Fox92 Posted 20 August 2017 Posted 20 August 2017 2 minutes ago, Hammo said: If James' remit was to receive the ball from the defenders and then pass it back to them, then no, he did nothing wrong. Against a team as weak as Brighton, it was a disappointment that he offered zero creativity going forward, but my main problem with him is that (unlike Ndidi) he is too slow to cover ground and make those important tackles and interceptions that regain possession. Midfields of greater quality than Brighton's (e.g. Man United's next weekend) will have studied how easy it is to bypass him, and that is a worry. Which is what exactly happened at Arsenal. They were fast and too quick. Totally agree with you.
fazzyfox Posted 20 August 2017 Posted 20 August 2017 James doesn't / didn't stamp his authority on a game like or have the presence of Drinky but regarding going upfield I recall him getting a couple of shots in, one blocked and one high and wide, I remember commenting "It's a change to get a midfielder up there" and "He gets in good positions but never has been any good at finishing". When it was Drinky and James together they both had a bit of everything and one would cover while the other joined the attack so I've never thought of him as DM or AM. Kante allowed Drinky to drive forwards whereas last season (pre Shakey) without the high press we seemed to have two DM 's, thirty yards then Shinji! Had we signed Sigurdsson it would have been interesting to have a goalscoring attacking AM with two wingers and two up front, or would he have took Shinji's place? In James we have re-gained a Premier League quality player that can be trusted, wants the ball, gives and go's, makes clever angles etc but.expecting to see him join attacks as often as he did from the formation used in the Escape season is unlikely to happen.
Ted Maul Posted 20 August 2017 Posted 20 August 2017 2 hours ago, kushiro said: Yeah - I was thinking Newcastle too. Possibly my favourite ever foxestalk post appeared in the post match thread. The guy who'd been in the Leicester end said that every time Newcastle got the ball someone next to him shouted 'Get him Kante' - and he always did. I was thinking of the 3-0 home win during the great escape, but they were shocking in that game too
Countryfox Posted 20 August 2017 Posted 20 August 2017 47 minutes ago, fazzyfox said: James doesn't / didn't stamp his authority on a game like or have the presence of Drinky but regarding going upfield I recall him getting a couple of shots in, one blocked and one high and wide, I remember commenting "It's a change to get a midfielder up there" and "He gets in good positions but never has been any good at finishing". When it was Drinky and James together they both had a bit of everything and one would cover while the other joined the attack so I've never thought of him as DM or AM. Kante allowed Drinky to drive forwards whereas last season (pre Shakey) without the high press we seemed to have two DM 's, thirty yards then Shinji! Had we signed Sigurdsson it would have been interesting to have a goalscoring attacking AM with two wingers and two up front, or would he have took Shinji's place? In James we have re-gained a Premier League quality player that can be trusted, wants the ball, gives and go's, makes clever angles etc but.expecting to see him join attacks as often as he did from the formation used in the Escape season is unlikely to happen. I'm not disagreeing but I think he will become fitter and more savvy about the pace and requirements of prem football ... I honestly believe he would improve but doubt if he will be given the chance to do it.
Blue ROI Posted 20 August 2017 Posted 20 August 2017 Delighted to get the first win of the season. Missed the game yesterday but sounds like the most comfortable win we've had in the league. The Newcastle 3-0 win in 2015 was almost as easy but we were playing for survival so yesterday not as nervy. It's been an encouraging start and in Maguire we've got a major addition. Couple of players have hit the ground running. It's will be a very tough game at man utd next week but I wouldn't be as downbeat about our chances against Chelsea or Liverpool at home. The latter didnt look great yesterday. Come out of the first 2 months on the right side and we could aim for Europe.
Dan Posted 20 August 2017 Posted 20 August 2017 21 hours ago, Col city fan said: Still don't get those who shat themselves before this game. Easy We very rarely blow these kinds of games, really.
