scouseclaret wrote: ↑Sat Feb 15, 2020 2:45 pm
Have to agree. Brilliant goal and made up for him, but he looked way off the mark fitness wise.
It's a difficult situation, not playing. Vydra did look off the pace and lacking in some areas of his full game, but it isn't always down to general fitness. Mental factors can also come into play. Getting the chance after sitting on the sidelines for so long can make a player nervous, which can lead to hesitation and indecision. Putting in the work on the training ground can't fully replicate the true in game experience and all it entails. Sometimes it can take a player a few games to get into their full flow, especially strikers who can be more prone to confidence issues. I don't think the weather conditions were ideally suited to the way Vydra plays either.
That strike was quality though. It shows he has talent and a keen eye for goals. Really happy for him. Having players of his quality as backup options is good, but it is also something of a problem in terms of giving them game time. I hope he gets a few more run outs this season. If he is still with us for next season I would like to see him go out on loan to get regular game time. It did wonders for Nahki.
Maybe we could raid Aberdeen in the Summer, bringing in Sam " the mountain " Cosgrove ( as our fourth striker ) and Scott McKenna to replace Gibson ( left footed centre back ). I don't think we would be wide of the mark with £12m for both of them - £4m for Cosgrove and £8m for McKenna.
I think that might be the way we have to go to try and keep players happy, while moving forward. Instead of spending big fees on first team quality players, ready to play as soon as they come in, we could buy lesser players who will step up to the level over time.
Instead of paying £20m for a game ready centre back ( who will spend a fair bit of their time on the bench ) we could buy two work in progress centre backs for £10m. One of them would sit on the bench in the fourth slot and the other would go out on loan, then they swap over mid season.
Game time for both of them, playing experience for both of them, no putting all of our eggs in one expensive basket and stepping out for a couple of rare first team games if they are needed won't diminish our strength much. As an extra bonus we would have two happy players coming through instead of one unhappy player on the bench.