[Albion] Locadia

[Weststander]

I'm sure there is nothing Chris wouldn't like more than Locadia to come good and score some goals – but he's obviously not seeing it day to day and football management is about judgement rather than gambling. Fans can gamble, like you're doing, but a manager has to look at every touch in training, how he looks against our own defenders, his fitness, his attitude, his commitment. So easy just to say start him, but I very much doubt CH is leaving him out through some kind of pig headedness, it is because he thinks it would weaken us, and I'd have to agree on the impact he has made so far.

I'm sure everyone would love Locadia to come good, but only start him because you think he makes you better, not on hope alone that he will.

 

[West Upper Seagull]

It ASTOUNDS me that so many people think he should start. Based on what? No idea.

Based on the fact we have zero pace in our front 2 (Murray / Gross or Ulloa / Gross) and Locadia was signed for his pace and eye for a goal. So why not play him and to his strengths and get him running in the channels behind the United centre backs getting on the end of through balls from Gross or Propper. I genuinely feel if we had a bit more pace up front we would have scored more goals this season. After all, it’s not as if our wide players are regularly delivering good quality crosses into the box for our target man to get headed goals !

 

[Arkwright]

I think the problem is none of us know his best position. From what I've seen he plays better through the middle and not out wide where he doesn't do the covering back role as well as our current wingers. We all know CH likes players to track back and assist the full back.
Murray and Ulloa are both good targets and hold the ball up bringing midfielders into play while Locadia wants to turn and use his pace. I'm sure he would be great in a 442 but doesn't fit into our current style.

 

[Machiavelli]

I think the problem is none of us know his best position. From what I've seen he plays better through the middle and not out wide where he doesn't do the covering back role as well as our current wingers. We all know CH likes players to track back and assist the full back.
Murray and Ulloa are both good targets and hold the ball up bringing midfielders into play while Locadia wants to turn and use his pace. I'm sure he would be great in a 442 but doesn't fit into our current style.

He's played up-front and, even more so, wide left in a 4-3-3 formation.
I don't think CH views him as strong enough to hold the ball up as a striker, for now at least, but this is what t(he)y will be working on.
I don't think CH views him as disciplined enough defensively, to play wide left in a different formation but, even if he did, Locadia would have to dislodge Izquierdo who also took time to develop the defensive role of his game.

 

[The_Viper]

This signing was the worst signing we have made in ages based on cost and usage. Why did we sign a far far better version of Baldock when we refuse to play a system that includes a player like that? Blows my bloody mind that we're wasting that kind of cash.

 

[dazzer6666]

This signing was the worst signing we have made in ages based on cost and usage. Why did we sign a far far better version of Baldock when we refuse to play a system that includes a player like that? Blows my bloody mind that we're wasting that kind of cash.

Way too early to be that judgemental for me.......let’s see how he does next season.......

 

[spence]

Way too early to be that judgemental for me.......let’s see how he does next season.......

He did say usage which he is right. Knocky was signed in Jan and moved to England and played many games straight away.

So far it's a poor return on him.

Shame thumbs down isn't here.

 

[Dirk Lehmann's Python]

Based on the fact we have zero pace in our front 2 (Murray / Gross or Ulloa / Gross) and Locadia was signed for his pace and eye for a goal. So why not play him and to his strengths and get him running in the channels behind the United centre backs getting on the end of through balls from Gross or Propper. I genuinely feel if we had a bit more pace up front we would have scored more goals this season. After all, it’s not as if our wide players are regularly delivering good quality crosses into the box for our target man to get headed goals !

So you want us to change formation?

Locadia is one for next season when we can afford to be more expansive and experimental

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[Weststander]

He did say usage which he is right. Knocky was signed in Jan and moved to England and played many games straight away.

So far it's a poor return on him.

Shame thumbs down isn't here.

Shirley usage over their extended career is more relevant.

There weren't too many PL games left when Locadia joined, each was critical and we hit form in a 4-5-1 with Murray playing well. (Remember the ensuing silly talk of Murray for England).

Knockaert joined in the so much easier Championship, with games coming thick and fast. He was an already proven class act at that level, so it would've been madness not to play AK immediately.

 

[Stat Brother]

Way too early to be that judgemental for me.......let’s see how he does next season.......

What back at PSV?

