Gradel back on loan to Bournemouth

[Dames]

Bournemouth's manager Nigel Bond (or is he a snooker player) is friends with Milan Mandaric, i'm surprised there haven't been more of our player go to Bournemouth on loan this season. Gradel is there because he needs first team football, we could probably do with him ourselves but i'd rather he is guaranteed that football right now for his long term future.

Its Kevin Bond

[Ric Flair]

Its Kevin Bond

Haha, I thought i'd got his first name wrong!! Nigel is a snooker player, very apt.

[Thracian]

How can you say that, there could have been a number of reasons, like lack of confidence playing 1st team football, gelling with new team-mates, manager asking him to play in a certain way, nigling injuries etc etc etc etc....List could go on and on. I Know it's not a massively important point, but sometime Thrac ppl have to challenge arguments you raise, as they are just nonsense and one-sided views.

See it as you like. But to me the manager had decided Newton was going to be our right winger and Gradel had a distinctly sparse pre-season despite showing up well when he did appear. Injury didn't come into it. Nor confidence. The last player in our entire squad to lack confidence is Gradel. I never understood us signing Newton from the start and subsequent events hardly changed my viewpoint.

[STUHILL]

See it as you like. But to me the manager had decided Newton was going to be our right winger and Gradel had a distinctly sparse pre-season despite showing up well when he did appear. Injury didn't come into it. Nor confidence. The last player in our entire squad to lack confidence is Gradel. I never understood us signing Newton from the start and subsequent events hardly changed my viewpoint.

No you see as you like, i.e the same narrow minded, tunnel visioned, blinkered, one-sided view. I do wonder if we had have thrown Gradel in to a starting position, what your next move would have been if he started off poorly and had 23000 fans on his back for giving the ball away too easily. I don't see how you can't see the positives of him on loan and doing so well. Rushing a youngster in front of big crowds can have a massive impact on a players career. Confidence as you probably know with your squash playing etc, as with all sports, is massively important. Take that away from a youngster before they have time to build it up, can have some very harmful, long-lasting effects. I think Holloway knows full well of Gradel and his ability, hence the 3 year contract. I also think he knows more about professional football careers than you do, and how best to help players reach their potential for Leicester City. If i am right in thinking if given the chance now, you would recall Gradel and start him at RM, what may I ask Thracian if the impossible did happen and he had a number of poor games for us and was dropped back to the reserves?? Do you not think King would now be better suited playing every week in league one and receiving constant praise and offered a new contract at Leicester for his efforts? I think that would be of much better use in the long-term for King than playing reserves for Leicester and being dropped from the first team after a few performances, whether right or wrong.

I don't think your doing Gradel any favours by your constant arguments. Let him continue playing each week and hopefully continue his solid performances. He will return in the Summer more confident and a better player because of it and be involved in pre-season and will hopefully show himself good enough to be part of Leicester's promotion push.

[James.]

I don't think your doing Gradel any favours by your constant arguments.

And that is the inescapable irony of Thracian's youth player bias.

Great post.

[Manwell Pablo]

I'd be very suprised if Max isn't back here fighting for a place next season, until then, I think this subject should have a line drawn under it until the next time he plays.

[Jimmy]

Gradel Pens New Foxes Deal

Posted on: Wed 06 Feb 2008

Winger Max Gradel has signed a three-year extension to his Leicester City contract.

The 20-year-old's current deal was due to expire at the end of this season but he will now remain at the Walkers Stadium until June 2011.

The tricky Ivory Coast-born winger has yet to make a first-team appearance for the Foxes but is expected to have a bright future at the club.

He is currently on loan at AFC Bournemouth and has made 23 appearances for the Cherries to date.

Gradel, an Academy graduate, has found the back of the net six times at The Fitness First Stadium.

http://www.lcfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/Lates...1233603,00.html

[Toby or not Toby]

signed new 3 year. couldn't see the link anywhere.

http://www.lcfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/Lates...1233603,00.html

[MPH]

QUOTE (Geo V @ Feb 5 2008, 10:08 PM) *

Yeah thats what I heard. He has signed a new deal apparently and is definitely part of Ollies plans for the future.

We'll see.

http://www.lcfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/Lates...1233603,00.html

[harpendenfox]

We saw

Lets just hope his valuable experience of league one grounds and so forth doesn't come in too useful next season....

No, we'll be fine. No danger of relegation. Is there.

[Milky]

Excellent!

