Has Ji Gone Wrong?

Seems MoN has faith in him, but has also stated what many on here have been saying.."he needs game time or go on loan time".

Maybe a season long loan, next season...................even as a publicity stunt, it would be very worthwhile if he was to become a success..






MARTIN O’Neill admits he would have allowed Ji Dong-won to leave the Stadium of Light on loan this season if Sunderland had greater strength in depth.

But the Black Cats boss still believes the South Korean has a big future on Wearside as he becomes better acclimatised to the demands of English football.

Ji has enjoyed a mixed first season in the Premier League after last summer’s move from K-League outfit Chunnam Dragons – making just one start for the Black Cats and only five appearances from the bench since O’Neill succeeded Steve Bruce.

While the 20-year-old produced one of the moments of the season with his winner against Manchester City on New Year’s Day, he was also guilty of the campaign’s most glaring miss after blazing over from four yards at Blackburn Rovers in midweek.

But O’Neill has been impressed by Ji’s ability on the training field and just regrets that he couldn’t have allowed the striker the chance to further his first-team experience on loan.

O’Neill told the Echo: “In an ideal world, it would be great for Ji to have gone out on loan for a month or so to somewhere he could have played three or four consecutive games. But we just can’t afford to do it because of the size of the squad.

“I didn’t know a lot about Ji when I first came here, but I think I’m in a position now to talk about him. Technically, Ji is very, very good. He’s got really good control, can receive the ball and he’s got a good touch.

“It’s just a case of him learning the ways of the Premier League and get used to a very different style of football than to what he was used to in South Korea.

“He certainly has the natural talent in abundance and I’m sure he will go on to be an important player for us.”

Ji made the bench for the first time in five games on Tuesday night and could lose his place in the matchday squad again tomorrow with Stephane Sessegnon back at O’Neill’s disposal.

But O’Neill believes the likes of Ji and fellow summer buys Connor Wickham and James McClean will benefit from working with one of his former players, ex-Celtic winger Steve Guppy, who is conducting one-to-one technical sessions with Sunderland’s rookies.

“Everybody wants Ji to do well and he’ll benefit from the extra coaching he’s getting from Steve Guppy,” added O’Neill.

 

Game time will do it BUT are we good enough to give him that time.

We have imo better players but he does seem to have natural talent which will only come to the fore with matches.
Still think he was purchased for commercial reasons but for the city goal alone I would give him another contract. Magnificent noise when that goal went in.

 

I think JI has potential. He does have a good touch but he barely speaks the language, has no confidence and for English strikers it's hard enough to just come into a team of the bench and make an impact, next season loan him out and let him get used to the pace and physicality, I've got a feeling the lad will come good

 

Lets not forget he also spent some time at Reading where he couldn't get a game.............granted he was young....

Time will tell on this one....


How-ever MoN stated he couldn't go on loan due to numbers in the squad....but he has deemed to let Noble go (who many of you rate highly).

Would it not have been better the other way round, Ji on loan and Noble stayed?..........guessing the manager rates one and not the other.

 

The Noble one is very strange - me and Cest have both been singing the lads praises for some time - maybe there is something not quite right with him where the team are concerned?? There musy be something as he is the most natural finisher I've seen at Sunderland since SKP - I'd have him in the squad from what I've seen of him on the Reserves and U18's etc - but MoN obviously looks a little deeper into these things than I do and sees something we don't

 

I think all that shows is that MON rates Ji alot more than Noble and thinks he can offer more this season. I think Ji looks canny but its hard to look great when all you get is a 5 minute cameo. I think if he'd started as many games as Bendtner he'd have just as many goals, maybe more.

 

Personally I think for all of next Ji and Wickham should both be loaned out for the full season. They are only young lads they need game time then they can come back for the 2013 pre-season and try and win a place in our squad.

MoN can then assess them both, if they are ready then include them in the squad if they aint either give them another half a season out onloan or sell

 

I've been very us front about why I think Ji was brought here and it's not for his football ability. I get a bit pissed off that the likes of Lynch and Noble are overlooked for first team appearances, to allow a lad who has little or no previous history playing any standard of football, a run out.

He will never make a top flight footballer as long as he has a hole up his arse. Imo.

He doesn't even look like if might. I'd sooner see Wickham given more time, as Ie actually cost us £8m in the summer and imo has all the attributes to make it. He has also knocked in a canny few championship goals for Ipswich over the last 2 years as well.

 

Ji, apart from that miss, made a bigger impact than Campbell against Rovers when he came on. He looked good on the ball and his passing was not too shabby - in fact he looked good considering the amount of games he has played in so far.

Noble has made NO impact at the clubs he has been loaned to so far, and that speaks more than his reserve game goals do. Lets see how well he does at 'Pool. Same for Tounkara who has just been loaned back to Oldham - seems like a target man right up MON's usually street.

I dont know about Lynch, so will make no comment.

Cook and Knott look like the youth players with the most potential at the moment based off the loan reports.

 

Has Ji Gone Wrong?

I'm not too sure about him to be honest, but I will say that the OP deserves fantastic credit fot the title of this thread: bloody brilliant marra..

 

Still think Ji looks more of a prospect than Whickam from what I've seen so far. One bad miss and people are questioning him. At least he can control a ball, something sadly Whickam hasn't shown yet

 

see like me you have been upsetting mags so have some rep mate, makes me sick the mags see it as a weapon, and not as appreciation as was meant by peers