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A player that has come in for a lot of stick lately.
He came on Saturday and within the first 5 mins or so put in a decent tackle. At the end was dancing in front of the fans. That is not a player that doesnt care in my opinion.
Yes he will be off at the end of the season and we don't know what happens behind closed doors, but he is (IMO) a far better player than Drewe.
Wasting your breath with some of these. I think every player out there has looked lost at times, but I’ve never felt for one minute that they haven’t been trying. Some folk drove that narrative and before you knew it the sheep went baa. Simply put, injuries (real ones, not babies sulking refusing to play, another pathetic narrative) have shaped our season. Our leaders in recent seasons have been the players that get us up the park and put real pressure on the oppo, giving the midfield and defence a rest. We lost those players one after another leading to us being currently under the kosh. Made worse by lengthy, or ongoing injuries to our best centre backs and full back. A toxic mix of bad luck, not attitude.
Laird is useful going forward and also defending. However, he can be caught too far forward and this is how we get done on the oppo breakaway that cuts right through us.
Against Burnley it was clear like the rest of the team he was told to stay back and defend. Then he looked very good indeed.
So, I would say he should defend first and stay back more, rather than go forward so much as an overlapping wingback. If he does that, then I think it works when he plays at RB, otherwise its risky and we are too open.
It needs to a bit more nuanced. Early season it worked quite well with Laird getting forward and Paal staying back more, and the whole defense covering across to the right to cover Laird. It worked the other way when Paal got forward to an extent. Balogun helped organise that too. It was also an area we lost a lot of capability in with Barbet's departure and JCS absence. Barbet was excellent at covering across the back line.
A lot of the stick for Laird and others has come from social media keyboard warriors looking for a scapegoat. Favourite of course is the "DoF". Hoos is also up there and when it gets to players Laird, Willock, Dickie, Johansen and others have all featured in recent stories about what people think (or want others to think, or pretend to know) is going on.
its never going to be a happy workplace when we are losing all the time so no doubt there have been "words" between people in the club I'm sure. The timing of Ainsworth coming in with a very different approach also would have created unrest.
Hopefully Saturday's brilliant result may galvanise us a bit and perhaps they are getting used to Ainsworth, who is a great person but also as Clive so eloquently put it has the appearance of a "walking mid life crisis" which no doubt led to some scepticism in the squad on his arrival.
If Drewe is injured then the decision makes itself, but clearly Laird is the more talented player of the two. Teams actively target Drewe when he plays.
You forgot one other one that is blamed completely for the mess, ie Monsieur Dykes.
A lot of the stick for Laird and others has come from social media keyboard warriors looking for a scapegoat. Favourite of course is the "DoF". Hoos is also up there and when it gets to players Laird, Willock, Dickie, Johansen and others have all featured in recent stories about what people think (or want others to think, or pretend to know) is going on.
its never going to be a happy workplace when we are losing all the time so no doubt there have been "words" between people in the club I'm sure. The timing of Ainsworth coming in with a very different approach also would have created unrest.
Hopefully Saturday's brilliant result may galvanise us a bit and perhaps they are getting used to Ainsworth, who is a great person but also as Clive so eloquently put it has the appearance of a "walking mid life crisis" which no doubt led to some scepticism in the squad on his arrival.
If Drewe is injured then the decision makes itself, but clearly Laird is the more talented player of the two. Teams actively target Drewe when he plays.
I'm not totally sure that's true, given the crowd reaction when he was subbed vs Preston after a particularly half arsed performance
His performances have really dropped from the start of the season but reasons for that have been put down to he doesn't care but has been a pattern with him over the years that he starts well then fades in the second half of the season. There is a reason he keeps going out on loan and that's to find more consistency to his game especially when going gets tough.
Surely that first line applies to the whole squad - pretty much.
Clive mentioned "pray for Aaron" but that didn't help either. Felt sorry for Drewe but he was out of his depth even with Uncle trying to help. Drewe managed to block just one cross (37th min) before he limped off.
Laird came on and made a big difference, he must start against Stoke.
