Eh? I don't think his touch is as bad as people make out. I think he messes things up by making the wrong decision at times, but I've thought lately his control at bringing the ball down has been very good. As I said, I might be missing something, that's just how I've seen it. I wasn't saying anything about systems there, and to be honest I don't know what you're getting at.
Tbh my frustration is at people thinking its simple to switch systems mid way through a season, and thinking its as simple as that. I will give you Mclean has done more than other wingers recently, but i can't honestly say i thought he was going to bring an end product to the table, and my main worry about him is that he does these horrible first time flicks all the time when there really is no need for him to do that. I think that makes his first touch look worse than it is.
End product is one of his problems. In my opinion it's the way he does things, the decisions he makes. He wants to blast the ball a bit too often when shooting and those flicks are another example of a poor decision he sometimes makes. I'm not saying he's a world beater, just that I didn't think he really deserved specific criticism.
You think Fryatt's not good enough and Mclean's got a good touch? I'm starting to think that you've got eyesight issues. He's decent at flicking the ball on with his head and he can take a ball down on his chest pretty well, it's just when the ball gets anywhere his feet that he's a bit ****ed. Most of his flick ons with his feet don't find a man and if he plays a long ball, it's a complete lottery as to which direction the ball will take, even he has no idea. His work rate is great, he can be a handful, but I think that's more useful in away games, his finishing is appalling, as he able proved with his two misses on Tuesday.
I don't think Fryatt is 'not good enough'. I've criticised his finishing a lot when he's let us down with it, but in the last two games we haven't created as many chances for him and the only one I can remember, he scored. I'm not someone who just has a static, rigid opinion on players. When his finishing is good there's nothing to complain about. The rest of his game is very good, and has been all along. All the donkey work he gets through playing up front on his own is good and apart from a couple of games in January when his goal drought was obviously getting to him, I've never had a problem with his effort. Last couple of games he's been good all round, and long may it continue. As for McLean, as I've already said twice it's just something I've noticed the last few weeks, his touch is always made a big deal of but he seems to bring it down well to me, I know exactly what you mean about the flicks though.
I don't understand how people can come on here and slag off McLean when we've got one of the most bone idle, lazy and uninterested players on the other side in Stewart. His contribution is zero and he doesnt deserve his place in the team at all.
If Brady had been available I don't think he'd have started on Tuesday and assuming Brady has made it back, I expect Stewart to make way for him on Saturday.
Is it true that Barmby and Stewart have 'had words' at training prior to the Leeds game? Can't remember if I read it on here, but sure someone intimated that Stewart went off in a strop?
Nick had a word with Stewart after training on Sunday, but I'd not heard anything about him going off in a strop. Though based on his performance on Tuesday night, the 'talking to' doesn't seem to have done much good either.
I think you said a few days ago that one of our players was unhappy that we hadn't bought any forwards in January. I know you can't name names but could we say that Stewarts dip in form might not just be physical?
I think Nick was relying on the likes of Stewart, Brady & King in the run-in and you never know they may come good. However I thought it in january and nothing has changed my mind since, that we will be too naive and light in terms of squad quality to gain a top 6 finish.
Stewart has definitely dropped in form and it is his body language that is frustrating everyone. At least with King on Tuesday, he was trying things that ironically didn't work, but he won the ball back on most times he had lost possession.
It wasn't Stewart that I was referring to with that comment, I think Stewart's problem is simply a lack of confidence. He's pulling out of everything, I can barely remember a single tackle, or block, or header, that he's made since he returned from injury. He's also stopped running at players, or running past players, like he used to before his injury, I think he needs to be dropped so he has to fight his way back.
Its not the tackles, blocks or headers thats the worry it's the fact he has stopped running at players. i do think that defenders are wise to him now though and he doesn't have a plan b. Bit like our team in general really
I remember before his injury (specifically in the Bristol City home game last season, when he first made an impact playing alongside Simpson) I was impressed with how well we has standing up to the physical players, particularly in copntrast to Devitt who was also in the team at that time. After his injury he was doing very well for the first few games, he seemed to be creating a goal every week at one point but since then he's definitely stopped running at players like you say. And if I haven't said it enough times already, he needs to get to the chuffing byline!
I'd love to see Stewart and Fryatt playing together as strikers, but there seems little chance of that.
Bore draw ? Totally Disagree withn ^^^^^^ this. I enjoyed the game and the fact that TWS could still be playing and would still be on Nil. Yes the goal scoring continues to be an issue but NB says it will get better. Lets hope he is correct. Keep the faith.