 

[spence]

I'm sure there is nothing Chris wouldn't like more than Locadia to come good and score some goals – but he's obviously not seeing it day to day and football management is about judgement rather than gambling. Fans can gamble, like you're doing, but a manager has to look at every touch in training, how he looks against our own defenders, his fitness, his attitude, his commitment. So easy just to say start him, but I very much doubt CH is leaving him out through some kind of pig headedness, it is because he thinks it would weaken us, and I'd have to agree on the impact he has made so far.

I'm sure everyone would love Locadia to come good, but only start him because you think he makes you better, not on hope alone that he will.

Should be a sticky for all those who don't understand basic football management

 

[severnside gull]

Starting Locadia requires an adjustment to his and our playing style, not only in his position but behind him as, no matter his attacking merits, he probably brings less defensively. You need to find that elsewhere. Such tinkering is not something to be undertaken lightly at the best of times but certainly not in our current position.
He will get his opportunities next season when we've had a chance to recruit further and build/adjust through prr-season.

 

[scousefan]

We signed Locadia too late to give him a real chance to make a difference this season. We need to wait and see what happens after a preseason and allow CH time to adapt the tactics. It’s far to early to judge him yet...

 

[West Upper Seagull]

So you want us to change formation?

Locadia is one for next season when we can afford to be more expansive and experimental

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Not at all - play him as the lone striker with Gross behind him !

 

[Dirk Lehmann's Python]

Not at all - play him as the lone striker with Gross behind him !

But to do that surely you need someone capable of holding the ball up and bringing the widemen into the game?

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[DJ NOBO]

Looks to me like he’s simply not as good as hughton hoped he would be.
Maybe he will come good after a preseason , more likely we will sign better in the summer and he will go on loan to a club in a less-demanding league.
Not every signing works out and we were under a lot of pressure at the time to bring someone in.
The most important thing is that one way or another we stay up .

 

[Green Cross Code Man]

With respect, I disagree totally. You can't judge a player who has spent half a season injured and then signed for a new club in another country, on a few performances. We will persevere with him, there isn't any doubt, and he is likely to play a big role next season.

 

[Publius Ovidius]

But to do that surely you need someone capable of holding the ball up and bringing the widemen into the game?

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...and how do we know he can't do that? He has hardly been given a chance of a run in the team as Murray has owned the position and CH wouldnt( and why would he?) change that.

I said earlier this week, I think CH has a game plan to stay in this division and I do not see any reason he would not adopt the same tactics next season to keep us here again. If that means a Murray/ ulloa/ hemed type player up front on his own, then I do not see the point in having a locadia type player around. I know that is a counter argument to what I started with, but it does appear that locadia is a victim of murray's success.

 

[seagulls4ever]

I don't really get this. We spent the entire summer looking for quick, powerful strikers, going through a whole load of Dwamena types, eventually getting one of these strikers in the January window. But if this kind of striker doesn't fit Hughton's strategy, what were we doing spending so long trying to get this kind of player?

I prefer to think that CH does want this kind of player but didn't want to upset the team formation that was working so well with Murray. And its bit late in the season now to change things.

Still, it was commonly accepted knowledge that we couldn't stay up without adding strikers, and yet it appears we have effectively done so, so one in the eye to the naysayers I suppose

Agreed. In the next three games we will have limited possession and be defending for most of them. Would the oppo defences rather cope with a team hoofing the ball to a slow forward who may or may not win it then wait for support or a pacy striker that can stretch and outpace defences?

Based on the fact we have zero pace in our front 2 (Murray / Gross or Ulloa / Gross) and Locadia was signed for his pace and eye for a goal. So why not play him and to his strengths and get him running in the channels behind the United centre backs getting on the end of through balls from Gross or Propper. I genuinely feel if we had a bit more pace up front we would have scored more goals this season. After all, it’s not as if our wide players are regularly delivering good quality crosses into the box for our target man to get headed goals !

I think part of the problem is that Locadia doesn't look particularly quick or powerful.

He doesn't seem to fit into our team at all, and so currently it seems like a really strange signing.

 

[Weststander]

With respect, I disagree totally. You can't judge a player who has spent half a season injured and then signed for a new club in another country, on a few performances. We will persevere with him, there isn't any doubt, and he is likely to play a big role next season.

Good post.

People wrote off David Lopez, Izquierdo, Ryan, Baldock; but they all came good.

Far too early to make a final judgement.