I've seen this mentioned before where Turner is statistically better than Sels, for me it just shows that stats aren't everything because anyone watching last season with just their eyes wouldn't ever come to that conclusion.
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I'd question the left-back as well, given Toff and Omar, while Aina and Neco can play there. And Kyle McAdam from the U21s has come on a lot over the last 18 months. (Aaron Donnelly can also play there, but he's a better on the left of a back three).
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Depends what you're looking at. If it's actually saving shots/keeping goal, it's Turner every time. (Sels was only marginally better than Ody when it came to actually getting his body between the ball and the goal - Murillo was better at it than both of them, and he didn't have the luxury of using his arms)
If you want a sweeper, then of course its Sels.
Turner made some awful errors with his feet, and the fans (and possibly some team-mates) lost confidence in him (and I think he lost confidence in himself). -
It's a minimum requirement for a goalkeeper to be able to receive a pass from a defender, control it and pass it on under a bit of pressure. Otherwise you are just throwing away possession multiple times a game.
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And like it or not, the modern game is designed to be played over 120 yards, not 70. The days of everyone bunching around the halfway line every time the keeper has the ball are gone, so it's critical that a modern keeper is also a footballer.
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Which begs the question, who the fuck thought it was a good idea to buy a keeper that can’t kick?
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If we aren't looking to sign a central defender, they must be intending to keep Worrall and/or Abbott around the first team squad. Murillo and Milenkovic are probably going to be first choice but Boly and Omobamidele on their own won't be enough to cover and to fill in when we play a three.
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Toff is not good enough to be a regular premier league starter. Omar hasn't managed a game for us in two years. Neco would be filling in and when's the last time we had an academy player good enough for the Premier league?
The only really credible option at left back is Aina, so I think we definitely need one. It sounds like Eric despite being only 18 is considered good enough to cover Nico at right back, which is promising (and Aina can also play there of course).
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If we're going to play a back three, do we need two more wingers?
Be interesting if we're going to play 4-2-3-1 (expected, but is there space for Anderson and MGW?), 3-4-3 (which leaves us light in centre mid and has cost us in the EPL previously), or 3-4-1-2/3-4-2-1 (which reduces the need for four wingers).Flexibility is great, but Nuno likes a small squad (witness the lowest amount of academy products involved in pre-season among virtually all the EPL), so presume there must be a) some (a lot?) more exits planned and b) we're planning on players in several positions (eg Toff at LCB/LB, MGW at AM/false 9, Nico CM/winger)
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I read a comment online, which I agreed with - why are we giving the likes of Ui-Jo time in pre-season friendlies. I really can't see the point. Better someone like Dale Taylor is used.
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Or we are trying to keep Ui-Jo fit so it's more likely a club will take him on perhaps
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Yeah ... I mean ... I can come up with a few half hearted arguments similar to that. Another just basically being respect to more senior players. But they feel a bit weak.
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Doesn't seem that weak to me, if we want him out we might think we have a better shot if he's fit. We might already have a loan move lined up for Taylor and don't need to worry about him in pre-season. We might just plain think Ui-Jo is better for what we are trying to accomplish in pre-season. Or Nuno's a cunt and hates anyone under the age of 25.
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We have been playing Taylor anyway, and he's scored. Taylor is crap though, he is not going to make it at Forest any more than Hwang Ui-Jo is, and Ui-Jo is the higher value asset. Playing assets need maintaining and preseason is a shop window for other clubs who are looking at fitness and form. The other factor is it's a last check on our part that they definitely aren't good enough / haven't improved enough to be in or around the first team squad.
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The impression I get is that the only one of this Academy batch that is thought to have the right level of potential at this stage is Zach Abbott. Others may yet train on, of course.
My breath is not held that Taylor will make it at PL level. Yes, he has scored in pee-season, but if that excites you then I strongly recommend that you check out the goals. The 2 vs Bournemuff u-21s are defending of pub team level
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He didn't exactly tear up league 1 at Wycombe last season, either. 5 goals from 34 starts, hardly says "ready for premier league football", young as he is.
And those Bournemouth goals are legitimately funny.
