niwfc Posted 9 May 2016 Posted 9 May 2016 Bit of a strange thread for you all but I'm a Watford fan and was having a discussion with other WFC fans on our forum. It started off because you are 'linked' to Deeney and I mentioned your good scouting network. One of the things we were discussing was Riyad Mahrez. I argued that he was one of the best players in the Championship when he was there with you, even though it was only for half a season. Can anyone who obviously watched him more than WFC fans provide any insight to how good he was in the Championship?
Salieri Posted 9 May 2016 Posted 9 May 2016 I remember seeing him score a wonder goal, think it was against Blackpool and thinking that yeah, he could be something special.
st albans fox Posted 9 May 2016 Posted 9 May 2016 Bit of a strange thread for you all but I'm a Watford fan and was having a discussion with other WFC fans on our forum. It started off because you are 'linked' to Deeney and I mentioned your good scouting network. One of the things we were discussing was Riyad Mahrez. I argued that he was one of the best players in the Championship when he was there with you, even though it was only for half a season. Can anyone who obviously watched him more than WFC fans provide any insight to how good he was in the Championship? It was a settling in period. he competed with knocks for the wide position. he showed some brilliant touches and prices of skill but to imagine he would become the player he is today (including the covering back) is far fetched.
cityfanlee23 Posted 9 May 2016 Posted 9 May 2016 I remember seeing him score a wonder goal, think it was against Blackpool and thinking that yeah, he could be something special. To answer the OP... This good....
foxes_rule1978 Posted 9 May 2016 Posted 9 May 2016 He was an instant hit, you could see he had all the attributes to be a great player.
AKCJ Posted 9 May 2016 Posted 9 May 2016 I don't think you could make the claim that he was one of the best. He had flashes on utter genius and away at Reading you could see that he'd be special. His goal against Blackpool was another one.
Harry - LCFC Posted 9 May 2016 Posted 9 May 2016 I remember a number of posters saying they thought he'd play in Europe one day. Just glided past opponents with ease.
smr Posted 9 May 2016 Posted 9 May 2016 Anyone got a video of the goal he scored in pre-season before this season, absolute thunder****ingcracker from about 40 yards out, top corner, IIRC. Knew he'd have a good season for us after seein' that goal he looked on it, didn't for one second think he'd have a Premier League winning season!
theessexfox Posted 9 May 2016 Posted 9 May 2016 Yeah his dribbling was sublime, we all loved Knocky but it was clear that Mahrez was on another level.
ScouseFox Posted 9 May 2016 Posted 9 May 2016 the way he controlled the ball and went past players without even trying showed instantly that he was a cut above championship level. i remember seeing him at blackburn away and he wasn't very good overall tbh but some of the moments showed he was going to be a star once he got to grips with england.
ST20 Posted 9 May 2016 Posted 9 May 2016 The Blackpool goal is when I think all Leicester fans thought we might have something special
GeorgeTheFox Posted 9 May 2016 Posted 9 May 2016 We were all very excited about him almost immediately. Never thought he'd hit the heights he has this season. I remember someone describing him as a hybrid between knockaert and lloyd dyer.
smr Posted 9 May 2016 Posted 9 May 2016 What amazes me now though is how much space and time he has made for himself on the ball, all the very best players of all time have a unique ability to make what seem like acres of space for themselves and Riyad developed that tremendously this season compared to in the Championship.
Fez of Mahrez Posted 9 May 2016 Posted 9 May 2016 For me it was the through balls for Vardy's goals at Birmingham and Barnsley that showed he wasn't just an ordinary skilful winger. Perfectly timed, perfectly weighted. Both brilliant. Those were the glimpses of Premier League class from both players and they were the two I was looking forward to seeing most in the Prem. They were the ones I stuck in my fantasy team because of moments like that. Then it obviously took them both a long time to adjust.
Buzzell Posted 9 May 2016 Posted 9 May 2016 I remember a few people on here saying they'd be happy to see him sold for £5m
ScouseFox Posted 9 May 2016 Posted 9 May 2016 what a class act this kid is. 400k . drop him . him running with the ball is one of the finer sights in sport. like a highly tuned thoroughbred. I'd play mahrez even if he didn't turn up for f ucking training he's so much better than anyone else uimagine not playing riya d granted all from the start of the prem season not the championship but just a few posts that i could find in an old mahrez thread that show he's been obviously sensational since he joined us really. i imagine if you look back at post match threads from games in early 2014 you'll find tons of comments from everyone saying how amazing he is/was/will be. i just included the last one cos it was funny. 5.48am an i was still fuming he didnt play riyad.
StanSP Posted 9 May 2016 Posted 9 May 2016 Took to the league like a moth to a flame. Instantly settled and you could see his skill instantly, as well. Knew he'd be a crowd-pleaser.
niwfc Posted 9 May 2016 Author Posted 9 May 2016 granted all from the start of the prem season not the championship but just a few posts that i could find in an old mahrez thread that show he's been obviously sensational since he joined us really. i imagine if you look back at post match threads from games in early 2014 you'll find tons of comments from everyone saying how amazing he is/was/will be. i just included the last one cos it was funny. 5.48am an i was still fuming he didnt play riyad. Thanks for all your replies everyone! And congrats of course on your season. ScouseFox can you link me that Mahrez thread please?
ScouseFox Posted 9 May 2016 Posted 9 May 2016 Thanks for all your replies everyone! And congrats of course on your season. ScouseFox can you link me that Mahrez thread please? http://www.foxestalk.co.uk/forums/topic/96759-mahrez/page-1 it starts at the start of the prem season but it shows some already knew he was probably our most talented player (not saying much last season )
Stadt Posted 9 May 2016 Posted 9 May 2016 I think people are going a bit overboard with his first half season, you could instantly tell he was good, certainly good enough to play in the prem but he struggled a bit in some games as he occasionally went missing but that was probably to be expected. It was last season that showed proper glimpses of what he was capable of - inexplicably we played a diamond and dropped him and we were much better when we put him back in the side. This season he's obviously had a much greater final product and looks set to become world class.
ScouseFox Posted 9 May 2016 Posted 9 May 2016 also back end of this thread from the champ: http://www.foxestalk.co.uk/forums/topic/92163-riyad-mahrez-official/page-4 Classy player, he'll turn heads in the premier league!.. 400k is a steal!!... He could be valued at 4-5 mil this time next year!! This lad is going to play at the top. He is unreal. What an impact he's made in just 3 months!Signing of the season. The lad is class. We'll do well to hang on to him come January next year. Him and Drinkwater will make Premiership football look easy. How come no one else was linked with him etc and we managed to get him so cheaply, surely other teams should be embarrassed of themselves that they weren't even aware of this guy. he is fcking amazing
Alf Bentley Posted 9 May 2016 Posted 9 May 2016 Inconsistent but with clear potential. He was by no means the stand-out performer during that Championship-winning season (Morgan, Drinkwater & Vardy were, I'd say, with Nugent not far behind). However, you know how, when you go up a division, you're never quite sure which players will be able to make the step up? Well, he was one of the few I'd have been most confident of, despite his initial inconsistency. At his best, even then, he seemed to have much more time and to beat defenders with ease. This is despite the fact that he nearly always ducked inside on his left back then. He's now better at going either way (though still preferring the left) and defenders just can't seem to read his intentions. Faced with 2 defenders, he'll often beat them both now.
Dickov22 Posted 9 May 2016 Posted 9 May 2016 He's got loads of pace too. That doesn't always get recognised
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