You could equally say though that the bottom of Ligue 1 (where Louza has arrived from) is the same level, if not worse, than the Championship? I’m at the other end of the scale to you I think - I think the PL is more to Zinckernagel’s style than the Championship ever was. And he posted decent numbers there.
Well Louza may have been playing for one of the worst teams in Ligue 1, but, like Sarr in the Prem for us, it doesn't mean he couldn't acquit himself well in a top 5 league in Europe. I certainly don't think Zinckernagel was a bust in the Championship (of course he didn't have the ideal prep for a half season here neither), and I don't think he'd be terrible in the Prem, but I'm struggling to think why he'd be more suited to the Prem than the Championship? It's not like defences are going to ignore him
Probably more value for money there than an equivalent player at Championship or even League 1 level, but no guarantee that he'd make the step up!
Surely in terms of contextualising/measuring a player’s output/level, the level of their opponents is more relevant than that team’s own level. Yes Nantes are probably no better than Bournemouth, but 10+ Ligue 1 sides, all of whom Louza played against, are PL standard whereas Mitydland (sic?) probably played only 2 or 3 teams of Bournemouth’s quality in the Danish league last season, and the rest lower Championship/upper Ligue 1.
I’d suggest looking at it like we look at youth minor players. If an u-10 is running rings around players of his/her age then it’s only worth promoting the player if he/she is one of the first names on the u-12 team sheet. As for adult pros I see it similar instead of age group look at league standard. If said player is 8/10 every week then there’s nothing to say they can’t do this at a higher level. Most pros have the technical ability to perform at the top it’s just consistently doing it week in week out or for 90mins. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
What 10+ L1 sides are PL level? Close to 10 maybe but definitely not as many as 10. Even some of those I’m assuming you’re including in the 10 would be haunted by relegation. The gap between PL and Ligue 1 is massive outside of the top few clubs.
I'd say PSG, Marseille, Lyon, Lille, Rennes, Monaco, Nice and Lens definitely, Reims, Metz and Saint-Etienne decent too but would certainly be in the relegation mix. Still, that means half or just under half of Louza's/Nantes' opponents were at least bottom half PL standard.
But then you’re ignoring the different styles between the leagues? The point was that Louza was suggested as being the definite starter over Zinckernagel. I don’t really see a huge amount of difference in their abilities that says that’s a given at this point. And posting great numbers in a team that broke Norwegian records and competed well in Europe is easily as good as being decent in a team that just survived relegation in an average overall league.
Was that the point? Certainly not one I was making. I was responding to the discussion about Frank Onyeka joining Brentford and the level of the Danish league and was never making any comparison to Zinckernagel. Setting aside Zinckernagel and Louza and who should be preferred, I’m not sure I do agree with your point about doing exceptionally well in Norway is equal to being decent in a bottom half Ligue 1 side. I think we know/can safely assume what Louza’s level is whereas Zinckernagel could make the step up v well and be exceptional or struggle and not be great. There’s much more variance in how a player will adapt coming from a lesser league.
Hence why my reply wasn’t to you but someone else! And that’s fine to disagree. I think that Bodo/Glimt side is a better team than Louza’s Nantes team. And that Bodo/Glimt side held their own against bigger European teams. I don’t think we can safely assume what you’re suggesting about Louza at all. I think he’s in the exact same boat as Zinckernagel in that respect.
I listened to FTRE today and they think Troy could get 10-15 goals this season. There's optimism and then there's fantasy land. And then there's this.
Really? A weak league for sure, but they pissed all over everyone in Norway and then pushed Milan in the Europa, whereas Nantes almost got relegated
I don’t agree but that’s fine. That Bodo side we took Zinckernagel from was better than the Nantes side of last season in my opinion.
They didn’t really push Milan. They got battered in the game + Milan weren’t fit and had some youth players included
They’re too close to the club, podcast completely changed when the athletic came calling. The Wilmot segment was bizarre
I can't listen for reasons of not wanting to commit violence against the inanimate objects around me - what did they say about Wilmot?
Selling him for the price we did was very good business. I brought it up on Twitter to them earlier to have a healthy discussion about the club
Hard to think of a more meaningless, bootlicking statement on the Hughes (or indeed any) situation being purpose-synthesised in a lab than
In fairness, the bloke actually said Troy will be thinking that he could get 10-15 goals and that he should be the starting forward. Which could well be true.
Their reply to all your valid points was very strange. Can’t judge a transfer window less than a year after it has happened? It’s like a stock answer to avoid answering anything that might be awkward. The “Scott and Gino doing business properly” is laughable in light of Gueye, Zuniga and Pussetto.
Well yes, obviously! But quite a difference between saying that a sportsman with a big ego still believes he can perform to a high level despite the evidence to the contrary, and a fan actually believing he can. Although this was somewhat undermined by one of the other blokes (the most fawning/positive, delete depending on your level of cynicism) being hugely impressed by Troy turning up to pre-season looking vaguely like a professional footballer.
