Darren Pratley (Page 25 - Detailed interview with the SLP pre Leyton Orient match )
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Personally don't think Pratley is worse than Kashi, not upto now anyway. His legs might start catching up on him this year though.SDAddick said:If we'd signed him last season, I think Pratley would have been seen as good cover for JFC and Kashi (the kind we needed, actually). He's a run around a lot get tackles in tough man midfielder which you desperately need in a 4-4-2, but I feel the ability in the team has dropped. Maybe some of that is necessary to be more realistic about this division, but we struggled to score goals for long stretches last season and I don't really see us as addressing that. Igor and Taylor are good additions up front but we struggled to create chances more than finish them (though we struggled with the latter as well). And I just don't think what we have now is nearly as good as what we had last season, let alone good enough to challenge.
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During his second spell? He was anonymous.JoshrewCAFC said:Croydon said:
Don't see how you can think signing Poyet would sort out centre midfield. The lad was utter dross when he last played for us and has since failed to impress at some tinpot club in Cyprus.roseandcrown said:happy with that, Poyet or someone else that is centre midfield taken care off.
If he does come back, it'll take a lot of time before he's even back to this level.
He was absolute quality for us! But doubt he'd do a job now, maybe though
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Yeah legs are a concern with me as well.cafcfan1990 said:
Personally don't think Pratley is worse than Kashi, not upto now anyway. His legs might start catching up on him this year though.SDAddick said:If we'd signed him last season, I think Pratley would have been seen as good cover for JFC and Kashi (the kind we needed, actually). He's a run around a lot get tackles in tough man midfielder which you desperately need in a 4-4-2, but I feel the ability in the team has dropped. Maybe some of that is necessary to be more realistic about this division, but we struggled to score goals for long stretches last season and I don't really see us as addressing that. Igor and Taylor are good additions up front but we struggled to create chances more than finish them (though we struggled with the latter as well). And I just don't think what we have now is nearly as good as what we had last season, let alone good enough to challenge.
I mean I think they're very different variations on the same role, but Kashi is lightyears ahead when it comes to technical ability.1 -
Although last year we had the handicap of Karl Robinson.SDAddick said:If we'd signed him last season, I think Pratley would have been seen as good cover for JFC and Kashi (the kind we needed, actually). He's a run around a lot get tackles in tough man midfielder which you desperately need in a 4-4-2, but I feel the ability in the team has dropped. Maybe some of that is necessary to be more realistic about this division, but we struggled to score goals for long stretches last season and I don't really see us as addressing that. Igor and Taylor are good additions up front but we struggled to create chances more than finish them (though we struggled with the latter as well). And I just don't think what we have now is nearly as good as what we had last season, let alone good enough to challenge.
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Assuming that his legs aren't going too much, then it will be a good signing.
They must be going a bit or surely a Championship team would have signed him ?
Anyway, from what I know of him, I'm optimistic.0 -
Lots of games that we just didn’t get to grips with due to lack of “bite” in central midfield. We couldn’t break up play and win enough ball. The Shrewsbury games are perfect examples. Seems Pratley will offer us a ball winner and box to box player breaking up play and doing the simple things allowing JFC and Fosu to play some football. I liked Kashi but he wasn’t what we needed last term.6
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These are the sort of signings I dreamed of as a lad as the lone addick in a school of palace, spurs, arsenal, man utd, Liverpool and Chelsea suffering substantial ridicule each transfer window.
Well stick this in your pipe with your Bergkamps, Zolas and Klinsmanns St John Rigby class of 96, Rodders has the last laugh.
Magic stuff.7 -
Good signing I feel!0
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Joking aside, from reactions on here sounds a good signing?0
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Pratley will offer more to the team than Kashi did I promise you8
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When was the last time everyone was positive about a signing?
On paper he’s got plenty of experience at higher levels, has won promotion and is known for his work rate.
So much positivity being Charlton it’ll surely go wrong. Either he’ll be good but pick up a long term injury or his legs have gone and he’s the new Crofts/Foley.
Can’t we just have a signing we all like who has a good season for once?10 -
Thinking the same. Everyone likes him so he's doomed...Scoham said:When was the last time everyone was positive about a signing?
On paper he’s got plenty of experience at higher levels, has won promotion and is known for his work rate.
So much positivity being Charlton it’ll surely go wrong. Either he’ll be good but pick up a long term injury or his legs have gone and he’s the new Crofts/Foley.
Can’t we just have a signing we all like who has a good season for once?3 -
In my head I think he will as well, more experience, bigger, more of a midfield general type which we lacked last season.blackpool72 said:Pratley will offer more to the team than Kashi did I promise you
Our spine shaping up quite nicely if Phillips turns out good which I reckon he will1 -
That's what worries me, Danny Green, Nicky Ajose, Mark Marshall anyone?RodneyCharltonTrotta said:Joking aside, from reactions on here sounds a good signing?
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Now I do like that.Callumcafc said:If he can score against Millwall he's good enough for me
https://youtu.be/8c5ycLskkNQ
1) It was against Millwall.
2) Darren Pratley started his run from really deep defensively on the left and moving into an attacking central position, made the pass possible.
Then he accelerated into the box, showing great composure to score.
Must be the definition of a box-to-box midfielder, lung-bursting movement off the ball, great composure - shades of Lee Bowyer, etc.
Really impressed by that.
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So what do all our Bolton supporting mates have to say about him then?
