[Albion] Knockaert joins Fulham on initial one-year loan

[Easy 10]

Fulham will be looking to survive their first season, nothing more. Knocky was good enough to be part of the Albion side that stayed up, twice. He didn't tear up the division, but he did alright. He'll be good enough for a team aiming to finish 17th.

I'm not convinced, but you might be right. In fairnes it was so hard for a player like Knockaert (or any forward) to shine in the PL under such a suffocatingly defensive coach as Hughton. Maybe Scott Parker will be able to get more out of him. Time will tell.

 

[Solid at the back]

He's hardly set alight to the Championship this season, has he? Great bit of business from the club

 

[blue-shifted]

I'm not convinced, but you might be right. In fairnes it was so hard for a player like Knockaert (or any forward) to shine in the PL under such a suffocatingly defensive coach as Hughton. Maybe Scott Parker will be able to get more out of him. Time will tell.

The thing is, Parker has a similar coaching style to Hughton, so I don't think it will be much different ... but Knocky will do for them what he did for us in those two years ... be tidy on the ball, dribble down the line to relieve the pressure and get his foot in when needed.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

Loved Knockaert, and he was truly outstanding for us in the Championship, but was never consistent enough in the PL. Always capable of a moment of brilliance, but his frustration at not being able to produce on a regular basis made him a liability at times (witness his red card at Everton). I also wonder if he might have been a bit of a drain on others if he wasn't playing: we know he's an emotional character so he's unlikely to have taken it that well.

To be brutally honest, he's not exactly torn up the Championship with Fulham this season. Maybe those two seasons he had with us were the peak of his career. I think we've done rather well to agree a £10m deal with Fulham for him at a time when they were desperate to splash the cash and have a real go at bouncing straight back from relegation. I doubt we'd have got that now if he'd had another indifferent season with us.

We've done alright, he's done alright, Fulham have done alright. Everyone's a winner here. An Albion hero forever, but for me, not one who would thrive in the current set up.

 

[Shooting Star]

There were times yesterday when I was trying to figure out why he wasn't ghosting/jinking his way past players like he did for us in 2016/17. Has he become too muscly at the expense of his agility? Or is it simply age?

 

[Barham's tash]

There were times yesterday when I was trying to figure out why he wasn't ghosting/jinking his way past players like he did for us in 2016/17. Has he become too muscly at the expense of his agility? Or is it simply age?

This as in the muscle aspect. He’s like a hamburger on legs compared to the lithe whippet that joined us. Ludicrous that a conditioning coach would condone this.

 

[RM-Taylor]

There were times yesterday when I was trying to figure out why he wasn't ghosting/jinking his way past players like he did for us in 2016/17. Has he become too muscly at the expense of his agility? Or is it simply age?

This as in the muscle aspect. He’s like a hamburger on legs compared to the lithe whippet that joined us. Ludicrous that a conditioning coach would condone this.

His “bulkier” figure may be linked to his mental health problems, potentially eating and drinking more than he was before.

 

[spence]

Loved Knockaert, and he was truly outstanding for us in the Championship, but was never consistent enough in the PL. Always capable of a moment of brilliance, but his frustration at not being able to produce on a regular basis made him a liability at times (witness his red card at Everton). I also wonder if he might have been a bit of a drain on others if he wasn't playing: we know he's an emotional character so he's unlikely to have taken it that well.

To be brutally honest, he's not exactly torn up the Championship with Fulham this season. Maybe those two seasons he had with us were the peak of his career. I think we've done rather well to agree a £10m deal with Fulham for him at a time when they were desperate to splash the cash and have a real go at bouncing straight back from relegation. I doubt we'd have got that now if he'd had another indifferent season with us.

We've done alright, he's done alright, Fulham have done alright. Everyone's a winner here. An Albion hero forever, but for me, not one who would thrive in the current set up.

One of my favorite Albion players for sure, The club did sell him at the right time though with him suffering from depression was it ? He lost that shine for me when we went up.

As Johnny Cantor said - he was box office stuff.

 

[brighton_tom]

We got a good deal getting that £10million, which im sure the Fulham fans who originally thought that was too much now dont care. I questioned him being let go from us at first, but its all worked out.

 

[AZ Gull]

There were times yesterday when I was trying to figure out why he wasn't ghosting/jinking his way past players like he did for us in 2016/17. Has he become too muscly at the expense of his agility? Or is it simply age?

This as in the muscle aspect. He’s like a hamburger on legs compared to the lithe whippet that joined us. Ludicrous that a conditioning coach would condone this.

Bulking up doesn't seem to have done Adama Traore any harm.

 

[Mancgull]

I've seen some of Fulham's last two games. Knockaert gave the ball away a lot in the SF second leg, and looked as though he'd lost a yard of his pace last night.
I'd be delighted if he could prove his doubters wrong next season. Specifically when playing against Leeds, Villa and Palace.

Unfortunately i noted that too. Seemed quite slow to me. Certainly not as sharp as he was in our promotion year.

