Mikel

[scfcwebby]

Oct 24, 2020 21:55:22 GMT bayernoatcake said:

Thought the game totally passed him by bar a few good passes.

Thompson is pointless.

It's unlike you to go against the grain pal

I think you're being harsh on both of them here today, I'm not Thompsons biggest fan at all but I cant pick fault today, and Mikel had another really good game

[bayernoatcake]

Oct 25, 2020 0:06:08 GMT scfcwebby said:

Oct 24, 2020 21:55:22 GMT bayernoatcake said:

Thought the game totally passed him by bar a few good passes.

Thompson is pointless.

It's unlike you to go against the grain pal

I think you're being harsh on both of them here today, I'm not Thompsons biggest fan at all but I cant pick fault today, and Mikel had another really good game

What did Thompson do?

I like Mikel so far but today and Wednesday have been poor from him for me.

[Gary Hackett]

Oct 25, 2020 0:09:52 GMT bayernoatcake said:

Oct 25, 2020 0:06:08 GMT scfcwebby said:

It's unlike you to go against the grain pal

I think you're being harsh on both of them here today, I'm not Thompsons biggest fan at all but I cant pick fault today, and Mikel had another really good game

What did Thompson do?

I like Mikel so far but today and Wednesday have been poor from him for me.

Mikel has been very average so far.

He's not the defensive beast of a midfielder we needed.

[bayernoatcake]

Oct 25, 2020 0:12:39 GMT Gary Hackett said:

Oct 25, 2020 0:09:52 GMT bayernoatcake said:

What did Thompson do?

I like Mikel so far but today and Wednesday have been poor from him for me.

Mikel has been very average so far.

He's not the defensive beast of a midfielder we needed.

Yeah he’s been a lax defensively I’d agree. Certainly doesn’t hold position like I’d like but then that forward play and passing has been good when he’s been doing it.

Overall though on the back of no pre season I think he’s started pretty well.

[Gary Hackett]

Oct 25, 2020 0:18:13 GMT bayernoatcake said:

Oct 25, 2020 0:12:39 GMT Gary Hackett said:

Mikel has been very average so far.

He's not the defensive beast of a midfielder we needed.

Yeah he’s been a lax defensively I’d agree. Certainly doesn’t hold position like I’d like but then that forward play and passing has been good when he’s been doing it.

Overall though on the back of no pre season I think he’s started pretty well.

He just doesn't seem to be the defensive midfielder we need. He's actually better as you say further forward linking midfield to attack.

[potterpaul]

Oct 25, 2020 0:18:13 GMT bayernoatcake said:

Oct 25, 2020 0:12:39 GMT Gary Hackett said:

Mikel has been very average so far.

He's not the defensive beast of a midfielder we needed.

Yeah he’s been a lax defensively I’d agree. Certainly doesn’t hold position like I’d like but then that forward play and passing has been good when he’s been doing it.

Overall though on the back of no pre season I think he’s started pretty well.

You're not going to like this one bit but Collins is looking like a very good DM with every game.

[everyoneneedsawhelan]

Oct 24, 2020 23:38:11 GMT @clyde said:

I still haven’t seen what people rave about. Is he a shield for a defence... no. Does he offer anything in the final 3rd.... no... I’m sorry but I’m struggling I really am.

I think thats unfair. He's a calming presence and clearly the best leader, for one. In my opinion he offers an out ball to the defence, which he is there to do. Final 3rd doesn't matter in the slightest as that isn't his job.

It certainly won't help that he's been played alongside Clucas and Thompson, two of our (arguably) worst disciplined players when it comes to defensive positioning and knowhow. 

Watch when Joe Allen comes back and slots in alongside him - they will be a brilliant pairing.

[DC1863]

Personally think he's slotted into our side very well and looking sharper every week.

After Davies he would be the first name on the team sheet for me.

[juiceandbits]

I think we’d be much more open without him. He has food positional discipline and is quality on the ball. He’s excellent.

[Deleted]

7 league games folks. 7. He'll be fine.....

[potterburt]

Wow, so is this thread solely Bayern belligerently trying to convince everyone that Mikel is shit and we would have been better off with 10 men as Thompson was effectively not there?

A DM cannot stop everything but there were so many time he hussled and made his presence felt, Their cm’s were told from the off that they could not go through the middle and he mops up in the box and gets things going again. Thompson for me was a much more disciplined holding mid than we’ve seen from Clucas/Allen who try and be box to box midfielders but let the whole opposition to play through the middle.