My reply was to the hypothesis that grief for Laird was purely online - half the crowd being ready to throttle him shows that isn't necessarily the case
Clive mentioned "pray for Aaron" but that didn't help either. Felt sorry for Drewe but he was out of his depth even with Uncle trying to help. Drewe managed to block just one cross (37th min) before he limped off.
Laird came on and made a big difference, he must start against Stoke.
Why he's currently not starting, despite being fit, and obviously better than Drewe as you say, is a question that keeps stumping those who think all these players have behaved impeccably, great attitude, tried their best all season, very unluckily injured and not a problem in any way...
Why he's currently not starting, despite being fit, and obviously better than Drewe as you say, is a question that keeps stumping those who think all these players have behaved impeccably, great attitude, tried their best all season, very unluckily injured and not a problem in any way...
But he didn't pull out of any tackles against Burnley, did he, Clive? He made a very positive contribution for the first goal, made himself generally available and gave pretty much everything for the cause. I know you objected to him lapping up the praise at the end of the game, and I'm not in any way suggesting that he didn't get some kind of a talking-to "off-camera" so to speak before the game, but if you take what you're saying to its obvious conclusion, he could have easily told GA to "do one" and just sat Burnley out and made himself unavailable again for these last two games. He hasn't done that, has he?
But he didn't pull out of any tackles against Burnley, did he, Clive? He made a very positive contribution for the first goal, made himself generally available and gave pretty much everything for the cause. I know you objected to him lapping up the praise at the end of the game, and I'm not in any way suggesting that he didn't get some kind of a talking-to "off-camera" so to speak before the game, but if you take what you're saying to its obvious conclusion, he could have easily told GA to "do one" and just sat Burnley out and made himself unavailable again for these last two games. He hasn't done that, has he?
You're confusing me with somebody else, I didn't say anything about him or anybody else at the end of the game, I was running for my train.
The question I keep asking, that the people on this message board who deny there have been very, very obvious problems with these players this year cannot answer, is if there are no problems with Ethan Laird why on earth is a fit Ethan Laird sitting on the bench while Aaron Drewe tries to mark Anass Zaroury - basically the best winger in this league. No manager in his right mind would do that for football or tactic reasons.
You're confusing me with somebody else, I didn't say anything about him or anybody else at the end of the game, I was running for my train.
The question I keep asking, that the people on this message board who deny there have been very, very obvious problems with these players this year cannot answer, is if there are no problems with Ethan Laird why on earth is a fit Ethan Laird sitting on the bench while Aaron Drewe tries to mark Anass Zaroury - basically the best winger in this league. No manager in his right mind would do that for football or tactic reasons.
The answer is blatantly obvious.
OK - but why not cut him some slack (and GA for that matter) by acknowledging that just maybe he has taken a bit of a look at himself in the mirror, accepting that he's f*cked up and sorting his head out enough to make a contribution whilst he still can? That in itself is surely a sign of maturity and growth, isn't it? Having been molly-coddled in Manchester United's academy, he's probably not had soemone be prepared to drop him and get him to face harsh realities before. Could be a similar explanation for some of the others this year as well ( although I accept that there's much less excuse for some of the older squad members).
OK - but why not cut him some slack (and GA for that matter) by acknowledging that just maybe he has taken a bit of a look at himself in the mirror, accepting that he's f*cked up and sorting his head out enough to make a contribution whilst he still can? That in itself is surely a sign of maturity and growth, isn't it? Having been molly-coddled in Manchester United's academy, he's probably not had soemone be prepared to drop him and get him to face harsh realities before. Could be a similar explanation for some of the others this year as well ( although I accept that there's much less excuse for some of the older squad members).
Again I think you're confusing me with somebody else. If he's done that, then great, can he play this Saturday please? Can he play like he played the first half of the season?
That's not the point I'm making at all, which also wasn't directed at you, it's directed at Oslo and Goldborne's posts higher up.
So let me try and be really clear step by step.
1 - It is my contention that it is blatantly, blatantly obvious there have been problems with players in this squad this year around attitude, absenteeism, commitment. It's everywhere you look.
