We need ElAbd back in the defensive midfield role

[hans kraay fan club]

play Virgo in place of Whing or Elphick who have both had a dodgy start to the season.

Riiiight. So half of the defence, that has conceded 2 goals in 5 games, have been poor? Ridiculous comments like this, together with some of your spiteful comments regarding Robinson and Loft on other threads, seriously make me wonder if you are even a Brighton fan at all.

 

[Couldn't Be Hyypia]

Think BensGrandad is on the blob at the moment. Hasn't got a nice thing to say and I usually agree with a lot of what he says.

This defence - for all that the armchair experts are picking at it - have conceded two goals so far this season, and one of those a penalty. Doesn't need fixing, but the midfield need re-balancing - focus on that old fella.

 

[e77]

I wasn't at the game yesterday but the defence has been solid all season. The problem is they are getting no protection from midfield who give the ball away too readily.

The theory behind playing El-And is he can do the dirty work while another midfielder pushes on.

 

[BensGrandad]

Think BensGrandad is on the blob at the moment. Hasn't got a nice thing to say and I usually agree with a lot of what he says.

This defence - for all that the armchair experts are picking at it - have conceded two goals so far this season, and one of those a penalty. Doesn't need fixing, but the midfield need re-balancing - focus on that old fella.

Thank you for the complement!! My views are based on the fact that whenever we are put under pressure it is down our right side. Yesterday was the prime example.

We do not have a sound established right midfielder who will track back and help Whing out and Elphick does not cover across when Whing goes forward hence he is continually exposed. Whing and Elphicks distribution is a big punt up field, perhaps playing to instructions.
MA has publicly stated that he will play Virgo come what may and I think that his best position is either central defender or right back certainly not central midfield where he looks lost. If he is going to be played we need to readjust the back line to accomodate him. I believe that Lynch is a better footballer, with more skill and the occassional bloomer than Elphick. I am concerned that Hawkins could play on his right as both are predominantly left footed.

It then follows that Whing will have to be sacrificed for Virgo to play in his best position but that is all dependant, in my eyes, on us bringing in another Chippy or Dodge.

 

[Horsham Gull]

saw Adam El Abd walking away from withdean yesterday *shockhorror* he looked very well. His injury cant be too serious (Cant for the life of me remember why he is out at the moment)

 

[Safe.]

i wish we could have loaned racon for this season.

 

[clarkey]

i wish we could have loaned racon for this season.

Hes been starting for Charlton until he did his metatarsal.

 

[Elder for England]

We need a lot of things, but I can tell you, Adam ElAbd is not one of them.

 

[Withdean Wanderer]

We need a lot of things, but I can tell you, Adam ElAbd is not one of them.

Is Doug Loft?

 

[Elder for England]

Is Doug Loft?

I'd actually go as far to say, I'd prefer him to ElAbd (and that's saying something).

 

[Withdean Wanderer]

I'd actually go as far to say, I'd prefer him to ElAbd (and that's saying something).

So you're not much of a Doug Loft fan then?

My heart is broken.

 

[Jimmy Grimble]

Thank you for the complement!! My views are based on the fact that whenever we are put under pressure it is down our right side. Yesterday was the prime example.

We do not have a sound established right midfielder who will track back and help Whing out and Elphick does not cover across when Whing goes forward hence he is continually exposed. Whing and Elphicks distribution is a big punt up field, perhaps playing to instructions.
MA has publicly stated that he will play Virgo come what may and I think that his best position is either central defender or right back certainly not central midfield where he looks lost. If he is going to be played we need to readjust the back line to accomodate him. I believe that Lynch is a better footballer, with more skill and the occassional bloomer than Elphick. I am concerned that Hawkins could play on his right as both are predominantly left footed.

It then follows that Whing will have to be sacrificed for Virgo to play in his best position but that is all dependant, in my eyes, on us bringing in another Chippy or Dodge.

Spot on BG, espicially at the end. Our side is dying out for someone like Chippy at the moment.

 

[Rookie]

move Thomson back to his natural position of defensive midfielder and stop trying to get him do things he has never done in his career i.e. be the link between midfield and forwards and for him to get in the box. Then put some one who can do that and we will be a better team

 

[Lord Large]

Don't agree.

We need a player who is willing to collect short passes off the back four and build attacks from there. Beaking up other teams' play is not so much an issue.

Not sure who we have to do that job though.

I would be looking at Fraser or Livermore just to slot into that position and start playing short snappy passes to keep the ball moving.

 

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

We certainly need somthing done about the midfield.

He took Cox and Livermore off at HT saturday but it could have been any one of the four.

Virgo and Thomson - no thanks, simply not good enough as a pair.

