Reserve ratings

[Koke]

I'd love someone to explain the logic to my being biased against anyone. To explain why I shouldn't want the best players possible for our side.

If for some obscure reason I didn't like this guy, why would I plead for him to be tried out further forward and why would I tell his interpreter to be patient?

I've heard this sort of thing before though.

Cries of "get him in team" go out for almost anyone who turns up on City's doorstep these days we're so sodding desperate...

This season we've had: Nielsen, Djeziri, and Kaebi.

Last season there was Low, Horsfield, Jarrett and Johnson

Before that there was Sylla and Peter Gilbert. One or two even flew the flag for Joe Hamill.

It's like opening a Christmas present really. People just can't resist. Hope springs eternal in days of despair.

I just thought the bar might be lifted this season. I really did.

Well, you just said it. Its a sign of desperation if nothing else. If Stearman was playing well at his position, or even better if Chambers had that position on lock down the amount of Kaebi sympathizers would be reduced to half. People would forget about him. But we have Stearman who's playing like he's just had a wank so most people are crying out louds for either Chambers or in some instances Kaebi.

On last nights show, I really don't think he would be much of an improvement to Stearman. He would probably be equally wank or maybe worse since he doesn't know this division whereas Stearman does and in some cases he can hold his own.

[Thracian]

Well, you just said it. Its a sign of desperation if nothing else. If Stearman was playing well at his position, or even better if Chambers had that position on lock down the amount of Kaebi sympathizers would be reduced to half. People would forget about him. But we have Stearman who's playing like he's just had a wank so most people are crying out louds for either Chambers or in some instances Kaebi.

On last nights show, I really don't think he would be much of an improvement to Stearman. He would probably be equally wank or maybe worse since he doesn't know this division whereas Stearman does and in some cases he can hold his own.

Which, if nothing else, proves that City need Stearman to change his wanking technique.

[Miquel The Work Geordie]

I feel so sorry for the kid. I can't imagine they have too many nights as cold as that in Iran - and our dickwad management put him at left-back.

It's no better than when Maybury or Kenton were playing there for the first team last season.

Seems to me like the club wants him to fail and it's just jobs for the boys. He might not be great in the air but then I'm sure a lot of teams would exploit Levi if we played him in defence.

But no, let's not play to his strengths - let's play him where his weaknesses will be exploited the most and use it as an excuse to carry on with the same dross we've had in the first team for years.

The whole thing makes me sick and I'll make no apologies for that. We finally sign an exciting player and the dourists in charge are determined to see him fail.

My thoughts exactly. There is a reason why we were all so excited to see Kaebi sign, because he has talent and potential. I think that the youtube videos everyody has seen on the internet were misleading because they were merely showing his best moments, and alot of fans expected him to produce dazzling trickery or skill on a regular basis. But I've seen youtube videos of Alexandre Pato performing all kinds of skills, but to expect it on a regular basis is just insane.

With the system we are playing at the minute we need all the pace we can get down either side. Stearman's form has been patchy so far this term and Mattock is still so young, the huge weight needs to be lifted off his shoulders. I do think that Kaebi dserves a chance because it'd be a terrible shame to see such a great talent get unhappy and leave, only to make us look like mugs years later when he's matured into a brilliant player.

[Thracian]

My thoughts exactly. There is a reason why we were all so excited to see Kaebi sign, because he has talent and potential. I think that the youtube videos everyody has seen on the internet were misleading because they were merely showing his best moments, and alot of fans expected him to produce dazzling trickery or skill on a regular basis. But I've seen youtube videos of Alexandre Pato performing all kinds of skills, but to expect it on a regular basis is just insane.

With the system we are playing at the minute we need all the pace we can get down either side. Stearman's form has been patchy so far this term and Mattock is still so young, the huge weight needs to be lifted off his shoulders. I do think that Kaebi dserves a chance because it'd be a terrible shame to see such a great talent get unhappy and leave, only to make us look like mugs years later when he's matured into a brilliant player.

Ummm. I wish you'd seen him play instead of watching YouTube.

"Great talent? If he was a "great talent" he would have made reserves football look easy. He hasn't.

Six or seven of our current first teamers and one or two fringe players have made it look very easy.

As for making us looking mugs if he left, I doubt it. I honestly couldn't imagine him staying in England. His style is far more suited to continental football.

[mmarkie]

ive seen him for the reserves and he played very well

[Dames]

Untill he plays right mid which by the accounts of people who watch him regularly is his best position all critcism against him is null.

Even in reserve games for a guy in a new country being played out of position and left hung to dry is going to stuggle, not since the days of Martin Allen has anyone tried to help him or bring him on our backroom staff is so 'English'.

[Thracian]

Untill he plays right mid which by the accounts of people who watch him regularly is his best position all critcism against him is null.

Even in reserve games for a guy in a new country being played out of position and left hung to dry is going to stuggle, not since the days of Martin Allen has anyone tried to help him or bring him on our backroom staff is so 'English'.

