A Holding Midfielder


Ekwah was clearly signed to add to the options we already had, not to replace Evans. That transfer has been in the pipeline for a while.

So based on our own plan, we're now a key midfielder light.
Whilst I do agree with you that the plan was already in place, I suspect it was in place to add depth to the squad in case of injury - as well as always been a very good future prospect.

The Evans injury could just as easily have happened at Millwall and we would have had no time to respond and the decision to add depth to the squad at that stage would have looked a very sensible one. I think the injury happening when it has just accelerates opportunities that the likes of Ba, Ekwah etc would otherwise have had to have been more patient for.
 
He absolutely is.

Im not really sure what people think a holding midfielder is. He's a holding midfielder like carrick. Or pirlo. Obviously not as good
To me a holding midfielder is someone who sits in front of the back four, protecting the defence and picking the ball up from the defenders and passing it on to the ball players.
 
There'll be loads like this. And the reverse when the balls on the left. That's how the gameplan works

Two examples of the ball on the left, 1st example, Clarke has cut in from the left. Michut in Red, Neil in Blue

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Next example, Clarke just received the ball from Ballard on the left, and cutting in. Again, Michut in Red, Neil in Blue.

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Like I said, Neil was always deeper than Michut when he came on.
 
Ekwah was clearly signed to add to the options we already had, not to replace Evans. That transfer has been in the pipeline for a while.

So based on our own plan, we're now a key midfielder light.

Mowbray has pretty much just said this in his presser.
 
With Evans’ injury ruling him out for the season do we now need one?

No I’d rather have a football player in there. Dan Neil can tackle no reason why someone like Ba can’t be made to tackle. Sick of this modern crap where we make midfielders half midfielders. Back in the day plenty did both. We need to get back to that
 
Two examples of the ball on the left, 1st example, Clarke has cut in from the left. Michut in Red, Neil in Blue

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Next example, Clarke just received the ball from Ballard on the left, and cutting in. Again, Michut in Red, Neil in Blue.

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Like I said, Neil was always deeper than Michut when he came on.

You know I nearly spoke about that positioning in the vid. 09 was saying in commentary that Michut is more a CDM, but the play on the pitch showed the opposite. I think in reality that Mowbray sees his players as having to be good enough to switch those positions as the space and play dictates. He was talking in one of his pressers last week about liking players who are 6 or 4 but can slide into an 8 when play allows.

Nice clipping and point well made.
 
@Phil__Smith
TM says #SAFC may assess options in the transfer market on the back of Evans' injury - as he's a bit concerned about the inexperience & balance in that part of the pitch.
 
Ba looks to have ability but massively lacking in positional awareness in my opinion. The Neil / Ba partnership was a disaster Vs Cardiff.

Albeit Neil has improved that side of his game since then I think
It was much better at Wigan, though they are a poorer team. And I agree, definitely he has.
 
No I’d rather have a football player in there. Dan Neil can tackle no reason why someone like Ba can’t be made to tackle. Sick of this modern crap where we make midfielders half midfielders. Back in the day plenty did both. We need to get back to that
We aren’t “back in the day” now though. It’s a completely different game.
 
We aren’t “back in the day” now though. It’s a completely different game.

There’s no harm at all in the expecting your centre midfielders to be able to do both tackling and covering and getting forward. We changed full backs to do that no reason we can’t change centre mids to go back to doing that. Sick to the back teeth of watching midfielders pass the ball sideways 5 yards and think job done
 
No one knows anything about this ekwah lad and already people talking about him coming into the team to replace our most experienced player

Mowbray just said in press conference he was bought in to supplement the midfield and hasn’t played a professional game yet so looking at other options.
 

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