Abdul Fatawu

[Chelmofox]

2 hours ago, Lionator said:

Like someone said on the last page, this just seems a bit lazy and emotionally driven. Of all the players, he’s very low on the list of being the issue. Once he leaves, if he can find the right club then he’ll thrive but he needs a decent coach. 
 

As for the city thing, the training ground is in north Leicestershire and the club house new, young players in Nottingham, so really he has no need to go to Leicester aside from a matchday. He’s a kid still. He takes his faith seriously so it’s not as if he’ll be on the piss at weekends either like some of them. Blame the club not the player in this instance for your criticisms. 

Why is Fatawu beyond criticism?  I'm more than happy to celebrate the bangers and the amazing runs when he pulls them off. But you can't just ignore the problems because you like him?

 

This is his 3rd season. I know his 2nd was with an ACL and the club did everything they could to help him through that. But this season he has shown a massive lack of emotional and football intelligence. I've seen him visibly arguing with several players, and at times appeared to have completely lost his head. Preston is a great example. A must win game. We are 1-0 up and he got fouled outside the area. He was apoplectic, arguing with the officials and our own players. Rather than dust himself down and get on with the task in hand - he looked all over the place. He then lost the ball cheaply in midfield (and i believe rugby tackled their player for a yellow card) and didnt track back laying in the floor pretending to be injured. 1-1.

 

There have been lots of instances where his temperament has cost us. If you cant criticise that, then you might as well be clapping Winks on Saturday.

Edited 28 April by Chelmofox

[Blue-fox]

13 hours ago, Samilktray said:

You say this like its a bad thing?

I’m not saying it’s a bad thing at all, he just isn’t going to be as good as some people thought he was/is. 

[majaco]

On 27/04/2026 at 20:58, The Year Of The Fox said:

Define ‘top club’

 

He’ll end up at somewhere like Fulham I think

He'll go to a club like Fulham then step up to a Champions League Club.   With the right coaching and the right attitude around him, he will excel.  

[oldbluefox]

He's got pace and can beat a man but his decision making is pretty woeful.

Judging by his body language he has already decided he won't be at City next season which is fair enough but I would expect full commitment from him until that time. Going through the motions is not an option. When we lose he just looks totally indifferent.

Edited 28 April by oldbluefox

[Richmondfox]

13 hours ago, oldbluefox said:

He's got pace and can beat a man but his decision making is pretty woeful.

Judging by his body language he has already decided he won't be at City next season which is fair enough but I would expect full commitment from him until that time. Going through the motions is not an option. When we lose he just looks totally indifferent.

Yet could barely beat a man in the championship. He is too lazy and thick as a player as he repeats the same mistake game after game.  All he has to do is run in the space behind of the defenders doubling up while he stands still. So many times he would check his run and drop back to receive the ball, killing momentum so he can try to skin a player he would’ve already beat if he kept running.  It doesn’t help our coaching staff haven’t fixed anything obvious. 

Edited 29 April by Richmondfox

[Fox92]

On 27/04/2026 at 21:36, Bergen fox said:

Can see him going to a club like Everton 

I said before he strikes me as a player they would go for as Moyes seems to go for Championship players and make them better (Bowen, Cahill etc).

[CrazyKopCorner]

He'll sparkle with a decent manager and in a good team. 

 

We. of course, are some way off both 

[Mike Oxlong]

With a better manager, a functioning centre forward and other better players in his team he'll thrive  

[Sly]

15 minutes ago, Mike Oxlong said:

With a better manager, a functioning centre forward and other better players in his team he'll thrive  

He’d need to be able to sort his fibs ball out first. 
 

He’s chaotic as a player and really needs to be taught to calm down and improve that decision making.

 

That ball he had time to cross against Millwall and lofted it over everyone to the adjacent corner flag was so poor.

[OntarioFox]

Genuinely think he's been one of our biggest problems since New Years. He had that spell in December with the mad goal against Ipswich when we won a few games and it all went to his head - he's been awful 9/10 times since and loses his head a lot too, surprised he's not been sent off but that probably says more about how weak he's been in the tackle when dueling. His laziness in doing the defensive work certainly helped expose Ricardo's failing legs.

 

Wouldn't be the first time a player's form has fallen off a cliff for us, but it happening at the same time JJ got injured finished us IMO, we all know those two dragged us through the first half of the season and saved Marti's blushes. I guess I don't blame Abdul for that exactly, it's not his fault our appalling transfer business left us with a squad reliant on a loan player and someone coming back from a 12-month injury to carry us. But you could almost see a switch flip once the onus was on him alone to produce the magic moment each game - overplaying, poor decisions, failure to beat his man, and poor discipline and losing his head regularly. Another mentality mouse of a player but one of the few where the pressure was all on him, unfairly, due to the pathetic players around him having the vision of Stevie Wonder in a cupboard. He's one of the few that will do well in a more harmonious squad IMO, but that doesn't negate what a terrible six months he's had.

 

100% sell for the first reasonable offer. My concern is that, like much of the rest of the squad, he's tanked his value through six months of shit performances on top of his long injury and, of course, now having relegation to the third tier on his CV. I'll be amazed, amazed, if any offers above £10-12 million come in for him, which isn't enough to start addressing our financial black hole when, for all his failures in 2026, he's still seen as one of our big assets.

The only thing that I find surprising is that he's only on £10k a week. Which is still barely sustainable in League One, but I guess makes him one of the lower priorities as far as the wage bill goes.

Edited 29 April by OntarioFox

[Mike Oxlong]

9 minutes ago, Sly said:

He’d need to be able to sort his fibs ball out first. 
 

