Aye, that's from where all the conspiratorial nonsense stemmed. That sewed the seed. There's every likelihood, as with 95% of fan message board ITKs, that the lad was a bluffer with a healthy dose of sour grapes thrown into the mix. Our fans have latched on to it though and it's a nice stick to beat Speakman and the 'Birmingham cabal' with.
I'm in the Jobe should have been rested and Adil given a run in the team camp. Nothing personal against Jobe or his family at all, he was made a scapegoat as a lot of people could see he was struggling especially in the 10 role. We don't seem to know his best position and the coaches would move him to another position mid game rather than take the kid off. That's not good for the team or the individual. We need to pick a position for him and stick to it, if he's not having a good game (which all players have at times) then sub him for someone else.
Personally I'm not even using it as a stick to beat them. If its the kinda promise that was needed to get such a coup signing then fair enough. But will be interesting to see how it develops.
I've no problem with any of that. It's only the conspiratorial stuff, to which a lot of our fans subscribe, that I have an issue with.
It's fine if you think that, all the numbers suggest you are wrong but its fair enough, just don't suggest there's something larger at play here. Roberts and many others were abhorrent last season and much worse than Jobe was yet I never seen anyone suggest they had a clause to play in games, that accusation is only ever pointed at Jobe for some reason. Why? You take Jobe out of the team at the back end of the season when Clarke was out and you lose pretty much any goal threat. He's a work in progress with many deficiencies but he's fundamentally a better player than Aouchiche and I was screaming for Aouchiche to start from about Christmas onwards.
Jobe is technically really good, you can see it from the way he receives the ball at times and also the way he strikes the ball Where he needs to improve is knowing when to play fast and when he can take extra touches - this is very common for young CMs, they often get plenty of time in youth football but in the championship you just dont get. Positionally he is poor out of possession, he gets caught ahead of the ball too often, doesnt track runners and is slow to spot the danger areas defensively. Again these are common for young CMs, Neil used to really struggle in these areas but i feel hes really good at this now but hes only like that because hes been given time n therefore experience to learn it I personally wouldnt start Jobe, i like the thought of a CM 3 of Browne, Rigg n Neil however, id not be disappointed if Jobe starts. We just have to manage his minutes better this season
See this is where my problem is, he's not better IMO and especially not better in this supposed le bris system, we want fast transitions and to move the ball up the pitch fast, with jobe, he gets the ball and the play slows down, he takes far too long and always turns backwards with his first touch, he doesn't improve us IMO and I think there are multiple better combinations for that 3 man midfield. I'm aware le bris has only had pre-season games but I'm going off from what I've seen so far and his comments I like jobe and think he will get better but I personally think he holds the speed of our play back
pretty much my exact thoughts, my point is there was plenty of times last season he should have been dropped and naturally I think his minutes should decrease this season due to the better options for the style of play we want to play and if it doesn't and he doesn't look any better I'm not sure what is going on
The last game when Jobe and Niel came on our center midfield was a lot stronger, as well as our left hand side, Mundle was unlucky having a left winger playing behind him and not a left back. Also Hemir was a monster and held that ball up really well, be was fouled about 6 times in the 45 minutes he was on, same as Jobe, they know how to draw a foul and protect the ball.
But you need players who can receive the ball in high areas to play this way, nobody in our squad does it as well as Jobe. His speed of play will improve but it really isn't the detriment you seem to think it is, Clarke slows our play down the most in the squad (data based fact) yet nobody complains about that. He'll be starting against Cardiff, you can see how he's in the more first team based 11s in pre season.
It is the detriment I think it is, in my honest opinion we are much more free-flowing side when he isn't in midfield, Neil, Browne and Rigg/AA/Ekwah is a better option imo Also clarke's play is out wide and usually right in the final third, jobe slows it down int he middle of the park when you're meant to be getting it up the pitch quick
Agree there was a time he looked shot. But he is our biggest sellable asset. The more game time under his belt the more his value goes up. Championship experience at such a young age
Not convinced we would bring in two strikers unless at least one of Rusyn/Mayenda/Hemir are on their way permanently.
Time will tell whether his minutes will drop, jobe has massive upside so if he kicks on he will start most games as he gives us a goal threat and a bit of physicality that you need in the championship Hes still a young lad so be interesting how he does after a full yr of senior football
I think people forget this too, he’s only a year older than Rigg and gets a fair amount of stick when he has a poor game whilst Rigg can’t do any wrong to a lot of fans because he’s touted as being our academies top product. He’s also played out of position a fair bit and done a job, when Rigg was played on the right wing he looked hopeless. Difficult to get both of them in the same Xl but both have big futures and we need to manage their minutes so both benefit next season.
There is simply not enough (good) performances to suggest AA is better than Jobe, what Jobe has on his side is goals and goals that won us points - he's been effective even when he's not performed well Could AA be better? potentially.... but its all if buts and maybes
