Rotherham (A) - 26 Aug 23 - Pre-Match Thread

[Leicesterpool]

Watch out a chuckle is about.

[Ric Flair]

17 minutes ago, Finnegan said:

 

I'd be extremely surprised if Maresca put any right footed player in Doyle's position out of choice. Angle of passing options off stronger foot is a big deal there. 

 

I imagine if pressed, he'd rather mirror it so JJ did the "Doyle role" at RB and maybe played Ricardo at LB. 

 

Yeah, you might be right. Justin's best position is LB though and he says it himself. He might be one to cash in on, just don't see him playing under Maresca.

[Finnegan]

7 minutes ago, Ric Flair said:

Yeah, you might be right. Justin's best position is LB though and he says it himself. He might be one to cash in on, just don't see him playing under Maresca.

 

Yeah but being right footed as a conventional full/wing back on the left is a bit different to being to right footed as a hybrid LCB meant to push up a bit and spray passes. 

[LVFox]

I'd like to see Kelechi play on the right with Vards down the middle.

 

Completely agree with those shouting "Iheanacho isn't a winger", but, Mavididi aside he's our best one on one dribbler at the club and that position needs players who commit defenders

[Finnegan]

4 minutes ago, LVFox said:

I'd like to see Kelechi play on the right with Vards down the middle.

 

Completely agree with those shouting "Iheanacho isn't a winger", but, Mavididi aside he's our best one on one dribbler at the club and that position needs players who commit defenders

 

In possession, I think he absolutely historically could have done the Perez role as a narrow right sided forward with Ricardo overlapping. 

 

Unfortunately, his work rate without the ball is shocking as is his general athleticism. No manager has or ever would really trust him out there. 

 

Kels biggest problem by far is the team typically have to carry him defensively. It's why he's so very rarely been played consistently in a two striker system despite how well it works when we have the ball. 

 

[sacreblueits442]

33 minutes ago, Finnegan said:

Kels biggest problem by far is the team typically have to carry him defensively. It's why he's so very rarely been played consistently in a two striker system despite how well it works when we have the ball. 

...how often do we play with two upfront!!!

  We do not carry Nacho defensively, he is where he should be, an outlet to receive and link the play.

  You seem to be looking for problems in order to fix one issue, which has been an overriding problem  with the balance of the team.

  Rak-Sakyi coming in would greatly effect the way we penetrate stubborn defensives, we just need to get one our two out the door.

[Finnegan]

1 minute ago, sacreblueits442 said:

how often do we play with two upfront!!!

 

That's sort of the point... 

 

1 minute ago, sacreblueits442 said:

We do not carry Nacho defensively

 

No, not very well. That's partly why we got relegated. 

 

1 minute ago, sacreblueits442 said:

You seem to be looking for problems

 

No, I just watch us play? 

 

 

I love Iheanacho. I've championed him loads over the years, think he's a great talent that's been sadly overlooked during his LCFC tenure. 

 

But let's not kid ourselves. He contributes next to nothing defensively. Even Maresca has had to give him an ultimatum already, press more or don't play. He's briefly stepped it up but we've seen similar before and it largely doesn't last. 

[Sol thewall Bamba]

1 hour ago, Ric Flair said:

Yeah, you might be right. Justin's best position is LB though and he says it himself. He might be one to cash in on, just don't see him playing under Maresca.

We've got to fit him in somehow haven't we. In the highly likely event Rudkin doesn't get us any more wingers in I'd be inclined to give JJ a chance there, and just tell him to rely on his athleticism to beat people. He could blow fullbacks away for fun in this league.  

[Guest Sideshow Faes]

1 hour ago, LVFox said:

I'd like to see Kelechi play on the right with Vards down the middle.

 

Completely agree with those shouting "Iheanacho isn't a winger", but, Mavididi aside he's our best one on one dribbler at the club and that position needs players who commit defenders

Wtaf. He's a terrible footballer. He's good at hitting the target from the edge of the box. Half the time he is okay with his back to goal. He is not a player that can play anywhere else on the pitch, he is not good enough on the ball, nor quick enough for the wing. This is one of the worst suggestions I've ever seen on foxestalk (which is really saying something).

[whoareyaaa]

1 hour ago, LVFox said:

I'd like to see Kelechi play on the right with Vards down the middle.

