Crnac; Your thoughts so far

[Grumpy 155]

Not impressed with him,nor Oscar and Macondes.
All three were very ineffective today.
Crnac would have been far better off in the middle today  even just for his nuisance value It was a waste of a player by putting Macondes up front.As for Oscar,I just wouldnt play him. 

[Dame to Blame 112]

I guess when your scouting players on stats they may look great on paper, but as we can see stats are not everything and maybe some good old fashioned scouting in the flesh might be the better way to go at times.

[PurpleCanary 6,466]

He clearly has talent. What I am not sure about is whether there is a position in the modern tactical systems that suit him.

Edited November 9, 2024 by PurpleCanary

[glory.win or die. 274]

He shows glimpses of quality, has tge strength and build and can get away from defenders and get into shooting posituons, and i think will be good in the long run. Shouldnt be a regular starter.

The price, and the expectation that raises isnt his fault.

Spending £9m on one for the future is a signing to make when in the Prem, with an injury prone main striker and an injured well past his best carthorse as his back up, we really needed one ready for now.

[Christoph Stiepermann 1,270]

He's getting more involved every game and starting to adapt but it's gonna take time. He looks a tidy footballer to me but I can't work out what type of player he's meant to be and what his role is within this formation. He's got nice technique, movement and passing but doesn't look dangerous to me in the box and hasn't really got the speed or flair to play as one of the wide options. Bristol doubled up on Sainz today and gave Crnac space 1v1 but he couldn't really do anything with it. 

If I had to pick a role for him after watching him so far he looks kind of like a central deeper second striker link up player kind of like Barnes but we don't play with that position. Like I said I do see improvement and some qualities but he just doesn't look a threat out wide or up top on his own. I'm assuming we bought him for his all round ability and are hoping that Thorup can coach him into a role within this system but at this early stage he's not really fitting it well. 

Edited November 9, 2024 by Christoph Stiepermann

[Jim Smith 2,673]

He does two or three things a game that show and suggest real quality and give me optimism for what he may turn into. He is also physically a great profile/size. I think we could have an excellent player on our hands next season. But at present he does drift out of games too much. Ideally, we’d be giving him half an hour off the bench to get him up to speed but sadly our squad does not allow us that luxury. 

[JonnyJonnyRowe 1,056]

So here goes.

I think he'll be a diamond, a real top class player. Eventually.

The problem is we seem to invested in three rough uncut diamonds in Forson, Schwartau and Crnac in the attacking positions. 

I really don't feel like we had the depth in quality to get away with investing in three 'projects' this season. It feels like we needed an established proven winger or striker. Surely these young players need guidance and mentors and teammates who know the league.

I'd like to have seen Carlton Morris return. But even Andreas Weimann on a free would have done. 

It feels like we keep getting these sporting directors who just go OTT with parameters.

Webber decided we needed some experience so went and signed bloody 5 oldies, rather than keeping it sensible and signing a couple.

Knapper decides the squad is too old, so only signs kids. There is a balance to be struck, and we seem to be going to both extremes.

[Petriix 3,253]

Crnac is conspicuous because of the reported fee we paid, but remember we got that much from selling Idah. In that regard I think we've definitely upgraded. Ultimately Crnac is the least of our worries. He works hard and is learning how to play in a difficult league.

When you look at how poor we were all over the park today, I'd pick half a dozen other players to question before having a dig at him. 

[Mason 47 2,036]

I think he's done fine. Nothing special. I have a feeling he's played a lot more already than was originally the plan.

Have certainly seen worse. Think he could do with literally anyone showing something for the RW slot so he can have a sit down for a bit.

[CDMullins 510]

Looked poor,

As a nice touch, will find a level, just doesn’t do things quick enough right now.

The travesty is we paid double what he got for Tzolis for him.