[Ric Flair]

Gradel's got a future at Leicester? What a shock!

Excellent news, my only concern was that we dithered on a contract and Maxi decided he wanted to stay at Bournemouth as it's nearer to France where he has responsibilities.

[Manwell Pablo]

Gradel's got a future at Leicester? What a shock!

Excellent news, my only concern was that we dithered on a contract and Maxi decided he wanted to stay at Bournemouth as it's nearer to France where he has responsibilities.

.....it not really near a decent airport though is it.

[Thracian]

No you see as you like, i.e the same narrow minded, tunnel visioned, blinkered, one-sided view. I do wonder if we had have thrown Gradel in to a starting position, what your next move would have been if he started off poorly and had 23000 fans on his back for giving the ball away too easily. I don't see how you can't see the positives of him on loan and doing so well. Rushing a youngster in front of big crowds can have a massive impact on a players career. Confidence as you probably know with your squash playing etc, as with all sports, is massively important. Take that away from a youngster before they have time to build it up, can have some very harmful, long-lasting effects. I think Holloway knows full well of Gradel and his ability, hence the 3 year contract. I also think he knows more about professional football careers than you do, and how best to help players reach their potential for Leicester City. If i am right in thinking if given the chance now, you would recall Gradel and start him at RM, what may I ask Thracian if the impossible did happen and he had a number of poor games for us and was dropped back to the reserves?? Do you not think King would now be better suited playing every week in league one and receiving constant praise and offered a new contract at Leicester for his efforts? I think that would be of much better use in the long-term for King than playing reserves for Leicester and being dropped from the first team after a few performances, whether right or wrong.

I don't think your doing Gradel any favours by your constant arguments. Let him continue playing each week and hopefully continue his solid performances. He will return in the Summer more confident and a better player because of it and be involved in pre-season and will hopefully show himself good enough to be part of Leicester's promotion push.

I see people giving the ball away for Leicester every time they play, in fact it's a feature of the team and has been all season as it was for seasons before.

Anyone can have bad games and at Leicester they are just as likely from older players as the younger ones. "If, if, if," you could say "if" about anyone. Do you really think Hammond or Low liked being berrated by the fans?

But meanwhile, despite all your bluster, our goals for column continues to look shameful and there seems no prospect at all of a change because of the way we play, or more accurately, don't play.

I can well imagine young players having a tough time with you cos, like others, you have no belief or confidence in them. You're a "perhaps we'll play em tomorrow" type.

Instead you've got confidence in experienced players who've shown themselves just as prone to mistakes and playing indifferent football at times.

Well that's fine but don't associate your outlook with mine.

I well see some positives can arise from sending people out on loan. I also see what our club needs right now, not next year or sometime in the future, but now.

And that is goals and some consistently positive results. And the only way we'll get goals is by playing some proper football with people who are fast enough, fit enough and skillful enough to go forwards and backwards together as a team.

You say Holloway knows more than me about professional football careers.

So why the hell doesn't he show it instead of conducting that shambles of a performance at Blackpool with the same negative habitual mistake makers, the same negative tactics and the same habit of putting players in positions they don't belong which have snookered us time and again?

Put in a nutshell our team needs to defend as a team and attack as a team and we don't do so because to accomplish that you neet fit, fast, footballers who can pass the ball. Gradel is one such player.

As for the effect of 23,000 fans on a good young player well, I don't suppose Mattock was playing to an empty house last night and he certainly didn't at Villa earlier in the season or at any number of places. Good young footballers love a crowd. They love people to shows their skills to. It's what they dream of from the time they first kick a football.

Anyway that's my last (but three) reply on the subject. He's gone. He cannot help our goals column from Bournemouth. So we'll have to do something else.

[Manwell Pablo]

I see people giving the ball away for Leicester every time they play, in fact it's a feature of the team and has been all season as it was for seasons before.

Anyone can have bad games and at Leicester they are just as likely from older players as the younger ones. "If, if, if," you could say "if" about anyone. Do you really think Hammond or Low liked being berrated by the fans?

But meanwhile, despite all your bluster, our goals for column continues to look shameful and there seems no prospect at all of a change because of the way we play, or more accurately, don't play.

I can well imagine young players having a tough time with you cos, like others, you have no belief or confidence in them. You're a "perhaps we'll play em tomorrow" type.

Instead you've got confidence in experienced players who've shown themselves just as prone to mistakes and playing indifferent football at times.

