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morty

Press Conference.

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  • Alex: "Tony Andreu has found the physical side of the game difficult. That''s something he can improve though, so he could have a role betwee now and the end of the season, and then certainly next season."
    by Ben Mouncer 9:11 AM
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  • Alex: "Bradley Johnson will travel up and be part of the group. He will be with us for both games, it''s important that we''re together as a group."
    by Ben Mouncer 9:10 AM
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  • Alex: "I don''t think it''s going to be a cagey game. I think it will be open on Saturday. If we do our jobs we''ll have a great chance of winning."
    by Ben Mouncer 9:08 AM
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  • Alex: "We''re going to stay up north to prevent the lads doing too much travelling. We need to plan ahead."
    by Ben Mouncer 9:05 AM
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  • Alex: "I think Elliott Bennett will travel up to the squad for the two games."
    by Ben Mouncer 9:05 AM
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  • Alex: "Vadis has had very limited game time. He''s trained and played some Under-21s games, and he''s getting sharper and sharper with every training session."
    by Ben Mouncer 9:04 AM
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  • Alex: "Each of the next five games carry as much weight as the others."
    by Ben Mouncer 9:03 AM
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  • Alex: "Out of the teams at the top end of the table, we''ve shown that we can go on the type of run that we need."
    by Ben Mouncer 9:02 AM
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  • Alex: "We believe that any game we go into we''re capable of winning. That''s the belief you have to instil into a squad, and we''ve got that now."
    by Ben Mouncer 9:00 AM
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  • Alex: "This stage is crucial now. We''ve clawed back a lot of points on teams around us, but the next five games will determine our fate. We''re in a good place and we''re playing really well."
    by Ben Mouncer 9:00 AM
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  • Alex: "Bolton are a good side in terms of attacking. Defensively we''ll have to be at our best, and we''ll have to be sharp at the top end of the pitch too."
    by Ben Mouncer 8:59 AM
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  • Alex on Martin''s new deal: "Whether we''re in the Championship or Premier League, it''s important to have a core of players and Russell is a big part of that. It''s great that we''ve secured him for another three years. He''s been a great captain since I''ve come in."
    by Ben Mouncer 8:58 AM
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  • Alex: "We''ve got a gameplan in place for Bolton and we''ll go and carry it out."
    by Ben Mouncer 8:57 AM
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  • Alex: "It''s disappointing losing any of the players, but it is what it is with Bradley Johnson. We''ll just need to adapt. Someone else will get an opportunity now."
    by Ben Mouncer 8:56 AM
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  • Alex: "The boys are in good shape just now. There are no niggles that are causing us any issues."
    by Ben Mouncer 8:56 AM
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  • Alex Neil: "Lewis Grabban is ahead of schedule but I''m not setting any targets for him."
    by Ben Mouncer 8:56 AM
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Thanks Morty

Good to see BJ travelling with the squad.

Sounds like Grabban will just suddenly be on the bench for a game very soon, all in all typical AN upbeat and positive.

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Cheers for the summary mate. Good to hear Grabban''s ahead of schedule, just hope he hits the ground running if he gets his chance but surely if Vadis isn''t really getting a look in despite playing a lot of U21''s and been involved in weeks of training, then surely we won''t see Grabban make an appearance this season?.

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Think AN isn''t being quite straight with his responses about Vadis, he has had plenty of time in U21 games and training to get fit for first team games.

Have a feeling he is just spinning a line to avoid further questioning why he isn''t playing a £4m former Belgium international.

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He hasn''t had that much time in the U21''s, I go to a fair few of them, and have only seen him feature once, maybe twice.

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Maybe Grabban on the bench for Boro?  Leeds sounds like its too early for him, but I bet he wishes he could play him and give Jerome a bit of a break.  Cameron''s going to get a bit of stick from the Leeds crowd after the accusations in the home game, but he usually thrives on that. 

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[quote user="Woodman"]Maybe Grabban on the bench for Boro?  Leeds sounds like its too early for him, but I bet he wishes he could play him and give Jerome a bit of a break.  Cameron''s going to get a bit of stick from the Leeds crowd after the accusations in the home game, but he usually thrives on that. [/quote]I saw it written somewhere that they were expecting Grabben back for the Leeds game, so "ahead of schedule means you could well be right.

