Meanwhile Vrančić is being Vrančić

[lake district canary 4,530]

48 minutes ago, Ulfotto said:

Love Mario.

that I find odd is that he only played no.10 last season. Seemingly we wanted a more defensive player in the other two roles. Fast forward we now have Gilmour who is less of a 10 than Mario but also incapable of playing in the 2 of a 4231

It's an interesting point.  I think we have to hold fire on that one until we get our best team sorted and see how things develop. 

[Petriix 2,834]

1 hour ago, PurpleCanary said:

I am confused. The current line of attack on Webber and Farke is that we haven't got enough powerful players and are being bullied off the ball. So the answer is that we should have held onto a talented but lightweight midfielder whose legs are if not totally gone then certainly going?

*Some* people are going on about athleticism. I've never been one of them. I think the problem is that we've lost all continuity at the worst possible time. Having literally had the best season (in terms of points and results) in the club's history, it seems utter madness to turnover so much of the squad and play a different system.

My problem with the new signings is that they are failing to have a positive impact at either end of the pitch. We've signed too much 'bang-average' and not enough 'game-changing'. Vrancic is a game-changer. PLM, while mostly tidy, is not and more worryingly has a tendency to get caught out of position in the latter stages of games allowing us to be carved open.

[essex canary 490]

16 hours ago, lake district canary said:

Love that goal. I am absolutely certain we underused him. He wasn't the all action figure that Farke likes, which is a reason imo we don't see a lot of Sorensen.  We've had loads of success under DF and believe he will find a way to turn this season round, but not seeing enough of Mario was a criticism.  On his day, a total match winnner. Still good to see him doing well.

Absolutely. Why didn't we retain him. The idea that he is too old is ridiculous.

[McWrighty 52]

Gotta say I do like the look of PLM though.

Off the ball he's disruptive in the press and pretty good in the tackle, and has clear quality on the ball. 

In the long-term iI do believe he will be an improved version of Mario. 

[shefcanary 2,377]

22 hours ago, lake district canary said:

Love that goal. I am absolutely certain we underused him. He wasn't the all action figure that Farke likes, which is a reason imo we don't see a lot of Sorensen.  We've had loads of success under DF and believe he will find a way to turn this season round, but not seeing enough of Mario was a criticism.  On his day, a total match winnner. Still good to see him doing well.

Ooh, that's a damn fine argument for lkaying Sorenson more often. Nice one.

[shruk4 60]

13 hours ago, Creedence Clearwater Couto said:

Personally, I think Vrancic would have offered much more than PLM so far this season. 

I suggest you keep a closer eye on PLM next game. He has been solid, doing steady work in the midfield both in defense and attack. Clearly our best midfielder before the arrival of Normann. Our third highest rated player on whoscored. Has been capable of playing close to 90 minutes in the premier league in every game. 

I understand its hard to notice the quality of a new player when we are losing. But your comparison is insulting to Pierre Lees-Melou as well as clearly untrue. Remember he was the captain in Nice. Give him some time and you will warm up to him

[1902 1,167]

In my opinion PLM is clearly the best of the box to box midfielders we have in the squad at the moment. He is defensively decent, makes his tackles and interceptions and looks for balls forward which do keep momentum going. He does basic thing pretty well.

In the Premier League, he looks an ok player who wouldn't look out of place in a midfield three if supported by more talented players like Normann.

In the championship, he would look like Patrick Viera.

Edited September 28, 2021 by 1902

[Michael Starr 519]

We really do miss his set pieces right now

[Luke M 4]

I think we should have kept him. He was a great player who could have been a reliable sub for as in the Prem.

[By Hook or Ian crook 917]

On 27/09/2021 at 14:18, Petriix said:

*Some* people are going on about athleticism. I've never been one of them. I think the problem is that we've lost all continuity at the worst possible time. Having literally had the best season (in terms of points and results) in the club's history, it seems utter madness to turnover so much of the squad and play a different system.

My problem with the new signings is that they are failing to have a positive impact at either end of the pitch. We've signed too much 'bang-average' and not enough 'game-changing'. Vrancic is a game-changer. PLM, while mostly tidy, is not and more worryingly has a tendency to get caught out of position in the latter stages of games allowing us to be carved open.

