[Albion] Does anyone else think we have good players?

[neilbard]

Our first team lacks:

A RB who can defend against PL wide-men.
Pace in CM.
Creativity in CM, especially ACM. We never control the ball and rarely matches.
Proven PL quality finishers, other than a 35 year old.
Our wingers, at PL level, haven’t shone, other than Solly who’s clearly improved and is learning fast.

Our transfer business this summer will prove that our first team is inadequate.

Is the correct answer!

 

[Weststander]

He was regularly outpaced by a centre back on Sunday. A very quick centre back I will grant you but that's unacceptable for a winger.

This.

Perhaps at PL level, Jahanbakhsh and Locadia haven’t got the pace to beat PL quality defenders? It looks that way in the game time we’ve witnessed.

 

[jamie (not that one)]

Daniel Storey on the totally football show seems to think we have the players to change to a more attacking system.

I totally agree. Just need to make sure we have defensive cover in midfield.

 

[Icy Gull]

Yes, I’ll go on record as suggesting that AJ, Locadia and Andone will be like classy new buys if we get a manager with an attacking bone in his body at this level. Of course we need new players and other options but we also need a manager with a plan B who will change things around depending on the opposition and how the game is going.

It is undoubtably tough at this level and we may be on the end of some thumpings now and again but let’s give it a go now and again.

 

[Worried Man Blues]

I don't know but with a more attack minded coach we will find out................. then make the necessary adjustments!

 

[Stat Brother]

This.

Perhaps at PL level, Jahanbakhsh and Locadia haven’t got the pace to beat PL quality defenders? It looks that way in the game time we’ve witnessed.

I'll be interested to know if they had the pace in Holland.

Posters calling them out as not being wingers, instantly has me reading (rightly or probably wrongly) 'not being Will Buckley'.

Its hard for me to imagine the Eridivise being so slow that players there were routinely outpaced by Big Jurg and Ali.


As said before, its no great surprise it took me a full season to notice, what with the situation seemingly completely opposite .

But its occurred to me the club recruited a very poor mans Liverpool with 3 front players, but the manager steadfastly played a variation of 4-5-1.


Irrespective, surviving this season and starting a fresh in August pretty much wipes out all the mitigating circumstances I was clinging onto and we'll soon find out if they're all shitehouse or not.

 

[Weststander]

I'll be interested to know if they had the pace in Holland.

Posters calling them out as not being wingers, instantly has me reading (rightly or probably wrongly) 'not being Will Buckley'.

Its hard for me to imagine the Eridivise being so slow that players there were routinely outpaced by Big Jurg and Ali.


As said before, its no great surprise it took me a full season to notice, what with the situation seemingly completely opposite .

But its occurred to me the club recruited a very poor mans Liverpool with 3 front players, but the manager steadfastly played a variation of 4-5-1.


Irrespective, surviving this season and starting a fresh in August pretty much wipes out all the mitigating circumstances I was clinging onto and we'll soon find out if they're all shitehouse or not.

My understanding is that Aredivisie football is not played at the pace of PL football, plus it’s fair to say that most FB’s there would be of a lower standard. Anyone of quality being snapped up by the major leagues.

I haven’t given up on Jahanbakhsh. He needs to add power and stamina to his game. He’s young, it’s achievable.

 

[B-right-on]

It's an interesting point, but difficult to speculate on as I'd say that our players have been underperforming/not fulfilling potential

At Bournemouth I think Smuggy is really able to improve players from a technical point of view - think about it:

Calum Wilson - signed from League 1 Coventry
David Brooks - signed from Championship Sheffield United
Ryan Fraser - signed from Aberdeen
Josh King - signed from Championship Blackburn Rovers

This. Look what Hassler has done at Stains. Revived a seriously dour club into one that plays decent football.

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

Daniel Storey on the totally football show seems to think we have the players to change to a more attacking system.

Propper comes to mind when I think of players who could be used differently and have more impact in an attacking side.

 

[B-right-on]

Yes, I’ll go on record as suggesting that AJ, Locadia and Andone will be like classy new buys if we get a manager with an attacking bone in his body at this level. Of course we need new players and other options but we also need a manager with a plan B who will change things around depending on the opposition and how the game is going.

It is undoubtably tough at this level and we may be on the end of some thumpings now and again but let’s give it a go now and again.

Agree. Our set up v Chelsea /Arsenal / Spuds should be different to Stains, Bmuff, Newcastle etc...

 

[Springal]

My understanding is that Aredivisie football is not played at the pace of PL football, plus it’s fair to say that most FB’s there would be of a lower standard. Anyone of quality being snapped up by the major leagues.

I haven’t given up on Jahanbakhsh. He needs to add power and stamina to his game. He’s young, it’s achievable.

