[Albion] Richards, Cochran & Roberts

Live by the sea · Jun 6, 2020

All training with the first team squad and will presumably be back up if we get a few injuries or players having to self isolate .

Out of the 3 I have seen play for the u23’s Richards looks very promising if a little over confident sometime .

Any thoughts on the new additions ? Just there in a real emergency or could maybe one of them or more break through as a fully fledged first team player ?

Beach Hut · Jun 6, 2020

Roberts looked good against Villa in the anonymous cup game

tubby · Jun 6, 2020

I have not been impressed with Richards in the U23s. His distribution is not the best, both in his decision making of when to pass and also the accuracy of the pass itself.

Stat Brother · Jun 6, 2020

2 defenders and a midfielder.

Kind of says it all really.

Gabbiano · Jun 6, 2020

tubby said:
I have not been impressed with Richards in the U23s. His distribution is not the best, both in his decision making of when to pass and also the accuracy of the pass itself.

I think he’s been decent enough and chipped in with more goals than most. It’s just that we paid £2.5m for him and for that money you would expect him to be head and shoulders above the rest of the U23s, which he hasn’t been.

No Gwargis training with the first team? To me him and Roberts have been the strongest of the U23s this season.

Stat Brother · Jun 6, 2020

Gabbiano said:
I think he’s been decent enough and chipped in with more goals than most. It’s just that we paid £2.5m for him and for that money you would expect him to be head and shoulders above the rest of the U23s, which he hasn’t been.
.

You make that sound like a bad thing?

Gabbiano · Jun 6, 2020

Stat Brother said:
You make that sound like a bad thing?

Well, that’s true. It could be that the rest of the U23s are so good that he hasn’t stood out.

Or that he hasn’t stood out because we overpaid.

As yet the jury is out, but I suspect it’s a little of column A and a little of column B.

casbom · Jun 6, 2020

There’s an Athletic article where a couple of scouts discuss those 3. Both of them don’t think much of Richards, doesn’t make the right decisions and doesn’t track back. Both thought Roberts and Cochrane are very good and don’t forget, both are England youth internationals

Not Andy Naylor · Jun 6, 2020

I'd heard good things about Richards and the fact that Guardiola had called him into first team squad training at City was a good sign, but I've also been pretty underwhelmed by his performances. The failure to track back is something I've noticed too, but he has also shown some very promising touches going forward.

So maybe he expected to be an automatic first-team squad member here and is sulking a bit but would be ready to put in more of a shift when with the big boys? That's not a great sign character-wise, but in the end we want to see some return on TB's investment so whatever works ...

Johnny RoastBeef · Jun 6, 2020

casbom said:
There’s an Athletic article where a couple of scouts discuss those 3. Both of them don’t think much of Richards, doesn’t make the right decisions and doesn’t track back. Both thought Roberts and Cochrane are very good and don’t forget, both are England youth internationals

I've not seen a much of Richards but from what little I have, there have been glimpses of big potential.

Fortunately tracking back and decision making can be coached into a player, providing he has the right attitude.

GT49er · Jun 6, 2020

Jury out for me too. Good that he took the decision to move from Manchester to us in search of 1st. team football, but I think maybe he thought it would be closer than it was (and in view of the price we apparently paid for him, probably many of us did too!) He's certainly shown talent in the U23s, but he does look a bit as if he thinks he can win matches on his own - needs to improve his decision making. All just IMHO, obviously.

Think he needs a season out on loan - League 1, perhaps. Maybe lower Championship level, but I'm not sure he's the sort of player a struggling team would need.

Icy Gull · Jun 6, 2020

GT49er said:
Jury out for me too. Good that he took the decision to move from Manchester to us in search of 1st. team football, but I think maybe he thought it would be closer than it was (and in view of the price we apparently paid for him, probably many of us did too!) He's certainly shown talent in the U23s, but he does look a bit as if he thinks he can win matches on his own - needs to improve his decision making. All just IMHO, obviously.

Think he needs a season out on loan - League 1, perhaps. Maybe lower Championship level, but I'm not sure he's the sort of player a struggling team would need.

Loan him to Leeds, Bielsa would make him World Class in a few months

nwgull · Jun 6, 2020

GT49er said:
Jury out for me too. Good that he took the decision to move from Manchester to us in search of 1st. team football, but I think maybe he thought it would be closer than it was (and in view of the price we apparently paid for him, probably many of us did too!) He's certainly shown talent in the U23s, but he does look a bit as if he thinks he can win matches on his own - needs to improve his decision making. All just IMHO, obviously.

Think he needs a season out on loan - League 1, perhaps. Maybe lower Championship level, but I'm not sure he's the sort of player a struggling team would need.

Give him a chance; he’s only turned 19 this season. If he’s loaned out to a League 2 club next season then he’ll be playing at the same level as Ben White was at a similar age.

For another comparison of 18 years olds we’ve bought, was Alzate standing out particularly 2 seasons ago?

GT49er · Jun 6, 2020

Icy Gull said:
Loan him to Leeds, Bielsa would make him World Class in a few months

Hmm.....just spending a happy five minutes day-dreaming that Uncle Tony doesn't splash the cash on players in the likely-to-be Covid-19 market, but instead splashes the cash in another way and makes Bielsa an offer he can't refuse to come and coach our U23s .................... oh, just imagine the Leeds boards!

Danny Wilson Said · Jun 6, 2020

GT49er said:
Hmm.....just spending a happy five minutes day-dreaming that Uncle Tony doesn't splash the cash on players in the likely-to-be Covid-19 market, but instead splashes the cash in another way and makes Bielsa an offer he can't refuse to come and coach our U23s .................... oh, just imagine the Leeds boards!

That would be the single funniest thing to happen in the history of football.

GT49er · Jun 6, 2020

nwgull said:
Give him a chance; he’s only turned 19 this season. If he’s loaned out to a League 2 club next season then he’ll be playing at the same level as Ben White was at a similar age.

For another comparison of 18 years olds we’ve bought, was Alzate standing out particularly 2 seasons ago?

Where an I not giving him a chance? I just don't think he looks ready for the 1st. team yet, and would benefit - like White and Alzate - from a season on loan.

nwgull · Jun 6, 2020

GT49er said:
Where an I not giving him a chance? I just don't think he looks ready for the 1st. team yet, and would benefit - like White and Alzate - from a season on loan.

Don’t get so defensive at everything. Have a w@nk or something.

GT49er · Jun 6, 2020

nwgull said:
Don’t get so defensive at everything. Have a w@nk or something.

Just asked a question!

dazzer6666 · Jun 6, 2020

nwgull said:
Give him a chance; he’s only turned 19 this season. If he’s loaned out to a League 2 club next season then he’ll be playing at the same level as Ben White was at a similar age.

For another comparison of 18 years olds we’ve bought, was Alzate standing out particularly 2 seasons ago?

This.....way too early to even be selecting a jury, let alone sending them out to make a decision.

Swansman · Jun 6, 2020

Doubt they will be playing much (if anything) considering the importance of the remaining fixtures, but with the 9 man bench they will probably be in the match squad every now and then. I think Cochrane already was on the bench once or twice?

Anyway this is an indicator that these felllas are the ones with the biggest chance of breaking into the squad atm, with players like i.e. Gwargis more likely to be loaned out.

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[Albion] Richards, Cochran & Roberts

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