[daly 556]

2 Powder Puff shots could have been saved by Captain Canary

[Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man 4,742]

2 hours ago, Capt. Pants said:

If he needs time why did Thorup swap him back to the wing? It's almost as though he has given up with him as a CF already. Bit of a shambles from Thorup today as neither Crnac or Marcondes were in a position that could influence the game.

Neither Crnac nor Marcondes are centre forwards though. The latter was particularly dreadful today, I thought. 

Without Sargent we really are up **** creek without a paddle.

[GJL Mid-Norfolk Canary 2,076]

1 hour ago, Petriix said:

Crnac is conspicuous because of the reported fee we paid, but remember we got that much from selling Idah. In that regard I think we've definitely upgraded. Ultimately Crnac is the least of our worries. He works hard and is learning how to play in a difficult league.

When you look at how poor we were all over the park today, I'd pick half a dozen other players to question before having a dig at him. 

I'm not sure he is an upgrade on Idah

...and as Sargent is out until Jan , I'd say anyone being asked to fill in ,in the front line lline instead of him to chip in the missing goals, is at the forefront of our worries

[Peanuts 158]

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

Neither Crnac nor Marcondes are centre forwards though. The latter was particularly dreadful today, I thought. 

Without Sargent we really are up **** creek without a paddle.

I thought Crnac was a centre forward though? He was described as a striker when we signed him and the Rakow SD said they saw him as a number nine.

I also don't see why Thorup put him back on the wing. There's definitely a player there but he's young and new to the league and is going to take time to settle and come good, much like Sargent did. I guess this means Barnes will be back after the international break. Hardly something to get excited about.

Edited November 9, 2024 by Peanuts

[repman 808]

I think Crnac is clearly best suited to playing on the wing right now, his best moments come when he drops deep and can run with the ball. It's also going to be of benefit for him in the long term to play wide now instead of hiding him up front. 

I feel like I've said it a few times but he wasn't just the Idah replacement, we had someone lined up for that but when Rowe decided he was off we pivoted to spending more of our money to replace him. He was always signed to be a winger this year at least, in the future he may end up as a striker. 

The biggest issue for me is that we allowed Kamara to go, as if he was still here we would have had another option on the right and both him and Crnac could have done a job backing up Sargent (and Onel who played that role too). He obviously wanted to go but it wasn't in the club's interest in my view, even if he would have refused to sign a contract.

When it comes to recruitment I tend to back the team we have pretty strongly, for years now they've turned up players from all over the world and it's the same people who have been here for years. That doesn't mean they'll always get it right but I think a lot of the failures had more to do with the coaching of the team than the player itself.

 

[Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man 4,742]

1 hour ago, Peanuts said:

I thought Crnac was a centre forward though? He was described as a striker when we signed him and the Rakow SD said they saw him as a number nine.

I also don't see why Thorup put him back on the wing. There's definitely a player there but he's young and new to the league and is going to take time to settle and come good, much like Sargent did. I guess this means Barnes will be back after the international break. Hardly something to get excited about.

From what I've seen of him, he's more suited to where he has been playing, which is as a wide attacker on the right. He doesn't strike me as having the aggression or killer instinct needed to play as a genuine centre forward, although hopefully that will come with a bit of time and experience.

[hogesar 10,965]

If we were a prem side with a bigger squad or even, perhaps, championship with parachute payments the signing could possibly make sense. Equally if we already had a backup to Sargent, it would instantly make more sense.

He is a long, long way from having the sort of impact Rowe or Sainz had / has and the manager already prefers a jack of all trades midfielder as the striker over him.

4 hours ago, Petriix said:

Crnac is conspicuous because of the reported fee we paid, but remember we got that much from selling Idah. In that regard I think we've definitely upgraded. Ultimately Crnac is the least of our worries. He works hard and is learning how to play in a difficult league.

When you look at how poor we were all over the park today, I'd pick half a dozen other players to question before having a dig at him. 

Technically he is a better player than Idah but if you asked me who would be more useful right now as a Sargent replacement then it's definitely Idah.

