Bradley Dack

[Fraserkirky]

1 hour ago, darrenrover said:

£15 million for Dack?  15 minutes from the end at Deepdale on the half way line, Dack 'chased' a ball right to left as we looked at it it and looked like he was running in treacle!

Snatch their bloody hands off!

That must have been right around the time when he completely gave up on a bouncing ball at the edge of our own box. His body language when things aren't going well, is frankly shocking. Big time Charlie syndrome. 

For 15m+ we say our goodbyes.

Edited November 24, 2018 by Fraserkirky

[darrenrover]

Just now, Fraserkirky said:

That must have been right around the time when he completely gave up on a bouncing ball at the edge of our own box. His body language when things are going well, is frankly shocking. Big time Charlie syndrome. 

For 15m+ we say our goodbyes.

You're right but in fairness, today I have some degree of sympathy with Bradley.

Please somebody, explain what the starting eleven is all about without a striker/ forward linchpin? who should have been playing where and what was the game plan?

[DE.]

Dack is obviously not a striker, he's an attacking midfielder who happens to be good at finding the net from that position. I don't remember Lampard ever playing as a striker - although if he was managed by Tony he may have started up front with Drogba out on the wing to try and counter the threat of Bolton's right back or some stupid nonsense.

That said I don't see Dack as a top tier PL player. Not even close. He might be decent at a club like Palace, Southampton, Bournemouth, Everton, etc. That said I'm sure those clubs could get better for £25m, if that's what we're demanding. 

[tomphil]

Good player but isn't and never will be a 25 million guy some of the hysterics around him when he has a good game or poaches a goal in an otherwise anonymous performance are a bit over the top it's almost like we've never seen a good player before. He's important to us and we don't want to lose him but he clearly needs a kick up the backside now and again and he'll never be worth more than 15 million I don't think.

Does he warrant another new contract just keep him ?  Not on recent efforts but will the transfer fee or a chunk of it be reinvested in a good replacement ? Unlikely.

Kick him up the backside, get him in a comfortable system and give him the platform to perform again is the best bet.

[darrenrover]

Stop believing your agent's bullshit Bradley, get back to basics and continue to repay the club who pays your wages consistently. You've looked a League 1 player for 2 months, is that your limit?

[arbitro]

9 hours ago, darrenrover said:

£15 million for Dack?  15 minutes from the end at Deepdale on the half way line, Dack 'chased' a ball right to left as we looked at it it and looked like he was running in treacle!

Snatch their bloody hands off!

We commented on that incident too Nick. His lack of pace and awareness was apparent all afternoon. He is nowhere near the Premier League yet and many more performances like yesterday will see him back in League One. 

[Stuart]

I don’t see Dack as a PL player at all. He’s 25 in less that a month. As an attacking player, if it hasn’t happened by now it’s unlikely to. He has too much baggage, and right now seems to be losing his edge.

Badly needs a rest but will Mowbray be brave enough?

[Tom]

1 hour ago, Stuart said:

I don’t see Dack as a PL player at all. He’s 25 in less that a month. As an attacking player, if it hasn’t happened by now it’s unlikely to. He has too much baggage, and right now seems to be losing his edge.

Badly needs a rest but will Mowbray be brave enough?

He’s just had a two week rest!

I do agree though to an extent, the problem is he is so good that we base a system around him and when he doesn’t perform we struggle.

Go back to the old fashioned two up top and give Brereton a go with Graham next game 

[arbitro]

4 minutes ago, Tom said:

He’s just had a two week rest!

I do agree though to an extent, the problem is he is so good that we base a system around him and when he doesn’t perform we struggle.

Go back to the old fashioned two up top and give Brereton a go with Graham next game 

He also missed a few games injured, coincidentally just before his court appearance.

[Stuart]

Just now, Tom said:

He’s just had a two week rest!

I do agree though to an extent, the problem is he is so good that we base a system around him and when he doesn’t perform we struggle.

Go back to the old fashioned two up top and give Brereton a go with Graham next game 

Did I say “rest”, I meant “dropping” - and a kick up the backside. It’s all a bit too nicey-nicey. “Dack - I am your father (figure)”

He hasn’t been that good for the last month and a half.

I’m not sure Brereton and Graham are the right for a top two. What we are missing in a Bellamy or Jansen type to play off Graham. Armstrong could be that player but I don’t see Mowbray playing a traditional front two any time soon.

[roversfan99]

Theres no way we can think of dropping the only player who gets us goals on a regular basis. All of our other attacking players are contributing far less than him.

Im not saying he has no responsibility towards his overall performances, and there has been an overall dip in his performances which is concerning. That said, hes the type who will continue to chip in with goals even when his performance levels drop.

But our tactics are in no way set up to get the best out of him. He has played a few games recently as a striker. Making him as a focal point will always nullify him. Mowbray has to take the blame for a tactical experiment that hasnt worked, that never was going to work, and abandon it like the 3 at the back.

Mowbray has also banged on about making us better in terms of our passing at times. Well I've yet to see it. The most long balls in the league, it doesnt suit our attackers in general, especially him. Play more between the lines, if we play Smallwood, Evans and Bennett for example too much, there will be too many sideways passes, try and feed Dack in between their midfield and defence, on the floor.

Theres always an assumption as well, as soon as his performances drop, it must be something off the pitch with him.

3 hours ago, Tom said:

He’s just had a two week rest!

I do agree though to an extent, the problem is he is so good that we base a system around him and when he doesn’t perform we struggle.

Go back to the old fashioned two up top and give Brereton a go with Graham next game 

Do we? The most long balls in the league is hardly going to play to his strengths to be fair.

[DeeCee]

Has he left already?

