Observations

First topic message reminder :

KTC is crap
Odemwingie is crap
Eikrem is good
Bellamy is a game changer and still has it
Hudson is better than Turner
Cornelius is a pub footballer with a 50p head

Team for next week

Whitts is a luxury player who we can't afford, simple as that. He doesn't contribute any more and seems wasteful. I had high hopes for Odemwingie and he's been useless

does anybody think it is time to give lewis a game or am i voice in the wilderness?

I don't see enough wrong in Marshall's game to need it? Or do you see it differently Dave?

Gested scored again today ,making a habit of it time to come home?

Lewis needs gametime somewhere, or we are heading for a potential nightmare if Marshall gets injured as Lewis would be nowhere near match fit.

Not sure where though, we 'd want Marshall on top form the next two games under the hope he'll keep them out and we might nick some points.

By the time we end January, I'd like to see us lining up like this -

Kev,Caulker,Hudson, John
Medel
Eikrem,Mutch
Zaha,Diouf, Noone

With our bench then holding Campbell,Daehli,Kim, Bellamy and Whitts, we are then looking pretty dangerous...

like red i feel as if he needs game time. it may be a case of dumping him into hot ashes, but i thought man city and the cup tie

Red614 wrote:Not sure where though, we 'd want Marshall on top form the next two games under the hope he'll keep them out and we might nick some points.

By the time we end January, I'd like to see us lining up like this -

Kev,Caulker,Hudson, John
Medel
Eikrem,Mutch
Zaha,Diouf, Noone

With our bench then holding Campbell,Daehli,Kim, Bellamy and Whitts, we are then looking pretty dangerous...

hope so red

Had phone problems today but before alcohol takes a hold, some quick observations (in my opinion!)
The Hudson/ Caulker partnership didn't work. John may become a good player but is suspect like Taylor and Turner's telescopic left leg has helped us out in the left back position on numerous occasions but was missed today.
Whitts was crap. Everything slowed down when he had the ball and his set pieces often failed to beat the first man. Mutch was missed badly.
Campbell is not a clinical finisher. He may have brought a great save from the keeper with the best chance of the game but should have scored.
Bellamy wax excellent, worked his nuts off and shot at every opportunity because nobody else seemed prepared to.

And Lee Mason was appalling.

Cyncoedslumdog wrote:Had phone problems today but before alcohol takes a hold,  some quick observations (in my opinion!)
The Hudson/ Caulker partnership didn't work. John may become a good player but is suspect like Taylor and Turner's telescopic left leg has helped us out in the left back position on numerous occasions but was missed today.
Whitts was crap. Everything slowed down when he had the ball and his set pieces often failed to beat the first man. Mutch was missed badly.
Campbell is not a clinical finisher. He may have brought a great save from the keeper with the best chance of the game but should have scored.
Bellamy wax excellent, worked his nuts off and shot at every opportunity because nobody else seemed prepared to.

totally agree with most of that c, but hudson and caulker seemed fine to me. you seeing something i aint???

I agree with much of the above
Unfortunately KTC was too blame again for one the goals, well Whittaker was more at blame but was going to save a second point for very poor Whitts..Glad we have a suitable replacement now in Eikrem. I think the full backs were at fault for both goals (again) and the centre halls did alright. Like to Hudson and his experience given more time.

Bellamy's drive and ideas changed the game this afternoon. Prior to today I thought Bellamy was playing due to reputation alone but today we saw the pace and spark he offered when he first arrive. Good stuff. Without Mutch we really struggles for ideas.

Thought Peter Odem had a moment of greatness but otherwise was quiet or even sloppy. Would be glad if both Peters have a break for a wee while.

Noone was bright again but a bit too much at times, that said hard when one man is against 4/5 defenders at times.

With regards to Corner I needed the reminder this evening of his young age and the fact that our expectations should be adjusted time, maybe cup time would be good, however highlights our need for a striker ready to hit the ground running. Easier said then done

Looking forward to new players coming in and hopefully an in form Bellamy.

Did anyone else think that Medel wasn't at his best either?

Slumdog's Son™ wrote:

Red614 wrote:

Slumdog's Son™ wrote:He's had very little meaningful game time in 6 months and is a youngster. Malky overpaid for him but that isn't his fault. He isn't the problem, the problem is that Malky didn't sign a goalscorer. Instead he spent £11m on a prospect (Cornelius) and a has-been (Odemwingie) instead of bringing in someone who could do the business for us. We have one of the lowest goals scored figures in the division and that's what's killing is more than anything. We have defensive issues but we just don't score enough

Excellent summary Slumdog. Easy to forget Cornelius is only 21. He's been shortchanged by Malky, who spent star signing money on a player who has potential. He's got the look of a deer caught in the headlights, and I would too if everywhere I look people are calling me a flop in my first true test as a senior professional.

Best way to hedge our bets is loan him out cheap. He either comes good or we hopefully tempt a few teams into taking him off our hands.

Nobody would have noticed had Chelsea signed him for £8m purely because they wouldn't be reliant on him, and he could have had a nice loan move to a Turkish or Belgian team for a season or two where he would bang in some goals in a less pressured environment. We have to forget him as a goalscorer, as he is no different to Mason, who is another hot prospect. If we had picked him up for much less we wouldn't be worried. And red I shall give you some flair as I feel isolated on this without your support...

Sorry chaps, but I am going to buck the Cornelius love-in here.

He was never announced as a player for the future when he was bought and is nothing short of a rank bad purchase.

I have been watching football for more than 50 years and during that time have had the pleasure of watching the entire career of many, many, truly quality players and the good ones you can see are good from the very beginning.........

I see nothing in his game that suggests that he is a cut above the average...........poor first touch and shocking ball control, no pace, inability to head the ball and for such a big lump, very little physical presence.

I remember a story from years ago, where a NFL coach had watched a Premier League game and guested as a pundit for Sky...........it might have been when the NFL came to Wembley, thinking on it. Anyway, after a poor display by an extremely expensive centre forward, this was the gist of what was said...............

"You're tellin' me that they pay this guy a million pounds a year to score goals for the team and he hasn't hit the target once during the whole game? If this was the NFL, we'd fire him after two games."

Cornelius will come good.

Sorry TDA, but you're wrong.

Aaron Ramsey was absolutely awful for years post his injury, Arsenal fans left right and centre thought Arsene Wenger had lost his mind keeping him in the squad. Then what happens? A switch flicks, his confidence comes back, and people are calling him the most on form player in the league.

Our own Peter Whittingham, left Aston Villa considered not good enough and yet give him a few seasons and suddenly Villa want him back again.

Paul Pogba, released on the cheap by United as he wasn't making the grade - now potentially the best CDM in the world.

Footballers, potentially more than any other sport, thrive on confidence. It's a game that relies on split second reactions and never more than for a striker. When you have a ball flying towards you, You have one of the best goalkeepers in the world coming out to collect it and one of the best centrebacks in the world closing you down if your confidence isn't there you panic and you make a mess of it.

Malky didn't say he was a signing for the future, but he said it a few weeks ago in a press conference. That quite rightly infuriated us, as for a promising player his price tag was far, far too much. Slumdog is completely right, top clubs spend large sums of money on 21 year olds for them only to vanish for two or three years. Why? Because they go to a smaller league to learn the trade and gather their confidence. It's not uncommon, and it's what should be happening with Cornelius. Instead, because he was too expensive people are demanding results from him when he's not ready to give them.