Roberts, Issaka and other youngsters

[SIWY]

Anyone else wondering if there might be a negative impact on Roberts and Issaka given Muslic's apparent preference for 6ft + players?

I know we are in a scrap in the league and we very much have to focus on the short term, however, if we stay up or go down it seems likely that Muslic will continue to prefer physical players.

Roberts is good in a tackle but may not fit the mould, although maybe number 10 is his position? He's probably better than Baidoo at the moment? Issaka has a long contract but is a wide player and I can't initially see where he may fit in.

Just curious about where they will be in the next 1/2 years.

 

[WoodsyGreen]

Callum Wright seems to be getting plenty of minutes under MM and he's about as lightweight as they come. Pleggy isn't exactly a brick outhouse either and Hardie has the figure of a racing snake.

I haven't seen enough of MM's Cercle side but surely they weren't all built like wardrobes? He's said he likes physically fit players, but that doesn't necessarily equate to physically big players.

 

[gundolt]

Callum Wright seems to be getting plenty of minutes under MM and he's about as lightweight as they come. Pleggy isn't exactly a brick outhouse either and Hardie has the figure of a racing snake.

I haven't seen enough of MM's Cercle side but surely they weren't all built like wardrobes? He's said he likes physically fit players, but that doesn't necessarily equate to physically big players.

And you could add Adam Randell and Marty Sorinola to that mix. As a CB or striker height helps, obviously, what I think is clear he values commitment and an ability to play to his game plan.

 

[Mazza26]

We've been struggling for height in various positions on the pitch for a number of years. Having a handful of tall physically fit players will help us in both boxes, however i'm sure if you gave Muslic a choice he wouldn't be replacing every medium/short sized players with big ones. Pleggy has outstanding attributes that lend themselves more to his physique as opposed to Katic who has his own outstanding attributes but as mentioned by a Rangers fan to me before his debut for us, Katic is not great on the ball. It's all about balance. Quite a simple game football and i'm glad Muslic is simplifying it for the players whilst adding emphasis on becoming fitter and stronger.

 

[Nobby]

I don’t see Roberts having an issue. Physically he is no different to Randell, he just doesn’t use his strength as well.

Issaka I don’t see how he fits Muslic’s style at all. We don’t use wingers. He’s not strong. He’s not good in the air. He may need to reinvent himself if he wants to make an impact - following some loan spells anyway.

 

[thegalah]

Roberts will drop down the pecking order now we have Boateng but could still conceivably get minutes if we pick up an injury or 2

Affect on Issaka probably neutral given we are playing 1 fewer forward but Cissoko’s departure means there are less players ahead of him

Whittaker’s sale opens up an opportunity to Tegan Finn to play more of a role. I really hope he and his family decide to hang around

 

[WoodsyGreen]

Issaka I don’t see how he fits Muslic’s style at all. We don’t use wingers. He’s not strong. He’s not good in the air. He may need to reinvent himself if he wants to make an impact - following some loan spells anyway.

Good point, I hadn't considered where Freddie would fit in under MM. He does seem to be a traditional winger who likes to hug the touchline, but I haven't seen enough of him to decide whether he's got the skillset to make it as a No.10.

It'd be a real shame if he fell by the wayside because of a managerial change. He's definitely got enough about him to suggest he could make us some decent money one day - but not if we aren't going to play to his strengths.

 

[leedann]

I must admit I do fear for our youngsters at this moment in time.
Bearing in mind we will probably be strengthening again in the summer.
I just don’t see where they get game time.

 

[monty197306]

Disappointed neither got a loan move in the window. We have too many players who won't get anywhere near first time which greatest issue lies.

 

[Nobby]

I must admit I do fear for our youngsters at this moment in time.
Bearing in mind we will probably be strengthening again in the summer.
I just don’t see where they get game time.

I think there needs to be an acknowledgment that the higher up the leagues you go, the less youngsters break through because the level is so high and there are less opportunities to give them minutes (I.e. no Papa John’s Trophy). This is why an u21 is vital as part of Brickfields and why loan moves are an important part of development. The jump from u18s to Championship is huge, the jump from L1 to Championship less so.

It would also help if we could not be constantly fighting relegation as that’s the worst possible time to try and bring youngsters through!

 

[thegalah]

Agree that the lack of u21 team an issue. Don’t see why we couldn’t organise some friendlies tbh

 

[Argy1e]

Agree that the lack of u21 team an issue. Don’t see why we couldn’t organise some friendlies tbh

The problem with trying to find friendlies is most other teams do have an U21 team and they already have regular fixtures!

 

[pafcdje]

Good point, I hadn't considered where Freddie would fit in under MM. He does seem to be a traditional winger who likes to hug the touchline, but I haven't seen enough of him to decide whether he's got the skillset to make it as a No.10.

It'd be a real shame if he fell by the wayside because of a managerial change. He's definitely got enough about him to suggest he could make us some decent money one day - but not if we aren't going to play to his strengths.

I’m not sure that MM’s system is to play with No 10’s - that’s just what we’ve got . If you look at the Cercles Bruges team apart from the centre forwards there are a lot of wingers and hardly any attacking midfielders- the question is whether Freddie is the right sort of winger .

 

[Argy1e]

I would probably have expected Roberts and Issaka to go out on loan next season anyway to be honest. They're both getting some good exposure to the first team this season, which I think will help, and then next season it would be good to see them try and get some regular minutes under their belt. Although with both here until the end of the season, they've got the chance to try and learn from Muslic and implement his ideas. That said, I also don't think a loan to a National League club (which can still be arranged before 27th March) would harm either of them as long as it's the right club and they get regular game time.

 

[Mazza26]

I want to add something that seems to have passed most of you by which is alarming considering it's one of the big reasons why we are bottom...

If we have an injury crisis like we did a few months back then you will be seeing plenty of the players mentioned.
I was going to make a similar comment on the "striker issue / was the transfer window a success" thread. Well that largely depends on injuries, although potentially it's been very good having broke our transfer record twice and brought in a load of international players. Don't get me wrong, in MM we trust, and i'm sure he didn't want his 5th choice striker option joining or a player that hesitated or a club that wanted a heck of a lot more money for their forward but MM will know we will slash our odds of staying up if we are hit with injuries especially in the CF position where we are light with just two proper options (Obafemi prefers to play alongside another forward, Bundu/Baidoo are not strikers... nor are any of our youngsters.)

I'm sure we will see a couple of the youngsters on the bench and starting matches especially if players are off form, tired or suspended. They may even benefit from playing with a team higher on morale, surrounded by better quality.