Armstrong

Watching this lad step up, improve and start to put in performances like that last night is great to see. He has a shot from distance in his armour and its proving to be a real dangerous weapon. That was a brilliant goal last night, probably his best one. Abd looking back at some, there have been some real crackers. Dare I even say, he's more of a threat than Dack was.
We really have quickly learnt how to play without Dack, and its actually been a blessing.
It was tough last night, more than it looked on tv. Hard conditions, and a side who showed no ambition at all. And the break through was fully deserved. Wed been looking dangerous from the very first 20 seconds.

One complaint, though. That was a bad miss in the first minute. I'm glad it didn't come back to haunt us.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by AucklandRover

One complaint, though. That was a bad miss in the first minute. I'm glad it didn't come back to haunt us.

---

He should have scored that!! I was fuming for 70 mins actually, as it did look like we would regret that.
That's the one thing he needs to improve. I want more clinical goals, he only seems to score from outside the box.
He caused them problems for 90 mins last night, and didn't go missing. This is what happens when you play these guys, and stay with them. 12 months ago, Armstrong wasn't producing this.
Now to start employing the same with the likes of Brereton. But only if he is played in his position. Pointless playing him if not, as it's just unfair.

Yep
Wingers are wingers and forwards are forwards.
Playing them the other way about,really doesn't work.

The problem is, though, we've got too many of one and not enough of the other! If Graham, Armstrong, Brereton, Gallagher and Samuel are all in the squad, they can't ALL play at No.9. When Butterworth is in contention, it will get even worse, especially as Mowbray seems to think that only Dack and Holtby are really suited to the No.10 spot.
This is why Gallagher and Brereton have been played "out of position".
To be honest, I don't have such an issue with it as you two, especially as TM is always keen to use at least three attackers, and we've often seen four!
After all, it doesn't mean a player can only operate in one part of the field.
Interchange is not only possible; it's an important part of the modern game.
My other take is that it really doesn't matter where a player started if he is presented with an easy chance in front of goal. And we have missed quite a lot of those! (So far, Gallagher has not been an accurate header of the ball).

On the subject of wingers, I do wonder if one reason we haven't seen Chapman is that it's hard to fit him in!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by AucklandRover

One complaint, though. That was a bad miss in the first minute. I'm glad it didn't come back to haunt us.

---

This pissed me off.
You find fault in the one player who has stood up, become our talisman and won us loads of points.
Strikers miss chances yes Aucks. Even Shearer.
Does he score other goals, yes.
I found it odd you went staright to the one negative about him. Very odd.
When you are the one person saying how good Bennett is whjen its plain to anyone he just doesn't earn a place in the team anymore.
I find it odd you that everything I say, you seem to find fault with and disagree. Its getting tiresome

Champs - where have I ever said "how good Bennett is"?
I have repeatedly agreed that he is past his best, and would NOT be in my preferred XI.
At the same time, I will not accept that he is "rubbish" and "useless".
You have still not answered the question as to why Mowbray - a shrewd operator, as you agree - would still be selecting him regularly if he was such a complete waste of space.
I've had a look back at the ratings, and he has actually got quite a number of '7s' this season, despite almost never playing in his best position.
I accept that he simply doesn't have enough natural ability to be an '8', but he is still TM's preferred gap-filler for a reason. Apart from anything else, it is obvious from other players' comments about him that he is regarded as a bit of a talisman in the team.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by AucklandRover

Champs - where have I ever said "how good Bennett is"?
I have repeatedly agreed that he is past his best, and would NOT be in my preferred XI.
At the same time, I will not accept that he is "rubbish" and "useless".
You have still not answered the question as to why Mowbray - a shrewd operator, as you agree - would still be selecting him regularly if he was such a complete waste of space.
I've had a look back at the ratings, and he has actually got quite a number of '7s' this season, despite almost never playing in his best position.
I accept that he simply doesn't have enough natural ability to be an '8', but he is still TM's preferred gap-filler for a reason. Apart from anything else, it is obvious from other players' comments about him that he is regarded as a bit of a talisman in the team.

---

Why has he taken him out of the side??

