comment by kamara's left foot (U21862)
posted 5 minutes ago
yup faith, we must sign players who are starters, better than what we have. take emotions out of the equation, we have to sign better / quality player to progress.
hypothetical, if we sign aguero he should start before bambam
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Not a chance Aguero would start for us
I wonder if MB considers Llorente and Phillips as able to deputise for each other if either are out? Obv we seem more settled at CB now, so maybe not much need for KP to fill in there - but perhaps Llorente in his place where needed? Or Struijk maybe? i'm not convinced that we'll be looking at a CB in the summer, or a defensive mid. Could be wrong, I often am!
llorente/ struik are deff that yes, we have 4 quality cb's no not a chance we would / should
we need back gk, lb, mf maestro & a striker
He's put Koch in midfield more than he has looked like putting Llorente there.
Possibly Lubo. Either way, i think the solution to KP is within the squad already - hell, i'm sure Dallas would do it and win MotM each time anyway. I'm with Kamara on the gaps that need filling, looks about right to me.
I think it seems pretty certain the club want a more conventional holding midfielder to support Kalvin. Pretty sure Phil Hay has said as much when he was talking about which positions we are looking at.
Some people don’t like been proved wrong
That is why they are desperate for cooper and Roberts to have bad games.
Cooper has had a brilliant season and Roberts for two months, been excellent and improving every week.
I do wonder why these people are like with ex partners etc etc
comment by LIW Radchancer (U8453)
posted 24 minutes ago
Some people don’t like been proved wrong
That is why they are desperate for cooper and Roberts to have bad games.
Cooper has had a brilliant season and Roberts for two months, been excellent and improving every week.
I do wonder why these people are like with ex partners etc etc
----------------------------------------------------------------------
yup 100%
2 players for me have stepped up & some, coops & alioski roberts just does what he does, bit of an enigma but the quality is there and for me needs to be a bit more consistent
......opps...............needs to start being a bit more consistent
Yes i agree Lubo and well put. They are decent squad players. Roberts definitely should stay as he provides an option in a few positions.
Agree with whats being said regarding Costa too. He gives us a different option and we'd never get back what we paid for him.
I only think we need 2/3 quality players next season. Emphasis on quality over quantity
comment by LIW Radchancer (U8453)
posted 1 hour, 47 minutes ago
Some people don’t like been proved wrong
That is why they are desperate for cooper and Roberts to have bad games.
Cooper has had a brilliant season and Roberts for two months, been excellent and improving every week.
I do wonder why these people are like with ex partners etc etc
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I just don't get people that would rather be right then have the team win. the only player i strongly didn't like that most seemed to was saez. not too sure i was wrong about him though.
i wouldn't waste a penny on a cb. we now have two good pairs. i thought it was bielsa that said we bought llorente with it in mind he could spell kalvin if need be.
lb and backup keeper and i will be happy with the summer window as long as we don't lose anyone, including alioski.
I think there are a lot of us (me included) who are reviewing our opinions on Costa and Roberts. Certainly in the last half dozen games, they've both gone up a level (or two). It's easy to forget these are two fairly young guys who are still improving, and while that's the case, you cannot write them off.
Turn the clock back 4/5 years ago: these message boards were full of calls to drop Kalvin Phillips for good (I was one of them) when he used to perform at inconsistently (at best) week after week with no improvement in sight. We all know how that turned out.
Costa and Roberts could well be where Phillips was at back then. Let's give them the benefit of the doubt.
Great article Lubo. Far too many folk were banging on about these two and how Costa was a waste of money. They both contributed massively to getting us where we are and they have both contributed this season in helping us have this magical season so far.
Good article, Lubo.
Both of those players were right to be questioned a couple of months ago, as they weren't looking up to the level. But they've been looking much better recently. Costa was great against City, as you say.
I wanted Roberts to be moved on a couple of months ago, but he's staked his claim. Showing what he can do and right now, you wouldn't say Rodrigo starts over him.
Agree with comment above though - both players deserve credit for last season. Costa was £15million yes but played an important role last season so was worth it whatever happened this year.
Good article and debate fellas.Nice to see.
