Max Gradel

[Daggers]

It seems after a decent start, everyone just expects him to be Ronaldo.

Nope.

But if he is selected for the first team then I expect him to resemble an average Div.III winger at the very least... and he isn't able to manage that so I reckon he shouldn't be playing.

Whatever his problem is, he certainly has one and we can not afford to carry a player every match who woefully underperforms. Give him some damn time off, lob him in the reserves...whatever it takes.

[Alexikokopops]

Let's not bring the guys family into it. It may have had an effect on his poerformance and yes expectations are high but why only single out Gradel, there were many last night that played poor!! The whole side struggled to gain momentum.

the kid has only just broke into the first team and has shown glimpses of what he can do, he has competition for his position (Adams), so he will have to buck up his ideas, but when the whole side is struggling there's no need to single a young prospect out!!

I only brought it up because DB11 said he should be able to put his personal problems behind him, which isn't that easy when you consider what Max has been through

[Staf]

I had some Gradel lover sitting next to me everytime Gradel did something wrong he blamed it on another player and that was normally Howard who he kept standing up and shouting at i really wanted to tell him to shut up but i didnt.

[Raj]

I had some Gradel lover sitting next to me everytime Gradel did something wrong he blamed it on another player and that was normally Howard who he kept standing up and shouting at i really wanted to tell him to shut up but i didnt.

A man after my own heart!!!

Mind you if Gradel was a big northern white man im sure he'd never get any stick no matter what he does(or lack of!)!!!

[Koke]

Way too inconsistent. He'll do something great, and then he'll do something silly in a matter of seconds.

He'll come good eventually.

[knowitall]

maybe its because we are expecting too much of him??????? typical leicester fans really. i thought he did well tonight was hot and cold, at times slowed a move down and tried too much but he was trying to move forward. i just think we should lay off him and let him do his thing, hes not stupid and neither are our staff they will continue to teach him whats right and whats not. hes still young, he did well at bournemouth because he was just left to it but here he has to be a part of a team and work as hard as everybody else. and he set up 2 goals tonight!

just lay off him, we werent expecting anything from lloyd but hes doing well but i dont here anybody moaning about him tonight, i thought he was poor but looked very tired so that might be why.

WELL DONE MAX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well said.

[knowitall]

One trick pony, reminds me of Momo. His crossing is rubbish ( set 2 goals up yesterday blah and was the keeper fault for both) The lad is good at running with the ball though but needs a end product instead of wacking it out for a goal kick all the time.

If Max was the finished artical and gave an end product he would be playing for Machester United not in League One.

[JakeShingler]

I had some Gradel lover sitting next to me everytime Gradel did something wrong he blamed it on another player and that was normally Howard who he kept standing up and shouting at i really wanted to tell him to shut up but i didnt.

My mums like that when she waches my brother

[Webbo]

I criticised him on Saturday, rightly so imo, but I thought he improved as the game went on. If he'd started the game like he finished it he would been man of the match by a mile.

[Ultra]

One trick pony, reminds me of Momo.

Really?

I can't remember Momo providing two assists in his entire City career, let alone one game.

[lifted*fox]

don't think there is anything wrong with Gradel.

he's still v. young and he's full of energy.

as other people have said though, very raw talent and he needs shaping...

honestly though, he needs people's support!

he got proper over-hyped in the pre-season / first few games, then he has a couple of games without magic and people are slating him.

i know it's not a 'direct' comparison, but when players like Berbatov or Rooney don't score or show signs of genius for 2 games, people don't write them off.

last night at Walsall, he showed some great movement of the ball, but he was heavily marked by two big players.

he needs some strength, some support and some more time.

it's unfair to write him off just yet.

[Thracian]

The guy has 5 assists from 11 games, in which he hasn't played in all of them, and when he has played it hasn't been the full 90 minutes.

5 assists in 11 games is a great return from any winger.

It's about five more than all our wingers combined for the whole of last season.

Besides I explained at the beginning of last season that the big thing about Gradel was not that he wouldn't make mistakes, lose the ball or make the wrong choices but that he wouldn't quit and that he'd keep trying to make things happen until he did.

Yesterday's game was a typical example and his five assists so far in seven starts, some for only an hour, only emphasises the point.

[5waller5]

I am really annoyed by this thread. What's wrong with Max??? I think the question should be asked what is wrong with whinging over-critical leicester fans.