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Seb''s bit from the presser :-

  • Seb: "The Championship is completely different to the Premier League. It''s a totally different world and I took a while to adapt."
    by Ben Mouncer 9:30 AM
    Comment 0
  • Seb: "When the manager first came here he said straight away that what happened in the past has happened. He said I would get my chance, and I took it."
    by Ben Mouncer 9:29 AM
    Comment 1
  • Seb: "We''ve got to perform in every game. If we''re all at it, we''ve got a big chance."
    by Ben Mouncer 9:26 AM
    Comment 0
  • Seb: "It''s very interesting this season. The league keeps us on our toes and it''s going to be like that until the end of the season."
    by Ben Mouncer 9:25 AM
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  • Seb: "I played with Eidur Gudjohnsen at Spurs and he''s been a good player. He''s the kind of the player who can make a difference in the game."
    by Ben Mouncer 9:24 AM
    Comment 0
  • Seb: "It''s nice to play with Russell, we have a good understanding. It''s a leader so it''s easy to play alongside hin."
    by Ben Mouncer 9:24 AM
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  • Seb: "It''s good to work with a manager like the boss. He''s really passionate and he knows what''s he''s doing. He''s really straight, really demanding - I think that is good."
    by Ben Mouncer 9:23 AM
    Comment 0
  • Seb: "I''m really happy, and thing are going really well. We''re fighting for a promotion, that''s the best position we could hope to have been in."
    by Ben Mouncer 9:23 AM
    Comment 0
  • Seb: "I belong to Norwich City so at some point I had to come back - better sooner than later."
    by Ben Mouncer 9:22 AM
    Comment 1

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I think Neil is being very cagey if you ask me.@Morty - if you look back at the reports, Vadis has had plenty of time in the U21 games now, he''s played a part in a good 4-5 from recollection. And he has been involved in training all of that time as well.I think a couple of things are going on there though. Firstly, we have set up in the same way for a number of games now - he''s got to make the most of Johnson being suspended. If he makes a suggestion about who is going to play in his stead it would be easier to guess what formation we are going to play and how we will therefore go at the opposition. Play your cards close to your chest and they will remain uncertain about the formation etc.Vadis for Johnson would be seen as a straight swap by most I think, in terms of their stature and ability to bustle. If Redmond comes in, we could switch to a more traditional four across the middle with Redmond on one side and Dorrans on the other. If O''Neil comes in he could be like for like OR flat four. It will be interesting whatever happens and it is always good to have players knocking on that door giving the manager plenty of choices.But I wouldn''t read to much into any of what he has said about who will or who will not start etc.

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Fair enough Chicken, am only going by the games I actually went to, and he hasn''t really featured that much.

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Re Seb, hard to believe that it is same guy who said this time last season something along the lines that it was awful and they couldn''t wait for it to end. Sounds really upbeat, whatever Mr Neil is feeding the troops I want a bottle of it!!

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[quote user="morty"]Fair enough Chicken, am only going by the games I actually went to, and he hasn''t really featured that much.[/quote]Oh I''m not doubting that.I just don''t think that with a squad of our size, an unfit player would have been on the bench a couple of times recently as he has. The other issue with U21 games and the senior squad is that I should imagine he wouldn''t get a lot of game time in the first couple of games back, a half to 60mins at most. But then once he is back in full training it flips to the other degree in that you don''t want to play him 90mins in case he is in and around the squad for the weekend game.Especially when we have had Tettey and O''Neil out injured and Johnson in or around 8-9 yellow cards. I would just look more at the amount of time he has now been involved in the U21 games and therefore back in training as more of an indicator.

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[quote user="chicken"][quote user="morty"]Fair enough Chicken, am only going by the games I actually went to, and he hasn''t really featured that much.[/quote]Oh I''m not doubting that.I just don''t think that with a squad of our size, an unfit player would have been on the bench a couple of times recently as he has. The other issue with U21 games and the senior squad is that I should imagine he wouldn''t get a lot of game time in the first couple of games back, a half to 60mins at most. But then once he is back in full training it flips to the other degree in that you don''t want to play him 90mins in case he is in and around the squad for the weekend game.Especially when we have had Tettey and O''Neil out injured and Johnson in or around 8-9 yellow cards. I would just look more at the amount of time he has now been involved in the U21 games and therefore back in training as more of an indicator.[/quote]I think the fact that we have had virtually no information as to the extent of his injury makes it all the more mystifying.Because it really has got to the point where people must be starting to wonder whats going on. I know the manager would be loathe to change a winning team unless he had to, but if this lad is as good as we are led to believe then I am pretty surprised he hasn''t had more first team action.

