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Dan Neil


Yeah I thought that, if you are a technical CM, you should be comfortable taking ball. In tight areas and keeping in 9/10 times
The amount of times I see him dispossessed when the whole stadium is shouting “man on”.
I had a coach who used to tell us that you should “always” assume and a T as if there’s a man on, you never get casual with possession especially in midifled. That seems to be a lesson he still hasn’t learned.

As for leadership - as I’ve said on here before I dunno how burdensome it is to pick ‘heads or tails’ and gee your team mates when needed, but there was one of those videos going round a few months ago where the consensus was he was the dumbest of the whole team. Not sure how much respect you can have for your captain when you think he’s thick as shit like but maybe that’s just me?

I said recently on another Dan Neil thread that sunk off the front page - I realise it’s not an empirically accurate metric but the amount of times I watch a game and his name barely gets mentioned at all. For a central midfielder whose job is to pick up the ball and drive into the opposition half and thus be at the root of our attacking play it always baffles me how little he’s mentioned.
 
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He started the season absolutely shite and there was a interview somewhere where he wasn't happy with his own performances.

Seemed to turn it around and was playing some good stuff individually and was standing out again. He's slowly reverting back to early season form but the whole of the team looks completely lost.

Summed it up early second half we had a throw in we spent ages fannying around with due to the lack of movement. Neil was one of them close to the ball didn't move an inch. Just seems a massive lack of interest.
He had a couple of good games against lower half - likely to be league 1 next season - oppo and the Dan boys went wild.

He's always been sloppy. He's always been caught in possession. He's always been too slow in picking his passes.

He's a mid-table Championship midfielder.
 
He can't win the ball for himself, has to be played in. Of late our wingers are picking the ball up well inside their own half, it's ridiculous man. They should be being played in by our midfielders looking to get them one on one running into space from twenty yards further up the pitch. It's pathetically conservative overthought halfway house football. What's the f***ing point of them picking up the ball ten yards from our penalty area? Why are they even back there? They haven't a tackle in them. We're not good enough to emulate the top sides playing possession football, our passing is crap. Accept that, raise the tempo, less side to side and passing back, our off the ball game is as poor as it gets, mix it up, play more direct to runners going past the man in possession, knock the odd long ball central, over the top to utilize the pace of our forwards. That Pep twat should be garrotted in public.

Roberts is too often back and tracking in his own half. If he receives the ball it's generally around half way or even deeper, very rarely is he played in running onto the ball in the final third or has runners around him.

At the start of the season this wasn't happening- he was receiving the ball often in the final third with runners around him. It's always been he case he's been more effective when he has movement around him as what he's good at is dribbling and interplay.

I'd say our deterioration of form goes way back, before Xmas. Clearly now fatigue is playing a part, maybe the head coach has had longer to have a negative effect where early season it was all positive, bright and shiny. Maybe the assistant has played a part too as the drop off in terms of style began around when he arrived- I've no idea. But it's too slow, no press anymore, we concentrate on being tight and turning over possesion in the middle of the pitch and players in prominent attacking positions as being used to track and keep shape more than being given attacking support or freedom.
He had a couple of good games against lower half - likely to be league 1 next season - oppo and the Dan boys went wild.

He's always been sloppy. He's always been caught in possession. He's always been too slow in picking his passes.

He's a mid-table Championship midfielder.

He's had months of good games, months.


He's a good Championship midfielder. siggesting hes anything less is total bollocks.
 
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Game was lost in CM.

You can focus on that Haji Wright getting a hat-trick, but I thought the best player on the pitch was that number 8 for them. Allen in CM.

He completely bossed all of our 3 CMs on his own.
 
Roberts is too often back and tracking in his own half. If he receives the ball it's generally around half way or even deeper, very rarely is he played in running onto the ball in the final third or has runners around him.

At the start of the season this wasn't happening- he was receiving the ball often in the final third with runners around him. It's always been he case he's been more effective when he has movement around him as what he's good at is dribbling and interplay.

I'd say our deterioration of form goes way back, before Xmas. Clearly now fatigue is playing a part, maybe the head coach has had longer to have a negative effect where early season it was all positive, bright and shiny. Maybe the assistant has played a part too as the drop off in terms of style began around when he arrived- I've no idea. But it's too slow, no press anymore, we concentrate on being tight and turning over possesion in the middle of the pitch and players in prominent attacking positions as being used to track and keep shape more than being given attacking support or freedom.
That's cos Hume'll be off wandering into areas of the pitch he has absolutely no business being in.
He's a good Championship midfielder. siggesting hes anything less is total bollocks.
Yeah, but that'll all he is. That's the point.
 
