This is not a direct answer to your post, it just seems an appropriate place to put a general observation. There is a lot of angst on here about not having certain positions filled/covered by players who specialise in that position. This season we have what I think we all wanted - a progressive coach with a good record of coaching and improving players. Is it possible that some of RE’s optimism stems from his belief that he can coach some of the players to better fit the system he wants to play? That we don’t need a specialist RWB, for example, because he believes he can coach Ngakia into the role? Only time will tell, but I think there’s some logic to it.
Excuse me, but what does it mean 'CoG?' Careful what we say our here in the open in front of him. He's been compromised.
Put it down to early season optimism - and joy that we are back in a league where we can compete and enjoy things a tad more! I’m sure you can relate to that!
I have that. I'm a fan of the coach and his enthusiasm plus the increased scrap in the team, but I still think our ownership/CEO are taking us for mugs and that they have not backed Rob with the tools Duck publicly promised.
I don’t disagree. We just disagree on how okay the manager is with that. We literally still agree on everything else I’d imagine!
Yes that’s fair enough. I still stand by it being unnecessary risk to our promotion prospects even if Edwards thinks he can get a tune out of the previously poor Ngakia.
I totally agree with your point re. coaching players. It's something a club of our size should always look to do rather than pay top dollar for ready made players. Or, depending on ones Mogi point of view, over pay for players not ready made. You did say your reply wasn't a direct response to my post but just to reiterate, we have 2 right sided defenders and a lot of people want a third brought into that position. We have 1 LB and a midfield/forward filling in at LWB but not a murmur about that particular position needing reinforcement. I just find it strange it hasn't been mentioned by anyone.
Decent point, I think. You’ll forgive most of us for forgetting that a coach could actually do that, given it’s been so long since we’ve had one with both the time and desire to consider a long-term solution like improving an existing option. I suppose we’ll see what happens when Ngakia is fit, and whether RE uses him, but I guess it’s not out of the question RE reckons he could get a tune out of Ngakia.
Sneaky bid from a Turkish or Belgium club for Sarr ? He isn’t going anywhere but there are some European countries with transfer windows still open which seems a bit weird . Presume that is for domestic transfers ?
Granted, we are short of LB options if we were to go 4 at the back, but I don't think we're short at LWB at all, Kamara and Sema are two excellent options at this level, and Hungbo could be a very decent 3rd choice
I'd agree with you re. the LWB options if one wasn't preferred over Gasper at RWB. That takes our choice down to one. Sema isn't a good LWB either. He's more than handy going forward but lacks defensive knowhow. Hungbo is poor defensively, always has been. His main problem is not knowing how to cut down angles so is easily passed around. It's unfair to be too critical of him in that position though because he isn't a wing-back, he's a wide forward. I'm hoping Ngakia can get fit, stay fit and do a job at RWB. That will take the pressure off Gasper playing more than he's able to and will get Kamara back on the left where he's more effective. Of course, with Kamara coming off injured today it really leaves our options on both flanks very limited. There's little chance of going to a back 4 because without him we have zero left back options. So again, why was a left-sided defender not on the agenda or spoken about by anyone when the reality is we only have one. Yet the big thing was for another right sided defender when we already had two.
But there is a difference between a full-back and a wing-back, if we played in a back 4, sure, we'd probably be OK on the right side (as long as they're not charged with bombing forward), and we'd be struggling on the left, but ultimately we have two attacking LWBs, one winger who is filling in there off the bench, and two RBs on the other side. It doesn't really matter about a wing-back's defensive ability at the best of times (not that I've seen any of them make a massive defensive howler which has cost us in a game where we've gone for a back 3), but Sema already has 1 goal and 3 assists this season
And this is where we'll go round in circles; Sema isn't a wing-back, he's a midfielder/wide forward. So I'd say we have one out and out LB/LWB at the club but nobody questioned that before the close of the transfer window. I just found it strange it wasn't spoken about anywhere. We do have options on the right, one of those being the one dedicated LB/LWB - and that was my initial point really. Surely we needed a LB/LWB type player for squad balance as much if not more so than a RB/RWB. You'll not get any arguments from me about Sema's attacking output in the EFL but a WB still needs to be able to defend. Sema, like Hungbo, has no real defensive positional sense, often ball watches and gets played around too easily. This invites pressure, pulls the left sided CB over and creates problems if the RWB isn't switched on to fill in as the defence moves over to the left.
I'm not a huge fan of Sema but he was good as a wing back under Ivic and has been good so far this season as well.
He's not a left-back, but at no point has he looked unnatural at LWB for us at all, and he played there regularly for Udinese
I've obviously not made my point clear. I'll try one more time. I don't understand why there was such a fuss about bringing in another right-sided defender/wing-back when there are already two at the club. Gasper & Ngakia, in my opinion, should be adequate there this season. I think we needed a second dedicated left-sided defender/wing-back, even more so once Kamara was being played on the right. While I don't like Sema playing WB, at this level we can profit from it in an attacking sense. Defensively though he is weak. But; it still leaves the senior squad with only one dedicated left sided defender which I found surprising wasn't an issue with anyone, but the want for another on the other side was.