2 - Goldborne and Oslo seem to contend that there's nothing wrong with the players at all, they've all done their best, tried their best, great attitude, just been unlucky with injuries which were all entirely genuine, loss of confidence managers left etc. and any claim or rhetoric to the contrary is untrue, unhelpful, unfair.
3 - You do not, in your right mind, leave Ethan Laird out if he's fit so you can pick Aaron Drewe against Onel Hernandez and Anass Zaroury for football or tactical reasons. This is a clear, clear admission from the manager that there have been the problems that, like I say, I think are blatantly obvious.
4 - So yeh, if he's "looked in the mirror" and "accepted that he's fcked up" and "sorted his head out" like you say then that's great. But my point is to the people that keep coming on here and denying there was any fck up, anything to look in the mirror about, in the first place. You can't maintain that position while the manager picks Drewe over a fit Ethan Laird.
Again I think you're confusing me with somebody else. If he's done that, then great, can he play this Saturday please? Can he play like he played the first half of the season?
That's not the point I'm making at all, which also wasn't directed at you, it's directed at Oslo and Goldborne's posts higher up.
So let me try and be really clear step by step.
1 - It is my contention that it is blatantly, blatantly obvious there have been problems with players in this squad this year around attitude, absenteeism, commitment. It's everywhere you look.
2 - Goldborne and Oslo seem to contend that there's nothing wrong with the players at all, they've all done their best, tried their best, great attitude, just been unlucky with injuries which were all entirely genuine, loss of confidence managers left etc. and any claim or rhetoric to the contrary is untrue, unhelpful, unfair.
3 - You do not, in your right mind, leave Ethan Laird out if he's fit so you can pick Aaron Drewe against Onel Hernandez and Anass Zaroury for football or tactical reasons. This is a clear, clear admission from the manager that there have been the problems that, like I say, I think are blatantly obvious.
4 - So yeh, if he's "looked in the mirror" and "accepted that he's fcked up" and "sorted his head out" like you say then that's great. But my point is to the people that keep coming on here and denying there was any fck up, anything to look in the mirror about, in the first place. You can't maintain that position while the manager picks Drewe over a fit Ethan Laird.
Fair point, Clive and tbh I started with your points and didn't look at the earlier part of the thread as you probably guesssed. So yes, I guess you would have to say I agree completely with Points 1-3! Hopefully GA will now get some credit from others on this site, as he's obviously found something approaching the right balance in terms of not throwing the offenders under the bus publicly (unlike Beale, Critchley and most obviously Hall) and rewarding those who actually listen to what he's trying to do and decide to (belatedly) join the party.
Chris Martin who knows he will not be here next year and was a short-term fix was made Captain ahead of say Field and Dunne, which suggests GA does'nt think either of those two can get the respect needed to get a tune out of some of the players,
Likewise Chris Martin has dropped some heavy hints about players focussing off the pitch as well as on it,
That could suggest that some of younger /injured / loanee players (Dieng, Richards, Laird, Roberts, Tim etc) are not being as disciplined off the pitch as they should ideally be and maybe being in the capital city on Saturday nights for a season is seen as to good an opportunity to miss for some of these players.
Chris Martin who knows he will not be here next year and was a short-term fix was made Captain ahead of say Field and Dunne, which suggests GA does'nt think either of those two can get the respect needed to get a tune out of some of the players,
Likewise Chris Martin has dropped some heavy hints about players focussing off the pitch as well as on it,
That could suggest that some of younger /injured / loanee players (Dieng, Richards, Laird, Roberts, Tim etc) are not being as disciplined off the pitch as they should ideally be and maybe being in the capital city on Saturday nights for a season is seen as to good an opportunity to miss for some of these players.
Absolutely. Having to sign Chris Martin, almost immediately making him the captain, and then some of the things he's said openly about what he's found here - and let's be honest, Chris Martin hasn't exactly been a bastion of professionalism throughout his career - really, really stark. People choose to ignore, overlook or deny it.
