What position is he playing for them? Didn’t we play him at left back? Might be a okay in his preferred position.
We tended to play him at left wing back or left side of the diamond. He's been playing as a more box to box central midfielder. Plenty of players look better this season with the freedom they've been given by Ismael compared to how they looked in our rigid stay up or die system at the end of last season. I thought he always got a bit too much stick compared to some of our other players who also weren't pulling up any trees week in week out and while Cauley and Mowatt were being "wasted" in Struber's system, Ritzmaier was just rubbish. Felt a bit unfair.
I know it's cruel and I dont usually single out players, but whenever I think of Ritzy the Barnsley 'rona message pops in my head: 'when we play, please stay away'
God. Is he still on our books. I’d forgotten. Can you imagine him in this team!! We’d be better off with Stephen Hawking.
He was picked week in week out regardless of how he performed. Sometimes he performed better than the trial by BBS/Twitter fans would give him credit for, but often they were 100% on the money and he was terrible. But no matter what he seemed to be in the team the week after. That's why he was 'made a scapegoat'. If he'd have been coming off the bench, giving us a good 20/25 minutes and having an impact, then I would guarantee that the same fans would be encouraging him to get a start. Didn't help that it forced Mowatt to play deeper and that Ritz was signed to be this perfect 'left of the diamond' midfielder as if we didn't already have one on our books. He was a tidy player at times. But to suggest he's a 'very decent' one feels like a stretch based on the evidence.
To be fair I didn't say he was 'very decent' I said 'decent at the very least'. I'm not trying to claim that he's a world beater, but he's nowhere near as bad as some make him out to be.
Aye being constantly picked after poor performances certainly upped his shitness. Personally I thought he had a decent shot on him and would get over an haif decent cross once in a while but wasn`t up to the pace of the game and didn`t put in the graft for me, Schmidt was the same not enough effort applied in defending from the front.
Ok so I’ve just looked up the Austrian Bundesliga table. How on earth does their points system work? RB Salzburg have won 22 games and have 42 points!
I don’t think he was awful but he was very average. My biggest gripe was that Mowatt was in outstanding form scoring & assisting regularly playing on the left of the diamond & he got moved to the holding midfield role so that Ritzmaier could play on the left instead. I always thought Mowatt should’ve stayed on the left of the diamond & that Dougall or Halme should’ve played the sitting role & that we should’ve signed a right footed central midfielder to go on the right side instead of playing Thomas there. In the end it didn’t matter as Mowatt still played well playing deeper & we stayed up but I think it’s probably best for all concerned if Ritzmaier’s moved on. Although a part of me thinks the fury of fans on here & social media would be hilarious if the club announced Mowatt was leaving & Ritzmaier was his replacement!