OH Leuven Thread 2022/23

[Pelotas]

21 hours ago, Bonanza said:

For Charleroi, OH Leuven, Anderlecht, STVV, KV Mechelen, KV Kortrijk, KAS Eupen, KV Oostende, Zulte Waregem and RFC Seraing the season ends tonight.

After such a great game yesterday with even the excitement of other matches starting to go our way and more ppl looking at their phone than the pitch + THAT strike and action.

Such a shame we won't see the team anymore until end of July :'(

[moore_94]

18 minutes ago, KlaaZ said:

I'm a glass half full kind of person, especially considering the last few games. We lost Maertens for about 8 weeks through injury, which pretty much collided with our poor run of form. Ever since he's back and fully fit, we've been playing really well again. I think that without his injury, we would have played top eight with ease.

 

There a very good base to build on towards next season as well. At the back Mendyl, Pletinckx and Ricca were new signings, so it's unlikely they'll leave already. Patris is the only one who will probably go, hopefully for decent money, as there's a lot of clubs interested apparently. Young, tall, fast, solid technicals: A perfect modern right back. 

 

In midfield, all of the important players signed a contract extension. Keita (currently on loan at Antwerp) is the only one who might go but the fee will be steep and would give us a nice war chest to go shopping with.

 

Up front, Thorsteinsson has been great in his first season. Opoku will also probably stay for another year (the whole work permit story), only Tamari will probably leave as he's end of contract. I'm not going to miss him, great dribbler and improved a lot defensively but just not decisive enough in front of goal. Yesterday was symptomatic, had an easy tap in but kicked over the ball and had a free header but completely missed that one as well. Had a clear way to square it for Opoku in the second half for an easy tap in but decided to shoot himself. That kind of stuff. 

 

Given a few solid additions, I do believe we can have a very good next edition.

 

That's quite harsh. Standard's second goal in added time was a lucky shot from distance, we literally gave nothing away apart from that. Don't forget that they came off the back of three wins in a row, including one over league leaders Genk. 

I hope we are looking at Patris as I think he would be a good pick up for ourselves, capable of playing centre back if needed I think as well isn't he?

 

Do you think the club will make Gonzalez permanent? Seemed to be doing well first half of the season with plenty of goals but second half of the season he dropped off and had a few injuries

 

I really like the look of Keita and a shame that the loan to Antwerp had a buy option, I expect Antwerp will buy him to turn him around for a potential quick profit in the summer

 

Be interesting to see if we send anyone else other than Opoku and Mueanta over to you for next season

Edited 24 April 2023 by moore_94

[Ric Flair]

47 minutes ago, moore_94 said:

I hope we are looking at Patris as I think he would be a good pick up for ourselves, capable of playing centre back if needed I think as well isn't he?

 

Do you think the club will make Gonzalez permanent? Seemed to be doing well first half of the season with plenty of goals but second half of the season he dropped off and had a few injuries

 

I really like the look of Keita and a shame that the loan to Antwerp had a buy option, I expect Antwerp will buy him to turn him around for a potential quick profit in the summer

 

Be interesting to see if we send anyone else other than Opoku and Mueanta over to you for next season

Patris as a replacement for Castagne who I think will go back to Italy in the summer.

[KlaaZ]

53 minutes ago, moore_94 said:

I hope we are looking at Patris as I think he would be a good pick up for ourselves, capable of playing centre back if needed I think as well isn't he?

 

Do you think the club will make Gonzalez permanent? Seemed to be doing well first half of the season with plenty of goals but second half of the season he dropped off and had a few injuries

 

I really like the look of Keita and a shame that the loan to Antwerp had a buy option, I expect Antwerp will buy him to turn him around for a potential quick profit in the summer

 

Be interesting to see if we send anyone else other than Opoku and Mueanta over to you for next season

If you guys stay up, I think Patris would be an option. If you go to the Championship, I say it's unlikely as he'll probably have more interesting alternatives. He can play both center and right back, but he's better suited on the right as he was formed as an attacking midfielder/winger, which really shows in his rushes forward. 

Gonzalez is going to be a no, which is a good thing. There's an option to buy but it's over 2M. Not a bad eye for goal but lacking in the combination and neither the fastest nor the strongest. Also a bit lacklustre at times. 

 

I'm still not sure if Antwerp will pay the 10M stipulated in Keita's clause. 

[KingsX]

I'm a bit confused that you didn't finish above Charleroi on goal difference.

 

 

What is the tiebreaker in your league?  Total wins?  Something else?

[moore_94]

8 minutes ago, KingsX said:

I'm a bit confused that you didn't finish above Charleroi on goal difference.

 

 

What is the tiebreaker in your league?  Total wins?  Something else?

