[Albion] Neal Maupay...SIGNED FOR EVERTON.

[zefarelly]

We’ve just had a long unbeaten run, beaten Spurs and Liverpool and lost a game to a bit of daylight robbery. I doubt sacking Potter has ever been further from Tony’s mind. He certainly isn’t going to do it over a single player’s selection.

No of course not . . . . 2 things here though, firstly, threads and more specifically posts get taken out of context, over analysed by people with nothing better to do, everything gets nasty and it's all of a sudden a horrible place. ( more often than not these days, the fact we have a bear pit is testimony to that)

Secondly, our record last season was barely if any better than previous, and this season is worse. Theres is an highly valid discussion to be had with pro's and cons on both sides for change, be it tactics, formation, players and even manager. . . .But, like most Brexit related discussions , there is absoulutely nothing in the middle and toxicity reigns supreme.

 

[herecomesaregular]

What is he up to these days? I still remember Rivaldo saying "England are shite but Heskey would be good for us", I was a bit surprised at the time but looking at old games now I've come to appreciate that Heskey was a very good footballer.

Without using google I thought he was back at Leicester, maybe even coaching the ladies, definitely he's widened out a bit! I always liked him for England but erm, he didn't score enough....

edit - checked, yes he's coaching Leicester's ladies team in the art of not scoring.

 

[Bodian]

We’ve just had a long unbeaten run, beaten Spurs and Liverpool and lost a game to a bit of daylight robbery. I doubt sacking Potter has ever been further from Tony’s mind. He certainly isn’t going to do it over a single player’s selection.

The main reason we had that run is not because we scored more, but because we let fewer in. A goal a game is fine if you concede less. Last night was a good example - we could have prevented both goals, we would have won, and we'd all be happy.

 

[Swansman]

Without using google I thought he was back at Leicester, maybe even coaching the ladies, definitely he's widened out a bit! I always liked him for England but erm, he didn't score enough....

edit - checked, yes he's coaching Leicester's ladies team in the art of not scoring.

Oh yeah I remember that eternal discussion about Heskey not scoring. Then once he was out of the team, people were pretty quick to miss him. I've always found that player type fascinating because you have to really look deep to see what they bring to the team.

 

[Ethelwulf]

Miss a lot of chances

 

[Weststander]

Last night was clearly not mainly down to Maupay but in the cold (sober) light of day, I do think he really does need a break from the starting 11 for a bit and Welbeck or Connolly (Welbeck would be my personal choice) need to start a run of games so they can get a bit of form and fitness and to be able to build a relationship with Trossard and Mac Allister.

One defence of Maupay's poor scoring return is that he works hard and contributes to the overall team effort and that scoring goals is not the only part of his game. I would go along with the hard work and for a couple of games recently he played a lot better and linked well with Trossard and Mac Allister and I thought he might be turning a corner. But for such a good team player and our main attacking focal point, he's the striker who starts the vast majority of games in a team creating hatfuls of chances each match. And from 24 games, as well as only scoring the 4 goals from open play (including just 1 from open play in his last 10 games and 3 including penalties in his last 19), he has also only contributed just 1 assist all season. Putting his poor finishing aside for a moment and looking at this only, he is also not contributing enough in this area.

As a comparison, looking at the other players who usually start in attacking positions for us, Trossard has 4 assists, Gross has 4, Lallana has the same as Maupay - 1 - but from much fewer starts and minutes on the pitch. Mac Allister has 1 assist again from half as many games and much fewer minutes than Maupay.

Just picking out the strikers from teams around us, they all have more assists from fewer games despite (with the exception of Leeds) their sides not having as much of the ball or creating anywhere near as many chances as us: Callum Wilson (21 games) - 5 assists; Patrick Bamford (24 games) - 5 assists; Che Adams (23 games) - 4 assists; Danny Ings (19 games) - 3 assists; Pereira (21 games) - 3 assists; Mitrovic (18 games) - 3 assists.

His technique can be really poor and his decision making is way off. Even when his passes find the man, they are usually delivered at the wrong speed or on the wrong side and if he's got two choices to make, you can almost guarantee he will make the wrong one at the moment as well as not being able to execute it. I'm getting really frustrated watching the positions he's taking up too, his spacial awareness is not good.

As I've said before, I think the stats are catching him up and we desperately need a change up front, not just for one game but for a few to give someone else a chance and see if it does make a difference which I think it will.

This.

1 assist in 23 appearances, in a team otherwise creating chance after chance, for a forward is poor.

 

[Frankworthington]

Was he a Potter pick or another gem the recruitment Department unearthed?

The reason i ask is as a previous poster stated,he seems to play better when the ball is released early and in front of him.

 

[twickers]

It really is hard to take a striker out of the starting line up and expect that drive better outcomes. Loan out yes, if you can afford to do that, but it's a big gamble to take a striker with the mentality Maupay has and hope it changes his performance for the better.

 

[Swansman]

This.

1 assist in 23 appearances, in a team otherwise creating chance after chance, for a forward is poor.

He would have more if his comrades had any intention of putting the ball into the goal. His xA (expected assists) is in the top 30% of the forwards in the league (Maupay got 0.13 per game, Harry Kane is no 1 with 0.23), not excellent but pretty far from just 1 assist in 23 games, and his SCA (shot creating actions) are in the top 17% of the PL strikers (Maupay 2.93 per game, Kane 3.37). But he cant assist if others cant score. He is part of the team that is "creating chance after chance", not "otherwise creating chance after chance".

