Apparently having a blinder (admittedly against a non-entity) but by all accounts has started very well for Swansea. Did we sell too early? I'm starting to have my doubts....
Shelvey
- Thread starter red_maradona
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youre insane
Why not? And don't Swansea play more or less in the same way?
A loan would have been better. A buy-back clause is hopeuflly in place!
Shelvey doesn't have enough technique and tactical awareness to function in a Rodgers midfield I feel. Neither does he have the athleticism of a Gerrard to make up for the shortfall in technical ability. He's a bit heavy-footed in possession and doesn't seem to handle the ball well under pressure. Had he been more clinical in front of goal for us, he might have stood a fighting chance. Alberto, from the glimpses I have of him, is an upgrade on Shelvey in most areas. At least in the areas that matter in Rodgers' eyes.
Shelvey's is a poor man's Gerrard, but given Gerrard's standards, that isn't a bad thing.
Not sure how Swansea plays these days.
The last sentence seems to contradict most of what came before it.
Anyways, I'm just arguing for the sake of it - allusions to Rodgers footballing philosophy and tiki-taka football irritate me. I don't think Shelvey at the level we need right now either but he does have talent and potential. It's not like we got a bunch of Iniestas out there. More often than not the midfield have let themselves down without Shelvey's help.
He played a blinder away to the young boys last year too for us.
Bottom line he wasn't good enough.
But you'd obviously want rid of him by the time his next contract renewal comes up. For a younger, shitter player that's on cheap wages.
Arsenal board will welcome you with open arms 🙂
Beginner level troll?
No, players who are worth what they're paid should be kept regardless of what age they are.
The exception being if you're on the brink of being great you can overpay a bit to keep players and make it work. The reward being trophies.
But when you're seventh, and a million miles away from being great, you can't overpay unless you want to stay shit.
Troll? Really?
I'd bet my house that had Shelvey stayed and been offered a contract renewal (equals RAISE. Whoo, scary), you'd have been the first in line to say how stupid we are and that we should sell. No, you'd have said you knew all along that we should have sold him the previous summer when he was younger and commanded a better fee.
I watched the Swansea game - he did indeed look boss. Then towards the end of the game he went through a fifteen minute spell of constantly giving the ball away.
I had hoped we'd keep him and send him out on loan, but I wasn't really sure what sort of player he'd develop into, positionally.
I had hoped we'd keep him and send him out on loan, but I wasn't really sure what sort of player he'd develop into, positionally.
I'm probably overstating Shelvey's limitations (and Rodgers' footballing philosophy); he'll do well for himself, but the key point is, like you say, he's not what we need right now (it can be argued that goes for the majority of our current midfielders, an argument for another time, however).
He can't do Lucas' defensive duties, keep possession like Allen, cover ground like Henderson, or -- likely the deal-breaker -- score enough to justify a place in the starting lineup, and he's at that crucial stage of his development where he needs top-level match time.
I don't feel calling him a poor man's Gerrard is a contradiction in terms of his contribution to our side. He has a bit of Gerrard's game, the shooting, eye for a pass, the marauding style -- the match-winning game. Just not at the levels required, not at the consistency needed, and without the athleticism to fall back on to boot.
It's an interesting argument but I should probably qualify when I say 'poor man's Gerrard', I meant the Gerrard in his pomp, the marauder of goals and the winner of matches. The Gerrard of today is a different animal.
Didn't say I'd bet with you. Fucking useless with fine prints.
If we'd done last year what we seem to be doing this year and played him in the ressies until he forced his way into contention he'd have done better. Circumstances didn't allow that last year, and as a result he was shunted in and then sent out of the first team time and again and his game fell apart. Some young players cope with that, others don't. It doesn't actually justify some crudely Darwinian policy for such people, it just means that individuals respond differently. Shelvey was like about four players in search of one position. He needed coaching, quietly, rather than being the focal point of fans' fury whilst the rest of the first team sneaked off the stage. He was one of the brighter prospects in terms of young English talent. Yes, that's partly an indictment of young English talent, but just chucking him away for a relative pittance to the club that publicly announced they couldn't believe their luck in getting so much more than they expected for Allen did stick in the craw a bit. But it's happened now, there's no point in dwelling on it.
That's a very good point, the English talent under the English spotlight. I shudder to think of the scrutiny once (should) Will Hughes arrives.
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