Virgo is a central defender, who can get by as a full back - and can be thrown up front if needed. Central midfielder he is not.

As an aside, apart from the cross at the end when we should have won the game - what did Murray do? Sorry but he looked lazy and not interested. Forster -who is much older did twice his running.

Cox - looked out of sorts - County League standard - when he did finally get free with the ball his crossing was shocking.

All in all, very poor, and we could easily have lost, but for Kuipers and Richards both of who had excellent games.

At least Adams admitted as such and will hopefully put it right.

 

[The Large One]

I'd have El-Abd and Thomson as the central midfield pairing.

Thomson, for me, is improving.

My issue is that Virgo spent so much of Saturday’s game ball-watching, and having most of the game pass him by, it meant Thomson had to partially cover his job as well.

And when Virgo did have the ball, he looked utterly lost. Either stick him in defence or not at all. And as Elphick and Hawkins are doing OK at present, I fear it would end up being the latter.

El-Abd is a ball-winning defensive midfielder whose prime job is - and he normally does this pretty well - is win the ball and give a short pass to Thomson / Cox / McLeod. No 60-yard wonderpasses straight into the dug-outs, if you don’t mind.

He is also a very good first defence in front of a very stretched back four - a back four that is in serious need of assistance from a largely missing midfield.

 

[Mendoza]

lets make a central defender play out of position cause that worked well with Virgo??

Thomson, Livermore, Fraser all play there and that is there strongest position. It is obvious Virgo and Livermore cannot play out of position, and they are both good players, so play to their strengths

An attacking option in the middle is what we need, and Loft and Cox maybe are only options there, unless we buy/loan in the next 14 hours

 

[The Large One]

lets make a central defender play out of position cause that worked well with Virgo??

Thomson, Livermore, Fraser all play there and that is there strongest position. It is obvious Virgo and Livermore cannot play out of position, and they are both good players, so play to their strengths

An attacking option in the middle is what we need, and Loft and Cox maybe are only options there, unless we buy/loan in the next 14 hours

To compare the 'out of position' credentials of El-Abd and Virgo is kind of futile.

El-Abd can play in central midfield (it's his stronger position, even if he is a decent enough centre-back). Virgo, it appears, can't.

Whether it should be Livermore instead of Thomson is another matter - we haven't seen Livermore in the attacking CM role yet.

 

[Mendoza]

To compare the 'out of position' credentials of El-Abd and Virgo is kind of futile.

El-Abd can play in central midfield (it's his stronger position, even if he is a decent enough centre-back). Virgo, it appears, can't.

Whether it should be Livermore instead of Thomson is another matter - we haven't seen Livermore in the attacking CM role yet.

I think Virgo and El Abd are pretty much the same player, same build and mould of player.
Both great centre backs, put their hearts on the their sleeves, get in the way of anything no matter how.
Both do not have any attacking flair or killer passes, and a lot of the midfield play by-passes them, and they look anonymous.

So with either of them playing in the team, they are just there to break up play before it reaches the defence, and dont seem to have an attacking role other than set pieces. This works fine, if they are next to an attacking player in the middle of midfield. But when that person is Thomson, who doesnt get forward, the combination doesnt work.

Dont get me wrong I think they are great players to have, but I dont think they are 1st choice in any position, but great COVER for a few positions.

 

[The Large One]

I think Virgo and El Abd are pretty much the same player, same build and mould of player.
Both great centre backs, put their hearts on the their sleeves, get in the way of anything no matter how.
Both do not have any attacking flair or killer passes, and a lot of the midfield play by-passes them, and they look anonymous.

So with either of them playing in the team, they are just there to break up play before it reaches the defence, and dont seem to have an attacking role other than set pieces. This works fine, if they are next to an attacking player in the middle of midfield. But when that person is Thomson, who doesnt get forward, the combination doesnt work.

Dont get me wrong I think they are great players to have, but I dont think they are 1st choice in any position, but great COVER for a few positions.

Don't really agree.

El-Abd is far more mobile, more so than the lumbering Virgo - plus El-Abd really gets stuck in, and despite his reputation, is not such a hot-head as Virgo. I don't really think the game passes El-Abd by either.

For me, I think the improving Thomson doesn't get forward at the moment because he has someone as immobile as Virgo alongside/behind him. There is a touch of the Carpenter/Hammond combination about the central midfield at the moment - both decent midfielders, but for whatever reason, couldn't get it together.

I'm not worried that neither of the Adams have that 'killer pass' within them, that's what Thomson, Cox or McLeod are there for. Put a ball-winner next to Thomson, he might be more inclined to bomb on. Win the ball, pass to a 'creative' player - that's all we want of him.