Lejeune | Vital Football

Lejeune

Paul Kannell

Vital 1st Team Regular
The reason we got 3 points there, for me motm. Twice had tricky one on ones against Zaha and Townsend, kept his cool and watched the ball and timed his tackles to perfection, in the past shite defenders would've cost us this game.
 
All our signings seem to be doing well , so much for the pundits saying some we're shite and we will go down. Most of them are changing there minds Crooks has said Rafa could win premiership with the right investment.
 
Hayden needs to become more consistent otherwise he's going to be no more than a squad player, which will be a shame because he's a good lad, wise head on his shouders. I particularly like the two centre backs though, there was a time when we'd be an accident waiting to happen in the air, but Lascelles and Lejeune batted everything away, Scott Dann didn't get a look in.
 
I think it's the first time in my life I don't mind which two of our four centre halves play, when all fit. (mind, apparently there's a couple of Forest fans out there sniggering that we signed Lascelles)
 
Clark's the weak link for me, but we have 3 good players fighting for 2 positions and the same in centre mid, get a good keeper and striker and the spine of the team is starting to take shape. A takeover and investment and we could progress quickly, equally no takeover and these promising players will be sold off as the club continues to go nowhere. Interesting couple of months ahead.
 
If we get a new investor before January hopefully we will get a new goalkeeper, left back as well as a new 9 and 10. If we are going to be greedy I would say another new forward and a winger. We can get rid of Diame, Darlow, Mitrovic and Haidara.
 
In all my time following NUFC (since the mid to late 70's) I don't think I've ever seen us more settled and composed at the back.

To my memory we've ALWAYS been shocking in defence.

What a difference a manager who truly knows what he's doing, can bring.
 
Paul Kannell - 22/10/2017 10:18

Clark's the weak link for me, but we have 3 good players fighting for 2 positions and the same in centre mid, get a good keeper and striker and the spine of the team is starting to take shape. A takeover and investment and we could progress quickly, equally no takeover and these promising players will be sold off as the club continues to go nowhere. Interesting couple of months ahead.





I think Clark has been one of our best and most consistent performers since joining and assumed he was only being rested last week as he'd had a high profile, intense game for ROI during the previous week.

Was surprised Lejeune kept his place considering his clanger at Southampton.
 
Lejeune needs game time to assimilate into the Premier League. Did will apart from his needless tackle the other week - a sign that he has things to learn.

Looking at many other teams center-backs, including Liverpool, I think we're blessed.

Again, so good to be able to see a much more solid defence than, well, ever.

Imagine how good we'd be if we had a top-drawer striker, such as a Shearer or a Kane now.
 
Lejeune did do well, but his fuck up last week has fuck all to do with assimilating to the PL. Bad defending is bad defending, and he lunged in unnecessarily, giving away an unnecessary penalty.

Lunging in like that would have resulted in a penalty in Serie A, La Liga, Bundesliga etc etc. Fuck all to do with him being relatively new to the PL.
 
He was invited in, and took the bait.

Time spent in the Prem was a key factor IMO. As is the pace of the game here.

Bad defending, yep. But was good all-round.

Some players adapt quicker than others. Some never.

Given game-time this season, he could go on to be as good as we've ever had.
 
Do forwards in the other leagues I mentioned never "invite defenders in"?!

Bait is offered throughout the game, some bite, some don't.

He'll improve when he doesn't. I like him, lot to learn though, that's my only point.
 
Same as any other job role when moving country, or going up a level (in this case, it's both), it takes time to adjust.
Language, for a start. New colleagues. Extra pace we have in the game. Extra aggression. Better opposition.
It will take time to adjust. The only way to get that is more game time.

Same in any job. You only get better when you've done it a few times; and when you change country/move up a level, you have to learn some basics again.
 
I like him. But...

Better opposition? What? Better than Messi or Ronaldo?

Language? Oh please. They all speak the language.

Better league? Really?

 
I remember watching Bergkamp struggle in his first season, for example.

He'll get better with more game time.

It's a quicker game here, more aggressive. It's a different game than that in Spain. He'll be up against international strikers week-in, week-out. Messi and Ronaldo are not strikers, and so not his bread and butter - that's like comparing apples and banana's.

Language - yes. I've spent the 2nd half of my life working overseas (and I love it) - when moving from one country to another, though they all speak English, and teams vary in how much and how well they speak it - you still have to get used to it.

Until you've worked abroad, you've decided you can't see these factors - that's just fine and dandy.

He was done, for the penalty he gave away. I'm saying that's because he has no game time here, to watch for it, to adjust. You say it's not - that's fine.

A fine player. Will get better, with more game time. You say that's not a factor - cool.
 
Waffling :19:

He gave away a penalty after unnecessarily jumping in.

Don't give a fuck which fucking league it was in.

 
It really is a myth around us that we've always had a bad defence because it is. Keegan's the prime example of this with the goal difference being the main thing to worry about as it was always well into the plus side.

Statistics make our defence at the minute under Rafa, the best we've ever had in the premier league but putting it into context it is because it is the most important part of his side compared to the likes of Keegan who would favour the strikers as his most important.

Go through our side and you could improve it individually, player by player, but on a team level it is a difficult one aside from Rob Elliot's and Joselu's position.

Not that we need a fortune spent to stay up this season but if a miracle happens and a sale finally happens here then for January id buy a top class finisher, a keeper and a left back. A £50m spend probably and rebuild in the Summer to look forward to.
 
Waffling??

You've obviously never worked overseas if you cannot see it takes time to assimilate to the new surroundings, and the seemingly small differences, pace and aggression being two major factors in this case, that take some time to adjust to.

As I pointed out already, the first time you do a task usually takes longer than when you repeat it; this also occurs when you use a new tool or are tasked in doing it a different way.

If you can't see that, and stick to your position without having experienced it - then you are blinding yourself. You are blind to it. That's your choice - 'there is none so blind as those that cannot see'.



Toony - I disagree. I would expect this season to have conceded fewer goals than under any Keegan season. That WOULD be an improvement in defence; not just a goal-difference thing. That is completely different, given the attacking options we had. :eek:ne eye:
 
CuckFan - 22/10/2017 23:26

I remember watching Bergkamp struggle in his first season, for example.

He'll get better with more game time.

It's a quicker game here, more aggressive. It's a different game than that in Spain. He'll be up against international strikers week-in, week-out. Messi and Ronaldo are not strikers, and so not his bread and butter - that's like comparing apples and banana's.

Language - yes. I've spent the 2nd half of my life working overseas (and I love it) - when moving from one country to another, though they all speak English, and teams vary in how much and how well they speak it - you still have to get used to it.

Until you've worked abroad, you've decided you can't see these factors - that's just fine and dandy.

He was done, for the penalty he gave away. I'm saying that's because he has no game time here, to watch for it, to adjust. You say it's not - that's fine.

A fine player. Will get better, with more game time. You say that's not a factor - cool.


Are you Garth Crooks?