Rachid Ghezzal

[CarbonVirtine]

On the basis of a couple of yt clips, I'm not personally overwhelmed. He's very left footed (no crime), can't tackle and can't ride a challenge.... oh, I see now.... I geddit... a "replacement"

 

Praps Puel knows how to bring him on, sees something (he obviously knows more than I on my admitted parcity of research) but given the guy's not exactly what you'd call a 'young' talent, one does wonder why we're interested other than to collect winger options.  Still, as long as we're not breaking the bank for him then maybe it's a punt worth taking for a squad player.

[Manc Fox]

21 hours ago, Babylon said:

We aren't getting 16 goals from him or anyone else

Soz Babs but this seems like one of those moments that come back to bite you!!

We'll all have such a laugh about it in a couple of years!!(here's hoping anyway!!)

 

[Guest Markyblue]

I thought the idea of a forum was to give opinions. There is no hate for him that I've seen. If people think he's sh.t that's up to them. Once he puts the shirt on I expect him to be backed and encouraged by everyone. Where's the problem, chill out.

[STUHILL]

10 minutes ago, Markyblue said:

I thought the idea of a forum was to give opinions. There is no hate for him that I've seen. If people think he's sh.t that's up to them. Once he puts the shirt on I expect him to be backed and encouraged by everyone. Where's the problem, chill out.

[Muzzy_no7]

1 hour ago, smr said:

Some of the posts on here...

 

I think some people forget how much of a mental game football is. From one club to the next it can make a significant difference to your game in terms of how comfortable and confident you are.. confidence means being at the best of your ability.

 

Maybe here he can get that here.

Totally agree, always a good giggle coming on here.

[Babylon]

21 minutes ago, Manc Fox said:

Soz Babs but this seems like one of those moments that come back to bite you!!

We'll all have such a laugh about it in a couple of years!!(here's hoping anyway!!)

 

16 goals would have our new winger as one of the top scorers in the league... not gonna happen! I'd certianly not expect it.

 

My bar is set realistically for any new winger. More than 6 assits and more than 3 goals would be a very decent return for a winger in this league.

[Babylon]

18 minutes ago, Markyblue said:

I thought the idea of a forum was to give opinions. There is no hate for him that I've seen. If people think he's sh.t that's up to them. Once he puts the shirt on I expect him to be backed and encouraged by everyone. Where's the problem, chill out.

I agree... but you do feel this shit spread into the stands pretty quickly when people's minds are made up already.

 

 

[Guest Markyblue]

1 minute ago, Babylon said:

I agree... but you do feel this shit spread into the stands pretty quickly when people's minds are made up already.

 

 

As fans I think on the whole we are pretty fair and I feel he'll get a chance and I really hope he nails it.

[ARM1968]

4 minutes ago, Babylon said:

I agree... but you do feel this shit spread into the stands pretty quickly when people's minds are made up already.

 

 

It’s not that people’s minds are made up in the fashion you imply. Most can read the opinions of fans who have watched him play, watch some of the matches he’s played in etc. Even you admitted the overwhelming consensus is that he is, er, shit.  Sometimes that’s all there is. 

 

Obviousky there is a very, very small chance that he confounds the majority and turns out to be at least competent. 

 

But, when he pulls on the shirt, if he goes out and tries, I would suggest we all support him 100%. He might well turn out to be utter shit, but by god he’ll be our utter shit!

[Babylon]

1 minute ago, ARM1968 said:

It’s not that people’s minds are made up in the fashion you imply. Most can read the opinions of fans who have watched him play, watch some of the matches he’s played in etc. Even you admitted the overwhelming consensus is that he is, er, shit.  Sometimes that’s all there is. 

 

Obviousky there is a very, very small chance that he confounds the majority and turns out to be at least competent. 

 

But, when he pulls on the shirt, if he goes out and tries, I would suggest we all support him 100%. He might well turn out to be utter shit, but by god he’ll be our utter shit!

I've had groans and boos about players before they've had the chance to play half a dozen games! I don't think we're a perticualrly patient bunch.

[ARM1968]

Just now, Babylon said:

I've had groans and boos about players before they've had the chance to play half a dozen games! I don't think we're a perticualrly patient bunch.

No, agreed, we’re not, but then I hardly know fans of any club who really are. We support the guy when he plays until the point is proven. I’ll give him a few games. Funny thing is, I know he’s shit. 

[Babylon]

7 minutes ago, ARM1968 said:

No, agreed, we’re not, but then I hardly know fans of any club who really are. We support the guy when he plays until the point is proven. I’ll give him a few games. Funny thing is, I know he’s shit. 

[Ric Flair]

What our fans fail to understand is we are one of the worst in the league for giving players a chance to settle. If they don't hit the ground running, they'll never make it since we've come back up. 

 

Kramaric

Benalouane

Inler

Hernandez

Zieler

Musa

Mendy

Kapustka

 

The only player I can think of that wasn't an immediate success who's gone on to establish himself in the last few years is Simpson. Iheanacho and Silva hopefully will but Slimani who started well has now faded to the point he's done here as well.

 

It is notoriously difficult to break in to our setup, it's possibly changing as the title winning side gets dismantled but with a bloated squad it's easy for fans to get perplexed at a signing like Ghezzal where all the signs are he'll bomb. We badly need another option out wide but for the life of me I can't accept perhaps this is our last resort. If it was Thursday afternoon and we'd ran out of options and it was a loan deal then fair enough but this smacks of the club not learning from the predicament it finds itself in.

