What’s the story with Edwards? Last season he seemed to have made a real difference, yesterday not even brought on as a sub. Does SP not fancy him at this level? Has he been injured? Does he give the ball away too easily?

We’re only a couple of games in I suppose.

I honestly don't see him featuring much this season. He's a bit of a passenger when we haven't got the ball, not sure Parker will think we can carry somebody like that.
Will probably get thrown on if we're behind and need to try and create something.

jrgbfc wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 24, 2025 12:35 pm

I honestly don't see him featuring much this season. He's a bit of a passenger when we haven't got the ball, not sure Parker will think we can carry somebody like that.

These are my thoughts exactly.

Would not surprise me to see him v Derby, more as a number 10. He has strong competition from our current wide men who are prepared to come back and put a shift in by helping our full backs

He was going to come on yesterday I think before Steve went down injured

As above (and with Flemming on the other thread), we’re two games into the season. Anything could happen yet.

Perhaps it’s a horses for courses job. Sunderland are side of big lads. Maybe Parker felt it might prove to be too physical a game for him.

We can only start 11.

We are two games in.

I'd say he definitely starts v Derby.

JBL needs to start also, to get his fitness up.

Horses for courses, it's a squad game in the Prem, the pace is too high to go all out every game. Edwards will get plenty of game time this season.

Would you bring Edwards on when you’re 1-0 up with 10 mins to go ?

That’s the question you need to ask .

I’m sure Edward’s will be given plenty of game time this season.

As above, you can only field 11. Nothing wrong with having someone as quality as Edwards to come on in the second half.

Hedontplayforyou wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 24, 2025 1:48 pm

Would you bring Edwards on when you’re 1-0 up with 10 mins to go ?

That’s the question you need to ask .

This reminded me of Burnley v West Ham in 2023 under VK. We were good value for a 1-0 lead with about 10 minutes to play. West Ham had a few big men up front and were starting to play long balls into dangerous areas.

I couldn’t believe that to counteract the aerial threat of Soucek and co VK brought on Cullen and Zaroury to defend our lead. Sure enough we were blitzed and lost 2-1. Amdouni was one of those substituted and after playing one of his best Clarets games his removal as a threat gave their full back a free rein to bomb forward and created their goals.

You've just got to stand back and admire the way you have twisted a Marcus Edwards thread into a bendy, cane like stick to beat Vincent Kompany with.

equinox wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 24, 2025 2:59 pm

You've just got to stand back and admire the way you have twisted a Marcus Edwards thread into a bendy, cane like stick to beat Vincent Kompany with.

I think just the word stick would have done there lad.

Hedontplayforyou wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 24, 2025 1:48 pm

Would you bring Edwards on when you’re 1-0 up with 10 mins to go ?

That’s the question you need to ask .

Instinctively it sounds like a bad idea. But it does give the opposition a completely different problem to deal with.

One issue with defending a lead late on is that you invite pressure. And late in the game tiredness plays an issue, so mistakes are more likely. If you have no outlet, then you will be defending constantly for that 10 minutes. But if your outlet is someone like Edwards, and someone with pace, then the counter becomes more dangerous. The opposition then have to deal with pace AND trickery. Automatically they are going to be more cautious, and that changes the game

agreenwood wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 24, 2025 1:35 pm

As above (and with Flemming on the other thread), we’re two games into the season. Anything could happen yet.

Perhaps it’s a horses for courses job. Sunderland are side of big lads. Maybe Parker felt it might prove to be too physical a game for him.

In the second half on one of our corners I actually looked at our side and thought they were generally a lot bigger than Sunderland’s, which was a surprise because they seemed to dwarf us last season.

From what I've seen of Edwards , he's not a player that tracks back and helps out the fullback . I think he'll be used as a sub to bring on when we're 1-0 down with 10/15 mins to go .

expoultryboy wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 24, 2025 3:33 pm

From what I've seen of Edwards , he's not a player that tracks back and helps out the fullback . I think he'll be used as a sub to bring on when we're 1-0 down with 10/15 mins to go .

Exactly

Just hasn't got the pace, strength and work ethic for tracking back that we are going to need this season

A luxury we can't afford at this level unless chasing a result

Hedontplayforyou wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 24, 2025 1:48 pm

Would you bring Edwards on when you’re 1-0 up with 10 mins to go ?

That’s the question you need to ask .

