Your predictions for the Albion's upcoming transfer window.

[Exile]

Disagree. He is a solid, physically very strong, committed and mobile full back with quality delivery on his left foot. Defensively he rarely gets beaten, stops more crosses than he doesn't and has made some pretty critical blocks of late.

If we use Bruno as comparison then obviously it's a pointless discussion, as Bruno is such a cultured footballer whereas Bong is a bit 'rough around the edges'. That said he does have certain attributes over Bruno and indeed over Rosenior. For all of Bruno's quality, correct me if i'm wrong, he is yet to chalk up an assist this season? Whereas Bong, from memory must have a handful.

He has not misplaced passes as you describe unless you count long balls down the left which haven't paid off. His primary weakness is being pressed and caught in possession and being forced inside on his right foot, which teams have identified, often with 2 forward players closing him down and limiting his options very quickly. This is not a slight on the player, they just know if they do that to Bruno he can play his way out of it. This often results in Bong playing it safe by passing back to LD/DS and cue people calling him shit.

I love Liam Rosenior, he's a quality all-round footballer and his professionalism is really something to admire, but to describe him as a shoo-in for Bong is just bollocks and i'm almost entirely certain that CH rates Bong very highly based on his physicality alone.

You make a very good case, so fair play.

I'm absolutely no harsh critic of Bong - I think he's decent. this discussion has come from me describing his form as 'patchy of late'. I think that's pretty fair. Very good in patches - second half v Fulham, Pretty ropey in patches - first half v Villa. But whether it be via careless passes, or as you say, getting caught in possession, he DOES give the ball away more often than I would like, so in my opinion, Rosenior would take the spot, if fit.

(Which he isn't, so its a rather moot point!)

 

[Nixonator]

You make a very good case, so fair play.

I'm absolutely no harsh critic of Bong - I think he's decent. this discussion has come from me describing his form as 'patchy of late'. I think that's pretty fair. Very good in patches - second half v Fulham, Pretty ropey in patches - first half v Villa. But whether it be via careless passes, or as you say, getting caught in possession, he DOES give the ball away more often than I would like, so in my opinion, Rosenior would take the spot, if fit.

(Which he isn't, so its a rather moot point!)

No doubt, there is certainly justified critcism of him, particularly in our last 2 games but I maintain he is our best LB if everybody is fully fit.

I wouldn't say that you have unjustly criticised him at all (and there is alot of that going around lately), I just disagree that LR should replace him.

 

[Marshy]

No doubt, there is certainly justified critcism of him, particularly in our last 2 games but I maintain he is our best LB if everybody is fully fit.

I wouldn't say that you have unjustly criticised him at all (and there is alot of that going around lately), I just disagree that LR should replace him.

Team LR here, as much a like Bong.

 

[Big_Unit]

Disagree. He is a solid, physically very strong, committed and mobile full back with quality delivery on his left foot. Defensively he rarely gets beaten, stops more crosses than he doesn't and has made some pretty critical blocks of late.

If we use Bruno as comparison then obviously it's a pointless discussion, as Bruno is such a cultured footballer whereas Bong is a bit 'rough around the edges'. That said he does have certain attributes over Bruno and indeed over Rosenior. For all of Bruno's quality, correct me if i'm wrong, he is yet to chalk up an assist this season? Whereas Bong, from memory must have a handful.

He has not misplaced passes as you describe unless you count long balls down the left which haven't paid off. His primary weakness is being pressed and caught in possession and being forced inside on his right foot, which teams have identified, often with 2 forward players closing him down and limiting his options very quickly. This is not a slight on the player, they just know if they do that to Bruno he can play his way out of it. This often results in Bong playing it safe by passing back to LD/DS and cue people calling him shit.

I love Liam Rosenior, he's a quality all-round footballer and his professionalism is really something to admire, but to describe him as a shoo-in for Bong is just bollocks and i'm almost entirely certain that CH rates Bong very highly based on his physicality alone.

I agree with much of that. It would be wrong to describe Bong as being "shit" - I like him a lot defensively. He's a good athlete with a sound positional sense (he's good at manoeuvring a winger into a place he doesn't want to be).

But his passing is really not very special at all. Bruno shanks one into the stand twice a season. Bong does it twice a game. Having the skipper - who is a MAGNIFICENT footballer - as the other full back does mean Bong suffers very easily by comparison. So would Rosenior.

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

I don't know if I'd be so kind as to call it bold either.

All you're saying is the club will buy a striker.
Any 1st team striker will smash the Albion's transfer record which currently stands at somewhere between £2.5 and £4.5m.

Let's just sign someone for a fee first. My own personal feeling is that whoever comes in, (providing somebody does), will only be a loan signing until the end of the season, just to help us get over the line.

 

[kentgully]

Are they pals ?

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

I do not think that Bongs place in the team is in any doubt whatsoever if CH was concerned about him Pocognoli would have been pushed on. When fit I see LR as being on the bench to cover most defensive positions or to be brought on to hold a lead and even used as a defensive midfielder in some away games.

That's my take on it too.