Of course people have tried to help him.

It's scandalous to suggest otherwise.

He even has his own interpreter.

And the assistance he's been given is clear from his style of play now. He is far more disciplined positionally.

What's wrong is that people - including perhaps Kaebi himself - are too impatient to wait until that help results in the player being ready for the cauldron of English Championship football.

People like Gradel, Odhiambo and Chambers score goals week in, week out but Steve Beaglehole and the rest of the staff clearly don't think they're quite ready and I'm inclined to think he's right.

So I'm damned sure Kaebi has things to prove yet and things to learn. Not only that but we are having to learn about him - where he might best be played in an English team.

That's nothing new. All City's young players, and Kaebi is young, are switched around to give them experience of different positions. It happens consistently over a period of time.

Kaebi's been here about three months. He's ben looked at as a right back, looked at as a left back, given short periods in right midfield. Doubtless he'll get more.

So far he has not looked the master of any position - perhaps understandable with his age and with his being in such an alien football environment.

But not helping him and leaving him hung out to dry? You are joking. Even against WBA reserves when he was taking a pounding he was quickly withdrawn on whatever pretext. He's been well protected and well look after.

[Miquel The Work Geordie]

Ummm. I wish you'd seen him play instead of watching YouTube.

"Great talent? If he was a "great talent" he would have made reserves football look easy. He hasn't.

Six or seven of our current first teamers and one or two fringe players have made it look very easy.

As for making us looking mugs if he left, I doubt it. I honestly couldn't imagine him staying in England. His style is far more suited to continental football.

I have seen him play, and it's obvious that there is a natural talent and spark there. By saying "great talent" I am acknowledging that he has the potential to do great things, but he's hardly going to be motivated on a chilly British night with one man and his dog cheering him on is he? If I'd won 50-odd international caps I'd expect to be playing first team football, especially considering the state the team are in at the miute, where they can't score or create for love nor money.

And by "making mugs of us" I meant that he'd prove his critics wrong by succeeding on the big stage.

[Finnegan]

So, uh.... how did that Iranian guy we've got get on?

[Thracian]

I have seen him play, and it's obvious that there is a natural talent and spark there. By saying "great talent" I am acknowledging that he has the potential to do great things, but he's hardly going to be motivated on a chilly British night with one man and his dog cheering him on is he? If I'd won 50-odd international caps I'd expect to be playing first team football, especially considering the state the team are in at the miute, where they can't score or create for love nor money.

And by "making mugs of us" I meant that he'd prove his critics wrong by succeeding on the big stage.

He has talent and energy as you sugget and I've referred to it on many occasions.

As for the chilly British nights, unfortunately all professional players have to motivate themselves to do their best whether they are playing at Hereford on a freezing night, at Accrington Stanley in the drizzle, at a time when they've already been relegated, when they're in front of aa packed house or just a few passing fans. If you don't have the mentality to do that then it's a major weakness.

Encouragingly I've actually seen no signs whatsoever that Kaebi fails to motivate himself and largely believe he's done his best every time he's stepped on the field.

Fifty caps for Iran is creditable in its own way but is not 50 caps for England or France and I've referred to it before. Had I been born in Italy, Holland, Switzerland or Luxemborg I'd have won stacks of caps as a squash player. But that wouldn't make me a grade one player in England by a long way... if only!

You mention goals but what evidence has Kaebi delivered that he can score or make goals? He might do. I don't know. But there are players who HAVE DONE and even they haven't had a chance in the first team. So he has to bide his time. Kaebi has not done a lot on the big stage anywhere that I can recall and if he has it's too long ago to be relevant.

He was named as a promising young World Cup player some season's back but didn't make any serious impact in the last Asia Cup. If I remember rightly he made only a token appearance.

Desperate, wishful thinking fans might do all they can to talk Kaebi into our side but in the end he'll have to play himself in.

[Koke]

At the end of the day, Thracian is right. If Kaebi was put in the first team he would do no better than Stearman. Not having a dig at the boy or anything but I just don't think he's fully ready. He has potential but throwing him in the deep end would do him no good and it certainly wouldn't do the team any good either. His time will come. He just needs to adapt to the type of football we are playing in this country + the woeful cold freezing weather. It doesn't happen over night.

[Miquel The Work Geordie]

He has talent and energy as you sugget and I've referred to it on many occasions.

As for the chilly British nights, unfortunately all professional players have to motivate themselves to do their best whether they are playing at Hereford on a freezing night, at Accrington Stanley in the drizzle, at a time when they've already been relegated, when they're in front of aa packed house or just a few passing fans. If you don't have the mentality to do that then it's a major weakness.

Encouragingly I've actually seen no signs whatsoever that Kaebi fails to motivate himself and largely believe he's done his best every time he's stepped on the field.

