[Albion] What WAS Roberto thinking?

[Bakero]

I said at the start of the season and I stand by, selling Caicedo and Mac for £150m+ and essentially attempting to replace them with 2 midfielders (Dahoud and Baleba) dramatically weakened us, that’s going from a midfield that is arguably up there with the best in the league to two unknowns who aren’t ready.

I have a feeling this issue is going to reoccur this season as well, you can’t lose two players of that quality and fitness and replace them so half heartedly when you know we are going to play an unprecedented amount of games.

How would you have replaced Moi and Mac?

 

[Guinness Boy]

Someon really should have realised Caicedo was good and tried to keep hold of him. That Argentinian kid too.

Really not the issue. He’s not been replaced

 

[Littlemo]

Really not the issue. He’s not been replaced

He has been replaced, by Baleba. He just isn’t up to speed yet since he’s only been here a few weeks.

 

[Bakero]

Really not the issue. He’s not been replaced

Should've gone all in for Tchouaméni or Camavinga.

 

[nwgull]

I get that we had Gross out injured and that Baleba and Dahoud aren't quite as good as Caicedo and MacAllister. I cannot however understand the thinking behind playing an 18-year-old with 20 mins of Premier League experience alongside Gilmour today when both were available.

As for the suggestion that selling Caicedo was a stupid decision. I'm fairly sure that we didn't have much of an option in the end.

 

[Guinness Boy]

Should've gone all in for Tchouaméni or Camavinga.

I get that we had Gross out injured and that Baleba and Dahoud aren't quite as good as Caicedo and MacAllister. I cannot however understand the thinking behind playing an 18-year-old with 20 mins of Premier League experience alongside Gilmour today when both were available.

As for the suggestion that selling Caicedo was a stupid decision. I'm fairly sure that we didn't have much of an option in the end.

@Bakero the issue goes back further than that. I’m pretty sure Mwepu was signed as he had the ability to replace either Biss or Caicedo. It was unfortunate how we lost him but one raw kid from France doesn’t replace him AND Moises.

@nwgull - he was under contract- for a LONG time.

 

[The Wizard]

How would you have replaced Moi and Mac?

World class players, probably irreplaceable but I think we could have replaced them more adequately by spending half of the money we received, I think all of us can agree replacing those two with Dahoud and Baleba (no disrespect to either) is a fairly substantial downgrade.

 

[Napper]

All the changes recently have cost us momentum and been a bit over the top so early on imo . Hope this settles it down a bit

 

[nwgull]

@Bakero the issue goes back further than that. I’m pretty sure Mwepu was signed as he had the ability to replace either Biss or Caicedo. It was unfortunate how we lost him but one raw kid from France doesn’t replace him AND Moises.

@nwgull - he was under contract- for a LONG time.

He was, and we did well to get a good second half of the season out of him. I'd be surprised however if that contract wasn't signed with some sort of informal understanding that we'd let him go if offered enough, and that refusing those >100m bids would probably have resulted in him going on strike and training with the U21s.

 

[Littlemo]

World class players, probably irreplaceable but I think we could have replaced them more adequately by spending half of the money we received, I think all of us can agree replacing those two with Dahoud and Baleba (no disrespect to either) is a fairly substantial downgrade.

You are comparing new Baleba and Dahoud, with the finished (for us) version of Mac and Caicedo that left us. They didn’t set the world on fire when they first started playing either.

 

[tigertim68]

I said at the start of the season and I stand by, selling Caicedo and Mac for £150m+ and essentially attempting to replace them with 2 midfielders (Dahoud and Baleba) dramatically weakened us, that’s going from a midfield that is arguably up there with the best in the league to two unknowns who aren’t ready.

I have a feeling this issue is going to reoccur this season as well, you can’t lose two players of that quality and fitness and replace them so half heartedly when you know we are going to play an unprecedented amount of games.

Don’t forget we also lost Enoch and had not replaced him

 

[Bakero]

World class players, probably irreplaceable but I think we could have replaced them more adequately by spending half of the money we received, I think all of us can agree replacing those two with Dahoud and Baleba (no disrespect to either) is a fairly substantial downgrade.

OK, so a sign a 55 million quid player? Who? I genuinenly can't think of one who was available this summer. Imagine there was one, what are the wages?

