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+----- Thread: Now we're going to Luton Town, Luton Town away (/showthread.php?tid=11722)
RE: Now we're going to Luton Town, Luton Town away - Devongone - 05-10-2022
Donal McDermott had talent to burn. I saw his Chesterfield debut at Torquay. He was beating player after player and was almost unplayable.
Unfortunately, it turned out he also had a brain to burn. That's why he never improved.
Mbete may, or may not, have a good receptive brain. Now is the time he, you and Man City will find out. He is just 19. He hasn't played competitive men's football. He has obviously been doing what his coaches told him until now, or he wouldn't have made it this far. He has to learn how to avoid being brushed aside as Theo says, and he has to pick up the pace in anticipating the right place to be at the appropriate moment. And he has to learn to think for himself, rather than relying on coaching staff catering to his every need.
When things go wrong on field your brain fogs up. You panic. You can't do right for doing wrong. It looks like you out there, but that really is as far as it goes.
Look at Martinez for Man Utd against Ivan Toney. He was both bullied and absolutely outplayed. He didn't know whether he wanted a shit, shave or a haircut. His positioning was off. His reading of the game was poor. He looked small and bedraggled. It was Stuart Little against Didier Drogba.
What you are saying at the moment is that Man City, who do deal with a lot of talented youngsters, who both make it and don't, have gauged a loan inappropriate for their player - more suited to Chesterfield than Huddersfield? You are saying your backroom staff and manager have got it very wrong, having seen him play, and that he is nowhere near good enough for you, and probably never will be. You are also saying that those coaching the England set-up have got it wrong (apparently at every level at which he's been selected), so wrong that he is even being selected above his chronological age! You MIGHT be right, because player development is a very inexact science, but the odds are that as you are judging on one shit performance, at a level at which the player has zero experience, where his teammates have already become accustomed to losing, playing in a little stadium known to be capable of creating an intimidating atmosphere. CONCLUSION - your judgement is probably being skewed by the many factors operating against this player performing well.
Mbete may be shite. BUT as he plays for England, is on loan from Man City, and you are struggling at the bottom of the league, what you are seeing may well merely be shite reflected.
He has come to a club to develop. One which did very well just last season. He must have noticed how Colwill's reputation grew last season! There's as much reason to conclude that he is more a victim of what's been happening to you this season than a cause of it.
RE: Now we're going to Luton Town, Luton Town away - Lord Snooty - 05-10-2022
Sorry again, Devon. But he's not a patch on Colwill. There's no comparison.
The lad is out of his depth. How he made it into the England age groups, I've no idea. And I don't really care now. He's not a patch on Edmonds-Green and Crichlow who we have sent out on loan.
One or possibly both of them should be recalled because Boyle isn't Championship ready either.
RE: Now we're going to Luton Town, Luton Town away - theo_luddite - 05-10-2022
Reply to Wakey's comment.
We scored more from set plays than open plays at the start of last season if I recall correctly. Our defence had scored more than our attack for a good few games. They all count however they come and once you get them worrying about giving away free kicks and corners, spaces start to open up for the other chances.
Reply to Snoots's comment
A few went in for the oppo off Colwill last season early doors, or he was also out-jumped or out muscled. There were rumblings in the crowd back then too. He was certainly bigger and stronger, and also more confident running the ball out of the defence which helped him. He also seemed to get targeted early doors. The Colwill that ended the season was a far different beast to the one that started it, but on the ball from the off he was much more confident.
RE: Now we're going to Luton Town, Luton Town away - Lord Snooty - 05-10-2022
And this isn't knee jerking. He's been a liability in every game he's played. He only did two minutes at the end of the win over Cardiff and nearly screwed it up.
I don't care what it does for him. He's not our player. Let Pep deal with him. We haven't time to fanny around developing other people's players who keep costing us matches.
RE: Now we're going to Luton Town, Luton Town away - Devongone - 05-10-2022
I'm sure Theo's right about the difference between Colwill and Mbete. Had Colwill not been at a club with a queue of centre backs in front of him you probably would never have got him. He would have been at least on the bench for half the Premier League at the start of last season.
Equally you are demonstrating that Mbete's problem is entirely in his head rather than with his ability. If he couldn't manage two minutes against Cardiff without looking likely to screw up, I'm 70 and you could put me on for 2 minutes against Cardiff and I'd be fine, because hey I've sweet FA to lose now. Once fear of failure takes over no-one from Ronaldo down to a little kid on debut for a junior school can show their true worth.
How Mbete fares in the ensuing weeks and months could change his life and that of his entire family. He knows that. He's just 19. These are his first REAL steps. You really need to cut him a bit of slack. He's under a lot of pressure. Sure, he needs to learn to deal with it. But you are called supporters for a reason and at the moment you are showing scant evidence of it. Somehow, you've declared him guilty of failing to support you. It's nothing to do with him that you've sent two good players out on loan, it's nothing to do with him that you lost one manager, replaced him with the easiest choice available and now are on the third coming, it's nothing to do with him that your attack has become toothless at a profit of £10 million, and it's nothing to do with him that some of your experienced players have been looking disillusioned. It may surprise you that he's struggling, but if you were designing an experiment to test the effect of a stressful environment on player performance, you'd be hard-pressed to create a more perfect model.
