[Albion] Mats Wieffer SINGS on 5 year contract

[Withdean South Stand]

It's all just noise and venting. He will grow into the role and grow into the team - it took Baleba the better part of a full season to start performing and now he's storming. This time next season, Mats Wieffer will be a top player for us. He has a great football brain and reads it really well, but he's a yard off the pace at the moment with his passing and covering - he will catch up. He just needs game time and the fans to get off his back!

 

[PlayMoran]

Weiffer was pathetic in his attempt to defend for their 3rd goal watch it and you will see for yourself
Really weak sorry folks really poor atm but keep the faith with him whilst we drop points
He’s pony

Both Lamptey and Veltman, between them, should be tackling or at least blocking Díaz's shot.

 

[Bold Seagull]

I've just done some diagrams showing that you like to use toothpicks to poke out kittens eyes for fun. So that means it true now, right?

Goes down as one of the weirdest replies I’ve had on NSC.

 

[Beanstalk]

He's played less than four hours PL football! I can think of plenty of expensive signings who took longer to adapt (Bissouma and Baleba for example, in defensive midfield).

And I hope he does adapt! He's also not been good enough so far for a significant signing in a big spending summer.

Both things can be true at the same time and just because he's taking criticism for some objectively poor performances, doesn't mean he's a scapegoat.

 

[Pevenseagull]

I'm pretty sure that there was a rather unseemly, relentless pile on of abuse aimed at Guy Butters early in his time with us. I'm also pretty sure I was part of it. Butters ended up collecting fans player of the season, runner up twice in club player of the season and BBC sports South East player of the year.

For that reason I'll cut him some slack.

Be interesting to see what happens when he strings together a run of undeniably good performances and which NSC posters refuse to accept that they might have been a bit rash in their rush to judgement.

 

[Swimboy64]

Defo but I thought this thread was specifically about Weiffer

Both Lamptey and Veltman, between them, should be tackling or at least blocking Díaz's shot

 

[Littlemo]

Baleba's conceded two penalties this season. Those are mistakes, but he's not getting the same level of stick. Perhaps it's just recency bias, but I don't remember a load of people calling Baleba out.

I'm not saying Baleba deserves abuse, by the way, clearly not. Simply that Wieffer doesn't either.

Humans make mistakes, in fact every player in the squad makes them every single game. I bet Wieffer has made no more than anybody else out there. It's just that we generally forget about them unless they have an immediate and obvious consequence.

You have deliberately cut out part of my post to make this argument. I think my whole post pretty clearly shows I don’t think he should be getting abuse either, I’ve said he needs time to get up to speed.

I agree others have made mistakes and aren’t getting as much heat for it but it doesn’t really takeaway that people are allowed to criticise players making mistakes - not in an abusive way though.

 

[TugWilson]

I for one gave him dogs on Saturday for that "pass" but agree with those who say he deserves the time to adjust . Last night i saw something that is becoming the norm , we are incredibly slow to close down and block shots in and around our area , i hope we are working on that .

As for Matts , i`m sure he must feel as though he has let us down , he can`t be allowed to carry that around or it will ruin him - so i hope we all get behind the guy and see him turn it around

 

[hopper_182]

Goes down as one of the weirdest replies I’ve had on NSC.

I had to match the absurdity of your logic.

Bit annoyed it's only one of and not the weirdest to be honest.

 

[Bold Seagull]

I had to match the absurdity of your logic.

Bit annoyed it's only one of and not the weirdest to be honest.

My logic, someone said ‘nobody else had said other players were at fault for the Wolves equaliser’ all I said people had and even drawn diagrams. I hadn’t said that proved anything, just refuted that nobody had put that argument forward.

The only absurd thing is your response!

 

[jcdenton08]

He’s also following in the foot steps of a number of recent predecessors in his position who all looked out-of-sorts initially but improved greatly.

I hope so. I hope he’s more Baleba than Dahoud. I think my fear is that Baleba, while raw and lacking a football brain initially for his position, had all the key attributes already visible even when clearly not quite there. Namely pace, strength, dribbling.

Wieffer so far, bad mistakes aside, simply doesn’t appear to possess the attributes required to play his position in the Premier League. It all looks too fast for him.

And you can get away with not being the quickest if you have a great footballing mind, always two steps ahead with a picture of the game in your mind. He as of now isn’t showing that at all, in fact quite the opposite.

I am having Dahoud level concerns about this signing.

 

[jcdenton08]

I must be in the minority but I thought he had a good game, and he got the odd smattering of applause for his efforts at times too. I couldn’t see what he did or didn’t do for the third goal as I didn’t really see it properly.

I’d be furious with that in Sunday league with 40 year olds with hangovers.

