Happy New Year to all. This is the first weekend thread of 2022 and I will do one next week but after that Im in hospital. Got the new butchers date which is for Thursday 27th, so not sure when I’ll be back on? Anyway what a strange week having 3 games on the bounce down in East London against the porn kings WHU, including the 23s game last Monday. Hoping for at least a point on Sunday but Moyes seems to have the hoodoo over Bielsa. But hoping for some better news on the injury front because we are struggling badly. 2 weeks into the transfer window and guess what, we havent signed anyone yet. Yes I know its a tough window and everyone is overpriced, but come on Victor we have been wanting a midfielder for 2 seasons and this is the 4th transfer window….. you would think some groundwork was already done on targets? Right now there are 4 clubs below us and you would hope that the relegation teams will come from them, but Ranieri at Watford has already brought in 3 players and the canny old git has stated yesterday that his team is now complete, he likes his new team, his new players complete what he wanted to do and said there is no way they will be relegated. Newcastle are spending big on anyone who will come, and you would expect them to pick up points going forward now. So not a foregone conclusion this season. We need to start scoring and picking up wins very soon as we will fall into that relegation dogfight otherwise. Usually we are getting loads of headlines about signing Noa Lang, Todd Cantwell and Nahitan Nandez, day after day after day, but this time we are seeing some new names: Ola Aina Seko Fofana Boubacar Kamara All 3 are highly rated and all at the African Nations Cup. Aina was born in London and was at Chelsea and can play anywhere in defence especially RB or LB. Fofana is known as a high energy player with 4 lungs who never stops. He can play DM or AM and Kamara is wanted by Roma, Inter Milan, Spurs and some Spanish clubs and is a highly rated DM. On top of those names the strangest one is 6’4” Kosova striker Vedat Muriqi from Lazio. This is a strange one because he has a history of scoring a goal every other game, even at International level, but as soon as he went to Lazio goals dried up. Mind you Sarri was brought in soon after and he doesnt use a No9 he uses the false 9 so no chance for Muriqi to do his thing and why he wants to leave. 2 Turkish clubs want to sign him and his wife hetes Rome so she wants out too. Who knows, but a strange one if any truth in the story
Well looks like we may have Bamford, Rodrigo and Struijk all playing some part on Sunday. Firpo also back….. Bielsa did seem a bit upset that Drameh wanted to leave so that he could play football. Bielsa said he would have thought that any player would be happy to be in a 20 man squad in the best league in the world, but accepted that the better U23s were not getting any football
Well Im betting that if Bielsa is still here next season Cody Drameh will be sold for a bunch of money. If we have a new manager he will maybe see it different?
Doesn’t sound like he’s done himself any favours… but frankly I’m not sure we’d get a bunch of money. A posey maybe. made a couple of appearances, cost us goals, not really shop window showreel performances
Drameh is a tricky one. Bielsa wants him to stay due to injuries but Drameh knows he is behind Ayling and on top of that he watches the likes of Dallas used ahead of him. If we could double his value after a successful loan and add on a large sell on fee…
From BBC Sport: Burnley's home game against Leicester City on Saturday has been postponed because of Covid-19 cases and injuries within the Turf Moor side's camp. The Premier League said it accepted Burnley's request to call the game off as the Clarets did not have enough players to fulfil the fixture. Everyone else is gaming this, about time we did.
Cost us around 1 million, maybe 1.5 million tops from Fulham. He's young, stand out at u23 level, now played PL football but the biggest positive is that there were a few clubs wanting to take him and a few wanting a buy option. That should hike the price up to around the 5 million mark with add ons quite easily. I'd happily cash in and add in a sell on fee on top.
If I’m brutally honest, I don’t blame Drameh. We bought him when he was starting to get first team games at Fulham. Ayling gets injured and he sees a midfielder start at right back ahead of him, that has got to hurt your professional pride. He only gets played as a last resort and I’m sure he got benched the next time a senior player returned (can’t remember who)? He sees that he’s well down the pecking order and how do you improve sitting on your arse. Maybe he wants to show his worth and make us realise he is our future right back
Didn’t think injuries counted otherwise we wouldn’t have played for months. Clubs taking the piss now.
I wouldn't blame the lad normally but this season, with the injuries we've got and the situation we are in? Not for me. You're leaving your mates in the lurch. "Side before self" is the club motto. Dramah has done the opposite. He should have asked to go out on loan next season.
sounds just like Niall Huggins… who we gave away for free. seriously he’s put in some good performances for the 23s which will have alerted a few clubs. But how many were really after him? I’d imagine his first team appearances would put more off than on. He maybe worth £5m in the current market… as you say, would need an auction to be more I see both sides of it. He only played youth football for Fulham and he came to a side where he knows the manager always picks players from within the squad to fill in for absentees ahead of direct replacement from the 23s. So it shouldn’t be a surprise or shock for him. Also he has finally been given his chance … and been pretty average. He’s only just turned 20, so it’s a bit early for toys out of the pram time. as I said earlier though… can’t be too critical of someone who wants game time to progress his career - he has to look after number 1.
His agent said he came here to learn and play but hasnt played this season. The facts are that we have some of the best kids in the country but they have not been played except for minutes in the 23s and some minutes in the first team for a few, the rest got no minutes in the first team. I see where Bielsa is coming from but we have all these players who haven't hardly played any football since September last year: Gelhardt who has shone but only played minutes in 5 U23 games and 5 first team game and he has played more than the rest. Greenwood Drameh Cresswell Summerville Bate Jenkins Hjelde McGurk McKinstry McCarron Allen Kenneh And people wonder why the 23s are in freefall
The victims definitely did in the cup against Arsenal last week, false negatives my arse. Klopp and Liverpool are quickly becoming the Whisky nose and scum of this era.
isn’t it the same for all clubs though Doc. Our issue primarily has been injuries to the first team, weakening the 23s? Who in the first team would you drop to play the 23s. It’s way too early for a fair sink or swim analysis considering how few minutes they have all had, but to me cresswell, joffy and hjelde were the only ones who’s performances have shouted ‘pick me’
Think the best quote today from Bielsa was: “ we give young players every chance to show what they can do yes this season due to injuries the U23s have been given more minutes than normal, but when you get the chance you must grab it and show what you can do, like Struijk and Gelhardt” think his anger let his mask slip and he probably thinks Drameh didnt show it?
