John Gregory having a pop at the Albion or telling it like it is?

[Superphil]

Is he unfit for the job? He seemed fit enough when playing for the dev squad. Maybe there's an attitude problem that he didn't want to go to Crawley on loan but that is a different matter.

Good point, if he has a poor attitude then hopefully he can sort himself out, maybe JGs comments will spur him on to sort out his head, maybe that was Gregorys intention. I agree, having seen him in several DS games, he has looked like a very good prospect, threatening, quick, and with a decent cross on him.

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

Strange indeed. Especially given the likes of Ince, JFC, Chicksen all seemed fit enough when they first came up through the DS.

 

[DIFFBROOK]

Gregory is having a pop at the Albion, why mention that fitness level at DS are low, that nobody keeps the player interested around the 1st team squad, that the player needs an arm around him. How does Gregory know all of this? From the player which can be taken at face value or just his own bitter assumptions?

Gregory comes across as a guy with an intense dislike for the Albion and this is his reason for opening his mouth. Have disliked him for years and this just adds to that dislike.

 

[Moshe Gariani]

John Gregory is an obnoxious **** who seems to be finding his level as a manager.

 

[Not Andy Naylor]

I see, so it is fine to abjectly criticise our club on these pages, make allegations and insinuations about poor practices, lack of talent, knowhow and skill, yet when a someone within the game, with professional experience and a significant playing & management career behind them says something that is constructive criticism, we lambast that too. Oh well, that’s NSC.

That's what makes us the best at what we do!

 

[Horton's halftime iceberg]

Monakana is a great prospect, as already mentioned he could be a ready replacement for Lua Lua, has similar style to his game.

However he has blown hot and cold in all the games I have seen him play so far, so like Kaz needs to work on his consistency.

In the QPR game he spent the first 15 minutes acting like he was injured, leading to him giving the ball away for their first goal, however as the game went on he picked up and showed glimpses of his true potential.

Perhaps Gregory has picked up on this and somehow decided that by publicly saying this it will spur him on. Not sure it is what the clubs wants, but I am sure it is a roll that Charlie used to play within the club.

 

[Magic City]

I don't see how this is a pop at the Albion at all. The first paragraph pretty much sums up Gregory's intentions, as he wants Monakana to “get his act together”. It's an interesting move, slightly out of the box but to me it looks like Gregory is telling Monakana to up his personal fitness levels. By saying, “Jeff can be a match-winner but you have to ask why Preston let him go. I know why Preston let him go, it was attributed to his fitness levels and maybe his lifestyle. What you see for 15 minutes is not the whole picture. I see all the other bits and pieces" this shows that Gregory is praising Monakana's footballing ability, but needs to up his fitness levels. If you read into this, Monakana could possibly have the chance of earning a professional contract at Crawley, thus playing regularly at League One level. I've been surprised that he hasn't been involved at first team level here at all, but that could been down to his fitness levels that Gregory implies have been poor since he was at Preston.

In terms of Gregory saying "playing academy football where the training levels are very low and you kind of get demotivated". That's a fair point in my opinion, as U21 players don't train everyday like first team players do. The training also lacks the intensity of first team training, so for a player that had played just under 50 first class games by the time he was 19 - I can understand him being slightly demotivated playing only for the Development Squad, with no real signs of breaking into the first team.

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

Interesting that he isn't shit stirring about the two players he has on loan from Palace who looked of a similar quality when playing in a DS game at Lancing.

 

[Munkfish]

I don't see how this is a pop at the Albion at all. The first paragraph pretty much sums up Gregory's intentions, as he wants Monakana to “get his act together”. It's an interesting move, slightly out of the box but to me it looks like Gregory is telling Monakana to up his personal fitness levels. By saying, “Jeff can be a match-winner but you have to ask why Preston let him go. I know why Preston let him go, it was attributed to his fitness levels and maybe his lifestyle. What you see for 15 minutes is not the whole picture. I see all the other bits and pieces" this shows that Gregory is praising Monakana's footballing ability, but needs to up his fitness levels. If you read into this, Monakana could possibly have the chance of earning a professional contract at Crawley, thus playing regularly at League One level. I've been surprised that he hasn't been involved at first team level here at all, but that could been down to his fitness levels that Gregory implies have been poor since he was at Preston.