Sorted on games won first I believe

Edited 24 April 2023 by moore_94

[KlaaZ]

10 hours ago, KingsX said:

I'm a bit confused that you didn't finish above Charleroi on goal difference.

 

 

What is the tiebreaker in your league?  Total wins?  Something else?

 

10 hours ago, moore_94 said:

Sorted on games won first I believe

Correct. Games won first, then goal difference.

[Pelotas]

16 minutes ago, KlaaZ said:

 

Correct. Games won first, then goal difference.

To be complete, rules for classification:

1) points

2) matches won

3) goal diff

4) away wins

5) away goal diff

6) away goals

7) playoff match with extra time and penalty so if needed

 

[KingsX]

3 hours ago, Pelotas said:

To be complete, rules for classification:

1) points

2) matches won

3) goal diff

4) away wins

5) away goal diff

6) away goals

7) playoff match with extra time and penalty so if needed

Would they actually play an extra match to determine one place in the table that had zero impact on the European playoffs or the play-downs?

 

I can just about imagine being a coach having to motivate his players for that.

 

   

 

[Bonanza]

 

[Ryy]

1 hour ago, Bonanza said:

 

I know the seasons literally just finished, but is there any talk of who may stay/release etc 

[Bonanza]

5 hours ago, Nannypig7 said:

I know the seasons literally just finished, but is there any talk of who may stay/release etc 

Dylan Ouedraogo, Oregan Ravet and Musa Al-Tamari are out of contract. Ravet is our 3th choice goalkeeper and came through our youth ranks a couple of years ago, so he may get a new deal. The club tried to give Al-Tamari a new contract, but he wants to leave. Ouedraogo is just not good enough so I doubt he'll get a new contract.

Mario Gonzalez and Nathan Opoku came in on loan. We have an option to buy Gonzalez, but that would cost us 2.75 million Euros which is just too much. He'll most likely return to FC Braga. We would like to keep Opoku for at least another year, but ultimately it's Leicester who decides if he stays or not.

 

Mandela Keita may return from loan at Antwerp, but they have an option to buy him. I doubt he'll be an OHL player next season as I think either Antwerp will buy him or another club will. Burnley (Vincent Kompany) showed some interest last season.

Louis Patris still has a contract until June 2027, but he might leave as there are a lot of clubs showing interest.

 

Rumor has it Federico Ricca want to leave as well due to family reasons, but I don't know if this is true.

[KlaaZ]

21 hours ago, Bonanza said:

Dylan Ouedraogo, Oregan Ravet and Musa Al-Tamari are out of contract. Ravet is our 3th choice goalkeeper and came through our youth ranks a couple of years ago, so he may get a new deal. The club tried to give Al-Tamari a new contract, but he wants to leave. Ouedraogo is just not good enough so I doubt he'll get a new contract.

Mario Gonzalez and Nathan Opoku came in on loan. We have an option to buy Gonzalez, but that would cost us 2.75 million Euros which is just too much. He'll most likely return to FC Braga. We would like to keep Opoku for at least another year, but ultimately it's Leicester who decides if he stays or not.

 

Mandela Keita may return from loan at Antwerp, but they have an option to buy him. I doubt he'll be an OHL player next season as I think either Antwerp will buy him or another club will. Burnley (Vincent Kompany) showed some interest last season.

Louis Patris still has a contract until June 2027, but he might leave as there are a lot of clubs showing interest.

 

Rumor has it Federico Ricca want to leave as well due to family reasons, but I don't know if this is true.

Pretty accurate. Most of the core squad will stay, which is important. De Norre, Schrijvers and Maertens all extended their contract in midfield. At the back, Mendyl and Pletinckx were new signings so it's unlikely they'll leave after only one year. Ricca is indeed a possible departure, as is Patris. Up front, Thorsteinsson will also be there next season, and it's very likely that Opoku will as well. On the right, I think Toku has been signed during the winter break as a direct replacement for Tamari next season but we'll need something extra. 

[sacreblueits442]

21 hours ago, Bonanza said:

Dylan Ouedraogo, Oregan Ravet and Musa Al-Tamari are out of contract.

....Ouedraogo always seemed a player with a lot of talent!!!

He had a tendency to defend a bit too far away from the attacker which gave them too much space to attack him and the defence. His passing and ability to break lines were crisp and accurate, I just wonder where he had been trained as those qualities I felt were beyond who he was playing for. His defensive approach, hands behind his back and the distance he takes up from the attacker could easily be addressed. I noticed he has not had game time for some time and I suspect it could have been an injury. My take is he has something in him to progress, but that is just my opinion, it should be interesting where he ends up.