Whilst Bielsa is at the helm I wouldn't be letting players like Roberts and Costa go as there is no better coach at improving players out there. I'd certainly be looking to bolster the squad in the positions many have identified to give us the best chance of competing again next season.
We do need good quality squad depth though and if Costa and Roberts can replicate the sort of contribution of late then I am sure there'll be a big part of it.
Roberts especially has more in the locker that Bielsa can untap and it has done him good to get a prolonged run in the team and he has played his part in our recent good run.
It's true Costa was much better in the City game but generally he seems to blow cold rather than hot.
It's also true that Roberts has also been better in the last three or four games but I think he's been fortunate that Klich has dropped off in form and that Hernandez hasn't been getting a look-in. Even so, he's missed quite a number of good chances in front of goal and, like Costa, seems a bit lightweight defensively.
Cooper has played in all the heavy defeats, including off the top of my head Leicester, Crystal Palace, Crawley Chelsea, Man U, Arsenal. We've shipped 49 goals this season, fifth worst defensive record in the PL. Of course, that's not all his fault and yes, there have been a lot of critical injuries to our CBs, but the back line has not been brilliant and without Meslier, it would've been much worse.
Cooper now misses the Liverpool and Man U games - that's not brilliant either. Thank goodness that Llorente and Struijk have both been playing really well recently and that Koch is on his way back to full fitness.
All that about wanting the club/players to have a bad day just to be right on a forum is nonsense, in my view - I certainly don't want us to lose any games at all or any of the players to have an off day, full stop. I want them all to be firing on all four every single minute. I want us to win every game - and in good style. I'm hoping we're now establishing some momentum for a late run to improve the final finishing position and set ourselves up for the next phase of our development.
As said before, if you don't think Cooper is having a fantastic season then you haven't been watching us play. Not so long past he was one of the highest rated CBs in the league on WhoScored. I can pull up any number of stats to verify just how good a season he is having.
LIW is right. People feel the need to assign blame to Cooper, because they can't admit they were wrong about him three years ago when they wrote him off.
He's been our best CB three seasons running now
Very happy to be proved wrong on Cooper, Lubo. I'm not saying he hasn't done well, shown great improvement, leadership, etc. What happened three years ago? In any case I never wrote him off - I think he's a great captain and a good CB.
I'm just saying we haven't seemed to have shipped so many goals when he's not playing - and maybe we could do better.
comment by Jaz63 (U8369)
posted 1 minute ago
Very happy to be proved wrong on Cooper, Lubo. I'm not saying he hasn't done well, shown great improvement, leadership, etc. What happened three years ago? In any case I never wrote him off - I think he's a great captain and a good CB.
I'm just saying we haven't seemed to have shipped so many goals when he's not playing - and maybe we could do better.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Wasn't specifically highlighting you, Jaz, just saw that he had been brought up as a player in a similar zone to Costa and Roberts whilst I was asleep.
The thing with CB injuries, is the stats tend to reflect on the player who keeps himself fit. A CB benefits from a stable partner, so if you don't have one you're always likely to concede more goals. That's why our defense tends to improve when we have a stable partnership (Be that Cooper and Struijk, Struijk and Llorente, Cooper and Llorente etc). Defenders who get injured a lot obviously don't have that reflected in their stats, whereas defenders who play alongside defenders who get injured a lot will.
I think that makes sense? Sometimes not so good at explaining what I think in my head.
I think Tyler's a player. Talented. And he's clearly
been good a couple of months. Obviously MB thinks
that or he wouldn't be starting so often.
Costa I liked. I do like. But I like less than many others
in the top 18. He'll do nothing. Then do something
eye popping. Or he'll score. Or he'll set up a goal.
They both have had flashes where it's easy to see
why they frustrate. Costa against City, I felt he fell
away from the game. But others loved him from
start to finish. I think most fans appreciate both lads.
MB clearly likes both. Good enough for me.
comment by Kern (U4664)
posted 4 minutes ago
I think Tyler's a player. Talented. And he's clearly
been good a couple of months. Obviously MB thinks
that or he wouldn't be starting so often.
