Joao to West Brom nonsense.

[leon]

I’m flabbergasted that Ian has contradicted himself.

Although choosing a side in this is like choosing between drowning in shit or drowning in vomit.

[Simon's Church]

People always say oh Joao doesnt run around and press like Shane Long, because he's not 5 ft 9, thats why. He's 6ft 2, hes heavy.

[Snowflake Royal]

I’m flabbergasted that Ian has contradicted himself.

Although choosing a side in this is like choosing between drowning in shit or drowning in vomit.

Are you seriously calling opinions separated by about 3 years a contradiction?

How desperate.

[RoyalBlue]

People always say oh Joao doesnt run around and press like Shane Long, because he's not 5 ft 9, thats why. He's 6ft 2, hes heavy.

Pedant alert! More like 5ft 11 and 6ft 3+! Still a big difference in physique and also style of play.

[RoyalBlue]

You can vote here to say that you won't be disappointed if West Brom don't sign a striker this summer!

https://www.footballfancast.com/west-brom-transfer-rumours/west-bromwich-albion-steve-bruce-lucas-joao-transfer-news-wba-championship-update-gossip-rumour

[leon]

I’m flabbergasted that Ian has contradicted himself.

Although choosing a side in this is like choosing between drowning in shit or drowning in vomit.

Are you seriously calling opinions separated by about 3 years a contradiction?

How desperate.

I'm voting shit.

[Snowflake Royal]

I’m flabbergasted that Ian has contradicted himself.

Although choosing a side in this is like choosing between drowning in shit or drowning in vomit.

Are you seriously calling opinions separated by about 3 years a contradiction?

How desperate.

I'm voting shit.

That's my understanding from the politics thread.

[leon]

Are you seriously calling opinions separated by about 3 years a contradiction?

How desperate.

I'm voting shit.

That's my understanding from the politics thread.

[Royal Rother]

Tony Cascarino on Bruno Fernandes:

‘There is not much players dislike more than a team-mate who spends as much time as Fernandes does throwing his arms around in frustration — it’s disrespectful to your colleagues.“

What I’ve been saying for the last 2 years.

[Rax]

Tony Cascarino on Bruno Fernandes:

‘There is not much players dislike more than a team-mate who spends as much time as Fernandes does throwing his arms around in frustration — it’s disrespectful to your colleagues.“

What I’ve been saying for the last 2 years.

That's simply not true - from the body language of others around him, I'd say Joao is popular!

[Royal Rother]

Tony Cascarino on Bruno Fernandes:

‘There is not much players dislike more than a team-mate who spends as much time as Fernandes does throwing his arms around in frustration — it’s disrespectful to your colleagues.“

What I’ve been saying for the last 2 years.

That's simply not true - from the body language of others around him, I'd say Joao is popular!

He may well be popular, and he may well be seen as a leader in the changing room.

If so it just makes his regularly appalling body language even more inexcusable.

It has to have a negative psychological effect on the rest of the team. It is beyond me how anybody could argue against that but then I do understand most people don’t really appreciate this stuff.

But he clearly has massive positives too in that he is a hugely talented individual who, when fit and on a steak, will score goals that nobody else at the club could do.

At the end of the day it doesn’t matter a jot what I think, well, except to a number of people on this board - but personally I believe the negatives (which are impossible to measure of course) probably outweigh the more obvious positives.

Whatever - if £10m is actually offered for him (highly unlikely) we would be completely bonkers not to take it.

[Rax]

Tony Cascarino on Bruno Fernandes:

‘There is not much players dislike more than a team-mate who spends as much time as Fernandes does throwing his arms around in frustration — it’s disrespectful to your colleagues.“

What I’ve been saying for the last 2 years.

That's simply not true - from the body language of others around him, I'd say Joao is popular!

He may well be popular, and he may well be seen as a leader in the changing room.

If so it just makes his regularly appalling body language even more inexcusable.