No. You’d do what Parker did last season. Start him in order to push back the opposition and panic them (remember most teams doubled up on him last season, they won’t this). He has never completed 90 minutes for us, so take him off after 65 and put either JBL or Hannibal on to shore things up, or the young Loue to add a bit of scoring potential if needed but who is too young to start regularly (we made that error last time).

Yesterday we got lucky - we were impotent in that 1st half because JBL cannot drop a shoulder and go past a man when they have men back, Hannibal has no forward threat and Anthony is tricky but is no Grealish. Cullen scoring opened them up so we found attacking easier after that. I feel if we had started Edwards we would certainly have been no worse, but maybe had an easier afternoon.

He’s proven Champion’s League class and wasn’t called “the English Messi” as a Spurs teenager for nothing. If he is too small to play, why did Sunderland bring Le Fee on who is a little taller but lighter? He doubtless only signed for us because of the promise of the Premier League, not the Championship which he was too good for, important he gets a chance.

CrosspoolClarets wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 24, 2025 3:57 pm

No. You’d do what Parker did last season. Start him in order to push back the opposition and panic them (remember most teams doubled up on him last season, they won’t this). He has never completed 90 minutes for us, so take him off after 65 and put either JBL or Hannibal on to shore things up, or the young Loue to add a bit of scoring potential if needed but who is too young to start regularly (we made that error last time).

Yesterday we got lucky - we were impotent in that 1st half because JBL cannot drop a shoulder and go past a man when they have men back, Hannibal has no forward threat and Anthony is tricky but is no Grealish. Cullen scoring opened them up so we found attacking easier after that. I feel if we had started Edwards we would certainly have been no worse, but maybe had an easier afternoon.

He’s proven Champion’s League class and wasn’t called “the English Messi” as a Spurs teenager for nothing. If he is too small to play, why did Sunderland bring Le Fee on who is a little taller but lighter? He doubtless only signed for us because of the promise of the Premier League, not the Championship which he was too good for, important he gets a chance.

We didn't get lucky at all. We deserved the win and scored two superb goals when Sunderland failed to.

When teams are chasing a lead late on there are more often than not a lot more balls thrown in the box etc. so choosing between the unit Tchaouna or Edwards is again quite easy in that scenario.

Edwards will play his part 100%.

Once Edwards works out in this league you have to move the ball quickly he'll be ok, he holds on to it just that extra second too much but he has so much quality he will play for sure - he will have the ability to get us up the pitch, win free kicks etc. If Parker doesn't play him because he doesn't work hard enough off the ball (if that's the case) then that'll be on him.

taio wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 24, 2025 4:04 pm

We didn't get lucky at all. We deserved the win and scored two superb goals when Sunderland failed to.

All things can simultaneously be true. Of course we deserved it.

But in the first half Sunderland seemed to control the game and had two very good chances.

CrosspoolClarets wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 24, 2025 4:18 pm

All things can simultaneously be true. Of course we deserved it.

But in the first half Sunderland seemed to control the game and had two very good chances.

It's not lucky if the opposition fail to take their chances. Their manager talked about not being clinical in those two moments and needing to learn, rather them being unlucky or us lucky. I'm not sure the second opportunity was a very good chance - if the shot was on target Dubravka was well positioned to save it. We had other good chances to score.

equinox wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 24, 2025 2:59 pm

You've just got to stand back and admire the way you have twisted a Marcus Edwards thread into a bendy, cane like stick to beat Vincent Kompany with.

Ha ha yes sorry for lapsing into a rant. I wasn’t trying to have a go at VK but I can remember the anger in the pubs and clubs after the match when we had grasped defeat from the jaws of victory. Bringing on a couple of diminutive players to counteract a formidable aerial threat was IMO a poor tactic especially when they had little or no time left to adjust to the pace of the game etc.


Bringing on Edwards yesterday could possibly have been a similar folly. We all have opinions and Parker (and previously VK) are better qualified to judge than most of us I suppose.

CrosspoolClarets wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 24, 2025 3:57 pm

Yesterday we got lucky - we were impotent in that 1st half

Seats facing the pitch are also available.

We did get one bit of luck yesterday when Ballard, a key player for them in both boxes, went off injured.

He teed up a sitter for them in the fifth minute and scored a crucial goal last week.

Edwards is a lightweight very skillfull but not Premier league quality,75 minute sub at best,and that's probably how he will be used by Parker this season