 

We've got a lot of money, that doesn't mean we should waste it but this seems a risk. I wish him well but maverick signings haven't worked here for a number of years as there's no time to settle. Vardy took over a year to make an impact, Mahrez was very mediocre the first season in the PL but finished it well and then never looked back. I'd love us to give players that amount of time but it doesn't happen here, we're too busy going through managers or wanting to go through managers like hot cakes. 

 

If he's a success then it really will be a celebration of him and the club, I hope he is. 

[Finnegan]

Benalouane, Musa, Kapustka, all undeniably poor at this level. 

 

Inler was over the hill and his career heading backwards, plus he was just kept out by Ngolo Kante which is kinda fair enough. 

 

Hernandez was only ever back up, as was Zieler, Mendy got a string of unfortunate injuries and we never got the chance to give him a chance. 

 

Kramaric is the one you think, fair enough, he had pedigree before and after he was here, clearly we didn't handle him very well. 

 

To be fair, though, I think even if he came back now we'd struggle to integrate him, he's just not an ideal fit for our system. 

[CarbonVirtine]

Fans don't select players, managers do (maybe Wes does too??? ) 

 

It's managers that give players their chance, not the fans. Sure, that's a bit of an easy cop-out because fans do get on the back of players, make life uncomfortable for them, and are notoriously fickle with their likes and dislikes, but maybe that's part of making it as a player (and, yes, maybe it oughtn't be that way) Maybe players like Simpson make it because they believe enough in themselves (and, more importantly, the manager does too and keeps selecting them) to ignore the carp that comes their way from the terraces.

 

It's a tough mix to fathom, that's for sure. Why does one player make it in one environment and not another? I don't believe that we're any more or less a toxic club than any other, I don't believe our fans behave any differently (in this respect) to any other group of fans. I think we have to say that there's a good dollop of luck that goes into the mix; some punts (like Mahrez) come up trumps yet others (arguably Musa) don't.

 

As with anyone that signs for the club, many/most fans will have a ready made opinion - that doesn't mean that they don't want the best from them nor want them to fail. 

[Ric Flair]

8 minutes ago, Finnegan said:

Benalouane, Musa, Kapustka, all undeniably poor at this level. 

 

Inler was over the hill and his career heading backwards, plus he was just kept out by Ngolo Kante which is kinda fair enough. 

 

Hernandez was only ever back up, as was Zieler, Mendy got a string of unfortunate injuries and we never got the chance to give him a chance. 

 

Kramaric is the one you think, fair enough, he had pedigree before and after he was here, clearly we didn't handle him very well. 

 

To be fair, though, I think even if he came back now we'd struggle to integrate him, he's just not an ideal fit for our system. 

Of course we can judge why they weren't good enough but we'd be able to with Ghezzal if he flops, he's done nothing for a few years and has essentially had 1 good season where he still only made 20 starts. It's a big punt, in a way I'm intrigued and would love him to do the business but as a strategy it's atrocious yet again.

[Sharpe's Fox]

Looks like another disasterclass signing. I’m still waiting for Diabate to do anything except get to the byline and get his legs mixed up like a retarded antelope,

[Sunbury Fox]

Totally underwhelming. Another bargain bucket signing. Purse strings definitely being tightened. 

[Stan]

3 hours ago, grumpy old git said:

No No No just not good enough utter rubbish!

Just out of interest; how many times have you seen him play?

[Fightforever]

I don't understand we may as well get townsend if we're going to get this guy

[Jattdogg]

2 hours ago, Mark_w said:

When he winds up being amazing this thread is going to be f'n hilarious.

Or when he winds up making musa look amazing this thread is going to be f'n hilarious.

 

I admit i dont want him here but will back him if he does sign. As i said i hipe he does prove me wrong.

 

I equate this signing to trusting that your grandma will find you a hot girlfriend/wife. Sure punani is punani but the state of the face ffs.

[majaco]

1 hour ago, ROB-THE-BLUE said:

This is how I see Ghezzal turning out.

 

He'll have an unbelievable game at Old Trafford; everyone will be creaming themselves that we've got a better player than Riyad. A few poor games later we'll realise that he's actually the second coming of Zsolt Laczko. We continue to slide down the table. Puel gets the boot before Xmas. We employ Pardew as a replacement who then loses his first 4 games. Vardy gets pissed off with Ghezzal being a lazy diva in training and lays a Red Bull and cocaine fuelled headbutt on him, breaking his jaw. Ghezzal sues the club and we are forced to sell Maguire for £25m on January deadline day to  balance the books. Ghezzal walks out on his contract to join a bigger club - Brighton. Vardy gets an instant ban and 12 months inside for ABH. Last day of the season Ghezzal scores a last minute winner (assisted by Jahanbaksh) for the Seagulls, sending us down to the Championship. The owners are seen leaving on their helicopter shortly before the club announces it has gone into liquidation and folds completely. Everyone blames Richie Wellens. The stadium is knocked down and redeveloped into flats. Andy King refuses to leave and buys flat no.10 with Bernie as a lodger. Joachim and Iwan Roberts also buy a flat each. Claude Puel is given the PSG job and makes Ghezzal his first signing. Ghezzal goes on to displace Neymar from the team and wins 3 consecutive Ballon d'Or's.

 

Are you itk?

[Jattdogg]

3 minutes ago, majaco said:

Are you itk?

He knows too much. Surprised the mods havent deleted his posts yet

[Ian Nacho]

 

 

[ronnup]

Well. Underwhelming but let’s give the lad a chance eh.