Costa I liked. I do like. But I like less than many others
in the top 18. He'll do nothing. Then do something
eye popping. Or he'll score. Or he'll set up a goal.
They both have had flashes where it's easy to see
why they frustrate. Costa against City, I felt he fell
away from the game. But others loved him from
start to finish. I think most fans appreciate both lads.
MB clearly likes both. Good enough for me.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Of course he fell away from the game a bit. Did you see how we were having to defend? He fell away because he was being used as the main outlet, and we barely had the ball, but the off-the-ball work he was doing was excellent. If that frustrates you then not sure what you're expecting against Man City with 10 men.
Didn't and doesn't frustrate me. I should've added:
"They both have had flashes where it's easy to see
why they frustrate...
...some fans."
Not me. Obviously the 10 men against City was a huge factor.
It was the factor. I like him. And as I said on the match day thread,
I would've taken him off last 10. A few suggested pulling him to add Klich to shore up the midfield. Regardless, it all worked out.
But like I said, I like others more in the first 18. For me Raph/Harrison right now keep him on the bench. But he's still a solid asset.
Yeah, I don't think Raph or Jack should be benched. Both having very good years (Harrison going very under the radar, I feel), but all teams need squad players, and as far as they go I think Costa is a good option there. He's changed games for us this, and even if he doesn't get the goals or assists, he really puts us on the front foot.
Someone on here, not naming names, said he was lucky with the first goal against City. He isn't. He's tenacious, doesn't give up, and gets the better of a top, top RB. And his pass into Bamford is just right, too.
Agreed, when you can say he's on your bench and you can bring him on or use him as a fill-in starter, you're on to something. He's scored and set up crucial goals.
Related to that, I hope our first piece of business this summer is signing Jack H.
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Costa and Roberts
Page 2 of 3
posted on 13/4/21
comment by kamara's left foot (U21862)
posted 5 minutes ago
yup faith, we must sign players who are starters, better than what we have. take emotions out of the equation, we have to sign better / quality player to progress.
hypothetical, if we sign aguero he should start before bambam
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Not a chance Aguero would start for us
posted on 13/4/21
I wonder if MB considers Llorente and Phillips as able to deputise for each other if either are out? Obv we seem more settled at CB now, so maybe not much need for KP to fill in there - but perhaps Llorente in his place where needed? Or Struijk maybe? i'm not convinced that we'll be looking at a CB in the summer, or a defensive mid. Could be wrong, I often am!
posted on 13/4/21
llorente/ struik are deff that yes, we have 4 quality cb's no not a chance we would / should
we need back gk, lb, mf maestro & a striker
posted on 13/4/21
He's put Koch in midfield more than he has looked like putting Llorente there.
posted on 13/4/21
Possibly Lubo. Either way, i think the solution to KP is within the squad already - hell, i'm sure Dallas would do it and win MotM each time anyway. I'm with Kamara on the gaps that need filling, looks about right to me.
posted on 13/4/21
I think it seems pretty certain the club want a more conventional holding midfielder to support Kalvin. Pretty sure Phil Hay has said as much when he was talking about which positions we are looking at.
posted on 13/4/21
Some people don’t like been proved wrong
That is why they are desperate for cooper and Roberts to have bad games.
Cooper has had a brilliant season and Roberts for two months, been excellent and improving every week.
I do wonder why these people are like with ex partners etc etc
posted on 13/4/21
comment by LIW Radchancer (U8453)
posted 24 minutes ago
Some people don’t like been proved wrong
That is why they are desperate for cooper and Roberts to have bad games.
Cooper has had a brilliant season and Roberts for two months, been excellent and improving every week.
I do wonder why these people are like with ex partners etc etc
----------------------------------------------------------------------
yup 100%
2 players for me have stepped up & some, coops & alioski roberts just does what he does, bit of an enigma but the quality is there and for me needs to be a bit more consistent
posted on 13/4/21
......opps...............needs to start being a bit more consistent
posted on 13/4/21
Yes i agree Lubo and well put. They are decent squad players. Roberts definitely should stay as he provides an option in a few positions.
Agree with whats being said regarding Costa too. He gives us a different option and we'd never get back what we paid for him.