Corky Posted 20 August 2017 Posted 20 August 2017 3 minutes ago, Dan LCFC said: We very rarely blow these kinds of games, really. We are pretty effective in winning these games at home. In the past 2 and a half years, it's only really Bournemouth and Middlesbrough that we haven't beaten of the newly-promoted/ usual strugglers. You can see why other managers are saying it's a tough place to visit for those teams in the bottom half.
Guest worth_the_wait Posted 20 August 2017 Posted 20 August 2017 Some bloke down the pub reckoned he loved Maguire so much, he wanted his baby!
The Doctor Posted 20 August 2017 Posted 20 August 2017 3 hours ago, Hammo said: If James' remit was to receive the ball from the defenders and then pass it back to them, then no, he did nothing wrong. Against a team as weak as Brighton, it was a disappointment that he offered zero creativity going forward, but my main problem with him is that (unlike Ndidi) he is too slow to cover ground and make those important tackles and interceptions that regain possession. Midfields of greater quality than Brighton's (e.g. Man United's next weekend) will have studied how easy it is to bypass him, and that is a worry. Don't remember him as a creative midfielder tbf - if he can just sit and cover, letting ndidi maraude forward then that can only be a plus.
Bluetintedspecs Posted 20 August 2017 Posted 20 August 2017 2 hours ago, worth_the_wait said: Some bloke down the pub reckoned he loved Maguire so much, he wanted his baby! You must drink with some pretty weird blokes
Babylon Posted 20 August 2017 Posted 20 August 2017 6 hours ago, Fox92 said: Which is what exactly happened at Arsenal. They were fast and too quick. Totally agree with you. Which happened against us with Kante in the team and we conceded 5. The issue is players getting outnumbered.
Fox92 Posted 20 August 2017 Posted 20 August 2017 1 minute ago, Babylon said: Which happened against us with Kante in the team and we conceded 5. The issue is players getting outnumbered. That game was a freak because we kept pushing to score ourselves. Arsenal cut through our midfield with ease the other week.
Babylon Posted 20 August 2017 Posted 20 August 2017 6 hours ago, Hammo said: If James' remit was to receive the ball from the defenders and then pass it back to them, then no, he did nothing wrong. Against a team as weak as Brighton, it was a disappointment that he offered zero creativity going forward, but my main problem with him is that (unlike Ndidi) he is too slow to cover ground and make those important tackles and interceptions that regain possession. Midfields of greater quality than Brighton's (e.g. Man United's next weekend) will have studied how easy it is to bypass him, and that is a worry. Creative wise his stats are higher than N'didi so far and on par with what Drinkwater was averaging last year. Although from a ridiculously small sample. Why do people keep acting like our seasons will be defined by games at old Trafford and Arsenal. Not being good enough to compete there puts him on par with about every midfielder outside the top 6. He shouldn't be judged on those games. It's the rest that matter.
PhillippaT Posted 20 August 2017 Posted 20 August 2017 7 minutes ago, Babylon said: Creative wise his stats are higher than N'didi so far and on par with what Drinkwater was averaging last year. Although from a ridiculously small sample. Why do people keep acting like our seasons will be defined by games at old Trafford and Arsenal. Not being good enough to compete there puts him on par with about every midfielder outside the top 6. He shouldn't be judged on those games. It's the rest that matter. It's the run of games from Bournemouth to Stoke that's really going to tell us where we are, IMO.
Babylon Posted 20 August 2017 Posted 20 August 2017 2 minutes ago, PhillippaT said: It's the run of games from Bournemouth to Stoke that's really going to tell us where we are, IMO. Exactly.
Hammo Posted 20 August 2017 Posted 20 August 2017 31 minutes ago, Babylon said: Creative wise his stats are higher than N'didi so far and on par with what Drinkwater was averaging last year. Although from a ridiculously small sample. Why do people keep acting like our seasons will be defined by games at old Trafford and Arsenal. Not being good enough to compete there puts him on par with about every midfielder outside the top 6. He shouldn't be judged on those games. It's the rest that matter. I sincerely hope your faith in James turns out to be justified. Personally I see him as a potential weak link in the team because of his lack of mobility and creativity, but I'll be delighted to be proved wrong. I have no axe to grind with any player, I just want what's best for the team, and I don't see James as the answer in central midfield.
