@Scoham has it right. Solid pro but nowt better than what we have imo and we didn't in any way miss him during his 4 game suspension. Even if you take his sending off out of it, he was gash away Hudds. Imo, the only reason to sign him is if we won't be signing better than we already have and we need some cheapish cover for Hollands. If we're in for other midfielders he'd be a waste of wages imho.
Its easy to scoff and say that he is only a solid pro. Actually you need solid pro's as well as the more gifted/volatile players. I don't think the comparison between Bessone and Wiggins is a fair one. Russell would be a squad player and unlikely to be a starter whereas Bessone was clearly going to be a starter at left back and we replaced him with a better player in Wiggins.
I think back to the players we had in the past whom you might refer to as "solid pro's"
Steve Brown Steve Gritt
To name but two. Both wouldn't have been first names on the team sheet but time and again they were called upon from the reserves and performed admirably.
I don't think Russell would be a signing to set the heart racing but he could be decent cover for Hollands imho.
Hollands, Stephens, Pritch, Wilson, Jacko (& maybe Hughes, still) can all 'do a job' in CM. Anyone coming in needs to be a cut above to be worth signing IMO, and Russell isn't quite that for me. must say i thought the Hudds game did for him, you sensed that Chrissy might have made up his mind at that point
Fair point @bingaddick but for me CM was one of the weaker areas of the team last season and we should be looking to improve on what we have.
Nothing wrong with having a player that is just a solid pro - but if we can bring in a better player we'll improve the team and in Hollands & Hughes we have two reliable CMs.
They don't need to be exciting to watch or a big name. I see Yann, Solly and Wiggins as our best three players and a CM at that level could really take this team up a level. Our midfield was good last season, but our back five excellent, BWP and Yann not far behind.
Same also applies to any new CBs - Taylor and Cort should be decent enough, but longer term they'll need replacing. If we can find a solid younger CB with some pace we'll be improving on what we have with a player that could potentially play in the Prem.
Of course it depends on us finding the right players, but I'm sure they are out there.
I'd be happy if we signed him, he's willing to do the work in the middle that goes unnoticed a lot of the time, sure Hughes cand do it as well but I just think his mobility is suspect and Russell would be a better option out of the 2
Not really for me. Squad player in L1 but don't think he has the speed or technical ability to step in when required at champ level. The difference of standard is minimal whn you don't have the ball, it's when you do have it that the gaps in class can be seen. I agree he can put his foot in but the top two tiers of English football you need to be able to play a bit.
I've seen his best performance for us (1st half at Scunthorpe he controlled the middle of the park) and his worst (Huddersfield away when he got caught out of position for the penalty, then brought down Roberts and then got stupidly sent off in a spat he should be mature enough to walk away from at 31 years old).
He needs to be more consistent and more disciplined, 2 straight reds in a dozen games is not good enough. I personally don't think he's more than a useful squad player and would like to see more quality to really push the likes of Hollands, Stephens and Pritchard on, but if he does come in (which I think he will do now he's a free agent) then in Powell we trust.
I am more intrigued by his now ex teammate Coutts, linked with Derby and Birmingham today. Would love either Coutts or Gleeson to come in but money must be a concern.
I think the CM we sign will be our biggest indication of what we are looking to acheive this season. It was the weakest area of the team for me last season and if we therefore sign Russell I would suggest that our ambition his year is just to avoid relegation (which may be perfectly reasonable given the rumours that have been flying around recently), however, if we sign someone similar to the calibre of Andrews who we were obviously linked with before he went to Bolton then that signal that we have hopes of much more than just avoiding relegation.
My guess is that Russell and effectively replace Hughes who will now go. Therefore I still hope to see us in the market for a quality (hopefully creative) CM player
My point was we had him last season and we still missed a good defensive, ball winning midfielder which i agree we need. Agree he could be a squad player but I'd rather have someone younger who is trying to break in to the team.
I personally think we need 2 CM's assuming Hughes goes and Russell doesn't return, I think one could do the holding, steely role, but I hope we don't end up with both as we need some creativity in there as well.
Hollands Stephens Pritchard plus 2 (also having Wilson who can play CM) would be ideal
Don't forget Alonso has gone - that's another hole to fill at CM ;-)
My guess is that Russell and effectively replace Hughes who will now go. Therefore I still hope to see us in the market for a quality (hopefully creative) CM player
Don't rate him... moderate passing, does the donkey work that goes un-noticed however. If he's signing as a squad player then fair enough, but near the first team and i'm pretty disappointed. We're running on a shoestring atm though, so this might be the kind of signing we're looking at.
Totally split on this one. NLA doesn't tend to be far wrong on players, but just not sure he offers much over our current first choice duo, other than experience.
Fair point @bingaddick but for me CM was one of the weaker areas of the team last season and we should be looking to improve on what we have.
What is our first choice midfield, and how often did we have them playing together? We had Green out for long periods ill, we had Stephens out for a long period injured and JJ was out at regular intervals with his hamstring. So how many games did we play with - arguably - our first choice midfield?
I've honestly no idea if that would be a good championship midfield. Personally I'd rather us have a couple in there that have experience in the league. Pugh, Hollands and Wilson could easily not handle the step up and then we'd be screwed.
I've honestly no idea if that would be a good championship midfield. Personally I'd rather us have a couple in there that have experience in the league. Pugh, Hollands and Wilson could easily not handle the step up and then we'd be screwed.
Agree, CM an area of concern, hopefully will strengthen this in the coming weeks.
I think with Jackson in the centre it would be much better,also all four can do a job going the opposite way so its also very sturdy defensively,that is if Pugh comes in.
Wasn't good enough for Norwich when they went up, was part of the Preston side who were relegated from the Championship and they dom't seem to bothered about losing him.
Comments
I think back to the players we had in the past whom you might refer to as "solid pro's"
Steve Brown
Steve Gritt
To name but two. Both wouldn't have been first names on the team sheet but time and again they were called upon from the reserves and performed admirably.
I don't think Russell would be a signing to set the heart racing but he could be decent cover for Hollands imho.
Nothing wrong with having a player that is just a solid pro - but if we can bring in a better player we'll improve the team and in Hollands & Hughes we have two reliable CMs.
They don't need to be exciting to watch or a big name. I see Yann, Solly and Wiggins as our best three players and a CM at that level could really take this team up a level. Our midfield was good last season, but our back five excellent, BWP and Yann not far behind.
Same also applies to any new CBs - Taylor and Cort should be decent enough, but longer term they'll need replacing. If we can find a solid younger CB with some pace we'll be improving on what we have with a player that could potentially play in the Prem.
Of course it depends on us finding the right players, but I'm sure they are out there.
Hughes is minimal in the footballing ability department
He needs to be more consistent and more disciplined, 2 straight reds in a dozen games is not good enough. I personally don't think he's more than a useful squad player and would like to see more quality to really push the likes of Hollands, Stephens and Pritchard on, but if he does come in (which I think he will do now he's a free agent) then in Powell we trust.
I am more intrigued by his now ex teammate Coutts, linked with Derby and Birmingham today. Would love either Coutts or Gleeson to come in but money must be a concern.
Time will tell.
Hollands Stephens Pritchard plus 2 (also having Wilson who can play CM) would be ideal
Don't forget Alonso has gone - that's another hole to fill at CM ;-)
Big no from me.