D0 you mean FA Cup? Good point on the big teams - they can afford to rest players and generally make it through to the final whereas clubs like ours cannot but do. Europa league has a spot in the Champions league for the winners now I think.
Why do you think Bournemouth's defence options are "far better" than ours? If we look at goals against, they have let in 9 goals more than us after half a season. We go many games with only allowing the opposition a few chances. On paper we have the 9th best defence in the division, and I think that is a reasonable reflection of where it is. Everton and West Ham have conceded more than we have, too. Why do you think they are "miles better", although I acknowledge that stats alone do not paint the whole picture? It isn't a popular view, but I think our defenders are not given the credit they deserve on here. Too many jump on individual mistakes as a blanket condemnation of their abilities. Yes, they do make more individual mistakes than world class defenders, but they generally defend very well as a unit.
Our first choice centre backs are decent enough. Our full backs are fine now. Where we are atrocious is our centre back cover - Mariappa, Prodl, Britos. Any of those in the team long term (and heaven forbid two of them) and we’d be in serious trouble. To be fair on reflection Bournemouth is also very light after Ake and Cook. In terms of stats having Doucoure and Capoue in front of them obviously helps the goals against column.
Our only consistently good centre half this year has been Cathcart. Very consistent and rarely makes a mistake. I think if we want to push on, we need to find a new partner for Cathcart, and have Maps and Kabasele as backup.
Every time I’ve seen him since that injury last season he’s been slow and cumbersome. There was a game for Austria against Bosnia where he was turning like an oil tanker. Just can’t see him being the answer anymore and fear he will be hard to shift on his extended contract. Plus isn’t he injured again now?
Yes I’d love us to invest in a proper first team centre back to fight it out with Cathcart and Kaba. Then have a prospect as 4th choice (was hoping that was Wilmot) and keep Mariappa as home grown 5th choice. That would enable us to ditch Prodl and Britos.
It was only two seasons ago Prodl won the Player and Performance of the Season awards. In the summer he was given a 4 year contract extension, so the club still think highly of him. Since then he's pretty much been on the treatment table. Whereas I agree I think Prodl's best days are behind him, I would like to see if Gracia can get him to the level he was two years ago. Depending on when his recovery date is, or if he's turned into the next Kaboul, will dictate whether we sign another centre back in this window I suspect. If Prodl is no nearer returning then we do need to sign another centre back, and to be fair we did try to sign Dawson on the last day of the summer window. I agree with you over Britos. He was good for the first season, then he went on a rapid decline. I think we only extended his contract as an emergency cover player and that's how we've used him.
You are comparing the above with our midfield which is a selection from Capoue, Doucouré, Pereyra, Cleverley, Hughes. Deulefeo, Quina, Sema, Chalobah, Wilmot. At least 5 of those would get into nearly every team outside top 6. You are comparing individuals for the most part. Fact is, as a squad, we have an exceptional midfield for a mid-table team.
I said we have the best midfield selection outside of the top 6. This means the best collective of players to choose from, and I firmly believe that. Of course other teams have very good individual players, which supersede our team, but no one has the choice of talent in squad depth when it comes to midfield, outside of the top 6. IMO of course.
I think Prodl’s contract extension was a disastrous decision and will make him very difficult to dispose of. Britos we can just release at end of season with no harm done. If the narrative is correct that we have no money even after the Richarlison sale then it is imperative we get high earning non productive players like Prodl and Okaka off the wage bill, like we have done with Kaboul.
Luther’s 1st touch was not great, but he almost used it as a deliberate weapon...draw the defender in to win the miscontrolled ball, beat him to it, go past him into a goal-scoring position; or get clattered & win a penalty. But maybe he had more desire than many modern strikers. It’s the lack of that extra bit of desire that’s frustrating with Gray & Success.
I think they probably would. But the problem with the FA Cup is it is so difficult to guarantee winning it - everything out the window for the season based on a single player mistake or one chance bit of luck or uncharacteristic brilliance by the other side.
Really great to see someone actually crunch the numbers rather than piss their pants when the ball bounces Andre's head into row z. As you say he's a 1 goal in 3 games English premier league striker. That puts him in £20m territory. It would be great to have a 15-20 goals a season striker but at least we do have a 1 in 3 striker.
Funny you say that, I was explaining this to my u-9 team. Go out there and give it everything you have and that’s half the battle won. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I would agree that we have a very unbalanced squad compared to the aforementioned. Are Everton and West Ham miles ahead of us though? I think this a perception based on the amount of money they spend. Either way, you only need to take one or two players out from each and they look very ordinary, much like us imo.
He's not really a play it from the back kind of defender though is he. Put him in and you might as well stick Deeney Okaka and Success up top as it would be hoofalong with Seb time
To be honest the thought of seeing Prodl back in the squad now feels a little regressive. Squad have moved on from that type of player.
Our Watford B fringe squad, rejects & loans could probably all band together & make a team of 11 that could most probably get play offs or promoted from the Championship. Options of Okaka, Success & Gray upfront would kill that league.