Well that's fine but don't associate your outlook with mine.

I well see some positives can arise from sending people out on loan. I also see what our club needs right now, not next year or sometime in the future, but now.

And that is goals and some consistently positive results. And the only way we'll get goals is by playing some proper football with people who are fast enough, fit enough and skillful enough to go forwards and backwards together as a team.

You say Holloway knows more than me about professional football careers.

So why the hell doesn't he show it instead of conducting that shambles of a performance at Blackpool with the same negative habitual mistake makers, the same negative tactics and the same habit of putting players in positions they don't belong which have snookered us time and again?

Put in a nutshell our team needs to defend as a team and attack as a team and we don't do so because to accomplish that you neet fit, fast, footballers who can pass the ball. Gradel is one such player.

As for the effect of 23,000 fans on a good young player well, I don't suppose Mattock was playing to an empty house last night and he certainly didn't at Villa earlier in the season or at any number of places. Good young footballers love a crowd. They love people to shows their skills to. It's what they dream of from the time they first kick a football.

Anyway that's my last reply on the subject. He's gone. He cannot help our goals column from Bournemouth. So we'll have to do something else.

He could hack the football leagues database at FA headquarters. That'd sort it out.

[Ric Flair]

.....it not really near a decent airport though is it.

Bournemouth's airport is better than Leicester's though.

Welcome to Birstall Airport.

Departures

1408 Oadby Cancelled

1433 Skegness Gate 1 (the only gate, leased by the farmer)

[Manwell Pablo]

Bournemouth's airport is better than Leicester's though.

Welcome to Birstall Airport.

Departures

1408 Oadby Cancelled

1433 Skegness Gate 1 (the only gate, leased by the farmer)

East Midlands?

[Ric Flair]

East Midlands?

Not much better than Bournemouth's or it wasn't when I last flew there.

Perhaps Gradel's got a touch of the Bergkamp's anyway? Ferreh.

[STUHILL]

I see people giving the ball away for Leicester every time they play, in fact it's a feature of the team and has been all season as it was for seasons before.

Anyone can have bad games and at Leicester they are just as likely from older players as the younger ones. "If, if, if," you could say "if" about anyone. Do you really think Hammond or Low liked being berrated by the fans?

But meanwhile, despite all your bluster, our goals for column continues to look shameful and there seems no prospect at all of a change because of the way we play, or more accurately, don't play.

I can well imagine young players having a tough time with you cos, like others, you have no belief or confidence in them. You're a "perhaps we'll play em tomorrow" type.

Instead you've got confidence in experienced players who've shown themselves just as prone to mistakes and playing indifferent football at times.

Well that's fine but don't associate your outlook with mine.

I well see some positives can arise from sending people out on loan. I also see what our club needs right now, not next year or sometime in the future, but now.

And that is goals and some consistently positive results. And the only way we'll get goals is by playing some proper football with people who are fast enough, fit enough and skillful enough to go forwards and backwards together as a team.

You say Holloway knows more than me about professional football careers.

So why the hell doesn't he show it instead of conducting that shambles of a performance at Blackpool with the same negative habitual mistake makers, the same negative tactics and the same habit of putting players in positions they don't belong which have snookered us time and again?

Put in a nutshell our team needs to defend as a team and attack as a team and we don't do so because to accomplish that you neet fit, fast, footballers who can pass the ball. Gradel is one such player.

As for the effect of 23,000 fans on a good young player well, I don't suppose Mattock was playing to an empty house last night and he certainly didn't at Villa earlier in the season or at any number of places. Good young footballers love a crowd. They love people to shows their skills to. It's what they dream of from the time they first kick a football.

Anyway that's my last reply on the subject. He's gone. He cannot help our goals column from Bournemouth. So we'll have to do something else.

Ok the first 90% of your post is irrelavent, repetitive and long-winded as usual, and some of the assumptions you make about me are bollox. Don't pidgeon hole me, footballl isn't black and white, and that's why your arguments are so floored. My argument is about playing youngsters too early. I think although Mattock has shown promise and had good games, he has also shown a lack of experience and even looked knocked of confidence on occassion. I totally agree with Holloway saying that if he could and had the players, he would also have loaned Mattock out. I think becoming a successful player at this level is a massive learning curve and can very rarely be jumped. You see Gradel doing well for a lower league team and you automatically assume he would be doing the same here against championship defences. It really isn't that simple. The developing stage of a professional is so important and should not be under-estimated, a footballers career is short-lived and so if their going to do it properly, lets get it right and not chuck all these youngsters in the deep end!! Gradel is showing EARLY signs of being a very good player, so lets not ruin that and give him time to develop consistency and maturity by playing each week.