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[quote user="morty"][quote user="chicken"][quote user="morty"]Fair enough Chicken, am only going by the games I actually went to, and he hasn''t really featured that much.[/quote]Oh I''m not doubting that.I just don''t think that with a squad of our size, an unfit player would have been on the bench a couple of times recently as he has. The other issue with U21 games and the senior squad is that I should imagine he wouldn''t get a lot of game time in the first couple of games back, a half to 60mins at most. But then once he is back in full training it flips to the other degree in that you don''t want to play him 90mins in case he is in and around the squad for the weekend game.Especially when we have had Tettey and O''Neil out injured and Johnson in or around 8-9 yellow cards. I would just look more at the amount of time he has now been involved in the U21 games and therefore back in training as more of an indicator.[/quote]I think the fact that we have had virtually no information as to the extent of his injury makes it all the more mystifying.Because it really has got to the point where people must be starting to wonder whats going on. I know the manager would be loathe to change a winning team unless he had to, but if this lad is as good as we are led to believe then I am pretty surprised he hasn''t had more first team action.[/quote]I agree. It was ligament damage though, which can be iffy anyway.I did my knee on the 3G stuff up at Easton College - swelling was ridiculous, was like walking around with a water balloon on my knee. That was a couple of years ago and I would say that it''s one of those injuries where, whilst a player might be ready to return, you can almost never give it enough time to settle. Obviously, I haven''t had professional treatment to the degree that he will have had, but on cold Sunday mornings, it sometimes still tingles, yes, still talking about my knee before you ask!Part of it will be getting that confidence back that it won''t just go on you again in a tackle or anything.As I said before though, the fact that he has been on the bench since the Huddersfield game, would suggest to me that he is there or very nearly there and proving it in training. Why would a manager put a player on the bench if he has only got 30mins in him? Especially at this point in the season when you really can''t take that much risk. That''s just an open question by the way, not an attack on you or anything - just one of a few questions in my head after reading through the tweets or whatever they are. That''s why I also mention how long he has been back for. The first few U21 games would have been about that confidence and seeing if there was any further reaction from the injury, after that it would have purely been about that match sharpness (I''m not a fan of calling it fitness - because so much of it is more than that).

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[quote user="chicken"][quote user="morty"][quote user="chicken"][quote user="morty"]Fair enough Chicken, am only going by the games I actually went to, and he hasn''t really featured that much.[/quote]Oh I''m not doubting that.I just don''t think that with a squad of our size, an unfit player would have been on the bench a couple of times recently as he has. The other issue with U21 games and the senior squad is that I should imagine he wouldn''t get a lot of game time in the first couple of games back, a half to 60mins at most. But then once he is back in full training it flips to the other degree in that you don''t want to play him 90mins in case he is in and around the squad for the weekend game.Especially when we have had Tettey and O''Neil out injured and Johnson in or around 8-9 yellow cards. I would just look more at the amount of time he has now been involved in the U21 games and therefore back in training as more of an indicator.[/quote]I think the fact that we have had virtually no information as to the extent of his injury makes it all the more mystifying.Because it really has got to the point where people must be starting to wonder whats going on. I know the manager would be loathe to change a winning team unless he had to, but if this lad is as good as we are led to believe then I am pretty surprised he hasn''t had more first team action.[/quote]I agree. It was ligament damage though, which can be iffy anyway.I did my knee on the 3G stuff up at Easton College - swelling was ridiculous, was like walking around with a water balloon on my knee. That was a couple of years ago and I would say that it''s one of those injuries where, whilst a player might be ready to return, you can almost never give it enough time to settle. Obviously, I haven''t had professional treatment to the degree that he will have had, but on cold Sunday mornings, it sometimes still tingles, yes, still talking about my knee before you ask!Part of it will be getting that confidence back that it won''t just go on you again in a tackle or anything.As I said before though, the fact that he has been on the bench since the Huddersfield game, would suggest to me that he is there or very nearly there and proving it in training. Why would a manager put a player on the bench if he has only got 30mins in him? Especially at this point in the season when you really can''t take that much risk. That''s just an open question by the way, not an attack on you or anything - just one of a few questions in my head after reading through the tweets or whatever they are. That''s why I also mention how long he has been back for. The first few U21 games would have been about that confidence and seeing if there was any further reaction from the injury, after that it would have purely been about that match sharpness (I''m not a fan of calling it fitness - because so much of it is more than that).[/quote]It was never anything major like an anterior or posterior cruciate though, was it? But it seems like the recovery has been nearly as long as if it had been. Unless you have cartilage issues most knee injuries are fairly predictable in their recovery, and knee surgery is such that there isn''t much that can be sorted out.I guess a lot of people, myself included, would like a bit of confirmation that we haven''t been sold a dud!