While that is true re: Dutch league, it cannot be so far off the pace that the leading scorer of 17/18 season cannot muster an assist or goal in the Premiership surely. I hope and think we will see a big improvement under the new manager

 

[Ecosse Exile]

Yes, we have much better players than we have been seeing lately.

We changed systems to 433 half way through the season and looked good, seriously good, we were looking the better team in most games but the results werent coming, in my opinion they would have given time, but Hughton bottled it after seeing us caught on the counter against Burnley.

We then reverted to another system 451, it didn't work, pure and simple, the belief drained from some of our players and resulted in the performances we saw in the 1st half v Huddersfield and Newcastle and most of the games versus Southampton, Bournemouth and Cardiff. I mention those games because they were all at home and all were winnable.

The point im making is that we do have some good players, when they are allowed to play as an attacking team, we tried it midway through the season, the timing was wrong, it should have been tried in pre-season, but it was working.

 

[Betfair Bozo]

I'll be interested to know if they had the pace in Holland.

Posters calling them out as not being wingers, instantly has me reading (rightly or probably wrongly) 'not being Will Buckley'.

Its hard for me to imagine the Eridivise being so slow that players there were routinely outpaced by Big Jurg and Ali.


As said before, its no great surprise it took me a full season to notice, what with the situation seemingly completely opposite .

But its occurred to me the club recruited a very poor mans Liverpool with 3 front players, but the manager steadfastly played a variation of 4-5-1.


Irrespective, surviving this season and starting a fresh in August pretty much wipes out all the mitigating circumstances I was clinging onto and we'll soon find out if they're all shitehouse or not.

Is it even about pace or just how teams set up in Holland as opposed to here (and, in particular, us in the Premier League.) The average goals per game last season in the Prem was a record high but still "only" 2.8 whereas the Eredivisie consistently averages around 3.5. Any stats on attacking players in Holland need to be viewed in that context. (Sure, you wouldn't expect someone to go from top scorer in the league to 0 goals or assists in another but even so...)

Your point about our system is obviously correct. We have been 4-5-1 or 4-4-1-1 depending whether PG plays as the 10. "4-3-3 in possession" is a daft phrase. Given our xG performance (and TB's analytic approach to footbalI betting) I would expect a pretty fundamental change in philosophy which might suit one or two of the under-achievers next season but with a defensive cost. We shall see.

 

[Dr Bandler]

In order to answer the thread question, I would like to consider a comparison. I wonder how our players compare in quality to Cardiff City's for example. Are we better or worse? If we had swapped managers at the start of the season - Chris Hughton for Neil Warnock - but had the same squads, what would the result have been?

 

[Betfair Bozo]

Our squad is significantly stronger than Cardiff's. Rather than use that as a reason to criticise CH I would say that Warnock got the best out of a very thin squad. I also think there is something to be said for being able to over-achieve in the first season in the Premier League with a settled squad (see Hudds in 2017/2018 and us to some extent) which becomes harder in the second season (same two examples for 2018/2019.)

 

[Sussex Nomad]

so he must be banking on the fact that someone else can get good football out of them...Or has plans to spend more...

Probably a bit of both, enticing in a good manager/coach with cash to spend, whilst also checking the squad he already has on offer.

 

[Ninja Elephant]

We have a very good squad, with very good players. We didn't see it from any of them this season. The only players who can be happy with their contributions this season are Shane Duffy, Lewis Dunk, Solly March and Bernardo. Others have been ok at times but how many players were below the standard this season that they set last season? Gross and Ryan jump straight to mind. Knockaert was equally disappointing, Propper was about the same. Murray scored the goals which kept us up but he's barely mobile any more and is offside even more often.

I believe in the squad, but had lost belief that our manager trusted them. I also find it hard to believe that our manager believed in the squad as much as I did.

 

[Southern Scouse]

Do we have good players? Depends at which level! Our league position puts us the bottom four (Obviously) and the top six of the championship.Since January I can name only two players I think could go on to be regular premier league quality in the future and those are Bissouma, Dunk and Bernardo. The rest have been and will be again next season average at best. It may well be a change of mentality under a new dynamic manager may change that but who knows?

 

[Withdean11]

We have a very good squad, with very good players. We didn't see it from any of them this season. The only players who can be happy with their contributions this season are Shane Duffy, Lewis Dunk, Solly March and Bernardo. Others have been ok at times but how many players were below the standard this season that they set last season? Gross and Ryan jump straight to mind. Knockaert was equally disappointing

Knockaert gets very harshly treated on here. He has more goals and assists than March, in less appearances. Sure, he hasn't been as good as we know he can be, but he has still been our most effective winger this season.

 

[Stat Brother]

Knockaert gets very harshly treated on here. He has more goals and assists than March, in less appearances. Sure, he hasn't been as good as we know he can be, but he has still been our most effective winger this season.

Damming with faint praise.