If he drives the bus back after a match here he will be arrested! Seems to be a theme here where the Pozzos are signing people who have other skills, e.g. Sannino's bog cleaning experience.
Little bit unfair on a guy that played 7 games due to injury. If we play 2 centre backs then you always need somebody who is big and strong that wins most in the air and one who has a little bit more pace and is more comfortable on the ball. Belk and Angella would fit the bill. Nani will not sign players that everybody agrees with and this one clearly has more dislike than most. As I've said before 3 at the back, unless he is the middle of the 3 doesn't suit him but I think 4 will. Only time will tell
Has anyone considered that already had an agreement to sign him permanently last summer which we had to adhere to? He remains in the Pozzo clasp so there's no real difference to them and they may well be still looking to sell. The Watford Observer said we agreed the permanent signing earlier in the season, this was probably always the plan.
Bit of a concern if he's driving the team bus and Deeney decides to push him off, so it's a no from me.
It really only needed 15 minutes or so to realise he is a poor, poor player. After his performances last season nobody should be baffled by it. Some people believe he may come good - nothing wrong with that and however unlikely it is it could still happen. What cannot be doubted though is that he was poor when he played last season. Really?! He has been woeful at best. He makes Cathcart look like a world class defender.
Ha - pre pozzo, if someone had said would you like a centre back playing at the world cup we'd of snapped their hands off... these days..... some of you need to have a reality check and realise who we are, we're not Leicester ffs.
I think your talents are obviously wasted LBH. Obviously, you seem to know far more about a player after just a few minutes than the Pozzo empire and Algeria's management put together, even when they have the opportunity to watch him in training, etc. You must be blessed.
He looks to have the build to play middle of the back 3, so why didn't he? Poor communication skills (possibly due to inadequate English) or cos he's not as dominant a player as his build suggests? Sorry, but I'd like an experienced Champ player there who's used to heading away balls banged into the box.
Respect your right to an opinion, but he'd not played 3 at the back before as far as I can tell, he had zero experience of the championship, he had a number of injuries which affected him all year, he didn't get a pre-season, and he didn't get a run of games. I'm not sure quite what you were expecting... for instance how do we know he wasn't bought in as a squad player?
Not his choice. 3 at the back didn't work much at all last year, not just him. To be fair to him he wins most aerial challenges, it's on the ground where he struggles a bit. He may not be first choice anyway
He may still come good, I'm not saying he won't. However... Take Fabbrini who had never played in the Championship before, didn't really get a run of games etc. and to me he looked like an incredibly talented player but totally unsuitable for the Champ and that was his issue. In my opinion EB just doesn't look talented. At Charlton he was shinning balls, placing passes straight out for a throw, and his foul throw was comical. All stuff that you expect from park players regularly, or from pro players once or twice a season. I'm yet to see anything from him that shows that he is a good defender who is struggling to adapt to the new country/style/regularity of games. Simply put, he looks horribly out of his depth. Maybe he will come good next season, I hope he does, but I doubt it.
You have already made up your mind. You say he is a "poor, poor player" - in which case, in your opinion, there is no chance of him "coming good" next season. Personally, I would tend to take the opinion of others who have watched him at great depth, and who are prepared to pay him and play him. Unfortunately those like you will probably be keen to give him the "boo boy" status, looking for mistakes (such as a foul throw) and will leap on any opportunity to drag his confidence down. I just get annoyed at those that make such hasty judgments on others. This player has only played in Algeria before he came to us, playing in what is considered to be the most intensive leagues in the world, yet you consider that he should hit the ground running within a few minutes, or written off.
He could come good next season, as I've said. Hopefully he will but I doubt it. Take whichever opinions you wish - that is entirely up to you. My opinion is that when he has played for us he has looked short of quality and totally out of his depth. Agree, disagree, ignore...whichever suits you. Out of interest - where have I said that he should 'hit the ground running within a few minutes or he will be written off'? Some players take time to adapt and I'm fully aware of that. Some players just aren't good enough. Huge difference.
Your comment "It really only needed 15 minutes or so to realise he is a poor, poor player" implies just that.
Not quite. Some players don't hit the ground running but you can see they are good and need time to adjust. Ben Foster. Henri Lansbury. Troy Deeney. Some players don't hit the ground running because they just aren't good enough. In my opinion EB is in that category - but like I've said I'd be delighted for him to prove me wrong.
