Good first league game, we're not looking particularly strong at RB so who knows, he might get a chance next season
Yes. We need to build around Britt and Ryan next season. Seriously - yes a good debut. Lets play him for the rest of the season and see if he can consistently play at that level.
We seem to have a couple of decently competent prospects at full/wing back, and with Kamara's loan ending and Gaspar turning 33 (?) hopefully they should get good time to develop next year
I would and hopefully a lot of fans would accept selling JP, Sarr, and other players on big wages which we can get sensible money for and resetting with Andrew’s/Ademyo (Spelling) type players together with standard championship players on sensible wages, therefore bringing the debt down and consolidating until we go again! Expectations have to be adjusted I’m afraid!
Who do we have as a prospect at LB/LWB? As fine as Morris has been, he shouldn't be first choice unless we're fine with being bottom-half and possibly in a relegation scrap next year. But with Zemura going to Udinese, we'll probably still have one of Zemura or Kamara as first choice next season anyway.
Is he much better ? Bournemouth fans don’t seem too bothered about him leaving . Morris does ok but is lacking that pace which isn’t ideal in the modern game .
Much better than who? From my brief look at him he seems pretty similar to Kamara in many ways. Not sure if he's as prone to brain-farts. Morris' lack of pace is definitely a limiting factor for a full-back.
With Ngakia back on the bench today I suppose he's not far from fitness, but I wonder if Andrews keeps his place now?
I don't see why Bell is "highly rated", if he is. He seemed as much of a kid as Andrews and seemed to lack the pace to be a wide player; wasn't impressed really. When Scott came on for them he immediately showed himself to be streets ahead as a prospect. Andrews will have many much tougher tests than that against Bell in this division.
He shouldn’t. He was awful when he came on. Miles out of position on at least two occasions that in another game leads to a goal.
Bristol City definitely had a clear instruction to target Andrews with numerous long diagonal balls repeatedly pumped at him. He dealt with them really well. Functional maybe not going to crack the elite but that’s far more than can be said of some of our players. In a team full of quality, someone who’s simple solid and reliable is very much needed, we’re not Man City!
I think that’s right on both counts. It was a workmanlike performance and I thought his ovation, while not undeserved was at least partly symbolic, as in the fans giving a clear message to Gino, Duxbury and hangers on about what we want.
Ngakia was just an example of a player we picked up because we could, he was fairly promising in the little he played at West Ham, but not as promising as Ben Johnson, then he came here while we had one of the best players in the Championship still on the books, and now two and a half years, not many games but a billion managers later he still looks as if he's playing his first game
I thought the players and the staff also all seemed very keen to give Andrews what seemed to be a rather symbolic send-off. Combined with the club's statement when Adeyemo signed his contract I really don't think the owners are clueless about the benefits of bringing through HG players, the problem is getting them to sign. Andrews playing and all the players and staff applauding him off like that could well have been symbolic in intentionally sending a message to the likes of Amass and Blake.
I think you’re massively overthinking this, the regime can’t be so incompetent and calculated in equal measure. A young pro, making his full home debut in a tough game, plays well and goes off in the 85th minute when the players were sure they’d won. As senior pro’s they recall their debuts and the pressure that comes with it and wanted to applaud a young man off. The stadium was also loudest at that point! Just human nature.
No, I think it's quite likely and seemingly obvious that the club have wanted to send a message with Andrews and Adeyemo to other academy players. They may have been lax on the issue in previous seasons, but I think them currently struggling to keep Amass and Blake is forcing them in to being as proactive as possible. I think you're massively over-estimating how not difficult such a "calculation" by the club would be.
Lol, if Man United has wanted Andrews, he’d leave too! Amass’s grandad spoke and quite literally said it’s about money. The Adeyemo contract is sentimental as he’s scored a professional goal, I know people internally who were surprised Bilic took such a liking to him as he hasn’t really impressed at any level prior. The players giving Andrews a nice applause when he was substituted is not a calculated move; trust me! What does Hamza Choudhury (for example) care about what Pozzo, Dux & co want him to do!
