Brandon Barker

[MC ID]

There does seem to be a small group (barker, nacho and roberts) stuck in limbo, and it vant be helping their development. Considering Pellers previous seasons i can't help but think he's been told 'this guy is your third choice striker' etc and he's trying his damn hardest not to have to play them out of fear.

It is a very odd situation we find ourselves in, so much talent ready to be unleashed and fawning over our talent but we can't help but be negative because the way to the first team is, in my opinion, unfairly shut out of the managers lack of balls.

 

[Gabriel]

I don't think you are overreacting. We are seeing now, at first team level, the results of Pellegrini's cautiousness last season & at the start of this season, whrre we have kids on the bench for European games, who are totally unproven & therefore cannot be trusted. They could all have played at times last season, to shake off any nerves they are likely to suffer from, & the manager would now have some idea which players can be trusted to do a job & which could be wild cards who could perhaps win us a game late on. We could also have Jason Denayer covering 3 positions in the Champions Lg withouttaking up a squad place.

Pellegrini's management of our squad has been fucking useless.

Sorry to butt in, but part of the problem last season was the cloud hanging over Pellegrini's personal situation and future at the club. With it evident that we were not going to win a trophy relatively early, he used the remaining games to put a run together (presumably to give defending his own position some strength) and played or included players whom he must have realised were unlikely to be at the club after August 31st: Lampard, Milner, Jovetic, and Dzeko. The club did not have to wait so long to announce it was extending his contract, so the blame for the current situation should be spread more widely.

 

[Neville Kneville]

Sorry to butt in, but part of the problem last season was the cloud hanging over Pellegrini's personal situation and future at the club. With it evident that we were not going to win a trophy relatively early, he used the remaining games to put a run together (presumably to give defending his own position some strength) and played or included players whom he must have realised were unlikely to be at the club after August 31st: Lampard, Milner, Jovetic, and Dzeko. The club did not have to wait so long to announce it was extending his contract, so the blame for the current situation should be spread more widely.

He has done exactly the same this season. Sending Denayer out on loan, selling Lopes, giving Kelechi 5 mins when he could give him 45, no youngsters in the League Cup.

Otamendi has dropped more bollocks since signing, than Denayer has in two seasons, supposedly he was signed as an an 'instant' replacement, when it was obvious to anyone who lives in the real football world rather than reading stats off FM, that he would need time to settle into the Premier League, same as Denayer would. Demichelis & Zabba look shot, Aguero is predictably injured, we are struggling to get two fit fullbacks on the pitch, we are having to use the same attacking players every game. All these problems could have been eased by having a few young players in the reconing. Denayer would probably be our No1 right back by now.

There were loads of opportunities last season for him to test young players, at no risk at all, & there have been plenty of occasions this season. As it stands, if any of the kids bar Kelechi get on the pitch, we have no idea how they will react, they could freeze & shit themselves & be completely useless, yet if we took a couple of injuries tomorrow, these kids could end up carrying the attack or defence. Some, would handle it brilliantly, but we don't know which, because he hasn't even given them 30 fucking seconds in a real game.

It's piss poor, & a whole bunch of us, on here, predicted exactly this situation. If Pellegrini is lucky, we get away with it. If he is unlucky, DeBruyne & Sterling pick up strains & we end up relying on untried kids to keep us in the title race.

Ferguson, Wenger, or even Tony Book, would have hasd a look at about 12 of those kids in the past season, without taking a single risk in a game.

 

[Gabriel]

He has done exactly the same this season. Sending Denayer out on loan, selling Lopes, giving Kelechi 5 mins when he could give him 45, no youngsters in the League Cup.

Otamendi has dropped more bollocks since signing, than Denayer has in two seasons, supposedly he was signed as an an 'instant' replacement, when it was obvious to anyone who lives in the real football world rather than reading stats off FM, that he would need time to settle into the Premier League, same as Denayer would. Demichelis & Zabba look shot, Aguero is predictably injured, we are struggling to get two fit fullbacks on the pitch, we are having to use the same attacking players every game. All these problems could have been eased by having a few young players in the reconing. Denayer would probably be our No1 right back by now.

There were loads of opportunities last season for him to test young players, at no risk at all, & there have been plenty of occasions this season. As it stands, if any of the kids bar Kelechi get on the pitch, we have no idea how they will react, they could freeze & shit themselves & be completely useless, yet if we took a couple of injuries tomorrow, these kids could end up carrying the attack or defence. Some, would handle it brilliantly, but we don't know which, because he hasn't even given them 30 fucking seconds in a real game.

