Down to business............

[marbelladave]

Ive been lurking for quite a while but decided to start posting over the weekend in time for the new season. Was hoping people would just let me sheepishly creep through the door and take a seat but now you've pointed out my post count they'll be onto me! I also used to lurk on Bentleys Roof but got put off by the clikiness (not a word) and lack of football content vs off topic banter.

Yes Wellens was dominated yesterday. I must admit I really like Wellens and regard him as our best player although that may now change with the acquisitions. I think maybe he did not adjust his game to the opposition and got caught out a fair bit trying to do some feints/turns he'd get away with in the championship. I actually thought Abe looked unusually physical yesterday throwing himself into a few challenges. Maybe signs of him adapting to the english game. I think once we bring in this mystery striker we'll all feel a bit better about what we've got up top.

Never a big fan of Wellens, not much of a fan of our midfield in general. Caved badly when they came up against the better sides last season, not yet sure they will be any better this season. Wellens was woeful on saturday his usual performance when we are not dominant, Abe worked incredibly hard but achieved little, much like last season. I remain seriously unconvinced.

Could Gallagher be the playmaker with Bamba as the "sitting" player?

Gallagher doesn't fit the striker or wide men.

I have been suggesting Gallagher to play 'in the hole' for more than a year, easily our most creative player but clearly not fancied for that role by any of our managers to date...

Bamba can play midfield by all accounts but has yet to be seen in that role, would leave a big hole in our back 4 though, given that he seems to the only option at left centerback.

Fernandes (if/when he signs) and Johnson when he's fit. Simples.

From what I recall Fernandez is more of a hustler than a 'sitter', but I have not seen much of him so I will wait and see.

See Johnson as a huge gamble fitness wise, certainly would not be looking to build a midfield around him anytime soon.

[MGLCFC]

Konchelsky was very good - you must have been watching a DVD of his time at Forest if you thought he was poor.

[CountesthorpeFox]

Konchelsky was very good - you must have been watching a DVD of his time at Forest if you thought he was poor.

Who's Konchelsky? :-) Well I attempted to explain my analysis of his performance, so care to do the same?

[Kent]

Never a big fan of Wellens, not much of a fan of our midfield in general. Caved badly when they came up against the better sides last season, not yet sure they will be any better this season. Wellens was woeful on saturday his usual performance when we are not dominant, Abe worked incredibly hard but achieved little, much like last season. I remain seriously unconvinced.

I have been suggesting Gallagher to play 'in the hole' for more than a year, easily our most creative player but clearly not fancied for that role by any of our managers to date...

Bamba can play midfield by all accounts but has yet to be seen in that role, would leave a big hole in our back 4 though, given that he seems to the only option at left centerback.

From what I recall Fernandez is more of a hustler than a 'sitter', but I have not seen much of him so I will wait and see.

See Johnson as a huge gamble fitness wise, certainly would not be looking to build a midfield around him anytime soon.

Do you like any of our players? Gonna put you on suicide watch mate.

[CountesthorpeFox]

Never a big fan of Wellens, not much of a fan of our midfield in general. Caved badly when they came up against the better sides last season, not yet sure they will be any better this season. Wellens was woeful on saturday his usual performance when we are not dominant, Abe worked incredibly hard but achieved little, much like last season. I remain seriously unconvinced.

Having lurked on here for a while and BR I noticed quite an anti-wellens brigade. I began to think i was in a minority being an admirer, then he was voted player of the season, so clearly im not. I think the thing with Wellens is even when we are "not dominant", he still gets involved, in the sense that he puts tackles in and attempts to play positive balls. Problem is he then gives the ball away more and therefore the fans get on his back. Me, personally, am far more inclined to get on the back of King, who if you describe Wellens as "woeful" when we are not dominant I cant imagine the adjective given to Kings performances. I prefer a player that tries to take hold of the game and fails rather than one that doesn't try to at all.

[marbelladave]

Do you like any of our players? Gonna put you on suicide watch mate.

Actually I like a lot of our players, they are all (except Wellens who I do not rate) pretty good. However they are all (new defenders apart), what I regard as 'support' players. They all do the bits and pieces pretty well (in slightly different ways), but despite having 6/7 midfielders not one of them is a genuine playmaker and not one of them is a proper defensive holding player.

Last season we were poor breaking down the better teams due to a lack of creativity and there was acres of space 20-30 yards in front of our back 4 for the opposition to play in, space that would and should have been denied them by our defensive mid.