Thompson is young and will grow, he’s got a good foot for set pieces too.
Tymon in cm is a good shout and he’s showed some leaky ness and mistakes as left back.

We should be looking as of now for a young cheap clone of Mikel to take the mantle towards end of next season. Mikel has been (as someone else pointed out) a solid part of the spine which we haven’t had for the past 5 years.

[nottsover60]

Oct 25, 2020 2:32:12 GMT everyoneneedsawhelan said:

Oct 24, 2020 23:38:11 GMT @clyde said:

I still haven’t seen what people rave about. Is he a shield for a defence... no. Does he offer anything in the final 3rd.... no... I’m sorry but I’m struggling I really am.

I think thats unfair. He's a calming presence and clearly the best leader, for one. In my opinion he offers an out ball to the defence, which he is there to do. Final 3rd doesn't matter in the slightest as that isn't his job.

It certainly won't help that he's been played alongside Clucas and Thompson, two of our (arguably) worst disciplined players when it comes to defensive positioning and knowhow. 

Watch when Joe Allen comes back and slots in alongside him - they will be a brilliant pairing.

Agree totally with your first paragraph but Joe Allen disciplined? I always thought his indiscipline in terms of holding position was what first disrupted the team when he came. He's great at covering the pitch but too often he gets in other players' way and nobody knows what he's going to do. O'Neill seemed to be making him more disciplined but for me he's the least disciplined of the three. 

[RF10]

Oct 25, 2020 0:09:52 GMT bayernoatcake said:

Oct 25, 2020 0:06:08 GMT scfcwebby said:

It's unlike you to go against the grain pal

I think you're being harsh on both of them here today, I'm not Thompsons biggest fan at all but I cant pick fault today, and Mikel had another really good game

What did Thompson do?

I like Mikel so far but today and Wednesday have been poor from him for me.

There was moment when Brentford broke forward played the ball in a dangerous area on edge of box and Thompson ran back to clear the ball away. Think the commentary name check Chester mistakingly.

[iglugluk]

I always liked him at Chelsea, he played for the team and never appeared to suffer from an overinflated ego so the only worries I had about him were whether he was just here to tread water until retirement like Gudjohnsen or Owen or that his legs had gone like Fletcher or Johnson in his last season but that's clearly not the case.
He's been a good signing so far.

[nonameface]

When he first started playing for us I felt we'd made a mistake in signing him because he was off the pace. He's now up to speed with the game, is able to progress play forwards quickly and looks reasonably fit for about 60 minutes. If we can get him a bit fitter and can limit injuries for the season we'll do well.

Thompson-Mikel presently looks a better combination than Clucas-Mikel so I don't see any real reason to change it apart from keeping freshness in the squad. Certainly don't see how Joe Allen gets back in, which considering the majority of his Stoke career is a blessing.

[bgreen13]

A few times yesterday he brought the ball down from head height and passed it off well.

Slightly concerned about the amount of games and who'll replace him.

[zerps]

You can see his class

He’ll be a big influence for the younger players

[Deleted]

Excellent at blocking off angles for opposing attacks. Does look to get tired at 70 minutes though. Will benefit from Allen coming back I think, to rotate around.

I don’t get this, “midfield goes missing”. Brentford broke through the middle a couple of times. Most of their attacks had to come from playing into the channels. Smith-Collins + McClean-Chester left a lot of gaps as a partnership.

[Deleted]

Which idiot doesn't rate Mikel?

Honestly.

[foxysgloves]

Oct 25, 2020 10:50:27 GMT prestwichpotter said:

7 league games folks. 7. He'll be fine.....

To be fair, for some on here, that’s an age.

Usually players are hung, drawn and quartered within ten minutes of starting their debut.

[thebasfordhedgehog]

Very shrewd signing by Stoke.

The Chelsea and Boro fans loved him, I can see why. Class player.

[bayernoatcake]

Awful for the second from Mikel.

Why doesn’t he just drop in?

[Deleted]

Oct 27, 2020 22:35:38 GMT bayernoatcake said:

Awful for the second from Mikel.

Why doesn’t he just drop in?

Because it was 87 minutes into his 3rd game in 6 days, he was struggling physically and momentarily switched off mentally maybe?

I know in your head footballers are robots that should never do that but that's the reality.