I only think we need 2/3 quality players next season. Emphasis on quality over quantity
posted on 13/4/21
comment by LIW Radchancer (U8453)
posted 1 hour, 47 minutes ago
Some people don’t like been proved wrong
That is why they are desperate for cooper and Roberts to have bad games.
Cooper has had a brilliant season and Roberts for two months, been excellent and improving every week.
I do wonder why these people are like with ex partners etc etc
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I just don't get people that would rather be right then have the team win. the only player i strongly didn't like that most seemed to was saez. not too sure i was wrong about him though.
i wouldn't waste a penny on a cb. we now have two good pairs. i thought it was bielsa that said we bought llorente with it in mind he could spell kalvin if need be.
lb and backup keeper and i will be happy with the summer window as long as we don't lose anyone, including alioski.
posted on 13/4/21
i luv forums
posted on 13/4/21
I think there are a lot of us (me included) who are reviewing our opinions on Costa and Roberts. Certainly in the last half dozen games, they've both gone up a level (or two). It's easy to forget these are two fairly young guys who are still improving, and while that's the case, you cannot write them off.
Turn the clock back 4/5 years ago: these message boards were full of calls to drop Kalvin Phillips for good (I was one of them) when he used to perform at inconsistently (at best) week after week with no improvement in sight. We all know how that turned out.
Costa and Roberts could well be where Phillips was at back then. Let's give them the benefit of the doubt.
posted on 13/4/21
Great article Lubo. Far too many folk were banging on about these two and how Costa was a waste of money. They both contributed massively to getting us where we are and they have both contributed this season in helping us have this magical season so far.
posted on 13/4/21
Good article, Lubo.
Both of those players were right to be questioned a couple of months ago, as they weren't looking up to the level. But they've been looking much better recently. Costa was great against City, as you say.
I wanted Roberts to be moved on a couple of months ago, but he's staked his claim. Showing what he can do and right now, you wouldn't say Rodrigo starts over him.
Agree with comment above though - both players deserve credit for last season. Costa was £15million yes but played an important role last season so was worth it whatever happened this year.
posted on 13/4/21
Good article and debate fellas.Nice to see.
Whilst Bielsa is at the helm I wouldn't be letting players like Roberts and Costa go as there is no better coach at improving players out there. I'd certainly be looking to bolster the squad in the positions many have identified to give us the best chance of competing again next season.
We do need good quality squad depth though and if Costa and Roberts can replicate the sort of contribution of late then I am sure there'll be a big part of it.
Roberts especially has more in the locker that Bielsa can untap and it has done him good to get a prolonged run in the team and he has played his part in our recent good run.
posted on 14/4/21
It's true Costa was much better in the City game but generally he seems to blow cold rather than hot.
It's also true that Roberts has also been better in the last three or four games but I think he's been fortunate that Klich has dropped off in form and that Hernandez hasn't been getting a look-in. Even so, he's missed quite a number of good chances in front of goal and, like Costa, seems a bit lightweight defensively.
Cooper has played in all the heavy defeats, including off the top of my head Leicester, Crystal Palace, Crawley Chelsea, Man U, Arsenal. We've shipped 49 goals this season, fifth worst defensive record in the PL. Of course, that's not all his fault and yes, there have been a lot of critical injuries to our CBs, but the back line has not been brilliant and without Meslier, it would've been much worse.
Cooper now misses the Liverpool and Man U games - that's not brilliant either. Thank goodness that Llorente and Struijk have both been playing really well recently and that Koch is on his way back to full fitness.
All that about wanting the club/players to have a bad day just to be right on a forum is nonsense, in my view - I certainly don't want us to lose any games at all or any of the players to have an off day, full stop. I want them all to be firing on all four every single minute. I want us to win every game - and in good style. I'm hoping we're now establishing some momentum for a late run to improve the final finishing position and set ourselves up for the next phase of our development.
posted on 14/4/21
As said before, if you don't think Cooper is having a fantastic season then you haven't been watching us play. Not so long past he was one of the highest rated CBs in the league on WhoScored. I can pull up any number of stats to verify just how good a season he is having.