 

Completely agree with those shouting "Iheanacho isn't a winger", but, Mavididi aside he's our best one on one dribbler at the club and that position needs players who commit defenders

We need a backup striker to come off the bench though and I think it's working with Vardy coming on late in games, the two wingers are doing fine but we do need to add another 

[Simmo86]

On 20/08/2023 at 07:29, CosbehFox said:

No that’s Sheffield Wednesday. You could argue they are the smallest club in the division though. Done well to compete. 
 

Seen us drop points in Rotherham within a promotion season 

The Pompey/Admin season? Was someday that as a young lad! 

[Simmo86]

5 minutes ago, Sideshow Faes said:

Wtaf. He's a terrible footballer. He's good at hitting the target from the edge of the box. Half the time he is okay with his back to goal. He is not a player that can play anywhere else on the pitch, he is not good enough on the ball, nor quick enough for the wing. This is one of the worst suggestions I've ever seen on foxestalk (which is really saying something).

Think your reply might actually be one of the worst things I’ve ever seen on FoxesTalk 

[Guest Sideshow Faes]

Just now, Simmo86 said:

Think your reply might actually be one of the worst things I’ve ever seen on FoxesTalk 

Did it come across overly harsh? I don't think Kel could conceivably do that job. Didn't intend to be overly harsh in delivery of that message. 

[westernpark]

4 minutes ago, Sideshow Faes said:

Wtaf. He's a terrible footballer. He's good at hitting the target from the edge of the box. Half the time he is okay with his back to goal. He is not a player that can play anywhere else on the pitch, he is not good enough on the ball, nor quick enough for the wing. This is one of the worst suggestions I've ever seen on foxestalk (which is really saying something).

I mean he’s not a terrible footballer is he. The guy can pass (great through ball to Wanya-Marcal in the first half and also really benefitted from playing this option when with Vardy up front), likes to play quick one twos and has a great shot from outside the box, so considering our current options on the right, he would be fine. I wouldn’t play him there currently, because Maresca doesn’t rate Daka and we can’t afford to start Vardy. 

[Guest Sideshow Faes]

Just now, westernpark said:

I mean he’s not a terrible footballer is he. The guy can pass (great through ball to Wanya-Marcal in the first half and also really benefitted from playing this option when with Vardy up front), likes to play quick one twos and has a great shot from outside the box, so considering our current options on the right, he would be fine. I wouldn’t play him there currently, because Maresca doesn’t rate Daka and we can’t afford to start Vardy. 

We can agree to disagree. He can do a decade enough job up front. I don't think he could play anywhere else.

[westernpark]

1 minute ago, Sideshow Faes said:

We can agree to disagree. He can do a decade enough job up front. I don't think he could play anywhere else.

Yes we can on his positioning, but saying he’s a terrible footballer makes you sound like you have vendetta against him.

[CosbehFox]

13 minutes ago, Simmo86 said:

The Pompey/Admin season? Was someday that as a young lad! 

Yeah. We went top as Pompey lost to Wednesday. Rovrum denied us promotion that afternoon. Late Trev Benjamin equaliser 

[hejammy]

It'll be ok as long as we don't play Brendan ball ----   "To me, to you, to me, to you"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sorry I thought I'd give my foxestalk brothers a chuckle....

 

 

 

 

Sorry again

[Guest Sideshow Faes]

40 minutes ago, westernpark said:

Yes we can on his positioning, but saying he’s a terrible footballer makes you sound like you have vendetta against him.

By footballer I mean it in the way you might say that Joe Gomez is a better footballer than Tony Adams. Tony Adams was vastly better at playing football, but Joe Gomez is better at manipulating the ball, that use of the word footballer.

Kel is a decent-ish forward. But he isn't great at running with or manipulating the ball imo. He's an okay footballer as a whole, but not a great footballer in terms of skill level usage of the word 

[sacreblueits442]

1 hour ago, Finnegan said:

 

That's sort of the point... 

 

 

No, not very well. That's partly why we got relegated. 

 

 

No, I just watch us play? 

 

 

I love Iheanacho. I've championed him loads over the years, think he's a great talent that's been sadly overlooked during his LCFC tenure. 

 

But let's not kid ourselves. He contributes next to nothing defensively. Even Maresca has had to give him an ultimatum already, press more or don't play. He's briefly stepped it up but we've seen similar before and it largely doesn't last. 

...just to clarify,  you are saying that Nacho has dictated the club's policy of playing one upfront!!!

  We have seen Vardy and Nacho play together before where Nacho was scoring goals whilst Vardy supplied by drifting to the left.