I’d happen to think the season we finished 3rd in the Prem and beat Arsenal away first game of the season would probably be the best season we’ve ever had. That was also in the top division and not the 2nd. 

[Haus 259]

1 hour ago, By Hook or Ian crook said:

I’d happen to think the season we finished 3rd in the Prem and beat Arsenal away first game of the season would probably be the best season we’ve ever had. That was also in the top division and not the 2nd. 

Or when we knocked Bayern Munich out of Europe. 

[Ulfotto 620]

Taken in a few of the EFL highlights and Mario’s corners are unreal why he wasn’t taking them us is a total mystery.

[dylanisabaddog 4,842]

Stoke v WBA is on Sky tonight. A chance to see Mario and Jordan Hugill 

[wcorkcanary 4,329]

16 hours ago, Ulfotto said:

Taken in a few of the EFL highlights and Mario’s corners are unreal why he wasn’t taking them us is a total mystery.

Cos Emi would have thrown a wobbler , despite being mostly carp at set pieces. 😇👍😉

[cambridgeshire canary 6,669]

Looking fatastic for Stoke yet again, bossed West Brom in the midfield with ease

[lake district canary 4,530]

Almost a trade mark free kick too, on to the bar. Absolute class.

[Surfer 1,547]

15 hours ago, dylanisabaddog said:

Stoke v WBA is on Sky tonight. A chance to see Mario and Jordan Hugill 

Hugill did nothing. Vrancic showed why we released him. Mario's a very good technical player but his legs have gone and he also conceded every potential aerial challenge. So yeah, he looks good in this year's Championship but no way would he help in the PL.

[Six Pack 91]

2 hours ago, Surfer said:

Hugill did nothing. Vrancic showed why we released him. Mario's a very good technical player but his legs have gone and he also conceded every potential aerial challenge. So yeah, he looks good in this year's Championship but no way would he help in the PL.

No one here is suggesting he is super human - technically he is better than those we have here !

[robert choice 24]

Mario has got a lot of hard men around him at Stoke, something he never had at City.

 

 

[lake district canary 4,530]

11 minutes ago, robert choice said:

Mario has got a lot of hard men around him at Stoke, something he never had at City.

I have always thought the reason why Mario didn't appear for us more often was that to get the best from Mario week in week out, you needed to build the team around him, which of course is not the Farke way.  A Farke team is more homogeneous than that and each player has to be able to play almost any role - and with a player like Mario, it is putting all - or most - of the focus on one player in a more rigid system.   So we were limited, quite often to seeing Mario in cameo roles in specific parts of just some games. 

Would have loved to see Mario more in a City shirt - the Leeds away match stands out, as do nearly all his goals - and would like to see him get Stoke promoted this season.

[Yellowhammer 86]

Never thought we gave him a real chance , quality player 

Edited October 2, 2021 by Yellowhammer

[corbs 147]

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/west-brom-stoke-city-fans-21742009.amp
 

Best player on pitch yesterday, great free kick and assist with the laughably Disallowed own goal, worth a watch. One defeat for Albion and notice the moaning- dont  you just love football “supporters”!

[ged in the onion bag 854]

Good luck to Mario, but a quality goal and some good performances doesn’t change anything about his time with us.   The reason he didn’t play that often was simple, he wasn’t good enough to get in the first 11.   He couldn’t compete either physically or athletically at Championship level, at EPL he was barely effective at all.   Having a good left foot isn’t enough if your other abilities can’t get you on the ball.    
 

As for comparison with what we have now, that’s pointless since Mario was never the answer anyway and obviously we still don’t  know what we’ve got now.    They all need time to adapt and the team to gel before we see what we’ve got.   That will take months if not the whole season.    

[PurpleCanary 5,553]

7 hours ago, Surfer said:

Hugill did nothing. Vrancic showed why we released him. Mario's a very good technical player but his legs have gone and he also conceded every potential aerial challenge. So yeah, he looks good in this year's Championship but no way would he help in the PL.

Yes. Sentimentality is overriding sense here.  His legs were obviously going last season, and that is not a process that can be reversed.