With any player, we can only comment on what we've seen so far. Same goes for our new signings from other clubs. I don't see the problem with anybody commenting on what they've seen from Belkalem so far, but it's equally valid to take the 'let's see if he develops more if he is injury free and having settled better in the UK' approach. As with all these things, we'll know better in a year's time.
Given those players signed for Premier League teams and pre-season hasn't even started yet, yet alone the transfer window opening, I think that's a pretty wonky interpretation.
Of course, it is perfectly legitimate to comment on what has been seen so far. "He played c**p" can be a perfectly valid observation. My point is that it just seems hasty to make a judgement like LBH has made "he is a poor, poor player", after just a few minutes on the pitch. I think we have a nasty habit at Watford for getting on players backs far too quickly - and that can only have a negative effect. ...IMO !
Can't believe people are writing this guy off before he's even played a game for us. Give him a chance FFS.
Did he done enough on loan to justify a permanent deal? No. Was he unlucky last season in that injury prevented him playing much? Yes. Is there any evidence that somebody who was injured for a fair part of last season will recover sufficently to play a full part in next season? We shall see!
A serious question. How do you know? Why do you think that your opinion, spending your time between Malta and the UK, and seeing at the most a few minutes on the pitch is more valid than the club who think he is worth a contract? He may have been commanding on the training field, a good squad member who is positive and encouraging to younger players. We just don't know. But you apparently do and have decided that he hasn't done enough! This amazes me when other players at other clubs are regularly given permanent deals on the basis, it seems, of nothing more than scout reports ( and youtube videos). I know you don't think much of Beppe, but suggesting that your knowledge of a player after a few minutes is better than his many years of working with pro footballers, after 6 months of working with him, stretches credibility.
I think you're being a trifle harsh. It's pretty clear that Malteser's first line was purely in relation to Belk's performances on the pitch. My personal feeling is that there is more to Belkalem than we have seen and I am happy that we're going to give him a chance to show that, but I'll freely admit that if you look solely at his on-pitch performances last season you'd be hard pushed to say he deserves a deal. He had a rather good performance right before getting injured, and the rest of his appearances would be difficult to grade as even mediocre at our level. None of us have a clue what goes on with any of the players off the pitch so it's fairly clear comments shouldn't be read in that light.
I don't think my opinion is more valid than the club. Far from it. But I thought the thread was started so we could all give our opinions on something, rather than all of us just writing the club's opinion!! I enjoy your posts actually and your robust style of defending your view to the detriment of all opposite opinions, but you do seem to selectively highlight things. When you do that to a post that is actually quite balanced and fair-minded, it loses some of its effect. If you scroll back up to my post where you're highlighted the 'I don't see the problem with anybody commenting on what they've seen from Belkalem so far', you might also notice in the same sentence I said 'it's equally valid to take the 'let's see if he develops more if he is injury free and having settled better in the UK' approach. That, I suggest is your stance, and it's equally valid. Respect. But it's natural that when we are ALL discussing a player, we comment on what we (or others) have seen on the pitch! And I'm not the only person on this thread who've expressed doubts about what we have seen from Belkalem so far! SO FAR! Re-read the thread..I'm not alone in that! But as I'm public enemy Number One as I'm not a Beppe Fan nor A Huddersfield Denier, it's natural mine are the comments that get attacked. I'm only in Malta during the summer btw, not during the football season!
Hey, having read the posts again, and these two posts, you are both right, I was too harsh and selective! But I think you both understand my drift. I think I've been having a bad day. Genuinely, I apologise Malteser!
Yes, as a general point I agree that fans often give their club's management team far too little credit. We see less than 5% of what individual players do during the average week (although it's fair to say we see the most important bit!). Even the most football-knowledgeable of us is likely less competent than our club's worst coach, and we certainly don't have a rounded view of an individual player's total contribution.
Honestly there's no need. It's all good healthy debate. I really hope he comes good, and it's quite exciting we have a player in the World Cup!! Only the 6th we've ever had, after Armstrong, McClelland, Barnes, De Merit and P.Issa!! I'll be making a point of staying up to watch Algeria play..I think they're in Belgium's group? Your point is totally valid that there is much more to a player than meets the eye based on their gametime, in Belk's case a very limited gametime. I was on record after we signed Gomes as saying that it was blatantly obvious following the terrible ending to our season that we needed real leaders in our team, players who will stand up and be counted, and maybe Nani has identified Belkalem as one of those such players. It's a good debate and for me the best thing about the forum is reading posts from people who disagree with me, so I get to read and consider other points of view. My gut reaction was surprise at Belkalem's signing, but the thread has made me realise there may be more to it than meets the eye!
