Would primarily keep them in the 'high potential developmental' category. Both only 21 years old. Puerta played about 10 games in Germany before coming here. Never played here before. The plan should have been (and probably was) for him to be eased slowly in. Burstow has hardly been given a chance, only having cameos out wide!
I'd have put Alzate in the same category until I found out today he's 26 with 100-odd games and internationals under his belt. If he's fit now he should be starting so we can see if he's any good or not.
So if Puerta is eased in gently who was our staying centre mid? Not having a go at you and it’s fair logic But who was or was supposed to be? As we bought alzate after the window closed as clearly Walter didn’t like what we had!?
So you don't think coaches make a club more or less attractive to prospective players? All I'm saying is we increasingly seemed to beat other clubs to the punch under Rosenior - at whatever position in the market we were operating at. And there has been a perceptible contrast to that under a left field, wildcard coach with questionable methods and no track record in the league. It's an observation, but it's hardly a wild one to draw an inference from.
He built himself a reputation based on his first 2 half seasons then blotted his copy book when heavily backed. Selles is in a similar position now to when we appointed Rosenior, though he is at least not a complete gamble and seems not to be the type who would manage to alienate his players, club staff, media and supporters alike -basically everyone he needs to buy-in in just a few short months.
We had got plenty of 'potentials' there, like Simons, Zambrano, Puerta, Burns an option too. I reckon we missed out on a key experienced target though, possibly one that Walter was holding out for? ... hence Alzate then coming in later.
Not only the quantity but the quality as well. None of our prem loans this year have any pedigree at the level. Granted Delap and Morton didn’t have great loans prior to us but they’d at least had a full season at the level
Exactly. He should have been (but initially lack of fitness, then the injury/ies), and now hopefully will be a big signing for us. We've only seen glimpses, but to me he looks class.
Hmmn, not really! Selles had about 12-14 years (ignoring junior type coaching) in various assistant & specialist roles, and in various countries, including the the PL. He then had 96 senior games under his belt in England in a 'manager' role, including in the PL. Intellectually at a different level too. Rosenior had a season with Brighton's U23, then a season as a specialist coach at Derby, half a season as assistant, then 12 games as a manager. Granted, Rosenior had the experience as a player on his side. Rosenior was very much a rookie, a gamble, an inexperienced coach. Selles has served way more of an apprenticeship. I see Selles as the coach that Acun should have appointed instead of Walter.
He's taken a different path having not been a player, though I think his management experience in the British game is on a similar level -depends what weight you would give his stint at Southampton I suppose. Quite possibly is at a different level academically though, and probably has more experience managing quite a diverse group of nationalities also. Its seems a far less risky appointment on paper to Walter, certainly. One I'm reasonably confident will get us organised and more competitive in the short term, which is the immediate challenge he faces.
An English born and raised full Colombian international who started his career at Orient then Brighton. I mean that's several upticks right there.