Absolutely. Having to sign Chris Martin, almost immediately making him the captain, and then some of the things he's said openly about what he's found here - and let's be honest, Chris Martin hasn't exactly been a bastion of professionalism throughout his career - really, really stark. People choose to ignore, overlook or deny it.
the problem is Clive, we don't know who he's talking about. You can add two and two and get Laird, and I don't have much of a problem with that based on your arguments. So it's difficult to know where to direct your ire. Also, it's a bit like terrible news in a far off place. I know things are absolutely terrible for people in Khartoum at the moment, but I'll be blatantly honest, my capacity for bad news reached its limits a while back. i can't bear to read it every day. Same with QPR. You say people choose to overlook it: well, yes. All I have is rumour and hearsay and a bit of sensible detective work based on decent evidence (see Laird). And if I start worrying about everything that's wrong with the club, I'll never stop (I know you can relate). So, yeah, I'll overlook it a bit. After all, there's f all I can do about it. I could riot, I suppose. Take a banner. Invade the pitch. Scream for Les to get out of 'my' club. But it won't in all reality make a difference.
the problem is Clive, we don't know who he's talking about. You can add two and two and get Laird, and I don't have much of a problem with that based on your arguments. So it's difficult to know where to direct your ire. Also, it's a bit like terrible news in a far off place. I know things are absolutely terrible for people in Khartoum at the moment, but I'll be blatantly honest, my capacity for bad news reached its limits a while back. i can't bear to read it every day. Same with QPR. You say people choose to overlook it: well, yes. All I have is rumour and hearsay and a bit of sensible detective work based on decent evidence (see Laird). And if I start worrying about everything that's wrong with the club, I'll never stop (I know you can relate). So, yeah, I'll overlook it a bit. After all, there's f all I can do about it. I could riot, I suppose. Take a banner. Invade the pitch. Scream for Les to get out of 'my' club. But it won't in all reality make a difference.
i think this is a great opportunity (assuming we escape the next 2 games unscathed) to go "Phew - dodged a bullet there" and be thankful that next season should be a whole let better on this front.
i think this is a great opportunity (assuming we escape the next 2 games unscathed) to go "Phew - dodged a bullet there" and be thankful that next season should be a whole let better on this front.
If you think next season will be a whole lot better you need to pass me whatever you're drinking.
If you think next season will be a whole lot better you need to pass me whatever you're drinking.
Next season will be worse. Much worse.
I don't think you can say that with any degree of certainty until you see what our player recruitment is like. Having less than the square root of diddeley squat to spend might actually help us focus our attention much more sharpely on value, and if the market fro flogging decent championship players to the prem has cratered, then surely it naturally follows that picking up L1 and L2 players who can be developped will also be that much more accessible to us? Could be 2004/5 alll over again, but actually with the potential to have consistently better quality if we handle it right.
First half of the season comments were made about Laird being recalled to Manchester and Wan-Bissaka being sold. Few months later Wan-Bissaka is starting and no-one in their right mind thinks that Laird is going to replace him.
I saw somewhere that Laird is out of contract at the end of the season but United do have an option. My assumption is they won't take it up and he'll have possibly gone from being the right-back for a top 6 club to being out of work.
It'll be interesting to see what happens with him.
First half of the season comments were made about Laird being recalled to Manchester and Wan-Bissaka being sold. Few months later Wan-Bissaka is starting and no-one in their right mind thinks that Laird is going to replace him.
I saw somewhere that Laird is out of contract at the end of the season but United do have an option. My assumption is they won't take it up and he'll have possibly gone from being the right-back for a top 6 club to being out of work.
It'll be interesting to see what happens with him.
I don't think you can say that with any degree of certainty until you see what our player recruitment is like. Having less than the square root of diddeley squat to spend might actually help us focus our attention much more sharpely on value, and if the market fro flogging decent championship players to the prem has cratered, then surely it naturally follows that picking up L1 and L2 players who can be developped will also be that much more accessible to us? Could be 2004/5 alll over again, but actually with the potential to have consistently better quality if we handle it right.
It's great optimism mate and I'm glad you have it. Usually I'm very optimistic about things, but it tends to be more evidence-based.
There is no evidence, from anywhere, that suggests this club will be able to not only absorb the loss of players that will occur this summer but to somehow suddenly 'pick up' these lower league gems for a song. I hope it happens. It very likely won't.
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