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by champs95

Why has he taken him out of the side??

---

He's got to the point where he is most useful as a sub, because he is able to fill in in numerous positions.
Secondly, more naturally gifted players have emerged, and if they can perform consistently, Bennett will become more and more peripheral.
It's still wait and see, though. After one particularly good game, Buckley is being talked of as the next Matt Jansen. That is ridiculously premature. If he now has two stinkers, Mowbray's selection of him will be targeted again.
This is what I meant on the other thread about it being best to watch a game at a time, and not get carried away in either direction. If we get hammered by Brentford 0-4, we'll be getting the end-of-the-world scenarios again.
I don't always abide by this, of course, because it's easy to get swept along.
The classic recent example where I fell for it was before the final of the Rugby World Cup. The way England had played against the All-Blacks, the week before, I felt they were certainties. We all know what happened next!
We all want sport to be "analysable" and form patterns, but each game is so dynamic and complex that expectations can be floored.
Just look at the Fulham-Barnsley result. (At moments like that, the "It's all down to the manager" argument leaves me speechless).
The extra factor which makes me cautious is that the Championship, this season, is even more balanced than usual. Even the leaders have not reached the normal benchmark of averaging two points per game.
And, to get back to the main point, I think generalisations about individual players are often equally unsafe. Johnson looked entirely different on Saturday from the player we saw in the last three months of 2019.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by AucklandRover

He's got to the point where he is most useful as a sub, because he is able to fill in in numerous positions.
Secondly, more naturally gifted players have emerged, and if they can perform consistently, Bennett will become more and more peripheral.
It's still wait and see, though. After one particularly good game, Buckley is being talked of as the next Matt Jansen. That is ridiculously premature. If he now has two stinkers, Mowbray's selection of him will be targeted again.
This is what I meant on the other thread about it being best to watch a game at a time, and not get carried away in either direction. If we get hammered by Brentford 0-4, we'll be getting the end-of-the-world scenarios again.
I don't always abide by this, of course, because it's easy to get swept along.
The classic recent example where I fell for it was before the final of the Rugby World Cup. The way England had played against the All-Blacks, the week before, I felt they were certainties. We all know what happened next!
We all want sport to be "analysable" and form patterns, but each game is so dynamic and complex that expectations can be floored.
Just look at the Fulham-Barnsley result. (At moments like that, the "It's all down to the manager" argument leaves me speechless).
The extra factor which makes me cautious is that the Championship, this season, is even more balanced than usual. Even the leaders have not reached the normal benchmark of averaging two points per game.
And, to get back to the main point, I think generalisations about individual players are often equally unsafe. Johnson looked entirely different on Saturday from the player we saw in the last three months of 2019.

---

Every player has a sell-buy date, I don't care what they have done before. Tim Sherwood was a premier league captain during our finest hour, he went past his best and was putting in woeful performances and had to be moved on under Hodgson. Same with Tim Flowers who had been a fantastic keeper for us, during his final days, he was not the same keeper. Past his best. It happens to everyone.
Maybe I need to phrase things a little different. I have always rated Bennett especially during the promotion season. And half of last season he did a satisfactory job, playing in various positions for the team.

If you think the players see Bennett as a talisman, then you should see the regard Mulgrew is held in. He scored lots of goals, was the club captain, and was taken out of the side and sent to Wigan. Which was a great move, he needed to go, we have not looked back since. Like we haven't since Nyambe came back into the team. Results have proved ten fold since the likes of Bennett and Mulgrew, Smallwood, Williams where taken out. When was the last time we got a real hammering? Last season we would regularly get a battering 4-1, 5-2 etc etc this happened quite alot.
Look at who played in all those games, the usual suspects.
We may lose the off game now, but we don't get a hammering anymore. And we aren't a soft touch. We aren't carrying anyone.
I will refrain from calling anyone useless, but hopefully we agree on the fact he is best off out of our team (like Williams, Like Charlie, like Smallwood, Like Graham) apart from playing a very very small role filling in every so often.
Every player, including Bennett and Graham, has a part to play from now to the end of the season. Some more than others.