[Creedence Clearwater Couto 1,712]

8 hours ago, daly said:

2 Powder Puff shots could have been saved by Captain Canary

How about George Long?

[ZLF 350]

Crnac v much following sarge first season and a half; played wide as he adjusted to a new country with an upturn in game frequency and intensity.   Plenty of time for him blossom as sarge sara and sainz did over their first term.   Sarge sainz and sara also benefited from a more stable side to come into while JHT has had to cope with a budget with no parachute support and a team of inexperienced (age & league) players. It's no surprise the youngsters are struggling without a midfield 

 

Crnac dribbles well, with quick feet and links well around the box, more strength and pace needed.  But i agree we need more from him, which i think will come.

Patience always needed in whats is still very much a transitional 

 

[Capt. Pants 5,160]

Well if Crnac is going to be back-up/replacement for Sarge then I can't see why he started on the wing yesterday. Surely this was another opportunity to give him minutes in the middle and more importantly the team learning how to pick the right passes for him. Marcondes looked totally useless there; worse than Crnac was at Sheff Wed. 

[hogesar 10,965]

3 hours ago, ZLF said:

Crnac v much following sarge first season and a half; played wide as he adjusted to a new country with an upturn in game frequency and intensity.   Plenty of time for him blossom as sarge sara and sainz did over their first term.   Sarge sainz and sara also benefited from a more stable side to come into while JHT has had to cope with a budget with no parachute support and a team of inexperienced (age & league) players. It's no surprise the youngsters are struggling without a midfield 

Crnac dribbles well, with quick feet and links well around the box, more strength and pace needed.  But i agree we need more from him, which i think will come.

Patience always needed in whats is still very much a transitional 

 

I think Sainz demonstrated ability almost straight away, Sargent was in the Prem and definitely not a wide attacker so neither really fair comparisons.

Most of Crnacs career has been in that right-sided position, we aren't playing him out of position.

We don't have parachute payment support which for me makes the 8.5m fee more alarming when we are seeing the lack of depth to the squad in key areas.

[hogesar 10,965]

I'm surprised a number of fans seem happy with his contribution, perhaps it's the desire for a big money signing to work clouding judgement? We all want him to come good but Thorup has hinted in several interviews he's not particularly happy with Crnac's offering so far.

I note on a recent PinkUn article:

Quote

“It's been a challenge for us to find the right constellation up front with the right players and types and profiles together,” he said, with experienced attacking duo Ashley Barnes and Onel Hernandez closing in on their own fitness returns ahead of the festive run-in. “We have an in-form player on the left side, but it seems like we need a little bit more from the number nine position and also from the right side.

Before that, Thorup basically suggested he thought Crnac might only be a sub option, which at 8.5m @ Championship level, feels pretty alarming in itself:

Quote

“Every young player needs that next to them or close to them, and also the same for Ante. We need to find out what's his best position and is it better for him sometimes to come on as a sub, where there's a little bit more space and the defence is a little bit more tired?

I don't think he's wrong, but if we end up starting Onel ahead of him in upcoming games it's not a great signal to how the recruitment has gone so far.

I really, really don't think he's cut out to be a 9 at this level but I do think he's the best we've got at this stage and we can't go another game with Marcondes taking that position.

[BigFish 2,333]

25 minutes ago, hogesar said:

I'm surprised a number of fans seem happy with his contribution, perhaps it's the desire for a big money signing to work clouding judgement? We all want him to come good but Thorup has hinted in several interviews he's not particularly happy with Crnac's offering so far.

I note on a recent PinkUn article:

Before that, Thorup basically suggested he thought Crnac might only be a sub option, which at 8.5m @ Championship level, feels pretty alarming in itself:

I don't think he's wrong, but if we end up starting Onel ahead of him in upcoming games it's not a great signal to how the recruitment has gone so far.

I really, really don't think he's cut out to be a 9 at this level but I do think he's the best we've got at this stage and we can't go another game with Marcondes taking that position.