 

[matski_98]

What with all the speculation around linking Roger Marti with us, I'm sure a scout will be in attendance.

He has a similar line of goal celebration to Baldock so would make ideal cover/competition.

 

[matski_98]

But his passing is really not very special at all. Bruno shanks one into the stand twice a season. Bong does it twice a game. Having the skipper - who is a MAGNIFICENT footballer - as the other full back does mean Bong suffers very easily by comparison. So would Rosenior.

Bong has 4 assists so far this season according to WhoScored and a 75% pass success ratio. Bruno has 83% and 1 assist.

https://www.whoscored.com/Regions/2...ayerStatistics/England-Championship-2016-2017

 

[Stat Brother]

Let's just sign someone for a fee first. My own personal feeling is that whoever comes in, (providing somebody does), will only be a loan signing until the end of the season, just to help us get over the line.

Ordinarily I'd agree with that, but not for this current squad and their position.

This mythical loanee, that we talk of, is incredibly unlikely to have any of the attributes needed by a team staring down the barrel of top, with such an obvious gaping hole in the squad.

- They would have played very little first team football, this season.
- They might not have played at all.
- He could well be coming to the end of his career, or quite the reverse.

Nobody is lending anyone a regular first team playing goal scorer.

With only half the season left for much of this squad to finally get promotion, January onwards isn't the time to be bringing in a player needing some form of 'help'.

That would be fine, if the club were top 10 with strikers who have a decent track record of fitness.
Remembering back to Hemed and Murray playing together clearly says this isn't a position that ought to be gambled with.

Spend the money, deal with the market, get 'the' striker, and hope for the best.
If nothing else yet another failure won't result in a second summer (and autumn) of 'what might have been' naval gazing.

 

[Machiavelli]

Disagree. He is a solid, physically very strong, committed and mobile full back with quality delivery on his left foot. Defensively he rarely gets beaten, stops more crosses than he doesn't and has made some pretty critical blocks of late.

If we use Bruno as comparison then obviously it's a pointless discussion, as Bruno is such a cultured footballer whereas Bong is a bit 'rough around the edges'. That said he does have certain attributes over Bruno and indeed over Rosenior. For all of Bruno's quality, correct me if i'm wrong, he is yet to chalk up an assist this season? Whereas Bong, from memory must have a handful.

He has not misplaced passes as you describe unless you count long balls down the left which haven't paid off. His primary weakness is being pressed and caught in possession and being forced inside on his right foot, which teams have identified, often with 2 forward players closing him down and limiting his options very quickly. This is not a slight on the player, they just know if they do that to Bruno he can play his way out of it. This often results in Bong playing it safe by passing back to LD/DS and cue people calling him shit.

I love Liam Rosenior, he's a quality all-round footballer and his professionalism is really something to admire, but to describe him as a shoo-in for Bong is just bollocks and i'm almost entirely certain that CH rates Bong very highly based on his physicality alone.

There's much in here I agree with about Bong, but where I disagree is that there have been far too many misplaced passes. It happened again on Saturday (where he wasn't alone, but in terms of passing he was probably the worst culprit), and was very prominent for the first five or so games this season (with one particularly shocking occasion when he was teamed up with Murphy on the left -- perhaps it was Brentford), although he did reduce that thereafter and has run into a good run of form.
I'll leave CH (a left-back as a player and, more importantly, a fine manager) to ascertain who he wants to play at left-back once LR is fit again. The fact that Bong is keeping Pocognoli, with c20 caps for Belgium, out of the team says something about how he rates Bong.

 

[Machiavelli]

Ordinarily I'd agree with that, but not for this current squad and their position.

This mythical loanee, that we talk of, is incredibly unlikely to have any of the attributes needed by a team staring down the barrel of top, with such an obvious gaping hole in the squad.

- They would have played very little first team football, this season.
- They might not have played at all.
- He could well be coming to the end of his career, or quite the reverse.

Nobody is lending anyone a regular first team playing goal scorer.

With only half the season left for much of this squad to finally get promotion, January onwards isn't the time to be bringing in a player needing some form of 'help'.

That would be fine, if the club were top 10 with strikers who have a decent track record of fitness.
Remembering back to Hemed and Murray playing together clearly says this isn't a position that ought to be gambled with.

Spend the money, deal with the market, get 'the' striker, and hope for the best.
If nothing else yet another failure won't result in a second summer (and autumn) of 'what might have been' naval gazing.

Now this I do agree with. You were a bit down in the dumps a month or two ago, and things have transpired OK haven't they? But that gamble is unlikely to pay off for too long, so roll on 1st January.

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

5 games until the transfer window opens and we can get that striker in.

 

[GT49er]

5 games until the transfer window opens and we can get that striker in.

..........from Southern Trains?

 

[SeagullinExile]

just the obvious one really. David Villa in during the winter break in MLS so he can spend the winter with his pal Bruno ;0)

I'm sorry. But this would be sticky pants territory for me

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

So it's looking like

IN:
Tex ?
Striker


OUT:
Elvis
LuaLua ?


Current squad : 26 players
After window shuts : 26/27 players ?