Fifty caps for Iran is creditable in its own way but is not 50 caps for England or France and I've referred to it before. Had I been born in Italy, Holland, Switzerland or Luxemborg I'd have won stacks of caps as a squash player. But that wouldn't make me a grade one player in England by a long way... if only!

You mention goals but what evidence has Kaebi delivered that he can score or make goals? He might do. I don't know. But there are players who HAVE DONE and even they haven't had a chance in the first team. So he has to bide his time. Kaebi has not done a lot on the big stage anywhere that I can recall and if he has it's too long ago to be relevant.

He was named as a promising young World Cup player some season's back but didn't make any serious impact in the last Asia Cup. If I remember rightly he made only a token appearance.

Desperate, wishful thinking fans might do all they can to talk Kaebi into our side but in the end he'll have to play himself in.

I'm not a wishful thinkning fan, I just believe that he deserves more than reserve level football. You also have to respect the fact that he's been treated as a prodigious talent wherever he's been and he's now facing a bunch of unknowns, surely his confidence would take a battering from such a move?

No disrespect to Stearman, but I think that in our current system we need pacy, attacking wing-backs, and Kaebi has shown more of that to me than Stearman or Mattock has.

[Thracian]

I'm not a wishful thinkning fan, I just believe that he deserves more than reserve level football. You also have to respect the fact that he's been treated as a prodigious talent wherever he's been and he's now facing a bunch of unknowns, surely his confidence would take a battering from such a move?

No disrespect to Stearman, but I think that in our current system we need pacy, attacking wing-backs, and Kaebi has shown more of that to me than Stearman or Mattock has.

It's an opinion but, to my mind Kaebi's would have to get by both James Chambers and Richard Stearman as a right-back and would, on current evidence, have no chance.

He'd have to get by Sheehan (goals/assists/free-kicks/solid in the air) or Mattock (new three-year contract/solid/reliable) as a left-back which also seems unlikely so his greatest opportunity would be at right or left midfield where I don't think he would be more dangerous than Gradel (for certain) or Odhiambo, Ashley Chambers, Hayes (in all likelihood) but I don't know.

He needs to play there so we can all see.

[Miquel The Work Geordie]

It's an opinion but, to my mind Kaebi's would have to get by both James Chambers and Richard Stearman as a rightl-back and would on current evidence have no chance.

He'd have to get by Sheehan (goals/assists/free-kicks/solid in the air) or Mattock (new three-year contract/solid/reliable) as a left-back which also seems unlikely so his greatest opportunity would be at right or left midfield where I don't think he would be more dangerous than Gradel (for certain) or Odhiambo, Ashley Chambers, Hayes (in all likelihood) but I don't know.

He needs to play there so we can all see.

Fair point(s) about getting past James Chambers who I really rate and hope he starts when our midfield is fully fit, and left-back is clearly not his (Kaebi's) position. However, the list of three that you give as potential left midfielders makes me weep at the lack of any options we have at the minute.

[Thracian]

Fair point(s) about getting past James Chambers who I really rate and hope he starts when our midfield is fully fit, and left-back is clearly not his (Kaebi's) position. However, the list of three that you give as potential left midfielders makes me weep at the lack of any options we have at the minute.

The list of three are wide midfielders (two right, one left, basically). I think they do show we have limited options because the youngsters aren't ready, Hayes is not fully fit and not knowingly good enough yet and Kaebi's not proved he's a better option.

I'd be much encouraged if Max Gradel returned fighting fit and with his problems at least under some control. Not that I imagine football is necessarily high on his list of priorities yet.

[filbertway]

I didn't blame all three goals on him. I said they all came from the right which is the truth. I said Kaebi was at fault for one and might well have been at least partly at fault for the second. I also said Walsall played on his lack of inches - and that was a factor in them being able to apply so much pressure through his department.

If I thought Kaebi was such a brilliant full-back do you seriously believe I would not want him in our underperforming side? Or do you somehow believe I think Stearman is as good as it gets?

To emphasise, I have no idea whether Kaebi can do well further forward because I've never seen him play there for any length of time. But I've seen him quite a lots now at right-back or left-back and, sadly, I am not at all convinced.

With defenders it is not so much about what they do right as what they do wrong.

At least wait till you see him in an attacking position before writing him off. Imagine if they only played Porter at right back, you'd have never liked him.

[Miquel The Work Geordie]

The list of three are wide midfielders (two right, one left, basically). I think they do show we have limited options because the youngsters aren't ready, Hayes is not fully fit and not knowingly good enough yet and Kaebi's not proved he's a better option.

I'd be much encouraged if Max Gradel returned fighting fit and with his problems at least under some control. Not that I imagine football is necessarily high on his list of priorities yet.

That'd be fantastic

[Thracian]

At least wait till you see him in an attacking position before writing him off. Imagine if they only played Porter at right back, you'd have never liked him.

:D You're right there.

Anyway, you needn't worry. I look forward to seeing Kaebi in an attacking position. And wish him every success as I wish for all of our players.