Having lurked on here for a while and BR I noticed quite an anti-wellens brigade. I began to think i was in a minority being an admirer, then he was voted player of the season, so clearly im not. I think the thing with Wellens is even when we are "not dominant", he still gets involved, in the sense that he puts tackles in and attempts to play positive balls. Problem is he then gives the ball away more and therefore the fans get on his back. Me, personally, am far more inclined to get on the back of King, who if you describe Wellens as "woeful" when we are not dominant I cant imagine the adjective given to Kings performances. I prefer a player that tries to take hold of the game and fails rather than one that doesn't try to at all.

Personally I think Wellens is a 'flat track bully' to borrow a cricketing term. When we are in control he sprays the ball about (not always to good effect) and looks to impress, when we are not he is all bluff and bluster and largely ineffective. I know some people like him but I am not one of them.

King is a very odd player, a midfielder who really does very little in midfield. Where he is very good indeed is in both penalty boxes, in attack he is easily the best finisher at the club and defensively his goal line clearances and last ditch tackles have saved us on many occasions. Playing him as an attacking midfielder is just wrong, he is not at all creative and is never going to unlock set defences with his runs or his passing, that is simply not his game. In short he should be played deeper where he can use his defensive skills in and around our box but still make those late forward runs that are so difficult for the opposition to pick up.

[ScouseFox]

I agree with everything marbelladave has ever said.

[marbelladave]

I agree with everything marbelladave has ever said.

Will get you everywhere.....

[Kent]

Will get you everywhere.....

Gonna start calling ScouseFox socks, that's all I can see hanging out of your arse kicking away trying to get an extra inch!

In all seriousness though, your point seems valid enough, I just can't remember seeing you praise any of our players for a while.

(waits for quote being proven wrong)

[Brown Fox]

The thing with King is in midfield he tends to do things that go mainly unnoticed. He'll track his man and having watched him pretty carefully you'll rarely see him lose the ball. He's very good in the sense that he will 'give and go'

Marbelladave is spot on as always with in how he's so effective in both boxes. No matter if he's having a shit game or a great game he's always got the ability to pop up with those goals out of nowhere (Leeds at home) or goal line clearances.

[ScouseFox]

Will get you everywhere.....

Gonna start calling ScouseFox socks, that's all I can see hanging out of your arse kicking away trying to get an extra inch!

In all seriousness though, your point seems valid enough, I just can't remember seeing you praise any of our players for a while.

(waits for quote being proven wrong)

haha!

I didn't at first, but the man's got a point to everything he says, even if it's sometimes a little harsh.

[marbelladave]

The thing with King is in midfield he tends to do things that go mainly unnoticed. He'll track his man and having watched him pretty carefully you'll rarely see him lose the ball. He's very good in the sense that he will 'give and go'

Marbelladave is spot on as always with in how he's so effective in both boxes. No matter if he's having a shit game or a great game he's always got the ability to pop up with those goals out of nowhere (Leeds at home) or goal line clearances.

This is quite true but it simply is not enough in itself. What you describe is exactly what I said, good support play. Going forward 'give and go' is fine but it usually involves the simple ball and is not going to create much, particularly if the defence is set. King gets his share of assists but they come mainly from his work inside the box, he is not at all creative in the buildup.

Similarly in defence he tracks back, closes down the angles etc, but he rarely wins the ball and he has no physical presence, in short he simply gets bypassed.

His play in both boxes is on another level entirely....

[CountesthorpeFox]

The thing with King is in midfield he tends to do things that go mainly unnoticed. He'll track his man and having watched him pretty carefully you'll rarely see him lose the ball. He's very good in the sense that he will 'give and go'

Marbelladave is spot on as always with in how he's so effective in both boxes. No matter if he's having a shit game or a great game he's always got the ability to pop up with those goals out of nowhere (Leeds at home) or goal line clearances.

I'd argue that the reason King rarely gives the ball away is because he very rarely attempts an attacking pass. His passes are always safe and normally short. Wellens is more of the risk taker when it comes to passing and so like I said, when things are not going to well the fans let him know. He does have the ability to pop up with goals from nowhere agreed, but his tendancy to go missing in the middle part of the pitch means he cannot be deployed in a two man central midfield. Unless he's with Michael Essien then there wont be enough presence with just King and one other. I suppose the underlying fact is that if either of them were complete players they wouldnt be plying their trade in the championship, although many believe King wont be for too long anyway.

I think in truth they complement each other in the sense that Wellens does alot of the donkey work and King scores alot of goals. I would argue though that i'd prefer two Wellens' in CM than two Kings.

[gazfox9]

Danns impressed me the most out of all our lads saturday. Maybe its because I hadn't seen him much before we signed him, but his energy looks to be a massive plus to the side.

[Corky]

Blimey, I'm finding myself agreeing with marbelladave again!

[Bugg]

I agree with everything marbelladave has ever said.

Blimey, I'm finding myself agreeing with marbelladave again!