It has to have a negative psychological effect on the rest of the team. It is beyond me how anybody could argue against that but then I do understand most people don’t really appreciate this stuff.

But he clearly has massive positives too in that he is a hugely talented individual who, when fit and on a steak, will score goals that nobody else at the club could do.

At the end of the day it doesn’t matter a jot what I think, well, except to a number of people on this board - but personally I believe the negatives (which are impossible to measure of course) probably outweigh the more obvious positives.

Whatever - if £10m is actually offered for him (highly unlikely) we would be completely bonkers not to take it.

A fair and balanced argument RR - I agree, IF (big if...) a bid came in at £10m we would be foolhardy to turn it down!

[Coppells Lost Coat]

He clearly is loved all around the club. We built a style of play around him and a few other players who are no longer with us.
My only concern is we have a team now full of grafters / willing runners. Will he remain so popular when he is seen doing the bare minimum. There will be games where his 'lack' of effort will stick out like a sore thumb.

If he is scoring goals then yes of course he will continue to be our saviour, but what will happen when / if those goals dry up. Will those players who are running themselves into the ground - probably running more to take up his slack be so forgiving?

There is the other issue to highlight. Maybe Ince / Pauno instructed him to not run around like a headless chicken and let the midfielders do the pressing. Concentrate on goals.

[Snowflake Royal]

He clearly is loved all around the club. We built a style of play around him and a few other players who are no longer with us.
My only concern is we have a team now full of grafters / willing runners. Will he remain so popular when he is seen doing the bare minimum. There will be games where his 'lack' of effort will stick out like a sore thumb.

If he is scoring goals then yes of course he will continue to be our saviour, but what will happen when / if those goals dry up. Will those players who are running themselves into the ground - probably running more to take up his slack be so forgiving?

There is the other issue to highlight. Maybe Ince / Pauno instructed him to not run around like a headless chicken and let the midfielders do the pressing. Concentrate on goals.

I think the team know his game and trust him. He'll never chase all over the place on his own, but he can and does hassle defenders when the team press high as a unit. And he does track back plus defend in our box at times.

People criticising him for Boro miss the point of his job. He cannot hassle 3 defenders on his own. His job in that case is to conserve his energy and try to occupy them and do something with the balls forward. His job is to be explosive in attack, not run himself ragged in defence.

Ince is a phenominal athelete, his build and fitness is totally different to Joao, you can't expect Joao to do the same.

[Orion1871]

Whilst you wouldn't expect Joao to chase like Long and Ince, it would be nice if he would occasionally jump for a header.

Might help him "occupy" defenders a bit more.

[Hound]

Don’t necessarily think people criticising Joao for Boro are missing the point as such

Love the guy as a footballer and think he’s a cracking player but it just wasn’t happening in that game. Something wasn’t right, whether it was fitness or he just had a shite game. He was excellent a few days before against Blackburn

I think there were a few things - Boros CBs are pretty good, tiredness from the game before, the service to him was crap etc etc

Anyway had a week rest now and additional training. Looking forward to seeing him back to his best tmrw

[Snowflake Royal]

Whilst you wouldn't expect Joao to chase like Long and Ince, it would be nice if he would occasionally jump for a header.

Might help him "occupy" defenders a bit more.

But where's it going to go when there's no one within 20 yards of him? That's why he backs in amd tries to get it on his chest or to his feet, or to go over the defender beacuse that's the only way he'll do anything with it.

[Royal_jimmy]

A performance of a man on his way out? I hope not! He's our best chance of staying up

[Stranded]

A performance of a man on his way out? I hope not! He's our best chance of staying up

More that of a man not quite fully fit in a game where we were second best all over the park but we'll see what happens over the next 40 hours or so.

[Snowflake Royal]

A performance of a man on his way out? I hope not! He's our best chance of staying up

More that of a man not quite fully fit in a game where we were second best all over the park but we'll see what happens over the next 40 hours or so.

This.