In terms of Gregory saying "playing academy football where the training levels are very low and you kind of get demotivated". That's a fair point in my opinion, as U21 players don't train everyday like first team players do. The training also lacks the intensity of first team training, so for a player that had played just under 50 first class games by the time he was 19 - I can understand him being slightly demotivated playing only for the Development Squad, with no real signs of breaking into the first team.

The Under 21's train as much if not more than the first team, obviously the DS/Under 21's have games during the middle of the day, but train just as much, plus the better DS players often get moved up into the first team to train, JFC has been training with the first team since he was 17, March was also training with the first team before he made an apperance, so to be fair I question what you are saying.

As for the rest of what you have said, you are purely reading into something that may or may not be there.

 

[Seagull on the wing]

John Gregory would'nt know fitness if it stood in front of him on a running machine with a Seagull on it's head!

 

[Seagull over Canaryland]

Gregory was a decent player but can't say I'm a fan of him as a manager and isn't known for his tact. However on this occasion I feel he is merely telling it how he sees Monokana's situation. Ok there is a bit of a dig at The Albion but surely he took Monakana on loan expecting the youngster to grasp the opportunity for some first team football, hopefully impress his parent Club while doing a decent loan job for Crawley, a scenario in which everyone wins. But it isn't working out that way.

It speaks volumes that we let him go out on loan. Around the time we signed him I had hoped Monokana might see our injury situation (especially to Buckley and KLL) as a golden opportunity to work hard, get himself fitter and impress sufficiently to force his way onto the first team bench. Especially as Oscar has shown that he is willing to give youngsters a go.

Monokana has a great chance to secure himself a future at The Albion, but isn't tearing up trees. It seems he has a bit of an attitude problem so would be a great pity if he wastes the opportunity. Ultimately someone needs to read Monkana his fortune and if Gregory going public has some effect on him, then ok.

 

[London Irish]

I actually saw the Crawley-Crewe game on Saturday when Gregory brought Jeff on at about 60 mins. He had one superb mazy run through about half Crewe's team that confirmed to me the boy's a talent - yes similar to LuaLua although with maybe a less explosive style.

It's true that then Jeff did little eye-catching after that and Crawley fell to a tame defeat. Gregory could be speaking out of anger at that or out of genuine concern to improve the player, if it's the latter, he could actually being doing us a favour playing the hard cop to the DS coaches' soft cop. The two Palace loanees were poor and have already been sent back to Pulis, Gregory is keeping Jeff.

 

[Magic City]

The Under 21's train as much if not more than the first team, obviously the DS/Under 21's have games during the middle of the day, but train just as much, plus the better DS players often get moved up into the first team to train, JFC has been training with the first team since he was 17, March was also training with the first team before he made an apperance, so to be fair I question what you are saying.

As for the rest of what you have said, you are purely reading into something that may or may not be there.

I said that "U21 players don't train everyday like first team players do" which is true. They have two days of a week and sometimes play Thursday/Saturday behind closed doors as well as the scheduled Monday game. I don't see your point about Forster-Caskey and March at all, as Monakana has certainly trained first team as well. That would only add to his slight frustration about not being played.

As for "reading into something that may or may not be there" what do you think the point of the article is? Do you think John Gregory is using it as a chance to have a completely unnecessary pop at the Albion? Or do you think it could be to motivate a very exciting winger, a type of player that Crawley don't have, into making the difference as to whether they stay in League One or not?

 

[Tooting Gull]

I see, so it is fine to abjectly criticise our club on these pages, make allegations and insinuations about poor practices, lack of talent, knowhow and skill, yet when a someone within the game, with professional experience and a significant playing & management career behind them says something that is constructive criticism, we lambast that too. Oh well, that’s NSC.

Well said.

Gregory does have a nasty streak, but those comments sounded very genuine observations to me.

And wherever the lad is in the Albion pecking order, if he is not fit to play professional football that reflects very badly on him, the club, the staff and the manager.

 

[Munkfish]

I said that "U21 players don't train everyday like first team players do" which is true. They have two days of a week and sometimes play Thursday/Saturday behind closed doors as well as the scheduled Monday game. I don't see your point about Forster-Caskey and March at all, as Monakana has certainly trained first team as well. That would only add to his slight frustration about not being played.