CosbehFox Posted 20 August 2017 Posted 20 August 2017 A lovely Saturday afternoon spent watch Riyad make sweet love with his first touch and Hodor hoover up every loose ball. We never had to get out of first gear
Webbo Posted 20 August 2017 Posted 20 August 2017 2 weeks on the trot that we've headed in from a corner and yet it seems like we've hardly ever done that in the last few years.
PhillippaT Posted 20 August 2017 Posted 20 August 2017 19 minutes ago, Webbo said: 2 weeks on the trot that we've headed in from a corner and yet it seems like we've hardly ever done that in the last few years. Imagine having both Maguire AND Huth in the box to aim at...
Thracian Posted 21 August 2017 Posted 21 August 2017 10 hours ago, Hammo said: I sincerely hope your faith in James turns out to be justified. Personally I see him as a potential weak link in the team because of his lack of mobility and creativity, but I'll be delighted to be proved wrong. I have no axe to grind with any player, I just want what's best for the team, and I don't see James as the answer in central midfield. Nor do I and fail to understand why he's so highly rated. He reminds me of a shunter on the railways. He chugs up and down arranging things this way and that but hardly ever goes anywhere exciting or beyond the confines of the yard. Creative? In artistic terms there's the odd flash of colour but he basically abstract. A King Power blue brick in a turquoise background. Sits in the frame well enough but doesn't stir the soul.
volpeazzurro Posted 21 August 2017 Posted 21 August 2017 I like James and see his worth. He very rarely gives the ball away and his passing is accurate, crisp and not half hearted. This Saturday the chap next to me said he didn't notice him much but the two in front strongly disagreed (rather like on here) and said just concentrate on him for the next 10 mins if you can. No blazing noticeable sprints, yet all over the place, clearly pre-empting potential threats. A couple of good tackles, several well weighted passes of varying distances, yet it would have been very easy to have missed all this. Personally I watched him for quite some time and was very impressed with him though you couldn't call him dynamic. Ndidi on the other hand and I really rate the young lad, ran a lot, appeared far more dynamic, but actually achieved a lot less. With the exception of a few forays forward I think James has been asked to fulfil a particular role. Every really good team has had the not so noticeable 'water carriers' like Busquets or Didier Dechamps. I often wondered what it was about Deschamps and initially didn't get him, when for Juventus and France he was always one of the first names on the sheet whilst on the surface, there seemed to be more dynamic and influential players to choose from! I think it's more about balance in the team as a whole. I remember James being picked alongside Cambiasso in preference to other midfielders like DD, there will have been a reason for this and why some of the Man Utd supporters, despite injuries were suprised to see him get released. As he builds his stamina up, I find the prospect of him playing alongside Danny a good thing as it will afford Danny time to concentrate on the more productive side of his game. These things are all subjective and in the eye of the beholder and makes for good discussion on here without needing to be devisive. Man Utd will be quite a challenge with their tall strong midfield next weekend and I think our usual 442 would be over run quite easily. Had they all been fit however, I think a midfield including Drinkwater, James and Ndidi however would be quite competitive. With Ibora, when fit and if able to cope with the pace of the Premiership to come back, I think it's very promising.
Thracian Posted 21 August 2017 Posted 21 August 2017 If James' name was King he'd be getting criticised. They are so similar in just doing the simple things quietly.
Wdywd Posted 21 August 2017 Posted 21 August 2017 The problem is just that it leaves us totally reliant on Mahrez to create anything. Then when the other team focuses on him and we can't get anything going he'll get pelters Midfield was rubbish against Arsenal but fine yesterday. We don't really have any creativity in that position anyway, it's not specific to James Next week they'll get the absolute run around from United though
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