I think he is a class player but needs 2 athletic mids next to him. Morgan is not one and Dobbo is one paced. 

At one point yesterday I noticed him 'defending' a corner in the penalty box, standing around with his hands on his hips.  Ball comes in and he saunters towards the six yard box with the guy he was supposedly marking in front of him.  Made me so mad.  Get rid.

charente addick said:

Fraser is very skillful but way too one footed. If he's allowed to move forward on his left then he'll hurt the opposition. If you close down that option, as Ipswich did, his threat is cut out to the extent that he becomes a liability.

If you are playing centre mid then I think you can be one-footed but you have to be balanced and able to at least play simple balls first time with your other foot.  Fraser isn't balanced.  You also have to be able to protect the ball and Fraser can't.  As such, when pressured, he's a liability.  

It's sometimes more important what a player does when he's not playing well than when he is, particularly in midfield. 

Moans when he doesn't get the ball, looks a world beater against teams down the bottom but goes missing for the next 4 games. Laughing with opposition players after we lose 6 nil. Oh, and does a nice turn occasionally. Really hope we shift him this summer - this guy winds me up more than any other. 

Saw a tweet yesterday that he was cupping his hands to his ear to the away fans yesterday?

RedChaser said:

Callumcafc said:

He was made to look very very ordinary today. Luxury player that we cannot afford to be starting regularly.

When he fancies it he’s a decent asset but those games seem to be  about one in five if you’re lucky. He’s got no engine and doesn’t pull his weight often getting caught in possession and offering little defensively. Today he had one decent cross and one decent effort on goal. Other than that he offered nothing and as a result Morgan and Dobson were overrun offering hardly any protection to a hapless defence. 

I had been beginning to think Fraser was almost up to fitness, he's certainly managed 70+ minutes in games lately a vast improvement on his wheezy output for his first year with us.  Portman Road saw a depressingly familiar lightweight low impact reprise. 

So last time we won 1-0 at MK Dons and Darren Pratley put in the Greatest Performance Of All Time man-marking Scott Fraser, it wasn't actually all that impressive really?

eaststandmike said:

Leuth said:

So last time we won 1-0 at MK Dons and Darren Pratley put in the Greatest Performance Of All Time man-marking Scott Fraser, it wasn't actually all that impressive really?

Correct 

Pratley was very poor overall that season.  I remember that being one of his only decent performances which is probably it got talked up so much 

cabbles said:

eaststandmike said:

Leuth said:

So last time we won 1-0 at MK Dons and Darren Pratley put in the Greatest Performance Of All Time man-marking Scott Fraser, it wasn't actually all that impressive really?

Correct 

Pratley was very poor overall that season.  I remember that being one of his only decent performances which is probably it got talked up so much 

I thought it was a piss take to be honest. I never dreamed I would see “Darren Pratley” and “The greatest performance of all time “ in the same paragraph 

Cafc43v3r said:

Scoham said:

eaststandmike said:

He needs to go if we are mounting a promotion challenge next season, to inconsistent just like CBT

Or become squad players. We had worse players in both our recent promotion winning squads who made plenty of appearances.

I agree with the sentiment that you need squad players and if our best players become or squad players because we have better best players we will be moving it the right direction.

I think Fraser is odd example though.  I think he would be significantly better with the right players around him and a system that played to his strengths.  He isn't alone in that, it's been true of loads of our players over the last 3 years.

But, like most of the others, is he good enough to build your team around?  I am not sure tbh.  Also I don't think he is the type of player that "can do a job" in a different role to a high enough standard.

I am not sure what the answer is because Fraser and Dobson are the least of our problems but we have never really get the midfield right since Williams got injured in the Championship season. 

Well you're in luck, he's a free agent at the end of the season

You know it's going to happen!

Him this week is it? 

Cupping both ears when we scored. Could just be a rubbish celebration, or maybe he's a W⚓, who knows

Lincsaddick said:

his performances are pretty much par with far too many others of our squad .. sometimes super, other times rubbish .. I guess that fluctuating level of consistency is a major difference tween Premier and EFL footballers

This is my main problem with the majority of this squad and the reason I would remain very much on the fence about keeping him past the summer. He is, by all accounts, one of the highest earners in L1, but just does not put in significant, game-changing performances anywhere regularly enough to justify his wage. He spends a lot of time pointing around, moaning at the other players and not tracking back whilst occasionally showing a flourish of skill or control. More often than those moments are the ones where he gives the ball away, doesn't tackle or doesn't run. I think his fitness hasn't been there all season and isn't getting any better.

For a player on the money he is on, he should be playing like Dobson does every week, just creatively rather than defensively. I think he gets a free ride from a lot of supporters and I just don't think he offers enough. The fact that people suggest he needs to have someone athletic around him to allow him to play is highlighting the kind of glaring deficiencies in his game that we want less of.

Sadly, I don't think we have or could appeal to anyone better. Neither Morgan or Payne are the answer. Replacing him is simply a numbers game for wages, but I have yet to see the required consistency from him required for a promotion push. He disappoints me more than he amazes me, which is so frustrating because he does show glimpses. I just think the legs are on the decline and he's past his best. If he stays, I just think the high points will be less and less frequent.