what exactly were they bought for? We either change the way we play or sign players to fit the strategy.

 

[Marshy]

i reckon hes unhappy and we should be useing him as a lone striker with tex and either lua lua or ledesma out wide

But he cant hold the ball up, much like CMS, with 1 up front we need someone who can do that. Hence Best or COG get the nod.

Baldock like CMS cannot play as a lone front man

 

[Joey Jo Jo Jr. Shabadoo]

Waste of money. Thanks Burke.

Utterly pointless signing. Osacar didnt want him as he had left by then. Sami didnt want him because he hadnt joined by then but Burke persued him all summer.

He scored goals in L1. So did CMS. Also he scored in a 2 up front with a big man next to him. So did CMS.

Ok Ballsacks touch is better than CMS but players like Baldrick are two a penny (run around a bit, bit of skill, misses chances) but Bristol City got TWO MILLION quid. Come on. Thanks Burke. No wonder you were (rightly) sacked.

If Hyypia didn't want him he should have said something seeing as we signed Baldock nearly 3 months after he became manager.

 

[Hotchilidog]

Waste of money. Thanks Burke.

Utterly pointless signing. Osacar didnt want him as he had left by then. Sami didnt want him because he hadnt joined by then but Burke persued him all summer.

He scored goals in L1. So did CMS. Also he scored in a 2 up front with a big man next to him. So did CMS.

Ok Ballsacks touch is better than CMS but players like Baldrick are two a penny (run around a bit, bit of skill, misses chances) but Bristol City got TWO MILLION quid. Come on. Thanks Burke. No wonder you were (rightly) sacked.

Disagree I think Baldock could be a good signing for us, shame we don't use him in a more central role, blame the managers for that not the hapless Burke.

However he was crucial in the build up to goals on saturday and seemed to have more licence to cut inside than he had before. From the interview he does understandably sound frustrated but I think he is getting to grips with this role and now starting to make more of a nuisance of himself in the final third.

 

[get that board down!]

if Baldock and O'Grady were not bought as Ulloa replacements (Barbers words last week at the NWSS thingey), what exactly were they bought for?

It is curious that we were clearly a much better team with Ulloa and that is what we as a team were set up for, but then we have not even tried to replace him according to Der Management. What exactly is the point of the management again?

 

[KZNSeagull]

It's not like he is not getting chances though "stuck out on the wing". He is making very good runs and the chances are coming. Perhaps he may cheer up if he took one, starting tonight.

 

[get that board down!]

Disagree I think Baldock could be a good signing for us, shame we don't use him in a more central role, blame the managers for that not the hapless Burke.

However he was crucial in the build up to goals on saturday and seemed to have more licence to cut inside than he had before. From the interview he does understandably sound frustrated but I think he is getting to grips with this role and now starting to make more of a nuisance of himself in the final third.

This

 

[GT49er]

Baldock should only play up front as one of a two man strike force - he's not equipped to play the loan striker role, IMHO. That begs the question of why on earth we bought him. Did Burke not realise that we don't play with two up front?

He seems to be doing a good job on the wing now, so let that be the end of it. He's getting well paid for it!