LIW is right. People feel the need to assign blame to Cooper, because they can't admit they were wrong about him three years ago when they wrote him off.
He's been our best CB three seasons running now
posted on 14/4/21
Very happy to be proved wrong on Cooper, Lubo. I'm not saying he hasn't done well, shown great improvement, leadership, etc. What happened three years ago? In any case I never wrote him off - I think he's a great captain and a good CB.
I'm just saying we haven't seemed to have shipped so many goals when he's not playing - and maybe we could do better.
posted on 14/4/21
comment by Jaz63 (U8369)
posted 1 minute ago
Very happy to be proved wrong on Cooper, Lubo. I'm not saying he hasn't done well, shown great improvement, leadership, etc. What happened three years ago? In any case I never wrote him off - I think he's a great captain and a good CB.
I'm just saying we haven't seemed to have shipped so many goals when he's not playing - and maybe we could do better.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Wasn't specifically highlighting you, Jaz, just saw that he had been brought up as a player in a similar zone to Costa and Roberts whilst I was asleep.
The thing with CB injuries, is the stats tend to reflect on the player who keeps himself fit. A CB benefits from a stable partner, so if you don't have one you're always likely to concede more goals. That's why our defense tends to improve when we have a stable partnership (Be that Cooper and Struijk, Struijk and Llorente, Cooper and Llorente etc). Defenders who get injured a lot obviously don't have that reflected in their stats, whereas defenders who play alongside defenders who get injured a lot will.
I think that makes sense? Sometimes not so good at explaining what I think in my head.
posted on 14/4/21
I think Tyler's a player. Talented. And he's clearly
been good a couple of months. Obviously MB thinks
that or he wouldn't be starting so often.
Costa I liked. I do like. But I like less than many others
in the top 18. He'll do nothing. Then do something
eye popping. Or he'll score. Or he'll set up a goal.
They both have had flashes where it's easy to see
why they frustrate. Costa against City, I felt he fell
away from the game. But others loved him from
start to finish. I think most fans appreciate both lads.
MB clearly likes both. Good enough for me.
posted on 14/4/21
comment by Kern (U4664)
posted 4 minutes ago
I think Tyler's a player. Talented. And he's clearly
been good a couple of months. Obviously MB thinks
that or he wouldn't be starting so often.
Costa I liked. I do like. But I like less than many others
in the top 18. He'll do nothing. Then do something
eye popping. Or he'll score. Or he'll set up a goal.
They both have had flashes where it's easy to see
why they frustrate. Costa against City, I felt he fell
away from the game. But others loved him from
start to finish. I think most fans appreciate both lads.
MB clearly likes both. Good enough for me.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Of course he fell away from the game a bit. Did you see how we were having to defend? He fell away because he was being used as the main outlet, and we barely had the ball, but the off-the-ball work he was doing was excellent. If that frustrates you then not sure what you're expecting against Man City with 10 men.
posted on 14/4/21
Didn't and doesn't frustrate me. I should've added:
"They both have had flashes where it's easy to see
why they frustrate...
...some fans."
Not me. Obviously the 10 men against City was a huge factor.
It was the factor. I like him. And as I said on the match day thread,
I would've taken him off last 10. A few suggested pulling him to add Klich to shore up the midfield. Regardless, it all worked out.
But like I said, I like others more in the first 18. For me Raph/Harrison right now keep him on the bench. But he's still a solid asset.
posted on 14/4/21
Yeah, I don't think Raph or Jack should be benched. Both having very good years (Harrison going very under the radar, I feel), but all teams need squad players, and as far as they go I think Costa is a good option there. He's changed games for us this, and even if he doesn't get the goals or assists, he really puts us on the front foot.
Someone on here, not naming names, said he was lucky with the first goal against City. He isn't. He's tenacious, doesn't give up, and gets the better of a top, top RB. And his pass into Bamford is just right, too.
posted on 14/4/21
Agreed, when you can say he's on your bench and you can bring him on or use him as a fill-in starter, you're on to something. He's scored and set up crucial goals.
Related to that, I hope our first piece of business this summer is signing Jack H.
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