Neil in immediately for me. First half was really flat and we missed him a lot IMO. The OG helped and we kicked on. But Neil back in and Browne will have to be benched. Great option to bring on though.
i think the best thing to do with 'the three amigos' would be to leave one of the three out each week so they get a bit of a rest during the season, we have enough cover who will come in and do a good job...so basically, all three play week one then for the next three games they take turns having a break. while both rigg and jobe just want to be on the pitch they are still young lads getting used to the mans game, neil has had plenty of these games but i honestly feel a break along the way will do them the world of good, of course, RLB will do it his way but i would like to see this, maybe even increase it around the pitch.
I agree, but felt we were missing his skills further up the field. I would have preferred Browne to have taken the deeper Neil role. An interesting conundrum for RLB. It's a great time to be following the lads.
Agreed, It's not a stretch to describe Isidor as Wish Thierry Henry. Wenger wouldn't have used Henry as 'just' a wide player. It'll need some adjustment to compensate, but he looks well-suited to playing centrally to me.
One thing I want to see more of from RLB is usage of subs. Thus far he's been relatively slow to use substitutions. For squad harmony, for energy levels, for sharpness, for player development I'd like him to use more subs - and use them earlier. Hopefully with the new players arriving he's more confident in doing so while maintaining the standard of the XI on the pitch.
That was what clicked for me while watching the game last night, mind. Didn't like the central three and felt we were far too soft in there. But what benefits SAFC more? Winning/drawing an unimportant U21 game? Or putting young players in unfamiliar situations (as it was for Watson, Kelly and Jones last night) and letting them work out how to cope - and eventually (hopefully) thrive? Definitely the latter.
He's a bit like Ekwah for me, pleasant, ready smile and seems a nice bloke, I'm really disappointed Ekwah hasn't given us everything he's got, but that's football. Wilson can become a fans favourite very quickly if he hits the ground running. looking forward to seeing him on the pitch regularly.
Really intrigued to see Ahmed Abdullahi as he's been described as a proper centre forward, with the fee we paid too, seems promising
I agree. We haven’t had much option from the bench though of good players so far. He also likes to win games by a few and doesn’t give up if a few goals up. I think all the new signings will get games
I'd tend to say that he's had more options than he's been willing to use up till now, but I'm happy enough for him to build up trust over time. Defo needs to use these players more though, as time goes on. We've got a squad that remains pretty massive and they won't stick around at SAFC unless they are given opportunities to develop.
I believe the Roadrunner can run... has a few tricks as well, I'm sure I saw him meg one of the defender's last night
you dont change a winning team, it's neils own fault he got suspended and has dropped out. It's not a slight on the lad either, it's just finally competitive in the middle and it's arguably a good position to be in.
Koeman This should’ve been Southgate’s response when Henderson went to Saudi… please log in to view this image
Yeah I can imagine. He's made noises about wanting a tight core of players he trusts. However, at SAFC right now I don't think he can only work with a group of 16 or so key players. It works against our ability to develop players IMO. Also means that any player losses are more keenly felt.
He's also said several times that it's a very long season with 46 games and a decent size squad is vital.
Just noticed - Mepham has only played 66 minutes of football since the back end of March He may take some time in getting up to speed…
In his first season at Lorient he got 25 points from the first available 30, then they really just fell away from there. I don't know so it's pure speculation but I do wonder if a bit of fatigue set in from using such a small core of players and not using substitutions adequately. If so, then hopefully he's learnt his lessons as the Championship is a far more demanding league than Ligue 1 in terms of the schedule. I'm concerned still about the size of the squad, it's going to take some very decent management to keep everyone happy and engaged and to maintain the excellent team spirit we have currently in the group as a whole.