He's a winger (as opposed to whinger!), which given our style of play - Ie create chances from the wide areas puts him in a position where he has to create chances by taking people on. No winger can succeed in that task 100% of the time - by taking the game to the opposing player and taking him on you will succeed less times than you fail - but the outcome of getting your 20odd % of successful crosses in is a chance in the box .... so it's worth taking the gamble.

His gambles tonight didn't all come off. Ronaldo's don't all come off either. One thing they did share tonight was the frightened opponents singled them out for attention.

Max was almost constantly being double banked. Being quickly put under pressure by the opposing winger (who rarely broke forward as he was kept busy keeping max quiet), and held up by the full back.

I think max did well as did Lloyd dyer who was also quickly put under pressure (too quickly sometimes which gave him the chance to push it down the line and use his pace).

I'm disappointed with the criticism for the whole team tonight - we did ok - didn't play as well as we have but we did create enough chances to win several games (Howard (without singling him out as i thought he did ok) could have had 4 goals on a luckier day). But i'm more concerned that people aren't patient enough to understand that passing football sometimes breaks down and wingers don't always beat defenders.

Rant over.

[Fez of Mahrez]

I am really annoyed by this thread. What's wrong with Max??? I think the question should be asked what is wrong with whinging over-critical leicester fans.

He's a winger (as opposed to whinger!), which given our style of play - Ie create chances from the wide areas puts him in a position where he has to create chances by taking people on. No winger can succeed in that task 100% of the time - by taking the game to the opposing player and taking him on you will succeed less times than you fail - but the outcome of getting your 20odd % of successful crosses in is a chance in the box .... so it's worth taking the gamble.

His gambles tonight didn't all come off. Ronaldo's don't all come off either. One thing they did share tonight was the frightened opponents singled them out for attention.

Max was almost constantly being double banked. Being quickly put under pressure by the opposing winger (who rarely broke forward as he was kept busy keeping max quiet), and held up by the full back.

I think max did well as did Lloyd dyer who was also quickly put under pressure (too quickly sometimes which gave him the chance to push it down the line and use his pace).

I'm disappointed with the criticism for the whole team tonight - we did ok - didn't play as well as we have but we did create enough chances to win several games (Howard (without singling him out as i thought he did ok) could have had 4 goals on a luckier day). But i'm more concerned that people aren't patient enough to understand that passing football sometimes breaks down and wingers don't always beat defenders.

Rant over.

Very good post, I agree with all of that.

[knowitall]

I am really annoyed by this thread. What's wrong with Max??? I think the question should be asked what is wrong with whinging over-critical leicester fans.

He's a winger (as opposed to whinger!), which given our style of play - Ie create chances from the wide areas puts him in a position where he has to create chances by taking people on. No winger can succeed in that task 100% of the time - by taking the game to the opposing player and taking him on you will succeed less times than you fail - but the outcome of getting your 20odd % of successful crosses in is a chance in the box .... so it's worth taking the gamble.

His gambles tonight didn't all come off. Ronaldo's don't all come off either. One thing they did share tonight was the frightened opponents singled them out for attention.

Max was almost constantly being double banked. Being quickly put under pressure by the opposing winger (who rarely broke forward as he was kept busy keeping max quiet), and held up by the full back.

I think max did well as did Lloyd dyer who was also quickly put under pressure (too quickly sometimes which gave him the chance to push it down the line and use his pace).

I'm disappointed with the criticism for the whole team tonight - we did ok - didn't play as well as we have but we did create enough chances to win several games (Howard (without singling him out as i thought he did ok) could have had 4 goals on a luckier day). But i'm more concerned that people aren't patient enough to understand that passing football sometimes breaks down and wingers don't always beat defenders.

Rant over.

I agree with this. Good post.

[Bert]

As I've stated, we have so many fickle fans who expect a given right to win every game 4-0, seeing as we're expected to be up there.

[Ultra]

I am really annoyed by this thread. What's wrong with Max??? I think the question should be asked what is wrong with whinging over-critical leicester fans.

If you went to any of the last four home games (and Gradel featured in three of them) you wouldn't have to ask.

His gambles tonight didn't all come off. Ronaldo's don't all come off either. One thing they did share tonight was the frightened opponents singled them out for attention.

