What does everyone else think about Dean Hammond?? For me; him and Chaplow should never play together if possible. They are both too similar players and ideally one of them should always play with Schneiderlin. I just don't rate Hammond much, EXCEPT our training ground corner and free kick moves which he seems to be involved in and work like a treat. Can we drop our captain??? I think so.
Hammond is like a crab - sideways and backwards , Schneiderlin is much better and more comfortable on the ball and with his passing , still don't know why he doesn't play all the time. Chaplow didn't have a great game either to be fair and was anonymous until he was taken off. As you say , Hammond is captain and he's not really going to be dropped because of it , no matter how much we want him to be. He's a fairly good midfielder for League 1 and has got better under Adkins but he wouldn't last 5 minutes in The Championship.
Hammond is a good player, however he is easily caught out and often gives the ball away, for me he's quite inconsistent, and I would prefer Chaplow to start with Schneiderlin, as I feel they compliment each other better than Hammond and Chaplow, who should be 1st choice CM IMO
Not really a patch on the talent of Morgan, who for me should pair up with Chapliw always. I feel the only reason he starts ahead of Morgan is that he is captain, a job I feel would be better suited to a more vocal character like Fonte. Anyway, there's nothing that we can do about it.
Deano's a good captain/leader but I agree with JDub that Fonte would be a perfect choice as captain , something I should imagine will be implemented at the start of next season if Nigel has sense , due to Hammond not always being guaranteed a place in the side with his mixed performances.
Have to admit Hammond seemed a bit off the pace I suppose with the extra man they had in midfield he had his work cut out. Guly was dropping back to help but if he's back in mid field he can't put enough pressure on there back line. When he was forward it made a load of difference. Hence when eventually Barney came on he was able to put considerable pressure on their back four which turned into goals. Also adding Spider and later goberne they then wilted. I though at one stage both were going to score. Hammond got better when he began to get help. I have to say the back line are not comfortable while in possession. They tend to panic when players start to rush at them, which is why they do it. That is not going to be any good if and when we are playing in the championship.
Hammond has delivered way more telling performances than any other central midfielder for us. He leads, he goes box to box, he assists, he scores. Morgan being injured seems to have done wonders for peoples memories as he was anonymous in the games up to his injury. Morgan did well coming on today and it's good we have 3 pretty good central midfielders, but the trouble with him, it's often 1 good game, followed by 3 or 4 anonymous ones.
Agree with CBK, Hammond is a great player and very underrated. Chaplow didn't give him much support today and might find himself on the bench next game due to Morgan showing some good form. I don't think Nigel would keep Hammond captain unless he thought he was up to it.
For me, Hammond and Chaplow should not play together. The midfield needs the passing ability of Schneiderlin.
I think Chaplow and Schneiderlin are a good pairing and seem more creative and attacking, but Hammond offers a physical presence and breaks play up well. He's also dangerous in set pieces and decent in the air. To be honest, I don't know which is our best centre mid pairing because they all offer something different, so I guess it depends on fitness. Chaplow looked a little jaded again today, and Hammond seemed a yard off the pace too, so I don't think they helped each other look good. Schneiderlin has been injured and is now coming back to full match sharpness so the next couple of games could feature a different starting pair - glad it's not my choice though, because I like all 3 of them for various qualities.
Hammond was one of our better players today in my opinion. A player that always gets stuck in. However I think he and Schneiderlin are too similar players. If it were my choice I would have Schneiderlin and Chaplow as starters hut Hammonds club captain and I still think he is good defensively.
I don't think they're similar at all. Hammond gets stuck in and plays simple balls, Morgan spreads passes about the field but rarely slides into a challenge.
I agree he's class Dan, but I've watched games where the team has been struggling to find a goal on a poor pitch and he has been anonymous - His skill levels will be invaluable when we move up a league, but he can't do it on a poor pitch whilst getting kicked off the park. Hammond is better in situations like that IMO and Chaplow can play with either of them when he is on form so Chaplow would be my only definite starting centre mid
Mm I suppose you've got a point there. No doubt Schneiderlin is quality on a flat pitch mind. In which case I agree with you, provided we keep seeing the Chaplow we've seen so far, rather than the Chaplow a few Preston fans warned us about.
I'm not a fan of Hammond never have been and was a bit annoyed how quickly he got the captains armband when he came here, but today I noticed how much he rallys the team he never let anyones head drop for even a secound he may not be a show stopper but he is exceptional in terms of keeping positive morale.
Morgan slows the game down for me too much. We play best at high tempo and apart from a couple of long passes to the wings, too often he gets the ball, stops, turns and then passes it backwards, getting the team no where. He has the ability, but for me, he's still only a bit part player. Until he actually takes a game by the scruff of the neck will I be convinced by him.
Its hard to know what to do with the midfield at the moment. I rate Hammond and I think he has been getting a lot better lately. Chaplow has been excellent signing but has had a slight dip in form recently and there is no denying that Morgan is class but he doesn't show it consistently enough. Personally, I would go with Hammond and Schneiderlin on tuesday then bring Chaplow on with half an hour to go
I think there is a lot to be said regarding Spiders ability on a dodgy pitch. Also as you move up a league you do often get more time on the ball which suites spider better, but not Hammond, he is only used to getting rid of the ball as quickly as he can he is not comfortable on the ball. Hence why he gives the ball away so much is, he broadcasts his move before he does it. (on his shorter passes) To compare the two players is difficult.....Spider is a French international under 21 Hammond is not. I think he has only had limited experience having only played in the lower leagues. I don't think that any one could doubt Spiders ability, although I do agree he can be in and out of games the same as Hammond. That could be inexperience as both are very young. Time well tell and hopefully when we move up a tier it could be just what both needs. Who knows?
