Based on what I've seen of Ramos and Araujo I'd agree with you, Ramos looks more rounded and more dangerous than Araujo. I was just passing on their opinions as thought it might be of interest considering the amount of games they've seen of both of them and considering their standing in football. But cool, next time won't share any inside info I receive about players, club sale or anything. That being said I'm pretty sure Ramos would also most likely be struggling if he were dropped into our team currently - in our last 5 games we've only created more than 1 xG from open play once and we've generally struggled to get the ball into dangerous areas. It's no coincidence that none of our out and out strikers have set the league alight.
My bringing up the topic again was as much a pointed reference to the fact that you stated you "trust" the opinion of these people on Portuguese football. Maybe it should be a lesson to you to still maintain a healthy dose of scepticism, as well as trust what your own eyes tell you. Evidently they still have some blind spots. You also perhaps clung to the belief that he'd be a good signing in our discussions on the topic for longer than was reasonable given his performances - perhaps because you'd been swayed by the reputation he came with. Sure, most players would struggle in our current team, but at least a player like Ramos would also help with keeping the ball higher up the pitch, enabling more scoring chances to potentially be created. And a reminder that even Britt friggin Assombalonga managed 2 goals in 177 minutes despite the current 5hit-show.
No harm in trusting people who I believe are more skilled at player evaluation than me, who have also seen much much more of both players. I've probably seen 5-7 games of Ramos and probably 2-3 full games of Araujo (pre-Watford) - although watched lots more clips of Araujo, whereas they've watched practically every Benfica game this season, as well as a majority of the Benfica B games last season when we battling them for promotion. Araujo and Ramos match up pretty well statistically in Portugal (albeit with the small sample sizes on Araujo) and have very similar goal per minute rates for Benfica B, Araujos goals per minute rate for Benficas first team is insane (5 goals in 370 mins - a goal every 74 mins played) but obviously Ramos has played many more minutes. It's not unreasonable to think that Araujo could've easily had over double figures if he were starting every game instead of Ramos - so I still trust their opinion over mine. Most of our discussions revolved around whether or not he's a better finisher than Davis rather than whether he was a good signing or not. And I'm still of the belief that he is indeed a better finisher than Davis, although that bar isn't particularly high.
The only time he managed to get a foot on a cross was when he prevented the ball going through to Pedro who would have had a virtual tap in had he not intervened
The comms made a big deal of it, it was a difficult one for him to control but he had to go for it as the defender could have got a touch on it. He also got into a good position on another counter attack in the second half, but Sarr couldn't get the ball to him off an admittedly difficult cross
I like the look of him, he has some good movement and good touch and layoffs. Unfortunately he doesn't seem to be on the same wavelength as his teammates so most of his work comes to nothing. Either we have to change as a team to get the best out of him, or not play him. A waste of talent and you have to question who thought he was a good loan option.
Yes, he ensured Sarr's pass from the left did not reach JP in acres of space only 10 yards from goal. The look of gratitude on the Cov defenders' faces was a picture. EDIT: missed VOR's earlier post.
Ah yes remember that and also totally mis controlled the ball when well placed allowing their defender to get back.
Most of his runs were poorly timed and put him into an offside position. He looks painfully slow, painfully weak, average first touch at best and dithers on the ball with no idea how to protect it. Looks to be a laughably inappropriate signing for this division.
You might as well go in your garden and shout at the clouds mate. Would make more sense than replying to Henry Hooter.
You're quite amazing. Really. As reids said these people have watched Benfica and Benfica B on a regular basis but somehow you know better. As always. Maybe it should be a lesson to you so maintain a healthy dose of scepticism etc,etc. I'm sure reids who already has a job as an analyst and potential scout must treat your words with reverence being the football sage you are. You still have not learnt to curb your arrogance despite having zero credentials for having it with regards to other posters even one such as @reids who is in the football business. Just shows how overweening your ego is. Any more of this doing down of other posters as with regards for example @GoingDown and you will get another ban.
I do, and in this thread my scepticism was proven correct - even despite many posters on here trying to mock my stance. Somehow I did know better, yes. Anyway, you can't have been following football for long to know that even supposed experts and professional scouts sometimes make mistakes - not all transfers to every club turn out to be good ones. Consider that there's a professional scout out there somewhere who would have watched Lille on a regular basis and somehow considered that signing Pepe for Arsenal for £72mil was a good idea?! Psh, when many other posters repeated try and take pot-shots at me it's entirely warranted that I put them down. Even here you seem to be attempting to have a go at me, so I think your holier-than-thou attitude is a bit out of place.
A bad transfer doesn’t equal bad player FYI. Sometimes players just don’t fit, it’s clear to me that Manga & Costa had underestimated the physical aspect of the Championship and thought a player with good technical ability would be enough. As it turns out, you need more in this division OR you need to be technically outstanding, which I don’t think Henrique is either. He needs a loan spell in a league to hone his technical skills but a league where his physical limitations won’t be so obvious or in a team that isn’t so desperate for instant impact.
Again, where did I say he's a bad player? My original points were that it was a bad transfer and that he's not as good as Goncalo Ramos.
From my perspective I don't see what all the fuss is about HA . Of course technically he is decent and must have other attributes that are good . However I , personally, don't see anything , whatsoever, that makes me think " give him time" I see him getting bullied by the lumps in central defence so why he gets involved in that is a mystery . I don't see a no. 10 I don't see pace . I don't see a fox in the box . However no one can say he doesn't try because he does .
I expect Benfica will be delighted. I expect he'll flourish like several others away from the incompetence and mismanagement of this club.
Personally, as the season is as dead as it can be, I would play him alongside Pedro in a two up top. Just to see if the team can create chances for this alternative (to Davis), sort of forward . If he really has nothing to offer then we might as well send him home to enjoy some nice spring weather and put Adeyemo on the bench.
Just too lightweight for this league. Adeyeno is injured apparently- don’t know how serious it is but good shout .
One he will fill out. Two I think as others have mentioned he needs to play off someone. And the service we gave to him was hardly ideal for the sort of off the shoulder in behind striker he is. He didn't suit us because our midfield ie Choudhry is inept. Louza should have done a lot better but was hardly paired with him and ditto with Asprilla. Just a reflection of the mess of a season in every aspect. All decisions were a hotch potch of muddled thinking.
Does anyone remember when Success and Gray got pinned by a couple of lumbering Tranmere centre backs ? Well , that is what would happen if we partnered Davis and Araujo. But even worse.
Struggling even at the level of playing 90 minutes at home vs Sheffield Wednesday U21s: "Up front Araujo found it hard going against a bigger and imposing centre half. He showed some neat touches and his movement off the ball was good, but being the fulcrum of the attack against a more physical opponent is probably not going to show him in his best light." https://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/sport/23477111.watfords-under-21s-held-draw-sheffield-wednesday/
It's clearly a pointless exercise playing the guy as a lone central striker. I'm not sure why WFC staff would bother trying this ? He's clearly rated in Portugal but playing as a lone striker in the cold English rain against a large CB is utterly pointless. Reminds me of when QSF give Vydra "his chance" in the League cup vs Preston(?) and played him as a lone central striker before binning him off to Reading. What a waste of a loan this guy has been.
I don't think Vydra was quite as useless leading the line though - he still had lots of pace which was capable of stretching defences and troubling any CB while as the main striker; Araujo doesn't even have that.
I guess we pretty much never saw him in that role. I can only think of that one "reserve" cup game where he looked lost, otherwise he was pretty much always alongside Deeney (or Geijo for a few games). He had more aggression about him and more guts and determination than Araujo seems to have. God I miss Vydra....