[Oldgregg86]

9 hours ago, Stuart said:

Did I say “rest”, I meant “dropping” - and a kick up the backside. It’s all a bit too nicey-nicey. “Dack - I am your father (figure)”

He hasn’t been that good for the last month and a half.

I’m not sure Brereton and Graham are the right for a top two. What we are missing in a Bellamy or Jansen type to play off Graham. Armstrong could be that player but I don’t see Mowbray playing a traditional front two any time soon.

I'm convinced used right Armstrong would be a very good player for us

[DE.]

2 hours ago, Oldgregg86 said:

I'm convinced used right Armstrong would be a very good player for us

I have my reservations with Armstrong as far as finishing is concerned. Granted he's being played out wide in matches which is not and has never been his natural position, but he has had opportunities to score and always seems to miss. Just the one goal so far this season. He needs to improve in front of goal and in fairness to Mowbray I'd be wary about putting Armstrong up top as a lone striker as well. Not convinced he has that finishing instinct. 

[Oldgregg86]

21 minutes ago, DE. said:

I have my reservations with Armstrong as far as finishing is concerned. Granted he's being played out wide in matches which is not and has never been his natural position, but he has had opportunities to score and always seems to miss. Just the one goal so far this season. He needs to improve in front of goal and in fairness to Mowbray I'd be wary about putting Armstrong up top as a lone striker as well. Not convinced he has that finishing instinct. 

Fair enough. I believe if he had the managers confidence to play as the main striker and gave him a fair run of games he would find the net. Strikers need confidence. Once he has that I think he would be a very good striker at this level and score the goals required

Edited November 25, 2018 by Oldgregg86

[JacknOry]

Finishing is finishing at the end of the day and he was very good at it last season. The lad can finish but I just think he is lacking confidence and been a little unlucky in that regard so far this season. Pretty sure that once one goes in he will have a bit of a run of goals.

As for Dack, its alarming just how much his form has dropped off in recent weeks. Something going on in the background? 

[roversfan99]

2 hours ago, JacknOry said:

Finishing is finishing at the end of the day and he was very good at it last season. The lad can finish but I just think he is lacking confidence and been a little unlucky in that regard so far this season. Pretty sure that once one goes in he will have a bit of a run of goals.

As for Dack, its alarming just how much his form has dropped off in recent weeks. Something going on in the background? 

One of the primary reasons has to be that he has played quite a lot of his recent minutes in a position that doesnt suit him. I feel like assuming that his drop of form is based on off the field issues is a big presumption to make.

I dont feel like our long ball football is going to get the best out of him anyway. He was particularly poor against QPR in his natural position when we were terrible as a team with Smallwood and Evans far too conservative in the centre, and we never played the ball through the lines and to his feet so he can turn.

We cant drop our only source of goals. We need to play him in his best position, in a style that suits him. And others around him also need to step up and ease the burden on him.

[JacknOry]

27 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

One of the primary reasons has to be that he has played quite a lot of his recent minutes in a position that doesnt suit him. I feel like assuming that his drop of form is based on off the field issues is a big presumption to make.

I dont feel like our long ball football is going to get the best out of him anyway. He was particularly poor against QPR in his natural position when we were terrible as a team with Smallwood and Evans far too conservative in the centre, and we never played the ball through the lines and to his feet so he can turn.

We cant drop our only source of goals. We need to play him in his best position, in a style that suits him. And others around him also need to step up and ease the burden on him.

Not saying we need to drop him - would be madness. 

This false nine business obviously does him no favors either and I also feel that DG has not been up to par lately and when that happens it has a direct effect on Dacks game as well. Something is just not clicking with the whole team right now. 

[philipl]

Dack showed v Sheffield Wednesday what a fabulous player he is. Excellent link up play in several moves and involvement in all four goals.

[DE.]

He was given the freedom of the park to be fair. You can guarantee he won't get that amount of room very often this season.

[Bigdoggsteel]

22 minutes ago, philipl said:

Dack showed v Sheffield Wednesday what a fabulous player he is. Excellent link up play in several moves and involvement in all four goals.

If he is given space in the final third he is lethal. Great dribbler, wins frees, direct, goes for goal either himself or selflessly. A huge danger. He hadn't been himself in the last few games. I hope this brings somes swagger where he can get away from the extra attention. He certainly had the beating of what a Wednesday thew at him. 

[Bigdoggsteel]

3 minutes ago, DE. said:

He was given the freedom of the park to be fair. You can guarantee he won't get that amount of room very often this season.

Wednesday looked very badly set up. Was he actually being man marked? Arrogance or nativity? Their manager got that badly wrong 

[DE.]

27 minutes ago, Bigdoggsteel said:

Wednesday looked very badly set up. Was he actually being man marked? Arrogance or nativity? Their manager got that badly wrong 

They didn't seem to have prepared at all for us. Either that or the players deliberately ignored the manager's instructions? He was just sitting in the dugout the entire match looking vaguely bored - have to assume if they weren't executing the game plan he would have been getting orders out onto the pitch? All very bizarre. It was easy to see why they've been spiralling downward though.  

[Bigdoggsteel]

3 minutes ago, DE. said:

They didn't seem to have prepared at all for us. Either that or the players deliberately ignored the manager's instructions? He was just sitting in the dugout the entire match looking vaguely bored - have to assume if they weren't executing the game plan he would have been getting orders out onto the pitch? All very bizarre. It was easy to see why they've been spiralling downward though.  

They looked awful 

[JacknOry]

Everybody knows, keep Dack quiet - except Charlie Chaplin. But this game will highlight it more and he will be targeted even more now. We have to find a way of playing around that though, we cannot keep relying on him.