Yeah I think Ugbo should go back really. I thought Gardener had his best games for us today (not very hard I know). Didn’t play too badly on Boxing Day either. Maybe he’s coming into it a bit more now he’s had a run of matches?
It seemed to me that it was the decision to take off Mamadou that attracted the booing. It would have made more sense to take off Tom because Mamadou's touches and hold up play would have been more likely to create something for Ike to exploit with his pace, which was (in my opinion) the reason Hecky brought him on. Ike came closest of any of our forwards to scoring with that one that was cleared from the goal line. He is a great potential talent, but like Mamadou, hasn't had enough game time. We would be fools to send him back in our present state. People would laugh at us.
I am not back in work until 4 Jan so I can drive Ugbo back to Chelski on Monday if required. He offers nothing and has a heart the size of a pea, and 8 inch studs when it comes to jumping for headers
Was fairly central in the crowd that day and didn't hear that. There were some rumblings but that wasn't so much to do with taking Barnes off, more that the likes of Moncur and Potts had been left on. To be fair to Hecky, there were at least half a dozen that could have been replaced that day. I was disappointed with Thiam going off yesterday but Hecky has explained why and I don't think the crowd's frustration is so much with who came off, it's more to do with others remaining on (I'd have taken Bradshaw off) and, perhaps above all, who the replacement was. If, for sake of argument, an Ashley Fletcher had been coming on for Mamadou, then I suspect that there would have been much less disquiet. If what I've heard about the Ugbo arrangement is right and that he has to play in x amount of games, then Hecky has once again been hamstrung, almost having to waste at least a substitution nearly every game (and stymying the potential progress from the bench of one our own youngsters at the same time). Thing is, I can't see how whoever from Chelsea is monitoring Ugbo's progress can't come to the coclusion that he is totally out of his depth and not physically up to it yet and that he needs to return on Jan 2. If all parties involved haven't reached that conclusion then you'd have to worry - to the extent that I think if he's still here mid-January the NSPCC need to be informed.
Whatever the deal with ugbo is he should still be dropped. What are they going to do? Sack hecky for it and show the world that they forced such an arrangement on the manager?
Agree, but it shouldn't need that, he should be straight back to SW London on Monday night, best for all concerned.
Ugbo has just been placed at too high a level. I'm not sure whether Fletcher would have looked much better if we'd loaned him in the Championship. Very hard to say. Problem is we're so short on strikers Hecky has had to give him a go, especially as Thiam wasn't up to speed at the start of the season. I agree would be better for the lad to go to a level where he can start to bang a few goals in. Barnes had already been at MK Dons, so was ready for the move up.
There has to be a certain diplomacy applied to situations such as these, such that we do not end up as being a club that ought not to be considered for mutually beneficial loan deals.
I don't think he's lazy or doesn't out a shift in. I think he is just not ready for this level yet or at least isn't ready for this level in a struggling team.