[LVFox]

58 minutes ago, Sideshow Faes said:

Did it come across overly harsh? I don't think Kel could conceivably do that job. Didn't intend to be overly harsh in delivery of that message. 

Yeah you came across as a dick tbh!

[Finnegan]

1 minute ago, Sideshow Faes said:

By footballer I mean it in the way you might say that Joe Gomez is a better footballer than Tony Adams. Tony Adams was vastly better at playing football, but Joe Gomez is better at manipulating the ball, that use of the word footballer.

Kel is a decent-ish forward. But he isn't great at running with or manipulating the ball imo. He's an okay footballer as a whole, but not a great footballer in terms of skill level usage of the word 

 

This is 50% completely accurate and 50% completely rubbish, purely because of how much of an enigma Iheanacho is. 

 

I'm pretty convinced every time the ball is played towards him, somewhere the AI that runs the simulation that is our lives flips a coin. 

 

On a heads, he's going to be world class, his touch will be superb, he'll kill the ball instantly, glide past two defenders and slide an absolutely exquisite through ball between two more and we'll score. 

 

On a tails, the ball will immediately ricochet off him, it'll take him six touches to get it under control, he'll "dribble" ten yards with the ball bouncing between the ground and his knee and then he'll shank it in to row AD.

 

And he'll do both in the space of five minutes, let alone five games. 

 

It's completely inexplicable. It's even his vision and decision making. We've seen him make some absolutely sensational pick outs like a peak world class 10 and play some really inventive passes to play people in. We've also seen him ignore half his team in open positions to take a silly low percentage shot. 

 

I think if forced I'd have to describe Iheanacho as having terrible ball control but being great striking a football (passing or shooting) but then I've also witnessed him turn a defender inside out with a great bit of trickery and last year, all year, he completely failed to match his xG demonstrating a really disappointing streak of inaccurate finishing. 

 

So basically, yeah. Enigma. Love him but he's one of the most bonkers players we've ever had. There's only one guarantee, if he starts games he'll score assist more often than he won't and "terrible footballer" is a ridiculous statement. 

 

[Finnegan]

9 minutes ago, sacreblueits442 said:

just to clarify,  you are saying that Nacho has dictated the club's policy of playing one upfront!!!

 

 

Literally get more sense talking to @fuchsntf. Not sure why I bother. 

[Guest Sideshow Faes]

3 minutes ago, Finnegan said:

 

This is 50% completely accurate and 50% completely rubbish, purely because of how much of an enigma Iheanacho is. 

 

I'm pretty convinced every time the ball is played towards him, somewhere the AI that runs the simulation that is our lives flips a coin. 

 

On a heads, he's going to be world class, his touch will be superb, he'll kill the ball instantly, glide past two defenders and slide an absolutely exquisite through ball between two more and we'll score. 

 

On a tails, the ball will immediately ricochet off him, it'll take him six touches to get it under control, he'll "dribble" ten yards with the ball bouncing between the ground and his knee and then he'll shank it in to row AD.

 

And he'll do both in the space of five minutes, let alone five games. 

 

It's completely inexplicable. It's even his vision and decision making. We've seen him make some absolutely sensational pick outs like a peak world class 10 and play some really inventive passes to play people in. We've also seen him ignore half his team in open positions to take a silly low percentage shot. 

 

I think if forced I'd have to describe Iheanacho as having terrible ball control but being great striking a football (passing or shooting) but then I've also witnessed him turn a defender inside out with a great bit of trickery and last year, all year, he completely failed to match his xG demonstrating a really disappointing streak of inaccurate finishing. 

 

So basically, yeah. Enigma. Love him but he's one of the most bonkers players we've ever had. There's only one guarantee, if he starts games he'll score assist more often than he won't and "terrible footballer" is a ridiculous statement. 

 

Pretty much agree with this but the fact the ball bounces off him half the time and the other half I'm left completely unconvinced he meant the world class but of control he managed means I'm not convinced he's what I'd call a good footballer - in the sense of him being highly skilled.

[Jobyfox]

1 hour ago, Sideshow Faes said:

Wtaf. He's a terrible footballer. He's good at hitting the target from the edge of the box. Half the time he is okay with his back to goal. He is not a player that can play anywhere else on the pitch, he is not good enough on the ball, nor quick enough for the wing. This is one of the worst suggestions I've ever seen on foxestalk (which is really saying something).

Come on? That’s an incredibly low bar!!