Don’t forget that Ismael ‘just got it’ and was like a god to these people off the back of a few flukey wins. It’s the ‘Thogden process’. Say and do anything for engagement. Anything.
Yes got a tougher looking run of games coming up and things could change quickly . Yes we have played well and it’s encouraging but really would have hoped to win the 2 league home games anyway And we have just taken the league cup seriously this time - all to get battered by Man C!
A pollock, yes, but I honestly don't ever remember a goldfish playing for us, but then I do have the memory of a stickleback.
Came on in the 54th minute for Girona trailing Barcelona 0-3. Currently 1-4 down. Notice that the attendance is stated as only 13,891. Seems mad he's playing for a team who are in the CL yet get smaller crowds than us in the Championship.
Their first ever season in the top flight was as recent as 2017-18, plus they are somewhat in the shadow of Barcelona, I think it will take a while for them to attract bigger crowds even if they continue to consistently punch above their historical weight
Pedro is by far the better all round player who is now starting to dictate a game. I think he will end up at a Champions League club, possibly Arsenal.
Think Pedro is that bit better than Asprilla, although it should be said that JP had 3 full years with us and Asprilla only had 2
I disagree... He was off at the earliest opportunity, whereas Pedro stayed and refined his play. I think JP will get better and better but Asprilla will dissapear from memory.
lol Pedro stayed until a bid was accepted, had the opportunity arisen earlier he'd of left immediately.
They both had the outstanding technical ability to separate them from others at the same age. Pedro's mentality though is the difference. Pedro got frustrated but even on his weaker days chanelled it in a positive way even when he was still growing into his body and getting bullied; the attitude was there. When he grew into his body and could take on centre backs more reliably he stepped up a level. Asprilla would go missing a lot more partly because he was too weak due to his frame but also because he didn;t have that same mentality. That said, I think that's also because Pedro was exceptionally mature for his age in this respect.
Bit off an overreaction there, to wishing an ex player well. But, hey! We can't be negative all the time!
I don't agree with this, I think that for both players it took them a while to get used to the Championship and the way games are refereed over here but there were more than a few occasions last season where Asprilla barged defenders off the ball. I think Pedro is just better suited to English football with his direct running ability. Asprilla is more of a passer where he's at his best when he gets the ball, moves it on and gets it back again but we never really played that way. I imagine he'll flourish in a more technical league in Spain.
Build is always massively overplayed, some of the games best midfielders are as slight as anything. Skill, brainpower/decision making, agility and of course over time experience completely negate frame size.
Surely proof is the pudding and, to date, scoring goals is not our problem. He has bags of potential and hope he goes on to make a name for himself but think we needed the money more then the player
I agree with this, although Pedro made the effort to bulk up during lockdown, and maybe it gave him the confidence to step up and make an impact in the Premier League. Previously he hadn’t been given much game time. And Premier League experience is something that Asprilla didn’t have. To be honest I was surprised we got the fee we did for Asprilla, considering he hadn’t played at the top level. Pedro was definitely the more developed player when he left the club, and his success at Brighton may even have speeded up the process of selling Asprilla, which all happened ahead of time. Fuelled by his tool of an agent. I think Asprilla can still, potentially, be a great footballer at the highest level, which is why he was highly prized by Watford. I will always remember his goal against Norwich last year, which was a thing of beauty, demonstrating a level of skill and belief that others just don’t have. I also think his attitude wasn’t too bad. But his agent came across as a monumental tool; a whopping, self serving scumbag in a suit, modelling his watch like a python, and wearing sunglasses in a private jet. I bet he listens to Craig David or some such sh1t.
I think bulking up is something most players do to a varying degree, and we all do from late teenage years through to early twenties in terms of filling out a bit. I’m less convinced that had a significant impact on his game, I’m sure it helped but guess just general experience and an improvement with decision making was the overriding factor that happened to come hand in hand with bulking up. It depends on the position of course, but I don’t see him bulking up being crucial, more just part and parcel of the whole process of growing up, maturing, getting more serious and putting extra work in with training across the board. In terms of championship fees, there seemed to be a bit of a ceiling on them for some time, With Oli Watkins being the high water mark for some time and nobody ever going for more than that, that seems to have gone out the window now and I think his fee is more a reflection of that, a couple of seasons ago we wouldn’t have got near that value for him.
Just trying to work out whether Thogden Process is an anagram for Going Down but my crossword skills have dissipated down a bottle of red wine .