As for "reading into something that may or may not be there" what do you think the point of the article is? Do you think John Gregory is using it as a chance to have a completely unnecessary pop at the Albion? Or do you think it could be to motivate a very exciting winger, a type of player that Crawley don't have, into making the difference as to whether they stay in League One or not?

So Playing two 90 minute games of football a week doesnt help your fitness, DS players, train as much and when they don't they are getting game time, Personal levels of fitness are down to the player not the club. When we brought him, he was brought for the DS team, so i'm fairly confident this would have been discussed when we signed him, so limited options would be understandable in his first 6 months at the club.

It would seem a very strange way to motivate a player who is only on loan with you, I'm pretty certain he would not be all too fussed by what Greogory has to say about him as in around a months time he wont be playing for him anymore. Bigging him up and letting him know what an important role he has, would say to me he is trying to get more out of the player, not laying into him and his fitness, this is a clear pop at the player and he is disapointed with him and what he has brought to Crawley and he also sounds like he is having a pop at the club, by saying we have provided an unfit player who is not good enough to play 90 minutes for him (I would imagine a small fee would have changed hands.)

 

[Magic City]

So Playing two 90 minute games of football a week doesnt help your fitness, DS players, train as much and when they don't they are getting game time, Personal levels of fitness are down to the player not the club. When we brought him, he was brought for the DS team, so i'm fairly confident this would have been discussed when we signed him, so limited options would be understandable in his first 6 months at the club.

It would seem a very strange way to motivate a player who is only on loan with you, I'm pretty certain he would not be all too fussed by what Greogory has to say about him as in around a months time he wont be playing for him anymore. Bigging him up and letting him know what an important role he has, would say to me he is trying to get more out of the player, not laying into him and his fitness, this is a clear pop at the player and he is disapointed with him and what he has brought to Crawley and he also sounds like he is having a pop at the club, by saying we have provided an unfit player who is not good enough to play 90 minutes for him (I would imagine a small fee would have changed hands.)

I think he's trying to motivate him into helping to keep his club up and help earn himself a contract. Also there's no question that training and playing first team makes you fitter, mainly due to the increase in intensity.

 

[BigGully]

I think he's trying to motivate him into helping to keep his club up and help earn himself a contract. Also there's no question that training and playing first team makes you fitter, mainly due to the increase in intensity.

Not sure about that, there might be an increase in the quality of the execution in the training, but intensities should be equal perhaps even more in younger groups.

First team players are likely to be older and more established, they might ease themselves through sessions, there is a psychological intensity during the season which cannot be replicated in the younger groups though.

 

[Magic City]

Not sure about that, there might be an increase in the quality of the execution in the training, but intensities should be equal perhaps even more in younger groups.

First team players are likely to be older and more established, they might ease themselves through sessions, there is a psychological intensity during the season which cannot be replicated in the younger groups though.

From personal experience, training first team is far more intense than U18/U21 training.

 

[fosters headband]

Well said.

Gregory does have a nasty streak, but those comments sounded very genuine observations to me.

And wherever the lad is in the Albion pecking order, if he is not fit to play professional football that reflects very badly on him, the club, the staff and the manager.

Simon Grayson was of the same opinion as Gregory just before we signed him.



Preston North End manager Simon Grayson has hinted that Jeffrey Monakana has one final chance to impress him.

Preston have recalled the 20-year-old midfielder from his loan spell with Colchester United due to Stuart Beavon's three-match suspension.

Grayson has said that he does not want Monakana to waste his talents.

"We brought Jeffrey back because Stuart Beavon is out for three matches now," Grayson told Sky Sports News.

"We haven't got the biggest squad in terms of the numbers we've let out on loan, but we've done that for a reason. Jeffrey only had two weeks left and he couldn't play against us in one of the games so we felt we might as well utilise the situation and we can have another body around.

"It's come to the stage where Jeffrey really needs to grasp everything that we want him to do. I don't need a player in my squad that's only going to be effective for 10, 15 minutes here and there. I'd say he's maybe in the last-chance saloon with us. His contract runs out in the summer."

Monakana made nine appearances during his stint at Colchester.

 

[London Irish]

Gregory has apologised according to Andy Naylor's twitter feed