He’s chaotic as a player and really needs to be taught to calm down and improve that decision making.

 

That ball he had time to cross against Millwall and lofted it over everyone to the adjacent corner flag was so poor.

I think this season his game has suffered as part of the general malaise and negativity around the club. He was stand out in the season we got promoted. In a better environment and with better players he will do well. 

[Jabbaranks]

He's a classic example of decent level of ability against a really low football intelligence and I'm not sure that can be coached. 

 

I get he's been in a team that's been low on self confidence, self belief and application but that's the time he should have been working out how to make his overall game more effective rather than rely on scoring Hollywood goals once in a while.

 

Compare him as a footballer to Marc Albrighton. Way more ability, way less end product, way less value to the team.

[MC Prussian]

29 minutes ago, Mike Oxlong said:

I think this season his game has suffered as part of the general malaise and negativity around the club. He was stand out in the season we got promoted. In a better environment and with better players he will do well. 

He was our standalone player up until January. Our overall issues were prevalent back then, too.

 

As I‘ve stated before, he‘s turned bad ever since and I‘d argue he has more or less refused to step up in the past dozen matches. Some would call that intentional. Or even sabotage.

 

Transfer offers have turned his head.

[filbertway]

Quality players consistently stand out, even if they're surrounded by poor team mates. James has done that fairly consistently this year. Abdul has some really good raw attributes, but his lack of development this year has been disappointing.

 

The fact fact he had a fairly major injury at a crucial point of his development will not have helped though, so I think that needs to be taken into account.

 

He has some very good tools at his disposal and I hope he can realise his potential. Despite being a bit misguided at times with his words, I think his heart is really in the right place and he seems like a good lad. If we can get some decent money for him I hope he does well wherever he ends up.

[Sly]

21 hours ago, Mike Oxlong said:

I think this season his game has suffered as part of the general malaise and negativity around the club. He was stand out in the season we got promoted. In a better environment and with better players he will do well. 

It’s interesting if you look at his stats on Sqwarka per 90.
 

He’s charged from a creator to a finisher really. His overall passing accuracy an involvement in buildup play etc has got worse. 
 

He has been our main goal threat in reality. 

Edited 30 April by Sly

[FoxesTez]

26 minutes ago, Sly said:

It’s interesting if you look at his stats on Sqwarka per 90.
 

He’s charged from a creator to a finisher really. His overall passing accuracy an involvement in buildup play etc has got worse. 
 

He has been our main goal threat in reality. 

I think a lot of that is the difference in players around him. 

 

23/24 he linked up incredibly well with Ndidi. Also had KDH and Vardy. Slightly different to having Ayew plod around 30 yards away from the box. 

[Mike Oxlong]

25 minutes ago, Sly said:

It’s interesting if you look at his stats on Sqwarka per 90.
 

He’s charged from a creator to a finisher really. His overall passing accuracy an involvement in buildup play etc has got worse. 
 

He has been our main goal threat in reality. 

That's not surprising though is it ? He was able to create when we had players capable of finishing the opportunities he provided. Now that we don't he's trying to do it all himself hence him taking more pots at goal himself. The stats show that he has less confidence in the ability of those around him now. 

[Fox1norfolk]

On 29/04/2026 at 10:07, MC Prussian said:

He was our standalone player up until January. Our overall issues were prevalent back then, too.

 

As I‘ve stated before, he‘s turned bad ever since and I‘d argue he has more or less refused to step up in the past dozen matches. Some would call that intentional. Or even sabotage.

 

Transfer offers have turned his head.

His attitude was encapsulated to me when the Sky TV cameraman on a fairly recent home game featured a close up image of him yawning before the kick- off. It just made me think what do they do all week at Seagrave

[TheGoldenGod]

4 minutes ago, Fox1norfolk said:

His attitude was encapsulated to me when the Sky TV cameraman on a fairly recent home game featured a close up image of him yawning before the kick- off. It just made me think what do they do all week at Seagrave

Pretty confident that was Mavididi!

[ClaphamFox]

2 minutes ago, TheGoldenGod said:

Pretty confident that was Mavididi!

It was.

[TheGoldenGod]

1 minute ago, ClaphamFox said:

It was.

Objectively hilarious as the commentator is saying "we need to see a performance from him today"

[ACF]

23 hours ago, Sly said:

It’s interesting if you look at his stats on Sqwarka per 90.
 

He’s charged from a creator to a finisher really. His overall passing accuracy an involvement in buildup play etc has got worse. 
 

He has been our main goal threat in reality. 

But those stats show he hasn’t turned into a finisher?

 

Conversion Rate 8.04% vs 8%?
Goals 0.3 vs 0.2?

 

It’s not really a huge step up? The Shots Accuracy is nice but he’s not converting at a better rate, he’s just taking less shots off target. I’d say that’s better decision making more than turning into a finisher

 

Touches in Opposition Box, Possession Lost, Take On Success, Chances Created, Passing Accuracy are all indictments on what he has become this year. 

[Muzzy_no7]

I’m sure this is likely an unpopular opinion but I’m looking forward to seeing the back of him.

[Tommy G]

1 hour ago, Muzzy_no7 said:

I’m sure this is likely an unpopular opinion but I’m looking forward to seeing the back of him.

I don't think so, many in the same boat. He just isn't that good apart from the odd wondergoal.

 

James has consistently been MOTM in a team full of bad eggs, so I don't buy this bullshit that he will suddenly become this player when he moves to a lower end prem team.

 

He needs to fix his own attitude first 

[Sly]

James is our best player.