Connell and McCart Missed or not?

Russell is just a player who always looks slow - doesn’t actually mean he is. A poor man’s McPhail I’d say. But you don’t realise what he offers, until he’s taken off. Like all players, he needs games to be on top form.

Shepherd is a decent player - we have to remember where he’s come from and give him time. We should be proud of giving someone like him the opportunity - it’s what local football is all about.

He should go on loan for game time - if guaranteed, but I’d have a recall clause on him if possible as well, just in case. He needs to be playing.

 

We can't put in a recall clause mate. You can only recall players in the transfer window.

 

Has to be a wind up surely? Never seen a player with as much brain fog in my life, time and time again given multiple options the wires start smuldering resulting in him getting caught out of possession

 

He isn't abysmal.He isn't so bad.He isn't a waste of a shirt, you can't play better than him, he hasn't got two left feet and he is good enough.
We wouldn't be better just playing 10 men.

He is one of our players who plays for our club / Town.

There is free speech, opinions and talking bollxcks.

There is also just not being very nice because its a football forum.

 

I'll be honest I had convinced myself of that until today. But he was so bad that I'm beginning to think that he's probably a lost cause.

 

Told you it isn't fashionable. Did you think he played well today? We were getting so hammered through the middle of the field that despite not having any midfield substitutes, Collins felt he had to make the decision to bring on a striker and rearrange the whole team to withdraw Russell, the only available recognised holding midfielder to him, because he was so bad and was so overrun for the first 20 minutes of the second half.

 

I thought Cosgrove did well when he came on.Held the ball up well and earned a few free kicks too.

 

Ah, has that changed then? You used to be able to didn’t you?

 

Long time ago bud , been like this for years now.

 

“A bit off pace” - problem is that’s his game if he’d have played every minute of the season his application wouldn’t really be much different. The passage of play summed him up best today he lost the ball with a poor pass near their box which they countered. He then got back into position and the ball fell to one of their lads 30 yards out, Russell didn’t press to close the ball down and their player controlled the ball got it out of his feet and got a shot off. It’s completely unacceptable for a professional athlete to not be fit enough when you train 5 days a week to run the length of pitch and back and then press the ball. Long story short he’s too lazy and that’s a trait I cannot support irrelevant of his talent. This passage of play was half hour into the game so there’s no excuses.

 

McCart is our best defender. We have a great midfield in general so we will always have cover whilst we have what we have already.

 

But can Kevin de Bruyne do as impressive a trouser elephant as Liam Dickinson while standing on a table completely arseholed? Or Jon Russell for that matter?

 

I like Russell but he seems to make no impact last few times I’ve seen him and you’re right, he’s woeful. Talks of another League 1 club after him today so who knows?

 

What a load of nonsense. Russell only plays for “our club” because we pay his wages, either perform or get off the stage, no room for sentiment in football.

 

I thought we looked better. When Russell arrived he did a nice Cruyf turn in his first game and looked full of confidence. Today he couldn’t find a pass to a red shirt and consistently got caught on the ball. He was a liability.
I don’t want to get on his case, but I wonder what has happened to take away his confidence? He’s better than he showed today.

 

Jack Shepherd played alright today, more so first half than second. He’s a decent deputy for McCart but isn’t quite as good, a loan to league two or the national league would help him. But he was solid enough, no massive mistakes. Couple of rushed overhit balls maybe.

Jon Russell, I honestly don’t see what others do when they say he’s a good player. What he has are a few attributes which should add up to being a decent player, but they don’t. He doesn’t just look slow, he is slow. He runs like he’s towing a caravan through treacle. He misplaced more five yard passes today than anyone else has all season.

Someone in this thread has said something along the lines of that he sees/understands the game better than others - really? I’ve never seen a player appear to actively run to where the ball or opponent is not going to go as much as him. When he does on the odd occasion find himself in the right position he is either too lazy, too slow or too unaware (maybe a bit of all three) to close down the man on the ball.

His lackadaisical manner cost McAtee a yellow card today which restricted the aggression in which he could close their defenders down afterwards; he allowed one of their midfielders to take a touch and get a shot off on more than one occasion; and that first half run where he got away with miscontrolling it, at least one foul (and other elements of luck) to make a forty to fifty yard run, and find himself in space in the final third - to play a square pass which would have been a nothing ball regardless but that actually went straight to a blue and white shirt, well, words fail me. He is woeful.

Though I will agree we were worse after he went off. That’s more down to the fact Herbie Kane is ill-suited to the deeper role, and Cosgrove being on precipitated going long more and quicker, than it is a reflection on Russell’s actual ability. The side was already on a performance downturn. As it usually is this season.

 

People get conned into thinking Russell’s a good footballer because he rarely gives the ball away & has a good first touch but all he contributes are short 5-10 yard passes.

Kane & Connell can do the exact same as that but they don’t because they try to contribute to us going forwards.

When does Russell ever play a defence splitting pass or even switch play pinging it out to a wing back or a forward moving wide? It just doesn’t happen.

He should be super fit at the minute. He started regularly for 3 months & has regularly been on the bench & come off it since. I don’t think he’s had an injury all season yet he did one run forward first half & he was blowing with his hands on his hips for a while after. He has been a massive disappointment up to now.

 

Russell should be gone, now. He is absolutely non existent on the field