oldboyroy
Well-known member
I've always liked Solly and yes, he's missed some sitters but he always gives 100%. He has improved since Roberto came and is showing he is very much a top Premier league player.
I remember this from when RDZ first started …how true!I've always liked Solly and yes, he's missed some sitters but he always gives 100%. He has improved since Roberto came and is showing he is very much a top Premier league player.
Is it really an incredible turnaround?It's an incredible turnaround and he looks every part a top PL player now - the criticism was always that there wasn't a final product and the team couldn't possibly progress without him/whoever played on the right of the attack scoring and creating goals. He's scoring and creating, game by game.
People will disagree with me, as they have all along - but personally, I would say the difference between the form since Southampton away and before is that there's an end product most of the time now. Beforehand, he would go on mazy runs and be threatening right up until the final ball or having to produce something. In my opinion, that's where his game fell apart. But there's no argument to be made that's the case of late, he's been incredibly sharp and delivering final product again and again and again.Is it really an incredible turnaround?
Yes his form has undoubtedly improved recently, but I don’t think it is fair to say it has been incredible, or unbelievable/improbable/far-fetched, or any other synonym you wish. He has been playing very well for a long period of time, just better recently. It certainly suits some to think his current form is incredible or unbelievable though...
Also, his current improved form is relatively recent, however the team has been constantly progressing, with him constantly in it, for the past 10-years. Not fair to say he was holding the team back IMO.
generally no, it's not. he's been at a great level for a couple of seasons now.Is it really an incredible turnaround?
Yes his form has undoubtedly improved recently, but I don’t think it is fair to say it has been incredible, or unbelievable/improbable/far-fetched, or any other synonym you wish. He has been playing very well for a long period of time, just better recently. It certainly suits some to think his current form is incredible or unbelievable though...
Also, his current improved form is relatively recent, however the team has been constantly progressing, with him constantly in it, for the past 10-years. Not fair to say he was holding the team back IMO.
Yes a lucky escape for him & us.Even funnier when you think as a schoolboy he was at Palace academy but they released him.
Just on this bit. Potter was playing Solly out of position and often in more than one position in a game. Solly's a great player and I've never been in the "hater" camp but he was basically doing a functional job for Potter who often seemed to treat coaching as an intellectual exercise for players, rather than just using their best attributes. It's true that we didn't have a "proper" left (wing) back for GP's first two seasons but people on here were calling out that we needed a proper left back and to strengthen central midfield. Were he and Kyle pushing that with the top brass or were they quietly smug that they'd got March and/or Burn to play that role adequately?On the plus side, it's a further endorsement of my assessment that Potter was massively holding back the team. I honestly don't believe he could have extracted this form from Solly, he had plenty of time to and never managed it. In sweeps RDZ to change the focus of the team and all of a sudden, he can't stop performing.
I completely agree with this. I thought Solly was excellent at left wingback because it highlighted his workrate and disciplined attributes to contribute to the team. I think Potter can take a lot of criticism for his usage of several of our players and I think he was, to a certain extent, lucky with the emergence of Caicedo. The turnaround in our form last season which then led into this coincides with Caicedo coming into the team and forming his partnership with Bissouma and then Mac Allister. I'm not sure how much that's due to tactical genius from Potter and how much of that was good fortune.Just on this bit. Potter was playing Solly out of position and often in more than one position in a game. Solly's a great player and I've never been in the "hater" camp but he was basically doing a functional job for Potter who often seemed to treat coaching as an intellectual exercise for players, rather than just using their best attributes. It's true that we didn't have a "proper" left (wing) back for GP's first two seasons but people on here were calling out that we needed a proper left back and to strengthen central midfield. Were he and Kyle pushing that with the top brass or were they quietly smug that they'd got March and/or Burn to play that role adequately?
But even with Cucurella in the side Solly still wasn't given consistency that he has under RDZ. And we can see it's a Potter tactic from his utterly disastrous attempt to play Sterling as a wing back.
Every single time that Solly has started to get into the zone with the Albion he has got injured. Every single time. And he takes a while to get back to full speed like anyone else.I don't think I've ever been shut up as dramatically, loudly and comprehensively as Solly has managed over the last month and a half. I thought the missed penalty at Charlton was just about the final straw. I had basically given up on him at that point and then all of a sudden he absolutely trousers in a beauty at Southampton and has been on fire ever since. It's an incredible turnaround and he looks every part a top PL player now - the criticism was always that there wasn't a final product and the team couldn't possibly progress without him/whoever played on the right of the attack scoring and creating goals. He's scoring and creating, game by game.
On the plus side, it's a further endorsement of my assessment that Potter was massively holding back the team. I honestly don't believe he could have extracted this form from Solly, he had plenty of time to and never managed it. In sweeps RDZ to change the focus of the team and all of a sudden, he can't stop performing.
Imho Hughton/Potter/RDZ all respected Solly's many attributes, regardless of whether he was a goal scorer or not.Credit to RDZ for sticking with him. He's missed chances, but he saw the good he was doing and had faith that the goals would eventually follow. His previous best run for us was just before he got injured at Anfield and we were generally playing a flexible 3/5 at the back with him and BDB as wingbacks. Given that he was also used as an option on Burn's side, he's probably played more top tier games for us in defensive roles than he has as a winger.
This year he has had far more of a run playing in attack and it's lovely to see him go past EPL defenders with the same ease that he did when he played there in the Championship. On his day he can be unplayable and he gave the lauded Tyrick Mitchell a terrible time on Saturday. Mitchell has of course been capped by Southgate. Ironically, Solly not only made him look a poor left back, but he's also probably a better option than Mitchell if England were stuck for a left back. When playing in his preferred position of RW this season, Whoscored.com has him as the top rated Englishman to have played there more than 5 times, with a rating of 7.59, ahead of Saka's 7.40. He's now only two goals short of Saka too.
No chance. I'd have in any other manager but not the waistcoatwanker.This will be THE test of whether Southgate is fair and open minded.
Solly offers everything at this moment, shirley a dream for an international manager.