Football League Thread 2015-16

So he's found his level in the Championship. Kinda confirms what most of us always thought of him then.

 

I still think he's a Premier League player. Our system doesn't accommodate 'a Gastón' right now but I've no doubt he could be very useful for a side with the right set-up for him. I hope Middlesbrough is that club!

 

Seeing as he's been pretty dominant in the Championship I'd say he is too good for that level

 

Totally agree. Admittedly at one point I began to wonder, as he only showed flashes of his skill in his brief appearances for Saints. But let's not mistake not fitting into the Southampton system with not good enough for the Premier League. He is a top player, perfectly fine in the PL in a team that can support his style. There are several excellent midfielders who Saints wouldn't or couldn't accommodate under the present playing style. The thing with Ramirez was, we simply wouldn't accommodate him and we wouldn't change our style to suit him more. Lost opportunity.

 

Not me.

 

Well it will happen if he plays against us, it's the law! I don't *want* him to!

 

I agree with Nigel, Mauricio and Ron about him.

 

Nor me.

 

...for half a dozen games!

Let me see him dominate for over half a season before I even entertain the thought that he is above that level. Remember, the likes of Wes Hoolahan can be 'pretty dominant' in the Championship. Some players can make the step up, others can't. But the fact is, Ramirez had three seasons with two different clubs to prove he had what it takes in the Premier League. He failed time and time again.

And now he finally starts to play a bit (albeit at a lower level - for one of the best teams), coincidentally as he is only three months away from his contract running out. What a joke.

 

We will just have to agree to disagree on him. I've always said that he is a good player, not suited to PL, and when he leaves Saints he will go on to have a good career somewhere in Europe. Could also argue that he is a luxury player who would do well at a team who have majority of possession and dominate games (like Boro are in the Champ), so at Hull last year he wasn't effective and likewise during his run of games at Saints he wasn't.

 

He's played half a dozen or so games and dominated or was highly significant in each one of them. It kind of suggests a pattern.

 

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/swindon-town-suspend-trio-pictured-7710219
Swindon suspend 3 players for being filmed using nitrous oxide.

 

I would say that's no laughing matter, but .....

 

It would be really funny if it was Bristol Rovers players.

 

If Villa, Newcastle and Sunderland get relegated and Sheffield Wednesday fails to gain promotion, five of the eleven highest-capacity stadia will belong to Championship sides.

That league is going to be nuts next year. So many clubs with huge fanbases...and so many smaller clubs doing well in the Prem.

 

Always liked Bart ... glad he's doing well for himself.

 

Off the top of my head... (in terms of 'big' or high-profile clubs now - or soon to be - in the Championship)

Aston Villa
Newcastle United
Sunderland
Sheffield Wednesday
Derby County
Nottingham Forest
Leeds United


Then you've got the likes of Birmingham City (recent League Cup winners and European qualifiers), European Cup winning Ipswich Town (albeit a while ago), Premier League winning Blackburn Rovers and even the likes of Wolverhampton Wanderers.

I love the Championship, until this season it had been more unpredictable and exciting than the Premier League.

 

Should really be more Championship matches televised at times when they aren't up against the PL. Really could do with more exposure

Additionally, I think that it's good for player development overall. Second-tier clubs with considerable resources and good facilities make for good incubators of young talent, whether their own or those on loan.

 

I'm sorry but I have to laugh a bit at this. I thought we'd done this debate to death. I don't understand this need to keep giving him benefit of the doubt. He had enough chances with us, he showed some good touches but he just couldn't sustain it over 90 minutes. It had nothing to do with him not fitting into any system.

 

Err, yes it did. And please don't apologise.

FWIW, only yesterday on Radio 5, the Boro commentator and pundit were talking about Ramirez running the show since he arrived at The Riverside and that he was a clear class above every other player on the field.

Now your go.