Portsmouth eyeing Wootton swoop

[kill_the_drum]

No, never thought that Pedro, seems to be a thing with younger fans - comes up on here, Magpie Circle and now NC Talk...

He's been here 1 year 3mths and hasn't had a fair shot at showing what he can do. I think in football if you're a nice guy, laid-back, easy going, and English isn't your 1st language, a lack of gravitas can hold you back in a football squad where you have big characters vying for the coaches/media/fans' attention. This can lead to a squandering of talent. We know this happened with Ruben. Hear how the B'Wood manager called him the most talented player in the NL? Well that was true 13 months ago, but it didn't stop coaches not picking him for 17 out of our 42 league games last season!
I have no doubt at all that something like that is happening with Elisha Sam. Can't deny it works both ways though, when you're given the chance, however limited, you HAVE TO take it.

Sorry but I strongly disagree.
To suggest our current manager and back room staff are overlooking him because he’s laid back and foreign is ridiculous and quite frankly, an insult. How do you even know he’s laid back?
I’m really not one for criticising players, and I see potential and ability of quite a lot of our fringe players, but Sam isn’t one of them. He’s tall but certainly not strong. I’ve seen him score a couple of goals, but have never seen him have a good game. The worldy he scored was lucky. Not because he didn’t mean it but because he wasn’t hauled off at half time!
He has a fair shot of showing what he can do every week in training, and he obviously fails to do that more than his team mates.

[bule1]

Not so long since people on here were saying he was wasteful on chances. Such a change is such a short time for some (not all).

[sidders]

'Cough, Pompey' say I.

[crazyfists]

From what I've seen of Sam I'm not a fan but maybe a run in the team would help although not on the wing for me so then he's also not going to replace Wootton. He has got skill though and the ability to score great goals. As for Wootton I'm surprised we haven't tied him down before now but he might not want to, I can see him in league two but not sure about one.

[kill_the_drum]

Genuine question.
For the fans that think he hasn’t been given a fair chance to prove himself, would you be happy if he was picked in place of Wootton tonight, for the sake of giving him a chance?

[laddo]

I don't care how young you are once you are a professional player you know that if you aren't getting game time, opportunities to impress on a match day then the only way you can force yourself into the starting XI is by putting it in in training.

Naturally it doesn't carry as much weight as your efforts in competitive games but it's the next best thing.

I don't care whether it's Eli or Rùben if you don't put in the effort you don't play. It's ***** any club creates a competitive atmosphere within the squad where lack of effort isn't tolerated and certainly isn't rewarded. The only players who get away with this are extremely talented and their performances speak for themselves. Even our star Portuguese player discovered this early on in IBs tenure.

Read comments from young Chalobah at Chelsea who spoke of the players hating to concede goals even in 5 on 5 in training and it filters throughout the squad to first team games.

If Sam wants to play he simply has to put in the effort and perofmances in training and give IB no choice. Otherwise he can have no complaints.

[durhampie]

I don't care how young you are once you are a professional player you know that if you aren't getting game time, opportunities to impress on a match day then the only way you can force yourself into the starting XI is by putting it in in training.

Naturally it doesn't carry as much weight as your efforts in competitive games but it's the next best thing.

I don't care whether it's Eli or Rùben if you don't put in the effort you don't play. It's ***** any club creates a competitive atmosphere within the squad where lack of effort isn't tolerated and certainly isn't rewarded. The only players who get away with this are extremely talented and their performances speak for themselves. Even our star Portuguese player discovered this early on in IBs tenure.

Read comments from young Chalobah at Chelsea who spoke of the players hating to concede goals even in 5 on 5 in training and it filters throughout the squad to first team games.

If Sam wants to play he simply has to put in the effort and perofmances in training and give IB no choice. Otherwise he can have no complaints.

He could put in 200% effort, but the fact remains he is just not good enough to be a proffessional footballer....The club have dropped a big bo**ock signing him, now we need to get rid to free up wages for someone who will benefit the team...

[Carlton_Pie]

He could put in 200% effort, but the fact remains he is just not good enough to be a proffessional footballer....The club have dropped a big bo**ock signing him, now we need to get rid to free up wages for someone who will benefit the team...

Talk about dramatizing.

We signed a striker on a free transfer and it's not worked out...happens at every Club up and down the country. We also signed another striker on a free transfer that will make us significant profit when he is sold.

[laddo]

Why have they dropped a big bo**ock signing him?! Did he cost a large transfer fee? Or even a transfer free at all? I think you are being melodramatic and perhaps a tad negative.

Every single club has signings that take up some of the budget in wages and contribute next to nothing.

If it was a big costly signing that didn't deliver , Agana being the prime example then I'd agree about dropping a bo**ock but this looks like being just another free signing that didn't come off.

Plus we signed him at the same time as we signed a guy who has now turned out to be arguably our best player and one of the very best in the entire league as the Borehamwood manager stated recently.

I'll take that ratio every month of the year when signing players.

[durhampie]

He is being paid a wage that could have been used to fund a better player. But that's the risk when you don't go to watch the player you sign..