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Lol to you.

He had a slow start to the season. He was playing in ridiculously deep isolated dmc role which even saw him moved in between the centre backs or playing as one at times. When Regis adjusted and dropped Jobe in on occasions to play closer to him or occasionally cover it allowed Neil to not be the sole focus of the oppress and make us less structured and rigid. He was then probably our best player for two to three months.

He's had a couple of poor games, as almost everyone in the team has and here you are again.
 
Roberts is too often back and tracking in his own half. If he receives the ball it's generally around half way or even deeper, very rarely is he played in running onto the ball in the final third or has runners around him.

At the start of the season this wasn't happening- he was receiving the ball often in the final third with runners around him. It's always been he case he's been more effective when he has movement around him as what he's good at is dribbling and interplay.

I'd say our deterioration of form goes way back, before Xmas. Clearly now fatigue is playing a part, maybe the head coach has had longer to have a negative effect where early season it was all positive, bright and shiny. Maybe the assistant has played a part too as the drop off in terms of style began around when he arrived- I've no idea. But it's too slow, no press anymore, we concentrate on being tight and turning over possesion in the middle of the pitch and players in prominent attacking positions as being used to track and keep shape more than being given attacking support or freedom.


He's had months of good games, months.


He's a good Championship midfielder. siggesting hes anything less is total bollocks.
Hi Dan, you at Katie Obriens for Paddy's day tonight?
 
Yeah, but that'll all he is.

It might well be. He's a lovely footballer, but has some limitations. I think he's the best midfielder we have by some distance. But I'm not sure any of our players will step up. Jobe for instance has the strength but he's too slow and too much of his game is bog standard. Rigg looks washed out.

We've bought into this young talent thing and expect them to have ceilings way above the reality.
 
It might well be. He's a lovely footballer, but has some limitations. I think he's the best midfielder we have by some distance. But I'm not sure any of our players will step up. Jobe for instance has the strength but he's too slow and too much of his game is bog standard. Rigg looks washed out.

We've bought into this young talent thing and expect them to have ceilings way above the reality.
He's not even our 2nd best midfielder. The delusion is strong with this chap.
 
It might well be. He's a lovely footballer, but has some limitations. I think he's the best midfielder we have by some distance. But I'm not sure any of our players will step up. Jobe for instance has the strength but he's too slow and too much of his game is bog standard. Rigg looks washed out.

We've bought into this young talent thing and expect them to have ceilings way above the reality.
Rigg isnt ready for the championship. Theres been so many games where its like playing with 10 men.

Its all well and good having this young team and potential (which there clearly is) but zero in game management will only make them not progress or learn. I dont see anyone making others lift their game. It stems from the 'manager'. He's a bluffer

I actually feel a bit sorry for Dan Neil as he has had to figure stuff out himself whildt captaining the side and developing his own game. Its crazy and extremely short sighted by the club
 
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It might well be. He's a lovely footballer, but has some limitations. I think he's the best midfielder we have by some distance. But I'm not sure any of our players will step up. Jobe for instance has the strength but he's too slow and too much of his game is bog standard. Rigg looks washed out.

We've bought into this young talent thing and expect them to have ceilings way above the reality.
That may be true, and I may ebe guilty of that myself. But by the same token, it must absolutely apply to Dan 'Liverpool are watching him ya kna' Neil. And he's a lot older than those two.
 
Certainly playing himself out of any PL move at the moment.
I think we are kidding ourselves to think any of our current crop are good enough for the premier league

The only one who looks remotely close is Hume, I thought Cirkin had a chance but he's to slow, Clarke was our best player last season & he's miles away.
 
Rigg isnt ready for the championship. Theres been so many games where its like playing with 10 men.

Its all well and good having this young team and potential (which there clearly is) but zero in game management will only make them not progress or learn. I dont see anyone making others lift their game. It stems from the 'manager'. He's a bluffer

Exactly. Maybe Samed was brought in to add the quality and know how in midfield but obviously he's been injured. But then he would need to adjust anyway and he's been pretty horrific when he has played.

Browne is an average Championship midfielder it's not really the quality/experience we need to lead a young side.

As for Rigg you don't want to slag young players off but I can't recall him having any sort of positive input since back Novermber ish. I don't know what promises have been made but it's ridiculous we've persisted with him and even when he's 'rested' he's the first sub back on, even when Alexsic has a cameo and looks decent.
 
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