Thought he was very composed yesterday. We desperately need some consistency at RB next season (I think we have had 7 players play there this season), and would love for him to be more involved.
As I've pointed out before, Amass's grandad badmouthing Watford's offer could also be him defending his relative against accusations of disloyalty against the club his family supports and which he's been at for years. Regardless, us showing him that we'll give starts in the Championship to other young, not as highly rated full-backs is all else we have left to try and convince him to stay. I also haven't disagreed with the notion that Andrews probably would leave if Utd wanted him - albeit the fact that his father also came through the Watford academy and started his career at the club could have helped us also keep him for sentimental reasons. You're kind of agreeing with me there in saying that Adeyemo's contract is "sentimental" - it's not much further from that to acknowledge that it's likely to also be symbolic in that it displays we're happy to give chances to and reward youth players who make an impact. Well what does Wilder care either, given he's only been here a few weeks, is also not likely to be here next season, and he's never even played Adeyemo? Yet I'll remind you of the comment he made on the official site when Adeyemo signed his contract: "“It’s really important if you do invest in your Academy, as the football club do, that you produce players, and we have had a few up with us like James Morris, Ryan Andrews and Adrian Blake, and there are many more who we would like to see progress. It’s about connecting that pathway between the first-team and the Academy, and supporters want to see local boys come through." The comment, and maybe even Adeyemo's contract itself, sounds like propaganda. I think it's pretty obvious that Wilder's towing the party line here. Notice that he also mentions Blake and the fact that "there are man more who we would like to see progress" - i.e. if they sign we'll play them. I wouldn't be surprised at all if the board have explicitly encouraged him to give an academy player minutes to demonstrate to others that the path-way is there, as Wilder suggests. You can't give an academy player like Andrews a roaring send-off without playing him in the first place. Also @UEA_Hornet - notice the part of Wilder's quote I've bolded here. Unless Wilder and the board have never spoke on such things in recent weeks, which seems highly unlikely, then it indicates the board were aware of what the fans want even before the game yesterday - directly undermining your post above.
Not sure Wilder actually said those things or if he did just did to sound nice . The club probably just put his name to such comments. Andrews said in the programme he was basically playing as there were injuries at right back for the Coventry match and did well so got another chance I guess which he took .
We should get Gareth Southgate as manager, born within a stone's throw of the Vic and knows a thing or two about right-backs!
Fans of any club even the ESL mob like Barca, UAE are extremely happy when a local lad comes through. They feel more connected to the club for whatever reason. And they would like them to succeed. Andrews has come in done a steady job, most of the basics well and he should be applauded for it. Not damned with faint praise. There are no subtle machinations involved behind the scenes. It's a spot in the squad beset by injuries and Andrews is the first on the call up list. And sometimes it is the chance a player needs to thrive and succeed. To aim higher and learn more quickly. Players develop at different rates and all sorts of factors affect that.
If that was the case it would just further reinforce my point that UEA's comment above - which is the one I originally said is likely mistaken - is incorrect.
Oh I see. Well this is a bit bizarre. How can my comment be ‘incorrect’? It’s literally my interpretation of something I witnessed. It cannot be proven incorrect by something Wilder said previously or your opinion of what was motivating others in their reactions (eg. his teammates). I simply said what I thought was motivating the fans. If your interpretation is the fans were joining in the ovation to congratulate Gino for understanding at last what we want or to stick one to Harry Amass (as if more than a few hundred people there have a clue who he is) then that’s an opinion you’re entitled to have. It doesn’t make mine ‘incorrect’ though.
I kind of like the kid. Definitely something to work with. Has good pace on him and some nice crisp passing. He took the bombardment sent his way early on and progressed nicely into the match. Hopefully he gets some more chances in the remaining games.