 

[Weststander]

Baleba's conceded two penalties this season. Those are mistakes, but he's not getting the same level of stick. Perhaps it's just recency bias, but I don't remember a load of people calling Baleba out.

I'm not saying Baleba deserves abuse, by the way, clearly not. Simply that Wieffer doesn't either.

Humans make mistakes, in fact every player in the squad makes them every single game. I bet Wieffer has made no more than anybody else out there. It's just that we generally forget about them unless they have an immediate and obvious consequence.

The only winner from the hate campaign is Webster.

 

[Brian Fantana]

I hope so. I hope he’s more Baleba than Dahoud. I think my fear is that Baleba, while raw and lacking a football brain initially for his position, had all the key attributes already visible even when clearly not quite there. Namely pace, strength, dribbling.

Wieffer so far, bad mistakes aside, simply doesn’t appear to possess the attributes required to play his position in the Premier League. It all looks too fast for him.

And you can get away with not being the quickest if you have a great footballing mind, always two steps ahead with a picture of the game in your mind. He as of now isn’t showing that at all, in fact quite the opposite.

I am having Dahoud level concerns about this signing.

This is exactly where I am too. As bad as the Wolves error was, he's just not looked comfortable in any of his appearances so far, IMO. Potentially he's not sure exactly the role he's playing. If so, that's on FH I suppose. But from what I've seen he gives the ball away a worrying amount and positionally seems to be all over the place.

For someone with his price tag and experience, I was expecting much, much more.

 

[kevo]

Just watched the extended highlights as I’m away, so can’t really comment on his game other than the third goal. Just appeared to stand there and not try to prevent the shot on goal, fitness, concentration issues, no idea.

At that moment he just looked completely lost.

 

[Seagull58]

Baleba's conceded two penalties this season. Those are mistakes, but he's not getting the same level of stick. Perhaps it's just recency bias, but I don't remember a load of people calling Baleba out.

I'm not saying Baleba deserves abuse, by the way, clearly not. Simply that Wieffer doesn't either.

Humans make mistakes, in fact every player in the squad makes them every single game. I bet Wieffer has made no more than anybody else out there. It's just that we generally forget about them unless they have an immediate and obvious consequence.

One of those 2 penalties was given for the foul by the other Brighton player in the incident, not Baleba.

 

[Jim in the West]

I hope so. I hope he’s more Baleba than Dahoud. I think my fear is that Baleba, while raw and lacking a football brain initially for his position, had all the key attributes already visible even when clearly not quite there. Namely pace, strength, dribbling.

Wieffer so far, bad mistakes aside, simply doesn’t appear to possess the attributes required to play his position in the Premier League. It all looks too fast for him.

And you can get away with not being the quickest if you have a great footballing mind, always two steps ahead with a picture of the game in your mind. He as of now isn’t showing that at all, in fact quite the opposite.

I am having Dahoud level concerns about this signing.

It's definitely a speed thing. The pace of last night's game was relentless. It's something that STILL surprises me - even after seven full seasons of watching EPL matches at close quarters. And there are few teams who play the ball as quickly as Liverpool (even under Slot). One of the reasons I went last night was to watch Liverpool (I know that's heresy!). But I really, really enjoy watching quick, intelligent, skilful players - and Liverpool have them in spades. Plus, they have a relentless press which is very difficult to counter.

At times I was knackered just watching it! Impossible to imagine what it must be like playing in the middle of it all (and Wieffer's role is RIGHT in the maelstrom of the Liverpool press). He not only has to break up their play, but also take the ball from the back four (or the GK) and progress the ball, and at times find the creative pass to open up the oppo defence. He can never take a breather. It's probably the most demanding role on the pitch.

So I imagine Wieffer is absolutely shattered - I know he's a professional and all that, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if his brain was completely mashed towards the end of the game. I'm not necessarily trying to defend him, but I definitely think he's a LOT better than Dahoud. But it will take him time to adjust.

 

[Jimmy Grimble]

Some on here seem unable to separate fair, justified assessments of Wieffer’s slow start with an apparent ‘pile on’ or abuse.

The vast majority of criticism aimed at him in this thread is being done so objectively and fairly based on his performances so far.

There is no problem with highlighting concerns with a player. Personal abuse is obviously different, but I haven’t seen much of that on here.

 

[Terry Butcher Tribute Act]

Incredible how many have made their mind up about him. He was fine last night. Some good moments, some sloppy, but largely 7/10 and if Ferguson buries his chance he has a great assist to his name too.

Reading this you'd have thought he'd had a 1/10 stinker. Crikey

 

[willalbion]

I thought he did ok, he tired as the game went on, a lot of good tackles, and breaking up play. Doesn't hide, I think he'll continue to improve.