He's 20, playing in a new country. Not only that, he is doing a job, working hard and not letting the team down. I think JHT likes him, but the situation we are in means that he is getting more minutes than perhaps was planned. He actually looks better than Sarge did when he arrived and was stuck out right on his arrival.  The time to judge a player as a piece of transfer business is at the end of his tenure, rather than a dozen games in. At that point I expect, unless the club **** up like they did with Tzolis, he will be seen as good business.

[NWC 334]

I feel sorry for the guy. Watching his intro video pre season, he looked like a rabbit in the headlights - on his own, unsure of the language, meeting loads of random (to him) people probably not understanding who the important ones were!

I think that has translated on to the pitch, but I do trust in the system, so believe he will come good.

But, as others have said, he comes with a big price tag (not his fault) and so we expect him to be on it right from the start. I think this one is a slow burner, so let's not make the Tzolis mistake!

 

EDIT to say, sorry - that's basically what @BigFishsaid above!!!

 

Edited November 12, 2024 by NWC

[hogesar 10,965]

6 minutes ago, BigFish said:

He's 20, playing in a new country. Not only that, he is doing a job, working hard and not letting the team down. I think JHT likes him, but the situation we are in means that he is getting more minutes than perhaps was planned. He actually looks better than Sarge did when he arrived and was stuck out right on his arrival.  The time to judge a player as a piece of transfer business is at the end of his tenure, rather than a dozen games in. At that point I expect, unless the club **** up like they did with Tzolis, he will be seen as good business.

I mean, Tzolis had significantly better pedigree at a younger age and was one of Europe's "upcoming players" to watch according a lof of football journalists in and across Europe. That's not really the same thing.

Also, Sarge was stuck out of position on the right. Crnac's main position is on the right. He's playing in his favoured position. He's also doing it a division lower than Sargent was, but we paid the same money.

Of course, he could still come good, it's very early days, but for £8.5m we were expecting him to be a big part of this season. Pretending that every young player signing for big money will just naturally work out somehow isn't really realistic. 

[Mello Yello 2,595]

Crnac will come good....and hopefully it's in a yellow shirt.... There's (in my personal opinion) something about him and although he's not actually hit the ground running and is inconsistent (much like 90% of our squad at the mo) I do  think he'll settle in and be an essential cog in the gears of the squad....I did say the same about Tsoliz many moon's ago, but alas, it wasn't to be....

 

[horsefly 5,307]

On 09/11/2024 at 17:36, hogesar said:

8.5m when the squad clearly lacks any element of depth in multiple positions is absurd to me.

And just what sort of "depth" do you think we could have bought with that money? No first team player of established quality is going to come to a mid-table(ish) Championship club to sit on the bench as a back-up, and neither would the club be prepared to pay the higher wages of such a player. Idah left precisely because he felt he was too good to sit on the bench. It's undoubtedly a big part of the reason why the club has put such a strong emphasis on bringing through the youth players. We just got very unlucky in completely losing the crucial spine of the squad to injury (and suspension). Had just one of those been lost I suspect we would have coped. To expect the new young players to fill in as if we hadn't lost Gunn, Nunez, McClean, and Sargent from the team is simply unrealistic.

[Carrow89 277]

maybe this is what the club saw

or perhaps this

Buendia, Sara, Nunez and Sainz all took a while/season before coming good - talent (as above) doesn't just stop, give him time

 

[ron obvious 1,733]

As always, it's the quality/determination of the defensive systems you're up against. He seems to be doing the same sort of thing for us as he did in the video. He's going to have to up his game that little bit ......

[Nexus_Canary 1,267]

These guys are all going to need a year to adjust. 
Its unfair to start even trying to rate them yet.

We potentially wasted time and money on Tzolis who knows what he could be doing (or sold for) if we had given him a bit more time.

Its down to the players willingness to work and learn and their temperament if they succeed.