Mine says he's absolutely brilliant, but my mate is also completely imaginary so not really a reliable source.15 -
Just wondering what pre season game he'll pick up a 6 month injury in.......Callumcafc said:
Thinking the same. Everyone likes him so he's doomed...Scoham said:When was the last time everyone was positive about a signing?
On paper he’s got plenty of experience at higher levels, has won promotion and is known for his work rate.
So much positivity being Charlton it’ll surely go wrong. Either he’ll be good but pick up a long term injury or his legs have gone and he’s the new Crofts/Foley.
Can’t we just have a signing we all like who has a good season for once?0 -
Certainly once things started going bad, yes, Robinson could not arrest a slide. I think he's a decent manager when things are going well and a poor one when they aren't.Airman Brown said:
Although last year we had the handicap of Karl Robinson.SDAddick said:If we'd signed him last season, I think Pratley would have been seen as good cover for JFC and Kashi (the kind we needed, actually). He's a run around a lot get tackles in tough man midfielder which you desperately need in a 4-4-2, but I feel the ability in the team has dropped. Maybe some of that is necessary to be more realistic about this division, but we struggled to score goals for long stretches last season and I don't really see us as addressing that. Igor and Taylor are good additions up front but we struggled to create chances more than finish them (though we struggled with the latter as well). And I just don't think what we have now is nearly as good as what we had last season, let alone good enough to challenge.
But I think Bowyer showed tactical limitations in the run in as well. He's young and very inexperienced, and I think that's to be expected. But I think we do him a massive disservice if we think he alone can make up for the gulf in class in the squad from last year to this.
I know he wants to play a different way, more direct, more physical, more British. But I don't think we have the squad for that. Our attacks in the playoffs basically amounted to lumping it to Magennis to win flick ons for Ajose. And that will be meat and drink to a lot of defenders in this division.
Even if Bowyer can have a positive influence of 10% on the players, and that feels like a high number for a manager once the new manager bounce wears off, I think this squad is 30-40% worse off in terms of quality and depth.1 -
Well if he does turn out to be no good, the guy I sat next to for years used to love coming up with un-original nick names for players and giggling to himself every time he shouted it out.
Phil Crapple was a fave of his.
Glad I won't be there to see him berrating Darren Shatley.
Personally think he could turn out to be a useful signing like Andy Hughes was for us. As we all know though that team had the quality around him that we may lack1 - Sponsored links:
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What a finish that was!Callumcafc said:If he can score against Millwall he's good enough for me
https://youtu.be/8c5ycLskkNQ0 -
Does Bowyer want to play a more direct more physical game ? I think he realised last season that we didn’t have a ball winner and aggressive player in midfield so when we didn’t have possession we found it hard to win the ball back. Midfield was often where we were outplayed so the likes of our centre backs knocking it long wasn’t a surprise.SDAddick said:
Certainly once things started going bad, yes, Robinson could not arrest a slide. I think he's a decent manager when things are going well and a poor one when they aren't.Airman Brown said:
Although last year we had the handicap of Karl Robinson.SDAddick said:If we'd signed him last season, I think Pratley would have been seen as good cover for JFC and Kashi (the kind we needed, actually). He's a run around a lot get tackles in tough man midfielder which you desperately need in a 4-4-2, but I feel the ability in the team has dropped. Maybe some of that is necessary to be more realistic about this division, but we struggled to score goals for long stretches last season and I don't really see us as addressing that. Igor and Taylor are good additions up front but we struggled to create chances more than finish them (though we struggled with the latter as well). And I just don't think what we have now is nearly as good as what we had last season, let alone good enough to challenge.
But I think Bowyer showed tactical limitations in the run in as well. He's young and very inexperienced, and I think that's to be expected. But I think we do him a massive disservice if we think he alone can make up for the gulf in class in the squad from last year to this.
I know he wants to play a different way, more direct, more physical, more British. But I don't think we have the squad for that. Our attacks in the playoffs basically amounted to lumping it to Magennis to win flick ons for Ajose. And that will be meat and drink to a lot of defenders in this division.
Even if Bowyer can have a positive influence of 10% on the players, and that feels like a high number for a manager once the new manager bounce wears off, I think this squad is 30-40% worse off in terms of quality and depth.
Bowyer himself was an aggressive central midfielder but also had a very good footballing brain and good feet. I think he wants a player in Pratley to win us the ball so we can utilise players like Fosu, Taylor, JFC.
If Lee Bowyer is a knock it long direct manager I’ll eat my hat.
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The other thing is that he backs off, backs off, and lets his winger cross. Hardly ever tackles. It's almost like he doesn't want to get shown up, somehow.SDAddick said:
I don't think it's the manager with Solly. I think it's the legs, unfortunately. He looked well off the pace even when we were playing well. And we shouldn't rely on him to play 46 games even if he's in good form. We need someone who can challenge him at RB, and is good enough to be first choice.ForeverAddickted said:
Hopefully Bowyer can get him back to form...JamesSeed said:Not happy with Solly as first choice RB.
Sorry, an' all that :-(
He hasnt played under him and think everyone started to lose it under Robinson2 -
I think the lack of form is a direct result of his knee problem.ForeverAddickted said:
Hopefully Bowyer can get him back to form...JamesSeed said:Not happy with Solly as first choice RB.
Sorry, an' all that :-(
He hasnt played under him and think everyone started to lose it under Robinson0 -
Not many signings since January 2014 that I cannnot complain about.
Lots of game time, lots of experience at a higher standard than he's coming in to.
Well done Roland....................0 -
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