In the hope I'm tempting fate.....Lopez

[Codner's Wallop]

Right full-back could be the answer for Lopez, particularly as he lacks pace. Its obvious that Bruno and Calderon are the weak links, neither can defend at this level. He looked quite good there before.

Yes he's probably the best of the three in that position, which doesnt say a great deal as I believe it's our weakest position on the pitch. Ward looks a composed player on the left and you can't argue with our defensive record from the centre halves.

 

[bhawoddy]

I thought defensively we looked poor yesterday. They had a hatful of openings that they didn't convert...... Fortunately

 

[Machiavelli]

I'm struggling with this pre season bit. we all want to be loyal but let's face it he has been shite.

SD was one of my favourite players last season, but I'm also struggling with this pre-season explanation. We're now 17 games in and, while acknowledging Wiki-Acker's post, he really has been poor for the majority of the season with only a few moments of class. When Orlandi, Buckley, KLL, etc are back, I too can't see him making the bench.

 

[Codner's Wallop]

SD was one of my favourite players last season, but I'm also struggling with this pre-season explanation. We're now 17 games in and, while acknowledging Wiki-Acker's post, he really has been poor for the majority of the season with only a few moments of class. When Orlandi, Buckley, KLL, etc are back, I too can't see him making the bench.

Yes. And I can't get my head around this 'he's a luxury player so deserves a string of poor matches to allow for a moment of genius' nonsense. Fine if you are a mercurial legend who rips a team apart every few games. But a couple of great free kicks over the course of a season. And the rest downright mediocre or rubbish? Not for me, sorry.

 

[Finchley Seagull]

Yes. And I can't get my head around this 'he's a luxury player so deserves a string of poor matches to allow for a moment of genius' nonsense. Fine if you are a mercurial legend who rips a team apart every few games. But a couple of great free kicks over the course of a season. And the rest downright mediocre or rubbish? Not for me, sorry.

When you say mediocre, do you mean this season or last? This season, generally he has been poor. But if you're rewriting history by saying he was mediocre last season, then you're wrong. The second half of last season he was amazing. Hence the reaction on here when he was looking like leaving. Hopefully the same will happen this season but I honestly don't think he was that bad yesterday. He was okay in a game when most of our team were ordinary.

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

We all wanted him back. If he doesn't improve on his current performance by the end of the campaign we won't want him back next season.

 

[Codner's Wallop]

When you say mediocre, do you mean this season or last? This season, generally he has been poor. But if you're rewriting history by saying he was mediocre last season, then you're wrong. The second half of last season he was amazing. Hence the reaction on here when he was looking like leaving. Hopefully the same will happen this season but I honestly don't think he was that bad yesterday. He was okay in a game when most of our team were ordinary.

This season. Don't think anyone can disagree that Lopez had many fine game last season. There also seemed a lot more urgency from his game, more smiles and he seemed to fit in well with his teammates. It might be my imagination this time round, or the fact he's struggling with his confidence, but his body language has looked different this season. Hardly seen a smile...looks fed up.

 

[Seagull kimchi]

More suited to Poyet's more ponderous style I'd imagine.

 

[Simster]

Dave is twice the player when he gets an extended run playing with Orlandi.

That needs a few games before we see their genius again.

 

[Birdie Boy]

Pre-season and match fitness has nothing to do with Lopez's level of performance. Do you see him running past players when on the ball? Do you see him hounding players when off the ball? The answer is no to both, in fact when do you see him running? Nobody needs a high level of fitness to take the odd free kick and stand 10 yards off the opposition waiting for them to make a mistake under no pressure. I can't wait for Buckley/Orlandi/LuaLua to be fit we can then start a game with 11 players and not 10.

As for last season, on average I would say he was just about good, he was only very good in every other game and that was towards the end of the season. By the time you average it out over the season he was mediocre to good at best.

 

[Codner's Wallop]

Pre-season and match fitness has nothing to do with Lopez's level of performance. Do you see him running past players when on the ball? Do you see him hounding players when off the ball? The answer is no to both, in fact when do you see him running? Nobody needs a high level of fitness to take the odd free kick and stand 10 yards off the opposition waiting for them to make a mistake under no pressure. I can't wait for Buckley/Orlandi/LuaLua to be fit we can then start a game with 11 players and not 10.