 

[peterward]

Can someone please help me with this?

He gets paid tens of thousands of pounds a week, wears our beloved badge, plays at the Amex, kicks a football about every day at Lancing and his finishing is about as shit as yours.

admit it, you're just jealous!

 

[peterward]

He’s a one goal EPL goal every 4 games striker. I can’t see a 24 year old drastically improving on that, but would love to be proved wrong.

He works tirelessly and can hold the ball up to an extent, the best of our strikers at doing that.

If TB aspires for the club to be consistently top 10, that won’t be with Maupay as our best striker imho.

He's not even good enough as a top 10 squad player unfortunately. If we go down he's going to be good in the Championship, if we dont go down, wouldnt be upset
if club sacked him off. Andone is better.

 

[Weststander]

He would have more if his comrades had any intention of putting the ball into the goal. His xA (expected assists) is in the top 30% of the forwards in the league (Maupay got 0.13 per game, Harry Kane is no 1 with 0.23), not excellent but pretty far from just 1 assist in 23 games, and his SCA (shot creating actions) are in the top 17% of the PL strikers (Maupay 2.93 per game, Kane 3.37). But he cant assist if others cant score. He is part of the team that is "creating chance after chance", not "otherwise creating chance after chance".

Not scoring in 6, 1 assist all season.

Sadly out of form.

 

[Swansman]

Not scoring in 6, 1 assist all season.

Sadly out of form.

He would have had more assists if someone scored on the great opportunities he is giving his teammates every game. But I've already had this discussion tonight and wont go over it all again so just keeping it simple: Maupay got similar number of goals as Martial, Gabriel Jesus, Foden etc. Trossard do not have similar number of goals as Rashford, Sterling, Salah etc, and Lallana/Mac do not have similar number of goals as Gundogan or Fernandes. I'm heading to sleep now and will return tomorrow to reply to the mandatory "but in 1973 the striker scored more than the wingers and midfielders and thats how it always needs to be because Clough said so in 1979" reply.

 

[Munkfish]

Quite honestly id be fine if we played without a recognised striker.

 

[Weststander]

He would have had more assists if someone scored on the great opportunities he is giving his teammates every game. But I've already had this discussion tonight and wont go over it all again so just keeping it simple: Maupay got similar number of goals as Martial, Gabriel Jesus, Foden etc. Trossard do not have similar number of goals as Rashford, Sterling, Salah etc, and Lallana/Mac do not have similar number of goals as Gundogan or Fernandes. I'm heading to sleep now and will return tomorrow to reply to the mandatory "but in 1973 the striker scored more than the wingers and midfielders and thats how it always needs to be because Clough said so in 1979" reply.

What’s your view on the considered posts in this thread from several supporters of GP, that Maupay isn’t the striker/forward ‘to take us forward’? Not just based on a dearth of goals and assists, but poorly weighted passes at key moments. That this may well be a Maty Ryan situation, where a lot of supporters see no wrong, but GP decides otherwise.

 

[Not Andy Naylor]

What’s your view on the considered posts in this thread from several supporters of GP, that Maupay isn’t the striker/forward ‘to take us forward’? Not just based on a dearth of goals and assists, but poorly weighted passes at key moments. That this may well be a Maty Ryan situation, where a lot of supporters see no wrong, but GP decides otherwise.

I have been thinking along similar lines. It was a big decision to replace Ryan with Sanchez, but Potter made it and it has turned out well. So why will he not take what would seem to be an easier decision to take Maupay out of the firing line? Or rest him for a few games. Even Peter Ward was dropped once.

 

[vagabond]

I have been thinking along similar lines. It was a big decision to replace Ryan with Sanchez, but Potter made it and it has turned out well. So why will he not take what would seem to be an easier decision to take Maupay out of the firing line? Or rest him for a few games. Even Peter Ward was dropped once.

Exactly. Another reason to like GP, he’s not afraid to trust young players. If a striker is tearing it up for the u23’s he’ll get a chance.

You have to think the reason he’s not changed Maupay is because he’s our best option currently.

 

[Swansman]

What’s your view on the considered posts in this thread from several supporters of GP, that Maupay isn’t the striker/forward ‘to take us forward’? Not just based on a dearth of goals and assists, but poorly weighted passes at key moments. That this may well be a Maty Ryan situation, where a lot of supporters see no wrong, but GP decides otherwise.

I think a better & different striker will eventually need to come in.

As for "a Maty Ryan situation", Ryan was one of the worst keepers in the PL according to pretty much any metric. Maupay is very far from the worst striker in the PL.

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

Exactly. Another reason to like GP, he’s not afraid to trust young players. If a striker is tearing it up for the u23’s he’ll get a chance.

You have to think the reason he’s not changed Maupay is because he’s our best option currently.

We have a pretty poor bunch then.....

 

[BrianWade4]

Trouble is, he’s the best we’ve got

I’d rather him than Connolly, Tau, Zeqiri

Welbeck I suppose but he never seems fully fit

Maybe we play no striker and have Trossard there instead