Now whilst that is reassuring, it does beg a question or two of course. Like why, exactly we parted with da Costa and sent Barrera out on loan.
Now I know the Mexican looked crap in Claret & Blue but surely Allardyce should have backed himself to turn the guy around. There's no question that the boy has ability, and he is exactly what we have been missing all season, a player with pace, dribbling ability and goal scoring potential. He is ideal for the 4-3-3 formation that Doctor Evil prefers.
As for da Costa, he would have been a giant in the Championship. We let him go for peanuts, apparently determined to purge the contamination of Nani once and for all, but how dumb does that decision look now? Are we going to find anybody of his quality and potential for an outlay of £1.5m? Not a chance in hell!
As for the forward, how many does Allardyce want on the books exactly? He let Stanislas go who, I still believe, could have done a job. Then there is Sears. Surely he should be drilled every minute of every training session on smashing and placing the ball into the back of the net? As the penalty claim on Saturday showed, the boy is willing to burst into the box with the ball at his feet and if he does that four or five times a game, and is "professional", he will buy penalties. It is all down to confidence with Freddie. If he scores a couple, the goals will flow at this level; he should be the perfect understudy for Baldock, but arsing around playing him wide will do the lad no favours at all. Sit him on the shoulder and say, show us what you can do!
If we do sign another forward, surely one will leave. But who will take Piquionne or Carew? The only way of shedding those two is to follow the Piq's example and dump them when nobody is looking!
Got to admire the blind faith of someone who still thinks Sears has a future.
ReplyDeleteI have written him off before but...well he runs with the ball and he must have somethiing about him to have caused such a stir at the club when still a kid. You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear I accept, but you don't need a silk purse in this division and the guy isn't a sow's ear anyway. The margins are small. A good coach and a good shrink should be able to turn the lad around. He has been scarred by going for so long without scoring but Zola messed him about, Grant compounded it, and Allardyce has shown all the faith and trust of a hard up neurotic, paranoid man married to a nymphomaniac, lap dancing former whore.
ReplyDeleteThe only one I agree with you on is Da Costa, HF. Sears need to go the way of Stanislas and Hines, for me.
ReplyDeleteYou may be right HM but look at the crap players who hold down a place in this division. It is an illogical hunch I know, but I would start Sears on the shoulder of Cole in a 4-4-2.
ReplyDeleteDaCosta asked to leave, Sears is unfortunately not up to it, pace is his only weapon, scaird to shoot on Saturday and was waiting for the foul, Baldock would have tested the keeper at least, and the clincher is that Sears and Baldock are the same age and Sears has played at a higher level but hasnt trained on. Barrera couldnt get his head around the language barrier and felt isolated, it wasnt going to work, and finally I think Carew is fine, he is clearly struggling with injury and is threat when proper fit
ReplyDeleteAs I underatand it Da Cost does n't understand or speak a word of English. Sam was n't prepared to learn Portugese and didn't want a player in the side who couldn't understand his coaching techniques.
ReplyDeletePossibly the same problem applied to Barrera.