As for last season, on average I would say he was just about good, he was only very good in every other game and that was towards the end of the season. By the time you average it out over the season he was mediocre to good at best.

Spot on. Orlandi and Bridcutt have recently returned from long term injury but I saw neither of them casually ambling around the pitch. It's about commitment and helping the team. I've not seen enough of either from SD this season.

 

[BRIGHT ON Q]

Makes me laugh how everyone goes on about match fitness for players like Lopez and Orlandi yet that was Matt Ritchie's first start of the season.

 

[Codner's Wallop]

Based on 'Lopez Law', Matt Ritchie should reach his full potential around the end of March?!

 

[Codner's Wallop]

I didn't attend last night's game (that's not so bad, by all accounts). But judging by the majority feedback, Lopez had another stinker. This isn't a personal vendetta against him, I actually enjoyed watching him last season. But OG and only the winciest number of fans can see the value in picking him. If it's tactical, it must be from a highly intelligent and entirely undiscovered form of super-tactics, known only to OG. Have we seen the birth of the playing equivalent to the TCR jam-car (remember that?). A player who is merely there as a decoy or obstruction to the opposition but offers zero tangible benefit to his own side? They first laughed at the Christmas Tree formation...

 

[Acker79]

I didn't attend last night's game (that's not so bad, by all accounts). But judging by the majority feedback, Lopez had another stinker. This isn't a personal vendetta against him, I actually enjoyed watching him last season. But OG and only the winciest number of fans can see the value in picking him. If it's tactical, it must be from a highly intelligent and entirely undiscovered form of super-tactics, known only to OG. Have we seen the birth of the playing equivalent to the TCR jam-car (remember that?). A player who is merely there as a decoy or obstruction to the opposition but offers zero tangible benefit to his own side? They first laughed at the Christmas Tree formation...

He didn't have a stinker, he's just at that point where people are convinced he will so let that colour their judgement of his performance. For example, twice last night he put in a pretty decent cross that went toward the head of pretty much the only option in the box he had, but that player was covered by a defender who managed to get up quicker and clear it. An inch higher and it would have got over the defender and our player would have got on the end of it. This was met by people around me as "what a waste!" "There's no one there" "another [poopy] ball from Lopez, what is he doing in the team?!". Buckley made an identical cross early in the second half and was met with (by the same people) "great ball, unlucky" "see Lopez, that's how you cross".

Lopez did not have a stinker. I'm not arguing he had a great performance, but it is no where near as bad as some people seem to be suggesting.

 

[Zebedee]

I think the reality is that while our Spaniards are technically brilliant, Dave included, they are not entirely suited to the pace of the English game.

We played a lot slower football last season under Gus, which suited Dave more no doubt.

Correct if I'm wrong but we were painfully slow as well last night. Everything we do always seems to be telegraphed and, with the exception of Buckley, we have no pace in the side. If I played for the opposition, there would be little to frighten me.

 

[BUTTERBALL]

Confidence plays a huge part in football whatever level you play at. What i saw last night with David Lopez was a player really low on confidence. His slick passing of last season was replaced by nervous back passes, he had a couple of opportunities to shoot which he declined in favour of a pass when it would have been almost instinctive last season.

He needs to believe in himself again.

 

[The Antikythera Mechanism]

View attachment 49207

He didn't feature much early, but as you can see, though his ratings were a bit up and down there was a noticeable improvement as the season wore on, and already this season he has shown a trend that if it continues will see a greater rate of improvement.

Marvellous, you must be an accountant to have produced a graph like that

 

[TSB]

You were. Kudos.

 

[Mellotron]

Yes. And I can't get my head around this 'he's a luxury player so deserves a string of poor matches to allow for a moment of genius' nonsense. Fine if you are a mercurial legend who rips a team apart every few games. But a couple of great free kicks over the course of a season. And the rest downright mediocre or rubbish? Not for me, sorry.

He completely bossed at least a dozen games last season. His range of passing is phenomenal when he gets going. Not sure what you're on about. One of our best players last season.