But we're picking Kamara on the right side for a reason, because we're playing with wing-backs whose main job it is to go forward, and Gaspar isn't up to that at the moment, we could do with more LWBs, and Sema might not be the best defender (neither is Kamara!), but we've made a decision, a logical one in many ways, to prioritise attacking output over defensive nous
There's a severe contradiction here. You argue that Kamara playing on the right makes it even more of a priority that we have another left wb, whilst simultaneously saying that Gaspar and Ngakia are adequate. If we are adequately stocked on the right, Kamara plays on the left with Sema as back up which is absolutely adequate for this league. The biggest issue is that whilst Gaspar and Ngakia could fill in as back up, we simply don't have a good enough first team RWB. We do have a good enough LWB. I'd argue Sema is better at LWB as our back up than either of our RWB options.
I've heard that we are close to a cash plus player deal with Greek Club Aris. They have a goalscoring striker coming this way who apparently counts as home grown, plus 5m Euro
France has the best one I think - A "Wildcard" window or similar. I believe French clubs can still buy 1 player however they need to be playing at another French club. Think that could be an interesting addition to the rules over here - Will allow EFL clubs to potentially purchase EPL duds/cloggers not in the first team.
I agree, to a point. A lot of how we're playing right now appears to depend on the fitness of Kamara. We can't play 4 at the back if he's not available, either from kick-off or changing shape during a game. If he's out for any length of time injured - 2 weeks could amount to 4 games in this league - or is suspended, we'd better hope Sema is, & stays, fit because we're risking a lot with zero cover on the left, while we'll still have options on the right. If any one or even two of the options on the right aren't available, we still have a third option. Four if we play a flat back four with Cathcart filling in. No, I don't want that either but he's done it before and isn't too bad for one or two games. Maybe Hause can fill in at left-back? Maybe but I don't see it personally. Also, with Kamara being sold & loaned back, I'd say we are in need of someone on his side anyway, because how I interpreted Edwards' reaction to the deal with Udinese was Kamara won't be here next season whatever division we're in. Like I said originally though, I was just surprised there was such a clamour for someone on the right to come in but not a peep for the other side.
I get your point, but I think you're wrong. Kamara and Sema are more than good enough for LWB and I'd happily stick my neck out and say Sema could also fill in at LB if needed. Plus we have Hause who can play the odd game at LB and Morris as well. Not everyone will agree with this of course. If Gaspar and Ngakia are adequate for the right then why is Kamara being played there? A fuss was made over the right side because it's clearly a bigger problem than the left.
I think if we are going to play with wing backs, Kamara is being played as he's a more attacking option - as the team settles into a rhythm, I'd expect Gaspar to come in personally with Sarr further forward. I'd also say if you're suggesting Hause and Sema could play at LB as options, then. you could say Cathcart is equally an option at RB. But I agree, we are more short-sided on the right than the left.
I'd certainly like a bona fide left-back to make 4 at the back a possibility, but then again, there are a number of areas I'd 'like' more depth in! We're just going to have to muddle on with no proper RWB options until January at least, but can I just ask, why do you think Gaspar will slot in at RWB when the team gets into a rhythm? Do you mean you think he'll adapt to the league, or do you think we'll just make do with him being a lot less attacking than Kamara/Sema?
I'm looking at his FGR team that had Kane Wilson far more attacking on the right than the player at LWB. I don't think it's a stretch to think that if he wants to try and replicate that to an extent, that he just has Sema/Kamara as the attacking side and Gaspar as the more defensive side, given we will have Sarr on that side further up the pitch. I also think Gaspar will adapt with more time to the league in general. I genuinely expect him to become a bit of a fan-favourite once he beds in.
Based on what? He looks slow, and timid in possession. As has been commented on by a few I'm not sure how he's going to get any quicker. As for being timid in possession, it's nothing new - looking at his stats for last season on fbref he's: 14th percentile for progressive passes; 11th percentile for progressive carries; 16th percentile for dribbles completed; 10th percentile for expected assists. Some of his defensive stats are okay, and he's been alright defensively in games so far e.g. vs Burnley, but at most he seems a competent but unspectacular defensive full-back. He just seems too slow and too limited on the ball for what we need. He's shown in the past he should have the ability to cross the ball, but I don't think he's managed to put in a single one yet - either due to mishitting them, or more often being unwilling to try anything more dramatic than a simple sideways pass, or incapable due to not having the pace on the ball to create space. Whenever the ball came to him vs Rotherham it was as if he was stood at the end of an imaginary cul-de-sac. He was a void.
I was thinking the same thing. With Sarr on the right and with JP floating, RE might be happy to have an attacking LWB and a more defensive RWB. As long as the players know their role. If Sema/Kamara bombs forward the defence can move over and Gaspar becomes deep fullback or deep midfield...
