Did he force a move from WBA or was it an elaborate plot for him and the Baggies to trouser a load of money for old rope? The moment when he sprinted to keep the ball on with a back heel to tee it up nicely for a West Ham player was a real championship moment, let alone his positioning and decision making.
I feel a bit guilty as I was a big advocate for us to sign him. He’s very good at attacking the ball in the opponents area, but I’ve been hugely disappointed in what I’ve seen of him as a defender to date.
Gotta say I thought he was much better than he’s shown so far. Didn’t Pulis play him as a left back? With his four centre backs back four formation. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Looks decent but is dependent upon those around him ... Cathcart just doesn't look engaged this season ... might work better wit Kabasele, Prodl, Mariappa,
Dawson was often the right back in Pulis' four CBs back four system. He's beaten so, so easily by any sort of pace or nimble-footedness. He also seems to lack composure and presence. I speculated that he'd be best suited (or only suited) to teams that sit back and defend very deep, and that is looking more the case. Still, even if our style isn't suiting him, it also doesn't seem a stretch to suggest he may be past his best already. WBA fans thought so last season, but speculated that there was a chance it could have been because he'd just been there too long and things had gone a bit stale. Now it looks more like he's just been playing for too long (he started regular senior football at 17). He's even started getting a pretty large bald patch over the last year, it can't be a coincidence.
We took two international central defenders and turned them ****. It's no surprise that an average Championship one had an accelerated change.
Defence is a shambles in general but let's not lie the blame completely on Dawson - Kiko isn't a full back, Holebas isn't as quick as he used to be and the midfielders aren't doing their job in front. Gracia and the coaches have to take some of the blame as well, the formation and style of football they chose to instigate isn't working either. I'll sound like a **** fan here but there seems to be no connection between the fans and players either which isn't going to help things if we carry on like this and have to try and dig ourselves out of a relegation battle.
He'd just come off the back of a supposed sub-par season at West Brom. He also was in their team that got relegated the season before that.
Awful player on the 3 games I have seen him play so far. Absolute garbage and worse than the defenders we had already.
I would prefer Mariappa to Dawson. But it is Cathcart and Kiko who have been below par for the last quarter of last season and the start of this.
The entire back 4 are shocking and deserve to be dropped. They have been disgraceful. Janmaat, Kaba, Mapps and Masina looks equally poor though. The recruitment team output has been shameful in this area.
Ok, we know they are all Championship in terms of quality, but you can still get a tune out of this type of player. They have to have commitment and desire, which will often overcome any shortcomings in quality. I get the feeling our defenders don't really care too much, or don't take it seriously. Maybe that perception comes from Foster, who clearly doesn't take football seriously. I want to see real passion and anger shown when we concede. It's oh well, we've let a goal in, it doesn't matter. That attitude seems to run throughout the entire defence. No one takes pride in keeping a clean sheet. I would also drop the entire back four. Maybe Masina for Holebas would be a step too far, but the other three for sure. Gracia's fate has probably already been decided. I think he may be gone before Newcastle even. It's unlikely he'll be able to sort this mess out. We slipped badly at the end of last season, and we've continued. We're even letting lots of goals against average/poor sides now, rather than the top 6. The last 3 home games have seen us ship in 10 goals to West Ham twice and Brighton FFS. Zola won only 1 game in his last 11 before getting sacked. That win was 2-1 at Huddersfield. Gracia has won only 1 of his last 10 matches.....yes a 2-1 win at Huddersfield!!
Dawson is like Cathcart - can head the ball gets caught so easily and really no better than Mariappa or Kabasele on the ball.
Realistically, who would want to come in? We have a Premiership midfield, a at best Championship attack and a leauge one defense. Talk about the best of all options... I really cannot say. Actually, I can. Somebody like QSF. A very defensive coach, come in and sort out that shower of a backline by drilling them hard. Get a defensive formation worked on and stick to it. No more 4 2 2 2. It doesn't work. When he is fit, chuck Deeney in defense and have Welbeck play as a lone striker, or partner him with Gray. Stick Delafoo and Sarr on their respected wings and use Hughes as a back up. A fully fit Chalobah and Capoue, or at a push Decoure in midfield. Problem solved. Now I will wake up from this crazy dream...
Dawson is absolutely ****ing terrible. Would happily tear his contract up right now. Pathetic excuse of a premier league footballer. We’ve somehow managed to make the defence even worse signing him.
As I said at the time and repeatedly after his signing, he is a Championship centre back that's come in after being crap for a season in that league, and people actually thought he would improve our pathetic defence in the Premier League? Get Kabasele back in there. He cannot do any worse.
Least he would have the pace which is where most of the most goals given have come from .. As as for his passing - well Mariappa would be getting hammered if that was him . Be it any of that back 4!
I really wanted him to be good, and based on what I remembered from his West Brom days, I thought he’d be a decent signing. I was very wrong. He’s a bit crap.
Yeah Kaba has to be worth a go for the injection of pace alone. It’s not like the other mugs aren’t making Kaba’s massive brain lapses in any case!
All these years of neglecting our defence is coming back to bite us in the arse unfortunately. Dawson for £6m... along side three players who I think were free transfers yesterday illustrate that clearly.
And the extra damage from the owners when we are in the Championship: the Prodl leech will still have another year of consuming wages after effectively not playing for 3 seasons by then and Cathcart and Dawson will have to be supported for another 3 years when we are on championship income.
There is not much i can add to the comments about yesterday so i looked at the stats for Kabs for last season-19 starts - -he played in the first 4 wins -the then played in the next 4 -2 against Man U and Arsenal before getting sent off v B Muff at home-no wins-1 draw -after his ban, of the next 4 we lost to Man C (2-1) and won 2 of those. 6 goals conceded -starting with Chelsea at home which we lost 2-1 then the next 4 we didn't win-4 losses but 8 goals conceded including 5 against Man U and Man City -then the last 2 v Arsenal and West Ham which we lost but had 10 men in both Overall we remember the mad moments like Everton away but his pace is something that Dawson and Cathcart don't have-Maps has it so it looks like the current pairing of two very similar centre backs is potentially an issue (amongst others)-in short i agree with you !
66. Full head of hair. Facial too. So could do both attack and defence with a moustachioed midfield. I offer my services in this time of crisis.
Bit harsh on the likes of Page. Palmer and Mooney that - all defended well and lacked hair . Think my dad who played CB at Sunday league level is quicker and he is 65...
Kabbs looks like a Prem baller & has twitter nailed. Mapps has the ‘home town boy comes home’ narrative. Next agenda item, if you will.
Emma Saunders on 606. Just had a Watford fan on saying how poor we are at the back . She didn't try disagree !
She really wanted to say something to Cleverley in that interview to. I could see her biting her lip almost. Maybe she said it to Derek off camera and he suggested "better not". I'm glad she is frustrated too like we all are.
Well she'd probably be asked to take a pay cut or even lose her job if we went down - like so many of the off field staff.