[Thracian]

Ok the first 90% of your post is irrelavent, repetitive and long-winded as usual, and some of the assumptions you make about me are bollox. Don't pidgeon hole me, footballl isn't black and white, and that's why your arguments are so floored. My argument is about playing youngsters too early. I think although Mattock has shown promise and had good games, he has also shown a lack of experience and even looked knocked of confidence on occassion. I totally agree with Holloway saying that if he could and had the players, he would also have loaned Mattock out. I think becoming a successful player at this level is a massive learning curve and can very rarely be jumped. You see Gradel doing well for a lower league team and you automatically assume he would be doing the same here against championship defences. It really isn't that simple. The developing stage of a professional is so important and should not be under-estimated, a footballers career is short-lived and so if their going to do it properly, lets get it right and not chuck all these youngsters in the deep end!! Gradel is showing EARLY signs of being a very good player, so lets not ruin that and give him time to develop consistency and maturity by playing each week.

He's doing that.

And I'm only disagreeing with what you say above because I think he's needed here.

And I'd have no more fears of chucking Gradel in against anyone than Laczko, Alnwick, or Clapham.

[Ric Flair]

He's doing that.

And I'm only disagreeing with what you say above because I think he's needed here.

And I'd have no more fears of chucking Gradel in anywhere than Laczko, Alnwick, or Clapham.

You'd not have any fears of playing him in goal? :laugh: I know he looks shit hot, but everyone has limits mate!

[Thracian]

You'd not have any fears of playing him in goal? :laugh: I know he looks shit hot, but everyone has limits mate!

My faith knows no limits! :D

[Narborough Bod]

Ok the first 90% of your post is irrelavent, repetitive and long-winded as usual, and some of the assumptions you make about me are bollox. Don't pidgeon hole me, footballl isn't black and white, and that's why your arguments are so floored. My argument is about playing youngsters too early. I think although Mattock has shown promise and had good games, he has also shown a lack of experience and even looked knocked of confidence on occassion. I totally agree with Holloway saying that if he could and had the players, he would also have loaned Mattock out. I think becoming a successful player at this level is a massive learning curve and can very rarely be jumped. You see Gradel doing well for a lower league team and you automatically assume he would be doing the same here against championship defences. It really isn't that simple. The developing stage of a professional is so important and should not be under-estimated, a footballers career is short-lived and so if their going to do it properly, lets get it right and not chuck all these youngsters in the deep end!! Gradel is showing EARLY signs of being a very good player, so lets not ruin that and give him time to develop consistency and maturity by playing each week.

Agree, without wanting to sound flippant, ship them all out on loan.

Over the past couple of years we have seen youngsters, who are literally kids, shoved into a mans world.

Although some have only played a game here & there, none have been able to impose themselves regularly.

King, Chambers, Odiambo, Porter, Hayes even Mattock look lightweight and need a few lumps kicked out of them so that they can prepare for the up an at em of the Championship. Even Stearman, a CB by trade, is still so slight that they have to play him at RB.

Ferguson sent Beckham to Preston and it didn't do him too badly did it.

The last 2 young stars weres :

Heskey - sh*thouse

Joachim - lightning and also fairly well built.

Give them Steak and Milk and Division 1!!

[Thracian]

Agree, without wanting to sound flippant, ship them all out on loan.

Over the past couple of years we have seen youngsters, who are literally kids, shoved into a mans world.

Although some have only played a game here & there, none have been able to impose themselves regularly.

King, Chambers, Odiambo, Porter, Hayes even Mattock look lightweight and need a few lumps kicked out of them so that they can prepare for the up an at em of the Championship. Even Stearman, a CB by trade, is still so slight that they have to play him at RB.

Ferguson sent Beckham to Preston and it didn't do him too badly did it.

The last 2 young stars weres :

Heskey - sh*thouse

Joachim - lightning and also fairly well built.

Give them Steak and Milk and Division 1!!

Lovely if you've got Ferguson's resources in terms of available talent but we haven't, the transfer window is closed and I wouldn't trust what's left behind to get us safely out of an open door.

The team simply doesn't pass, support and play as a unit and it's mentally brittle too because our whole situation is one of continual restraint brought about by fear and uncertainty.