[Ryy]

52 minutes ago, KlaaZ said:

Pretty accurate. Most of the core squad will stay, which is important. De Norre, Schrijvers and Maertens all extended their contract in midfield. At the back, Mendyl and Pletinckx were new signings so it's unlikely they'll leave after only one year. Ricca is indeed a possible departure, as is Patris. Up front, Thorsteinsson will also be there next season, and it's very likely that Opoku will as well. On the right, I think Toku has been signed during the winter break as a direct replacement for Tamari next season but we'll need something extra. 

You’ll be getting the Thai lad I think so hopefully he helps with Tamari’s departure 

[moore_94]

 

[KlaaZ]

3-3 at the break, second half was with a weaker team. Not too bad all in all.

[KlaaZ]

On 26/04/2023 at 21:46, Nannypig7 said:

You’ll be getting the Thai lad I think so hopefully he helps with Tamari’s departure 

What's his name? I'm not expecting much, the last time a Thai player came over (Kawin), it was a ridiculous miscast.

[moore_94]

2 minutes ago, KlaaZ said:

What's his name? I'm not expecting much, the last time a Thai player came over (Kawin), it was a ridiculous miscast.

Suphanat Mueanta

 

Was Kawin highly rated at the time? Mueanta is the highest rated young Thai player in years

 

https://asianfootball.org/2023/01/25/suphanat-mueanta-data-scouting-report/

[Pelotas]

On 30/04/2023 at 01:21, moore_94 said:

Suphanat Mueanta

 

Was Kawin highly rated at the time? Mueanta is the highest rated young Thai player in years

 

https://asianfootball.org/2023/01/25/suphanat-mueanta-data-scouting-report/

Not at all. Felt like we were forced to use him (Thamsatchanan) for commercial reasons tbh (he was the captain and no1 of the Thai national team) and received a five-year juicy contract from what I heard, for a team at that time struggling in second div that was painful budget-wise.

He had some decent matches but really wasn’t anything special. Think he was about same level as our local keeper at that time (Gillekens, later released, then Mouscron, now second keeper at Westerlo just fyi). Got surpassed after a while, loaned to team in Japan where he never played. Came back after a year as third goalkeeper, when many ppl had forgotten he was still an OHL player but due to injuries of others he actually made one or two more apps. Then loaned to Thai team in fourth year of his contract. After that transferred permanently to another Thai team, huge news in Thailand, but barely mentioned anywhere here. Not even sure if it was even mentioned on the OHL website when he left.

 

Expecting much more impact from the new Thai guy but will be culture shock. Could turn out a dud, but then again now it’s Leicester loaning him which says smth, Thamsatchanan was never a Leicester player but directly at OHL.

[KlaaZ]

On 02/05/2023 at 10:16, Pelotas said:

Not at all. Felt like we were forced to use him (Thamsatchanan) for commercial reasons tbh (he was the captain and no1 of the Thai national team) and received a five-year juicy contract from what I heard, for a team at that time struggling in second div that was painful budget-wise.

He had some decent matches but really wasn’t anything special. Think he was about same level as our local keeper at that time (Gillekens, later released, then Mouscron, now second keeper at Westerlo just fyi). Got surpassed after a while, loaned to team in Japan where he never played. Came back after a year as third goalkeeper, when many ppl had forgotten he was still an OHL player but due to injuries of others he actually made one or two more apps. Then loaned to Thai team in fourth year of his contract. After that transferred permanently to another Thai team, huge news in Thailand, but barely mentioned anywhere here. Not even sure if it was even mentioned on the OHL website when he left.

 

Expecting much more impact from the new Thai guy but will be culture shock. Could turn out a dud, but then again now it’s Leicester loaning him which says smth, Thamsatchanan was never a Leicester player but directly at OHL.

He was quite highly rated in Thailand though, that was a bit of the point. It's all good and well to excel locally, but the step up to European football is huge. I do agree that the fact that Leicester is signing him is encouraging, though.

[Lambert09]

47 minutes ago, KlaaZ said:

He was quite highly rated in Thailand though, that was a bit of the point. It's all good and well to excel locally, but the step up to European football is huge. I do agree that the fact that Leicester is signing him is encouraging, though.

I wouldn’t be so confident tbh. The other thai lad we signed wasn’t up to much and was clearly getting opportunities based on our owners nationality. They really want to make it happen so that will be a factor it won’t all be about talent 

[Bonanza]

2-1 win in a friendly against Brentford reserves

 

 

[Ric Flair]

4 hours ago, Bonanza said:

2-1 win in a friendly against Brentford reserves

 

 

Opoku is a pure bagsman.

[Lambert09]

15 hours ago, Ric Flair said:

Opoku is a pure bagsman.

He has the link up play of Nugent, the tenacity of Vardy, the poaching of Fryatt... a leicester fan received the keys to the Haaland laboratory