Pretty much every goal ever scored in the history of football is because someone doesn't do their job properly even if it's just for a split second......

[spongebobflathead]

Oct 27, 2020 22:35:38 GMT bayernoatcake said:

Awful for the second from Mikel.

Why doesn’t he just drop in?

It takes a special type of agenda to pick Mikel out as one of the main problems with that goal 🤣

[bayernoatcake]

Oct 27, 2020 22:48:12 GMT prestwichpotter said:

Oct 27, 2020 22:35:38 GMT bayernoatcake said:

Awful for the second from Mikel.

Why doesn’t he just drop in?

Because it was 87 minutes into his 3rd game in 6 days, he was struggling physically and momentarily switched off mentally maybe?

I know in your head footballers are robots that should never do that but that's the reality.

Pretty much every goal ever scored in the history of football is because someone doesn't do their job properly even if it's just for a split second......

That’s utterly wank though.

Indeed it’s easier to keep jogging the way you’re already going. Absolutely no excuse.

[bayernoatcake]

Oct 27, 2020 22:50:01 GMT spongebobflathead said:

Oct 27, 2020 22:35:38 GMT bayernoatcake said:

Awful for the second from Mikel.

Why doesn’t he just drop in?

It takes a special type of agenda to pick Mikel out as one of the main problems with that goal 🤣

Agenda? I like Mikel 😂

Mikel should fill in. It’s lazy play and from an experienced player who should know better.

Gunn obviously should deal with it but so should Mikel. Indeed if he does then Gunn probably doesn’t need to make a decision and stays on his line. Very poor from the pair of them and I’d fully expect Mikel to get a bollocking for it.

[Deleted]

Oct 27, 2020 22:50:43 GMT bayernoatcake said:

Oct 27, 2020 22:48:12 GMT prestwichpotter said:

Because it was 87 minutes into his 3rd game in 6 days, he was struggling physically and momentarily switched off mentally maybe?

I know in your head footballers are robots that should never do that but that's the reality.

Pretty much every goal ever scored in the history of football is because someone doesn't do their job properly even if it's just for a split second......

That’s utterly wank though.

Indeed it’s easier to keep jogging the way you’re already going. Absolutely no excuse.

You asked why he didn't just drop in and cover, I gave you a possible explanation why.

Why does any player not do their job whenever a goal is scored? If they did almost every game would be goalless, that's football......

[ethers26]

Oct 27, 2020 22:50:43 GMT bayernoatcake said:

Oct 27, 2020 22:48:12 GMT prestwichpotter said:

Because it was 87 minutes into his 3rd game in 6 days, he was struggling physically and momentarily switched off mentally maybe?

I know in your head footballers are robots that should never do that but that's the reality.

Pretty much every goal ever scored in the history of football is because someone doesn't do their job properly even if it's just for a split second......

That’s utterly wank though.

Indeed it’s easier to keep jogging the way you’re already going. Absolutely no excuse.

You've had some outrageously weird agendas as everyone on here knows, but flying into Mikel for being the 'worst player in our midfield', and for a goal which was quite clearly a massive goalkeeping error, might just top the lot.

[Deleted]

Oct 27, 2020 22:53:08 GMT bayernoatcake said:

Oct 27, 2020 22:50:01 GMT spongebobflathead said:

It takes a special type of agenda to pick Mikel out as one of the main problems with that goal 🤣

Agenda? I like Mikel 😂

Mikel should fill in. It’s lazy play and from an experienced player who should know better.

Gunn obviously should deal with it but so should Mikel. Indeed if he does then Gunn probably doesn’t need to make a decision and stays on his line. Very poor from the pair of them and I’d fully expect Mikel to get a bollocking for it.

You say lazy, the reality may be he was physically and mentally shattered at that point. There's a difference, he's certainly hasn't demonstrated throughout his distinguished career that he's a lazy player.....

[bayernoatcake]

Oct 27, 2020 22:56:05 GMT ethers26 said:

Oct 27, 2020 22:50:43 GMT bayernoatcake said:

That’s utterly wank though.

Indeed it’s easier to keep jogging the way you’re already going. Absolutely no excuse.

You've had some outrageously weird agendas as everyone on here knows, but flying into Mikel for being the 'worst player in our midfield', and for a goal which was quite clearly a massive goalkeeping error, might just top the lot.

If you can’t see how Mikel doesn’t do his job there there then there’s no hope I’m sorry.