If dowell is the answer

[Bert 236]

What is the question? 

[The Real Buh 3,423]

Are we sleepwalking into another horrendous season in the premier league with no direction or hope whatsoever? 

[Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man 3,783]

3 minutes ago, The Real Buh said:

Are we sleepwalking into another horrendous season in the premier league with no direction or hope whatsoever? 

And the answer to that is 'Dowell'?

[The Real Buh 3,423]

2 minutes ago, Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man said:

And the answer to that is 'Dowell'?

Lol, kinda?

Dowell is more of a metaphor than an answer though I guess.

[A Load of Squit 5,135]

What's that little bit of wood that you use to hold wooden joints?

 

[Hank shoots Skyler 2,094]

Got to give him credit, he doesn’t need any time coming off the bench to settle in to a game - he already looks like he’s been playing 70 minutes!

He’s got a pretty good left foot and decent vision for deft touches / through balls, but other than that he offers very little. Can’t dribble, wants too much time on the ball, no physicality, no pace, no real desire to impose himself on the game.

We saw him play well under Farke two seasons ago but that was when we had Buendia and Cantwell absolutely flying and he was able to bounce off of them. When we need him to be the main man he’s just not got the tenacity to do it unfortunately.

That he has been getting minutes over Sara is slightly concerning.

[canarycop 205]

Any chance of a back 3

Omo Hanley Gibson

Aaron's Sara Nunez Gibbs Byram

Pukki

Sergeant 

 

Get Teemu playing off Sarge

Byram and Aaron's providing width

[Barham Blitz 652]

2 minutes ago, canarycop said:

Any chance of a back 3

Omo Hanley Gibson

Aaron's Sara Nunez Gibbs Byram

Pukki

Sergeant 

 

Get Teemu playing off Sarge

Byram and Aaron's providing width

Dimi providing width possibly.  Byram on the wrong side no.

[Barham Blitz 652]

If Dowell plays it has to be as a 10 in a 4-2-3-1.  When he played wide under Farke it was as an interchanging 3/4 3.  He doesn't have the physical attributes to play wide or central in a 4-3-3.  As someone has pointed out, it is concerning that he is preferred to Sara as an option in that system who was surely signed to play exactly that role.

[Capt. Pants 4,202]

He's not an off the bench player as he struggles to get up to speed quick enough. Plus if you take Pukki off then there's no point bringing Dowell on imo.  Then he isn't good enough to start, although he might be but Smith has other ideas. 

I feel for the lad as it's been a difficult season, but he just has to get better.

[Yellow Wal 314]

For Dowell to get onto the pitch before Sara is very concerning.

[TeemuVanBasten 3,327]

12 hours ago, The Real Buh said:

Are we sleepwalking into another horrendous season in the premier league with no direction or hope whatsoever? 

Probably, but Dowell won't be here, no chance he'll be getting a new deal. 

[TeemuVanBasten 3,327]

11 hours ago, Barham Blitz said:

If Dowell plays it has to be as a 10 in a 4-2-3-1.  When he played wide under Farke it was as an interchanging 3/4 3.  He doesn't have the physical attributes to play wide or central in a 4-3-3.  As someone has pointed out, it is concerning that he is preferred to Sara as an option in that system who was surely signed to play exactly that role.

Even if we played a 10 would he be nailed on? Think I'd want to see Aaron Ramsay there, or even Pukki or Sargent in the hole.

Decent at set pieces and has an alright football brain, but slow and heavy feet, usually just leaves me a bit "meh".

I'm sure he'll get regularly football at a decent(ish) Championship side, but don't think he quite has enough to start for a team of our current status. 

That said, fail to win promotion and be forced into a sell off and drastic budget cutting and he'll be the best that we can hope for. 

Edited October 5, 2022 by TeemuVanBasten

[keelansgrandad 6,679]

He is a No10 and likes to lay off the ball and turn. But our midfield shape doesn't allow for that. He won't change anything as a sub either.

[TheGunnShow 5,933]

He needs a team built around him and a couple of box-to-box sorts behind him. It worked nicely with Farke and it works well with Pukki as he's also capable of hitting the sorts of throughballs Pukki likes gobbling up. Could see him and Cantwell dovetailing very nicely as the attacking two in a Christmas tree formation, but we don't have three more defensive midfielders behind for that to stick (Hayden, Lungi, Sara, maybe), nor do we have the full-backs (we would when Dimi and McCallum come back, but not now).

Putting him on a flank doesn't really work. He's one of those getting a bit near the last-chance saloon for me.

[Barham Blitz 652]

2 hours ago, TeemuVanBasten said:

Even if we played a 10 would he be nailed on? Think I'd want to see Aaron Ramsay there, or even Pukki or Sargent in the hole.

Decent at set pieces and has an alright football brain, but slow and heavy feet, usually just leaves me a bit "meh".

I'm sure he'll get regularly football at a decent(ish) Championship side, but don't think he quite has enough to start for a team of our current status. 

That said, fail to win promotion and be forced into a sell off and drastic budget cutting and he'll be the best that we can hope for. 

Oh, I'm certainly not saying he would be nailed on.  For me he wouldn't be.  Just that if he does play it can only be as a #10 in the current side.  His major saving grace previously was that he offered the only dead ball threat but now we have Nunez as an effective option there.  Dowell isn't a bad player, but there are better and more effective (certainly in a 4-3-3) alternatives.

If we are staying with 4-3-3 - which seems to be the case - I would like to see Ramsey or possibly Sara there [attacking member of the midfield 3] with Pukki playing nominally wide but drifting in and joining Sargent as striker.  He does most of his best work in the channels anyway and might actually be more difficult to pick up.  Until Dimi is back I'd probably play him from the right as Max offers more attacking width than Byram, but once Dimi is back I'd play him from the left so that he can drift into space on his right foot.

Edit - got my 4-3-3 and 4-2-3-1 mixed up in the last paragraph ...

Edited October 5, 2022 by Barham Blitz

[Ken Hairy 3,760]

Another one who needs moving on in the summer, regardless of division. 

[Google Bot 3,259]

The question is clearly "Who have we got on this bench who resembles something similar to an attacking mid?"

[Mr Angry 1,547]

You’re all wrong, the question is clearly “Who is Waveney’s scapegoat when Cantwell is unavailable?”

[Bert 236]

1 hour ago, Mr Angry said:

You’re all wrong, the question is clearly “Who is Waveney’s scapegoat when Cantwell is unavailable?”

Good point well made