 

[southstandandy]

As disappointing as today's performance was - It's ONLY A GAME FFS.

Yes it's annoying but if you can't take the bad days as well as the good, maybe sport is not for you.

I think there are a few on here who need to get out a bit more.

RDZ is learning a lot about his squad game by game and being where we are and still having won 5 out of 7 in the league ain't too bad in my book.

All calm here in Shoreham HQ.

 

[Bakero]

@Bakero the issue goes back further than that. I’m pretty sure Mwepu was signed as he had the ability to replace either Biss or Caicedo. It was unfortunate how we lost him but one raw kid from France doesn’t replace him AND Moises.

@nwgull - he was under contract- for a LONG time.

Of course Baleba doesn't replace Moises right now. The hope is that he'll grow into it. Replacing like for like is almost impossible when you're talking about high-end players like Mac and Moi.

The Bissouma - Mwepu - Caicedo conveyor belt was incredible really. I'd say we're doing well on the Mac - Gilmour side.

 

[Colonel Mustard]

I said at the start of the season and I stand by, selling Caicedo and Mac for £150m+ and essentially attempting to replace them with 2 midfielders (Dahoud and Baleba) dramatically weakened us, that’s going from a midfield that is arguably up there with the best in the league to two unknowns who aren’t ready.

I have a feeling this issue is going to reoccur this season as well, you can’t lose two players of that quality and fitness and replace them so half heartedly when you know we are going to play an unprecedented amount of games.

It doesn’t seem like exceptional insight to opine that losing Caicedo and Mac would weaken us. Did a single person suggest otherwise? We’ve brought in other players to help offset the loss, and in the longer term, we will get through this, but surely no one expected us to instantly be stronger without these two? Remember that Mac and Moises themselves were slow burners. You’ll drive yourself nuts if you expect to win all the time, and for everything to go swimmingly. It doesn’t, and it balances out those games, like Newcastle at home and ManU away, that I didn’t expect to win!

 

[Guinness Boy]

Of course Baleba doesn't replace Moises right now. The hope is that he'll grow into it. Replacing like for like is almost impossible when you're talking about high-end players like Mac and Moi.

The Bissouma - Mwepu - Caicedo conveyor belt was incredible really. I'd say we're doing well on the Mac - Gilmour side.

I don’t have an issue with Gilmour but he’s not a CDM.

 

[Guinness Boy]

He was, and we did well to get a good second half of the season out of him. I'd be surprised however if that contract wasn't signed with some sort of informal understanding that we'd let him go if offered enough, and that refusing those >100m bids would probably have resulted in him going on strike and training with the U21s.

Yes it would have been a risk, but would a big six team sign him from our reserves in January? He’d have done himself up.

Anyway, Tony’s the card player and it’s his money. On to Marseille I guess.

 

[Bakero]

As disappointing as today's performance was - It's ONLY A GAME FFS.

Yes it's annoying but if you can't take the bad days as well as the good, maybe sport is not for you.

I think there are a few on here who need to get out a bit more.

RDZ is learning a lot about his squad game by game and being where we are and still having won 5 out of 7 in the league ain't too bad in my book.

All calm here in Shoreham HQ.

That's where I am. Can't pretend to not be a little bit pissed off at losing esp in that manner but our players, manager and the club are learning on the job in terms of being a top-6 contender. When RDZ joined we heard that there'd be highs and lows, and so it's proved. The smooth more than makes up for the rough so far though.

 

[Bakero]

I don’t have an issue with Gilmour but he’s not a CDM.

But surely you weren't expecting an immediate Caicedo replacement?

 

[kojak]

Answers on a postcard please.

Playing Gilmour and Hinselwood in midfield against Luiz, McGinn and Ramsay has potential to be one of the most mind boggling tactical decisions I’ve ever seen at the Albion, even Mac and Caicedo struggled to contain the Villa midfield last season.

Today really highlighted our lack of proper match ready replacement for those two key players we lost, which has finally come back to haunt us. Oh and just how vital Gross is to this team.

Maybe reading too much into it but RDZ can’t be happy with the midfield we’ve been left with surely? To sell £150m of world class midfielders and not replace them is rather questionable to say the least.

Marseille