 

[ukpolska]

Next year at the Amex vs Fulham it will be:
You've got Knockaert,
Anthony Knockaert,
I just don't think you understand,
He only cost 6 mill,
He's better than Ozil,
You've got Anthony Knockaert...
(Repeated...)

 

[NooBHA]

Some people a bit harsh on AK.

When he first arrived at Brighton he was fairly newly married. Just had a little boy and everything Rosy off the field. Due to that and the great relationship with Manager and team mates he thrived in the pitch..

Fast forward a few years and he lost his father and wife and child moved back to France. He is having to commute to France if he even wants to get to see his son.

All these things take their toll on people emotionally and their work potentially suffers as a result of some things out with their control.

Maybe if everything remained great in his personal life then he could well have reproduced his Championship form in the PL. - It didn't so we will never know.

I still always look to see him do well. He is the type of player I love to watch play when he is at his magical best.

I don't think that will come again until his personal circumstances are back to a good place again so I hope he achieved that and if he does then the great football will follow. Although his age may against him in that regard.

Good Luck to the lad for the rest of his life and career.

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

Some people a bit harsh on AK.

When he first arrived at Brighton he was fairly newly married. Just had a little boy and everything Rosy off the field. Due to that and the great relationship with Manager and team mates he thrived in the pitch..

Fast forward a few years and he lost his father and wife and child moved back to France. He is having to commute to France if he even wants to get to see his son.

All these things take their toll on people emotionally and their work potentially suffers as a result of some things out with their control.

Maybe if everything remained great in his personal life then he could well have reproduced his Championship form in the PL. - It didn't so we will never know.

I still always look to see him do well. He is the type of player I love to watch play when he is at his magical best.

I don't think that will come again until his personal circumstances are back to a good place again so I hope he achieved that and if he does then the great football will follow. Although his age may against him in that regard.

Good Luck to the lad for the rest of his life and career.

Well said.

Big Knockaert fan, yes inconsistent in the PL but Trossard, Propper anyone? They haven’t exactly been models of consistency either.

Even when Knockaert is playing poorly he gives 100% rather than hide, as we know that sometimes shows itself in poor decisions (see Bournemouth).

I think he needs to be playing abroad and settle down personally.

We are lucky to have seen him at what maybe his peak. But good luck to him....


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Icy Gull]

You won’t hear me say a bad word about AK, goes down as a legend for me. Those two seasons he terrorised the Championship will always hold very fond memories for me. Look forward to giving him a standing ovation either from my seat in the stadium or a virtual one from home if he plays against us next season

 

[Goldstone1976]

I think AK was magical for us in our promotion season. His ability to jinx past defenders was sensational, and he scored some belters.

Like everyone, he has some flaws: the three I’d highlight are the fact that he didn’t really modify his playing style when it became obvious that PL defenders weren’t as naive as Championship ones were and he couldn’t jinx past them; a tendency to be too selfish; and a decent dose of sulkiness. often resulting in ill-discipline (eg Everton away).

His openness about his depression was extraordinarily brave, and I salute him for it.

At his best, he was the perfect entertainer and a magnificent Championship footballer. I wish him nothing but the best for the future and he provided some wonderful life-long happy memories. I’m glad that he’s got another chance at PL football and hope he’s learned enough from his two previous stints to make it work at this level next season (except against us, ofc).

However, I think I’ve seen enough to predict that he can’t change and that consequently he won’t quite be able to make the step up. I truly hope he proves me wrong.

Good luck Knocky - one of my all time favourite players: the great memories outweigh the less good ones by a considerable margin.

 

[marlowe]

His “bulkier” figure may be linked to his mental health problems, potentially eating and drinking more than he was before.

Not necessarily food and drink. One of the side effects of some of the medication is weight gain which rather than being lost might be converted into muscle. All conjecture of course.

 

[HCxUK]

AK's problem is that the PL is too fast paced for the way he plays, he likes to slow the game down and beat players in one vs one situations which just doesn't work as defences are generally quicker and more intelligent than in the Championship.

He's never been particularly fast and I think you'd struggle to think of many successful modern PL wide players who aren't at least reasonably fast. He's an excellent Championship footballer but just can't see him cutting it in the PL, even in a more attacking side than we were under Hughton.

 

[blue-shifted]

When I was a boy, I was obsessed with football. I thought of nothing else. I had this daydream that I was a professional footballer. I constructed this whole fantasy about the type of player I was and mapped out his career in intricate detail. This fantasy lasted for years.

The player I daydreamed of being had searing acceleration and drifted past people with mesmerising footwork. He sprinted back when out of possession to make crucial last minute challenges. He contributed goals in crucial matches. He had this amazing and visible symbiosis with the Albion fans, they loved him and he loved them.

20 years later, I as an adult was at the Amex one winter’s day when the Albion gave a debut to an exciting Frenchman. My jaw dropped. I was instantly transported back to the daydream I hadn’t had since a boy. There was the footballer player I’d dreamed of being. He existed. His name was Anthony Knockeart.

 

[Barham's tash]

His “bulkier” figure may be linked to his mental health problems, potentially eating and drinking more than he was before.

It’s not fat though. He looks over conditioned to me and it’s def hampered his game.