Yes we've got tough, competitive, experienced people in the heart of our side now - Kisnorbo, McAuley, Clapham, Clemence and Oakley plus the war horses Howard, Hayles and Hume up front but where's the subtlety among our experienced players, where's the movement, where's the constant drive we'll need to simply survive in this division?

If Campbell gets injured again we're snookered.

Even without injuries I look and wonder where the passes will come from for the central midfielders, where the subtlety will come for the necessary chance creation and where will the pace and sharpness come from to really get at any defence and trouble them enough to score 1.5 goals a game.

Gradel, King and Shush! would have guaranteed 12/15 goals between em (shots and assists) that we simply aren't going to get unless Mattock can suddenly discover that he's a first team attacker and our wingers can start matching the hype that they've had, but I doubt either will happen or even that Holloway will necessarily keep faith with them.

We've got 16 games left to collect at least 12 points and perhaps as many as 16. To do that we'll need at least 25 goals when, so far, we've only got one forward who's mustered more than four in the 30 games (or close to 2/3rds of the season played so far) and that forward is playing out of position and isn't really likely to knock up too many 90 minutes as a front line striker.

Yet you agree with us sending attacking players away and you'd be right if we had alternatives on site. But we haven't. In fact any injuries now and we're going to look dstinctly fragile.

Instead of borrowing people and hoping to borrow more from here, there and everywhere it is a damn shame we didn't build our own team properly in the first place way back last summer.

We went down the rental route last year and so nearly went down. When things like that keep happening you don't stay lucky for ever. Rent a crowd? I know it can work. I know MM got lucky at Portsmouth. But I didn't like it last season and I don't like it this - although I would welcome Scott Sinclair.

[Narborough Bod]

Lovely if you've got Ferguson's resources in terms of available talent but we haven't, the transfer window is closed and I wouldn't trust what's left behind to get us safely out of an open door.

The team simply doesn't pass, support and play as a unit and it's mentally brittle too because our whole situation is one of continual restraint brought about by fear and uncertainty.

Yes we've got tough, competitive, experienced people in the heart of our side now - Kisnorbo, McAuley, Clapham, Clemence and Oakley plus the war horses Howard, Hayles and Hume up front but where's the subtlety among our experienced players, where's the movement, where's the constant drive we'll need to simply survive in this division?

If Campbell gets injured again we're snookered.

Even without injuries I look and wonder where the passes will come from for the central midfielders, where the subtlety will come for the necessary chance creation and where will the pace and sharpness come from to really get at any defence and trouble them enough to score 1.5 goals a game.

Gradel, King and Shush! would have guaranteed 12/15 goals between em (shots and assists) that we simply aren't going to get unless Mattock can suddenly discover that he's a first team attacker and our wingers can start matching the hype that they've had, but I doubt either will happen or even that Holloway will necessarily keep faith with them.

We've got 16 games left to collect at least 12 points and perhaps as many as 16. To do that we'll need at least 25 goals when, so far, we've only got one forward who's mustered more than four in the 30 games (or close to 2/3rds of the season played so far) and that forward is playing out of position and isn't really likely to knock up too many 90 minutes as a front line striker.

Yet you agree with us sending attacking players away and you'd be right if we had alternatives on site. But we haven't. In fact any injuries now and we're going to look dstinctly fragile.

Instead of borrowing people and hoping to borrow more from here, there and everywhere it is a damn shame we didn't build our own team properly in the first place way back last summer.

We went down the rental route last year and so nearly went down. When things like that keep happening you don't stay lucky for ever. Rent a crowd? I know it can work. I know MM got lucky at Portsmouth. But I didn't like it last season and I don't like it this - although I would welcome Scott Sinclair.

I agree to most of your points, however Holloway obviously believes that Howard, Hayles, Campbell, Hume, Lackzo, Bori are CURRENTLY better options than Gradel, and Oakley, Clemence, Wesolowski better options than King.

Therefore I would prefer to see them gaining proper match experience in a division where they will have to strengthen themselves both mentally and physically.

And ideally I would have wanted this to happen early doors so that we could be bringing them back now, tougher and ready to fight for the cause.

Would any of these youngsters be able to cope with the mental brittlety(?) caused by the fear and uncertainty that you mention above, or would playing for us in our current plight harm their development.

This is a genuine question as I do not go to resie games and you have more factual based knowledge having seen them play more than I have.