It's piss poor, & a whole bunch of us, on here, predicted exactly this situation. If Pellegrini is lucky, we get away with it. If he is unlucky, DeBruyne & Sterling pick up strains & we end up relying on untried kids to keep us in the title race.

Ferguson, Wenger, or even Tony Book, would have hasd a look at about 12 of those kids in the past season, without taking a single risk in a game.

I do agree, NK.

Denayer should have been recalled at the end of last season immediately after Celtic had won the the league on May 2nd. He would then have been available for the last four league games of the season and could have started three, which were all dead rubbers anyway. The reason Demichelis, Mangala, and Otamendi have struggled to settle in England is because of the pace of the game. While the standard in Scotland is obviously lower than Spain and Portugal, it is arguably even faster than in England, so Denayer would have required less 'easing in' time and would probably be in the squad now. For me, the club shows far too much 'loyalty' to players when it (and probably the senior players themselves, too) know that their time is up. This is not a new phenomenon, though, and the same criticism can be applied to Mancini (even Kidd) in 2012-13 and earlier.

The question is, can it be changed?

 

[Neville Kneville]

I do agree, NK.

Denayer should have been recalled at the end of last season immediately after Celtic had won the the league on May 2nd. He would then have been available for the last four league games of the season and could have started three, which were all dead rubbers anyway. The reason Demichelis, Mangala, and Otamendi have struggled to settle in England is because of the pace of the game. While the standard in Scotland is obviously lower than Spain and Portugal, it is arguably even faster than in England, so Denayer would have required less 'easing in' time and would probably be in the squad now. For me, the club shows far too much 'loyalty' to players when it (and probably the senior players themselves, too) know that their time is up. This is not a new phenomenon, though, and the same criticism can be applied to Mancini (even Kidd) in 2012-13 and earlier.

The question is, can it be changed?

I think/hope it will become impossible to continue ignoring the kids to the level Pellegrini has done. Either he, or the next manager, will get 'the word' from above if it continues like this.

But imo, it's not purely for the kids' sake that they should have been used, it's that they actually would have made our squad stronger. Being able to rest a couple of the senior players for half an hour here & there, just makes that extra bit of difference when the injuries kick in & players are forced to play more than we would like. Also, an unknown quantity can surprise defenders & change a game.

 

[The Fat el Hombre]

I think/hope it will become impossible to continue ignoring the kids to the level Pellegrini has done. Either he, or the next manager, will get 'the word' from above if it continues like this.

But imo, it's not purely for the kids' sake that they should have been used, it's that they actually would have made our squad stronger. Being able to rest a couple of the senior players for half an hour here & there, just makes that extra bit of difference when the injuries kick in & players are forced to play more than we would like. Also, an unknown quantity can surprise defenders & change a game.

Yea you think of macheda (sorry) for the rags against villa that time. Agree with your general points here mate. I just hope we'll have enough money for a top class central midfielder that we'll need next summer after spending 30 million on otamendi when we had Denayer right there. Also makes me think even more about the pointlessness of samir nasri when we've got barker and roberts who can do what he's doing (come on for the last 20 when the game is won to save other players' legs) and there's actually a chance that they could be useful for us one day

 

[MC ID]

Also makes me think even more about the pointlessness of samir nasri when we've got barker and roberts who can do what he's doing (come on for the last 20 when the game is won to save other players' legs) and there's actually a chance that they could be useful for us one day

Yeah that's really been grating me too.

 

[lancs blue]

It's piss poor, & a whole bunch of us, on here, predicted exactly this situation. If Pellegrini is lucky, we get away with it. If he is unlucky, DeBruyne & Sterling pick up strains & we end up relying on untried kids to keep us in the title race.

It's even worse in the CL, had we retained Denayer we could have put Nacho in the CL squad instead of Demichelis who as you say looks finished against the better opposition. As things stand if Bony gets injured before Sevilla we're faced with having no recognised striker available, sure we can push Sterling or KdB forward but that still leaves a gap behind and with Nasri injured there's not a lot of slack there. Even if Silva is fit for Sevilla we're only one or two knocks from either having to play Barker or Roberts in one of the wide positions or a Delph who has barely kicked a ball in anger for 2 months.

 

[cleavers]

Even if Silva is fit for Sevilla we're only one or two knocks from either having to play Barker or Roberts in one of the wide positions

Roberts can't play in the CL.

 

[Jacob Smith]

Would like to see Brandon, Roberts and Kelechi all start v Palace. KDB and Bony clearly need rests