We maintained our unbeaten run, and I confidently forecast that we'll remain unbeaten, at least until Saturday, probably beyond
Did you mean this one? https://www.posterazzi.com/the-19th...dalucia-spain-poster-print-item-varppi157264/ Very impressive!! For the record I'd like to see more of the Mara we had last Saturday. He will score yet more goals for us, I'm pretty sure about that.
He’s improving and I want to know if that’s real. He’s been far more involved last couple of games and was contributing deeper, holding up the ball and getting behind the defence v Walsall
Had to laugh on Saturday as my son said no in a frustrated way as the ball was passed to Mara…then had to change it mid-groan to a cheer as Mara turned and scored
If Mara came through our academy we would all be raving about this 21 year old breaking through into the first team. For some reason when we buy in young players at 19/20 we expect them to be the finished article and ready to come straight in and start week in week out.
and by the same token, we are probably too lenient with academy players as we are so hopeful that they will come good.. Josh Sims was the answer to everything even though he was clearly no where near premier league level.
Harsh on Sims. He played well at times, and certainly didn't look out of his depth. Started very few games but got a couple of assists iirc. Compared to the Boufal-Elyounoussi types who we kept splashing 15m on each window, he was hardly much worse. And it makes sense to have more patience with an academy player, compared to players we bring in from abroad. Every academy player that makes it to the first team, acts as encouragement to other youth players, and also makes the academy appeal to any older youngsters we try to pinch from elsewhere. In addition, you'd like to think that players coming up through the academy will likely show more loyalty and passion (not always true I know). I'll always use the Harrison Reed/Ibrahima Diallo example here. A perfect case of a club not showing faith in a youth player, and too much faith in their scouting system.
Sims was fairly quick and got the odd assist but I never really saw anything to suggest he was going to be a good player. When he did start he did nothing iirc. I wouldn't say it makes more sense to be patient with a player due to them coming from the academy or not. It's better to judge them individually on age, current ability and potential - if we do that with Mara then I think fans are way too harsh as he looks good at times and is only 21. I'm talking about fans patience and how long it takes them to turn on a player or determine that they're never going to be good enough, rather than a club. In terms of the club showing faith to the academy vs bringing in other players then I completely agree with your point and Reed/Diallo is a great example - I also think Targett would have been good for us if he stayed.
I agree about Mara btw. Happy to give him more time. But another advantage of being patient with academy lads, is that they cost relatively nothing. Who do you think will become the better player between Amo-Ameyaw - who didn't cost anything - and Sulemana - who cost 22 million, in addition to his much higher wages? Even if it were to be Sulemana, a club of our size is limited in how many 20m+ players we can sign. So if two players - one academy and one an expensive signing - perform to the same ability, you sort of have to champion the academy lad.
Agree with this. While we are on the point of Sulemana vs Amo-Ameyaw, it occurs to me that Amo-Ameyaw is a footballer with some athletic ability and Sulemana is an athlete with some footballing ability. They both have massively high thresholds, but personally what SAA does with his feet - and the dinked passes he tries to make - suggest his footballing potential is higher.
Sheffield Wed bringing in another loanee who could feature on Saturday. Canadian international from Troyes, Ike Ugbo. Already featured for Cardiff. Is there a limit to how many times a player can play Saints in one season?
I reckon Sulemana would look far more effective in a different team with a different playing style. He doesn't suit our possession-based game. Amo suits our style more, but he is several years behind in his development.
Totally disagree. I appreciate he still young and I've tried to make allowances, but for me, in the 18 months he's been here he's shown very, very little to suggest to me that he will become a regular first teamer. It's great seeing nippers come through the academy, but the same applies to them, they have to perform at some point?
I think the problem is when we bought Mara, we desperately needed a goal scoring striker. We bought one for the future and that was it for strikers.
Mara is starting to perform. Mara was never going to hit the ground running when he signed. A teenager, moving to a new country, playing in the toughest league in the world. There shouldn't have been any expectations on him last season. This season, he's had to get to grips with Martin's style of football. It took the most senior players time to adapt (look at what happened in September) so it was always going to take Mara time. He's had a very unsettled start to his time at Saints - he's playing under his 4th manager already. But I firmly believe we should keep hold of him - I really do think there's a player there. He's certainly making an impact off the bench.
That is a fair point but it's a criticism of the boards recruitment strategy rather than the player. We should be patient as it takes time for players to prove themselves. Look at Kevin Danso, we didnt think he was good enough despite the odd good moment at 20 years old and he is on the verge of signing for Bayern.
