You've been head of the Henriksen fan club since minute one, you're just seeing what you want to see and you're wrong.
This is based purely on the Sunderland first half, but he clearly never wanted the ball. Don't like to single out players, but it was a clear attitude that I saw - and others seem to have noticed it as well. I was just wondering why we had no midfield, then when you watched him, there was zero movement and he always positioned himself behind Sunderland players. I think it was very clear that he was hiding - but if you're being kind, the best you can say is that his positioning is atrocious and movement non-existent.
I didn't say you were a ****, I said you were wrong about your appraisal of his performance yesterday. People posting their opinions on football message boards, whatever next...
I think he's been doing that since day one Not 'hiding' necessarily but pointing for the ball in positions where it's too difficult to pass to him Either, as you say, it's because he's looking for a ball in front of him or, subconsciously or not, he's not confident so isn't making himself properly available I'd like to think it was the first one (didn't see yesterday's game) but if it's still going on then there is something seriously wrong with communication When I'd noticed it before he didn't seem to be looking for a ball in front of him though, he just seemed to drift away from the man on the ball and end up in a more awkward position Maybe he isn't being played where he's used to I suppose Whatever it is I obviously hope he comes good and proves everyone, including me but apart from you, wrong
He appeared to start well in January when Silva arrived and could never seem to get going after being injured. Can't fathom why both Henricksen and Larsson started together after Derby and a better side would have put the game to bed at half time yesterday. Larsson seemed to work better alongside Meyler but both he and Henricksen together seems daft. It's not being easy for Slutsky with the changes that have happened to the squad in a short space of time but he needs to shoulder the blame for odd selection and formation choices.
I said after the Burton game that he didn’t do enough, and nothing has changed since. He doesn’t want to be on the ball, and when he is he always takes the easy pass. Taking the easy pass certainly isn't a bad thing, but I remember him V Derby, every pass was backwards to Daws, never a progressive pass. Personally I want him and Grosicki out of the team, Dio on left, Irvine in centre as box to box.
In fairness Meyler's pre season was disrupted by a pretty serious injury. As for the rest of them... well they weren't here for our preseason.
Burton, sans Irvine, beat Derby 2-1 yesterday. As a round robin, that's all 3 teams winning their home game and losing their away game, with City top on goal difference. Not sure this proves anything, just thought I'd mention it. I guess we were up against 10 men.
I've always been critical of Meyler, but it was clear that he should have started ahead of Henriksen and when he did come on he was far and away our best player. I'm surprised there aren't more people on Larsson's back, I thought he looked well off the pace yesterday and Toral looked miles more up for it. One thing that does concern me is how we manage to take good players with good reputations and turn them into crap ones. Why was Henriksen good for AZ but not for us? Why was Proschwitz a confident striker at Paderborn but comes to us and looses all his finishing ability? I'd really like to know, because these labels of "he's a **** footballer" etc are bullshit, it's something we are doing to them. There's either something going wrong behind the scenes or something has happened in MH's personal life which hasn't been disclosed.
So all this about Burton been the worst team ever was rubbish then. All teams are trying to find some consistency. Leo hasn't helped himself chopping and changing unnecessarily. 3 at the back is dead in the water, for me. Let's hope he thinks so too.
Got to be 4-4-2 from now on. Meyler and Irvine to start whenever possible. Henriksen was anonymous yesterday and should be bombed immediately. Larsson has no pace whatsoever and poor Dicko ran his arse off all to no avail. He needs support from another up top. For me Campbell and Diomande should start and Dicko to replace whoever out of the 2 up front looks most tired. Slutsky has learned nothing from our 2 previous defeats and is starting to appear as a bit of a "smiling daft lad" to me personally. He is tactically naive and can't recognize when there's a problem. Finally his Opta Statistic for distance covered must be impressive as he never stands still for more than a couple of seconds.
I kept a close eye on Henriksen yesterday.. he was taking up impossible positions for his team mates to find him .. he had one shot in the first 10 minutes that's it .. nothing else .. didn't run into space .. didn't tackle .. was often guilty of gifting possession away .. no energy nothing ! So please don't try and defend the indefensible.. and it was notable how Larsson improved in the second half in comparison to how he played in the first once he had Meyler in there with him .. I've not seen one shred of evidence to suggest Henriksen is a player since he has been here and believe me I've hoped to see it because I was hoping he was the Koren type player we have missed.
If it's something we do them, then it effects them permanently, as the players who leave us because they're ****, tend to go on to be **** elsewhere.
Indeed. Fact is, playing well for AZ Alkmaar or SC Paderborn doesn't mean much at all when it comes to English football.
Well it obviously does, otherwise we wouldn't have tried to sign them in the first place. Nearly every player we sign from a lower club is a standout performer for them, they'd have to be or there'd be no point. So what happens from them being excellent at their old club to being poor at ours? These players aren't terrible, it's something that happens when they get here.
1. Derby County 6-2 2. Hull City. 4-6 3. Burton Albion 3-5 It's all bollocks. There's no way all these "good" players at lesser clubs could come here & become **** under several different managers!
Sagbo, Ramirez, Ben Arfa, Ince, even Diomande was promising, but he doesn't look anywhere near as confident playing for us. They all came with promise and a good rep and for whatever reason didn't deliver.
