Russell .... please help me.

Just wasn’t suitable for that Connell role, tbf not many are and that’s why Connell is a tremendous player. Russell will look better further up the pitch in a midfield with Connell and another one of our midfielders. On the day we signed him Huddersfield fans did say he’s a good player but needs players around him to do a lot of the grafting in the middle. Won’t write him off yet.

 

It's far too early to judge what Russell can or can't do, midfield is a tough position and the lad needs to be bedded in. It took Mowatt and Kane a fair while before they were integral parts of the team,

 

Well said mate....were just going to quote how half of this site wrote Phillips off early doors, some are really pathetic and know **** all on here!

 

I'll openly admit I know **** all, mate!

 

I’m usually one of the first to criticise etc but if Duff selects him then clearly he trusts him so that will do for me.

 

That’s best example in our history of giving players time to bed in....some folks are writing players off after 2 games lol.....Ronnie took a dozen to get going and eventually became an all time legend!......

 

First full appearance.
Unbelievable but totally predictable.

 

My issue with Russell is that he came with a reputation of being slow, and a bit lazy, not prepared to do put the required graft in the middle of the park - and that’s exactly what he’s looked like so far.

Doesn’t mean he has no ability or serves no purpose - but he’s looking to be a bit of a luxury and today showed we can’t afford to be playing him in Connell’s position when he isn’t available.

Reminds me of Jacob Mellis a bit. I sincerely hope he doesn’t turn out to have the same attitude and work ethic. Far too early to fully judge him yet, hopefully Duff is the right manager to get a tune out of him.

 

Fresh start as far as I'm concerned, he's only a young lad!

 

Wasn't even a full appearance, he got subbed off!

 

It was his second start, also started at Port Vale. He needs time to learn Duff's systems and get up to match sharpness and then I'm sure will be fine.

 

The skills he clearly showed us when he came on v Cambridge were clearly not suited to the 2 rough pitches in these 2 starts.

 

He certainly wasn’t going to get much opportunity to play football today, with the pitch and the opposition.

But that’s the level we are at. Earn the right etc. Putting a shift in wouldn’t lessen his technical ability. Someone should put him a compilation video of Jordan Henderson or someone of that ilk. £200k a week and all the honours you can win at a club hasn’t dampened his effort levels and he’s never been the most gifted footballer. For this level, that isn’t true of Jon Russell. He has ability. That isn’t the issue.

I’d say with Connell behind him, at home or somewhere else with a good pitch, and against a team who aren’t just there to spoil the game, he’d be fine. That’s a lot of variables he needs in his favour though; he needs to add more strings to his bow to be effective. There’s something there to work with though so no need to write him off yet. Though I repeat, there are feelings of deja vu as he does remind me of Jacob Mellis. Early days though.

 

He got better as the game went on. He started badly, as did Mads TBH. I'm going to give him time. Connell is perfect in that deep role, spraying passes about. You need to know if players prefer to come short, or play long. I remember Danny Wilson looking terrible in his first few games for similar reasons. Not every signing will come good. Jury is out, but in such a pivotal position you will rarely get a player that fits in immediately without a pre season. As others have said, maybe that isn't his best position either?

 

Give the lad a break, he was poor in the first half but was much better in the second. Certainly got ability.

 

To get to where he's got to at such a young age he's clearly not a bad footballer. Yesterday, he was ineffective and made little impact in a match where several other positions did the same. I thought it was clear that we needed to change things from quite early in the game. I think the subs that Duff made changed the game but were far too late. For me a half-time shake up was needed - perhaps not 4 but at least one - probably Russell - because I thought he was the least effective player on the pitch. But, let's be clear, he's not a bad footballer. It's a team game and no one player is usually responsible for the entire team's output.

 

He was ineffective in the first half, strolling around with little urgency, whereas others were working hard .

I'd have subbed him at half time, both on his first half performance of non-involvement and also on the fact that he was on a yellow.

He'll hopefully come good with coaching input from the likes of Duff & Davvers.

Jacob Mellis mark 2? Do hope not.

 

Clearly a player in there when it's going his way because he was Huddersfield's star man last year at one point.

I don't think he fits into our team at the moment but that can change easily and quickly. Just needs him and duff to find the best way to utilise him just like he has with other players