I said earlier in the thread it was unfair to compare Gradel with Momo Sylla. But that doesn't mean he can be bracketed with Ronaldo instead.

Max was almost constantly being double banked. Being quickly put under pressure by the opposing winger (who rarely broke forward as he was kept busy keeping max quiet), and held up by the full back.

Quality wingers expect this level of attention and find ways of overcoming it. Gradel hasn't yet quite shown he is capable of doing so.

I'm disappointed with the criticism for the whole team tonight - we did ok - didn't play as well as we have but we did create enough chances to win several games (Howard (without singling him out as i thought he did ok) could have had 4 goals on a luckier day). But i'm more concerned that people aren't patient enough to understand that passing football sometimes breaks down and wingers don't always beat defenders.

If you're satisfied with a draw at home to Walsall, that's your prerogative. However, those of us whose expectations and ambitions for our club extend slightly higher, have an equally legitimate right to express disapproval.

[Simi]

5 assists is bloody good going for a winger at LCFC, I think we're forgetting what's happened in years gone by!

I like Gradel but he can be very frustrating at times, I thought his crossing had improved a lot vs Walsall and his two corners were top notch.

I think a rotation with Adams will do both of them good as neither of them are the finished article. Gradel seems to effect the game a lot more than Adams, that was clear to see on Saturday. He had a certain goal cleared and had it not been for Fryatt's stupidity may well have had another.

[davieG]

I can't imagine there's a winger in the world who hasn't been criticised at some point in their careers for being inconsistent, going inside too much, not going inside enough, not taking on the defender, taking on the defender too many times, not crossing the ball enough, too many crosses not enough variation, poor crossing etc. etc but they probably had to wait until they were older than 19 to get all of these complaints.

[AjcW]

To be fair to the lad he set up both goals on tuesday(ok they were from corners but they were bloody good corners). And i think weve kinda got to remember all thats been going on off the pitch with him aswell, hes said its made him more determined but i think we need to let him go home for a few months to let him sort things out an have a good break

Any thoughts?

[Asha]

To be fair to the lad he set up both goals on tuesday(ok they were from corners but they were bloody good corners). And i think weve kinda got to remember all thats been going on off the pitch with him aswell, hes said its made him more determined but i think we need to let him go home for a few months to let him sort things out an have a good break

Any thaughts?

It's a thought, but maybe he needs/wants football as a distraction?

[Foxhateram]

He is a confidence player, begining of the season he did bloody well, looked threatening at all times. against MK on the first game he looked like he could beat their left back everytime he got the ball.

Wingers are all about confidence. You have to be confident to take a man on, Gradel hasnt been quite as good since he had a spell out of the team (didnt he get injured? im guessing that didnt help), i think that may have knocked his confidence.

Give the ald a break his record in this league aint bad so far. He just needs to become a little bit more consistant, but at the age of 19 no-one should expect him to be consistant realy. Consistancy comes with experiance and the lad will be learning from every mistake he makes, aswell as learning from every amazing bit of trickery he does.

He has a bucket full of potential give him and break and let him forfill it

[Benjani]

Max Gradel is one of those players that needs to play every game atm to keep his confidence up.

When Pearson keeps starting Adams and giving Gradel a few minutes each game it's not doing him a lot of good.

Start him on the right each game, he will only get better, and have Adams in the middle. Adams is not a winger IMO, he doesn't have the pace or anything that is needed in a winger.

He seems quite a clever player who has good movement and a good pass, so he should be more in the middle and not right midfield.

[Simi]

Max Gradel is one of those players that needs to play every game atm to keep his confidence up.

When Pearson keeps starting Adams and giving Gradel a few minutes each game it's not doing him a lot of good.

Start him on the right each game, he will only get better, and have Adams in the middle. Adams is not a winger IMO, he doesn't have the pace or anything that is needed in a winger.

He seems quite a clever player who has good movement and a good pass, so he should be more in the middle and not right midfield.

Gradel was starting every game, but then he was dropped because he was playing poor...

[Benjani]

Gradel was starting every game, but then he was dropped because he was playing poor...

There must be a reason why though.

Poor management?

Personal Reasons?

He was immense for Bournemouth in this league last year, so i really do not know why.

I think he has a lot to learn but hopefully he will keep getting more chances.

Maybe he's playing piss poor to stop us telling him to shag our wives