Maybe it is as simple as someone actually talking to the lad. You know actually finding out what the problem is rather than making random assumptions. Surely that is a less desperate solution than imagining that selecting a good ole guy who has scored is it 4 goals in 287 appearances and is rising 34 is going to be the answer to your prayers ........?
You have to remember that young players develop in an environment with tiny crowds. Players can hear everything their coaches shout. Your man will be used to hearing," Luke pick up your man, watch that runner, step up Luke, stepup!" And now he's hearing, "Mbete you arse-biscuit, get back to City and tell Pep you're shite!" No I just can't imagine why he'd be struggling.
RE: Now we're going to Luton Town, Luton Town away - Lord Snooty - 05-10-2022
Arse biscuit
No, I agree with everything you're saying there, Devon. And I'm always one who will support our players who are struggling. I was one of the few who would stick up for Mbenza and Diakhaby when we were struggling in the PL.
But for his own sake, he has to be left out on Sunday. The vibes on social media are not good and believe me, the criticism out there is a lot worse than we put on here. If he puts one foot wrong against the Tiggers, the crowd will be on his back much worse than the few hardy souls who went to the Kenilworth Tip last night.
Town fans always need a scapegoat. It was Jon Russell at the weekend. It was Josh Ruffels earlier in the season. Despite being the best player we have, Sorba Thomas has been a scapegoat all season.
And I know I'm guilty of it myself now but...........
RE: Now we're going to Luton Town, Luton Town away - theo_luddite - 05-10-2022
Will he still be there at the weekend?
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/oct/05/steve-bruce-west-brom
The above was published before the game at Preston. Seems to sum him up rather well.
RE: Now we're going to Luton Town, Luton Town away - jjamez - 06-10-2022
Looks like ull will have a new manager for sunday
RE: Now we're going to Luton Town, Luton Town away - Devongone - 06-10-2022
Of course, you should act in Mbete's interests next time out. Probably that does mean leaving him out. Just occasionally putting a player back in again works the oracle too - I imagine having hit bottom the player thinks it can't get any worse and loosens up - like a tennis player 6-0 6-0 down after the first two sets, who comes back to win the third 5-7 ..........
You see I just can't believe that a player who has come through Man City and England set-ups does not have good enough ball control for Huddersfield. It IS in his head!
I've never forgotten a young player we had at Chesterfield called Tony Moore. I'd have been in my early teens perhaps. He was a winger, and he just couldn't stop making kfcu-ups and became a target for the crowd. Every game he'd be greeted with us singing, "Send Tony Moore to Vietnam!" Rumours spread that he was only in the team because he was the manager's daughter's boyfriend. Away from home he was a far better player, but we wrecked his career and now he's dead and gone and none of us can even apologise. Don't turn Mbete into Tony Moore.
Everyone seems to praise the loan system but me I'm not so sure. Certainly, it gives game-time to players who might not get that vital experience, BUT it also allows clubs like City to herd all the young talent their way, and because we have no B Team system in Pro Football here, they then use loans so other clubs put the final gloss on players contracted to City. Surely without the loan system the young talent would scatter more widely across EFL clubs too, and young players would be pretty much assured of getting a chance of playing against men rather than shirt buttons ......? If Mbete were a Huddersfield product, do you think you might be seeing an entirely different performance? Coming from Man City, possibly the best team in world, he knows he is facing a "Come-on-show-us-what-you-can-do" world. If he were a local lad, he'd be nervous and excited for sure, but would he be shitting it when called on for 2 minutes against Cardiff?
Be the kind, decent people you are at heart. Otherwise, I wouldn't be bothered writing this. It could be that the pressure of having the golden lottery ticket of a Premier League career dangling in front of his nose, could prevent him succeeding anywhere ...... whatever you say and do. Maybe it's a step he just can't handle. A couple of years ago we had Jerome Binnom+Williams at Chesterfield. We got him from Palace, he'd won age group England caps, he was big, strong and powerful. His first friendly he was a sensation raiding from full back, but he picked up an injury. Everyone expected that as soon as he came back, he would destroy everyone at our level. We never saw that kind of form again from him. He has finally achieved success - as the best player in National League South. A long way from England age-group caps and Crystal Palace. It happens. It's sad and not at all funny.
RE: Now we're going to Luton Town, Luton Town away - Lord Snooty - 06-10-2022
Aye but there's loads of kids who play for Man City and England youth who never make it when they get to the men's game.
I was the same. Had a phenomenal goal scoring record at junior school. Couldn't hack it when I got to big school.