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I don''t think Ofoe had an operation. I''ve heard that letting it heal naturally can be better in the long run than operating, but it can take longer to recover. Obviously this must depend on the nature of the injury.

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[quote user="93vintage"]I don''t think Ofoe had an operation. I''ve heard that letting it heal naturally can be better in the long run than operating, but it can take longer to recover. Obviously this must depend on the nature of the injury.[/quote]If surgery can be avoided then it must always be done so, conservative rather than invasive treatment is always preferable.But it is usually in the cases of very minor injuries, that wouldn''t take that long to heal.I am being a bit nosey if I''m honest, as have had my share of knee injuries, and am struggling to comprehend just why he has been out of action so long.

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Almost as interesting is the admission that Andreu isn''t physically up to it in the Championship.  I was talking to a mate at the Wednesday game about how he hadn''t featured recently.  That''s as much about who our ''best'' 18 players are - Rudd, VOO, O''Neil, Redmond, Hooper, Cuellar, Becchio and Bennett x2 are way ahead of Andreu, McGrandles, Loza, Morris and the Murphys (when they were here).  We do have a VERY strong squad.

 

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[quote user="Woodman"]

Almost as interesting is the admission that Andreu isn''t physically up to it in the Championship.  I was talking to a mate at the Wednesday game about how he hadn''t featured recently.  That''s as much about who our ''best'' 18 players are - Rudd, VOO, O''Neil, Redmond, Hooper, Cuellar, Becchio and Bennett x2 are way ahead of Andreu, McGrandles, Loza, Morris and the Murphys (when they were here).  We do have a VERY strong squad.

 

[/quote]Yeah, because there really is a limit as to how much you can "beef up" in the gym and still stay athletic.Perhaps Alex thinks he would be more suited to the Premiership?

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I don''t think it is a huge secret with Vadis as to his prolonged absence.

Comes across AN doesn''t hugely fancy playing him - VOO had a bit of a reputation in Belgium for not having the best attitude with some claiming that is why a young player who was tipped for the top stall and never really made it.

If Alex Neil was eager to play Vadis then he would have been playing games by now, as mentioned he has been out far longer than it would be expected with what wasn''t a major injury. Especially when you consider the player himself was suggesting on Twitter he was ready to play when Tettey was suspended about a month ago.

AN mentioned in a press conference a while back that VOO would be on the ''periphery'' and not get much game time this season - that also hinted at a manager who wasn''t 100% sure of his players quality.

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[quote user="Bethnal Yellow and Green"]I don''t think it is a huge secret with Vadis as to his prolonged absence.

Comes across AN doesn''t hugely fancy playing him - VOO had a bit of a reputation in Belgium for not having the best attitude with some claiming that is why a young player who was tipped for the top stall and never really made it.

If Alex Neil was eager to play Vadis then he would have been playing games by now, as mentioned he has been out far longer than it would be expected with what wasn''t a major injury. Especially when you consider the player himself was suggesting on Twitter he was ready to play when Tettey was suspended about a month ago.

AN mentioned in a press conference a while back that VOO would be on the ''periphery'' and not get much game time this season - that also hinted at a manager who wasn''t 100% sure of his players quality.[/quote]

 

I don''t really buy into that - as I said before, AN''s reasons for not playing him recently could be mostly due to having a settled and winning team with Tettey, Howson, Johnson, Dorrans and Wes as his midfield 5.  If any were injured or not playing well, it''d be more obvious if he chose, say, Andreu ahead of VOO.  Therefore its up to VOO to show he''s better than them to get in the team - which he may get the chance to do tomorrow or Tuesday with Johnson''s enforced absence and the close gap between the 2 games.

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