What about Elliot Bennett?

[Patches OHoolahan 0]

Has anyone else noticed the small amount of first team football that Elliot Bennett has had so far this season? Generally I''ve been impressed with the way the team has played and I understand the tactical flexibility that it gives us to play say Grabban or Lafferty on the wing, but could we not create more by having a specialist winger on either flank? Admittedly nobody covered themselves in glory against Shrewsbury, but it might be worth giving Elliot a go either down one of the wings, or through the middle in Hoolahan''s role, should Wes prove ineffective.

Having Elliot in the team would suit a swift counter-attacking game particularly when one considers the pace of Redmond, Jerome and Grabban. He also puts a shift in defensively.

[Surfer 1,547]

I''d like to see him given a run out at Right Back...

[Tim Dawson 0]

Agree with right back he is definately not good enough on the wing

[mrs miggins 0]

needs to prove he can still play like he did in his first season with us.

[Gipsy Lane 0]

Like someone tweeted the other day - Other than his goal at Spurs what has he actually contributed in 3 seasons at the club, apart from saying nice things and being a generally nice bloke?

Maybe right back is his position he is certainly well down the pecking order for the wing

[lake district canary 4,830]

[quote user="Gipsy Lane"]Like someone tweeted the other day - Other than his goal at Spurs what has he actually contributed in 3 seasons at the club, apart from saying nice things and being a generally nice bloke?

Maybe right back is his position he is certainly well down the pecking order for the wing[/quote]

Should read "contributed in two seasons he has been available to us".  Been unfortunate with the injury, but a very good squad player to have as an option and maybe a  first team regular when restored to full confidence.   

[Mr Jenkins 0]

mrs miggins wrote the following post at 27/09/2014 12:33 AM:

needs to prove he can still play like he did in his first season with us.

Agree, has not shown that sort of form and has had opportunities. Loan spell required.

[Indy 3,471]

I am one of the few who have never been impressed by Bennett and do wonder why so many rate him so highly.

But it''s all about opinions and my thoughts are not worth much, it''s all about what Adams thinks.

[Olly 0]

Think people should remember the nature and severity of his injury. A serious knee injury for a winger who relies on pace can be pretty debilitating

Hopefully he can fully recover but I doubt whether we''ll see him reach the levels he did in his first season here which is a shame

[Yelloow Since 72 56]

IMO, wingers need regular games to do well and EB isn''t getting that. A loan might be a possibility, but I''d like to see him playing as a wing-back in tandem with Olsson in either the 4-2-3-1 or a 3-4-3.

[Paul101 191]

he is a fringe player at best

and not up to the grade

[im spartacus canary 0]

As i said on another thread and as someone said on this thread he is now the resident nice bloke of the squad without troubling the starting 11 too much, the new simon lappin

[the bristol nest 0]

It''s the injury and subsequent lack of game time. I too would like to see him at right back but we have two of those.

[Paul101 191]

Rose tinted glasses

he was no better before the injury he suffers from extreme Paul mcviegh syndrome

also known as lee croft dementia

[WesHoolahansDefendant 0]

Was a big fan initially but I think he offers very little these days

[iron_stan 0]

hes not big/strong enough to be a right back

[andy cousins 11]

after Tuesdays efforts he has to do much more to get back in the side

[STAN 30]

EB seems like a decent bloke, but being a decent bloke isn''t what we pay his wages for.

I was hoping he was going to push on after our first season in the PL, a season in which he was no more than consistently okay.

Since then I haven''t really seen any signs of improvement, even with dropping down a division.

I understand he was out for a long time but he needs to up his game if he wants to be a part of our long term future.

[Phillip J Fry 0]

It''s really simple why Elliot Bennett isn''t playing at the moment.

Bennett is a right-midfielder or a number 10, any other position is unnatural to him and doesn''t get the best out of him.

At the minute, Norwich have 2 strikers in goal-scoring form and Adams wants to play them both. He has eschewed the diamond in favour of the 4-4-2 so Bennett is competing to occupy that right-midfield slot.

At the moment, Redmond is playing so well on the right that to play him on the left or to drop him would be counter productive, so Bennett can''t play whilst Redmond is fit or continuing to play well on the right-hand side.

Murphy is currently ahead of Bennett as he is equally comfortable on either flank, whilst Bennett is really only comfortable on the right and seeing as Redmond has pretty much guaranteed a right-hand starting role for himself on current form, Bennett becomes the 3rd choice winger.

However, if Redmond were to move back to the left (unlikely on current form but who knows what the future holds) Bennett would quickly become the 2nd choice winger again as he is a better right midfielder than Murphy. If Redmond were to become injured, Bennett would become the 1st choice winger.

[The Oracle 0]

Love this thread, 4 months ago EB was being talked about as a worldbeater and one of the reasons last seasons debacle was his injury.

 

How times change!!

[grefstad 0]

Bennett is imho having to chose between being converted into a rightback (which I believe he started out as at Wolves) or face being on the sub bench for a long time.

After his injury, he does not possess anything we need at the moment.

We all like him, and wish him well, but we have better options at RM at the moment.

He can play at the tip of a diamond though, if the setup is to counter, remember he did very well vs Tottenham away in the Prem in that position.

At the moment benno is a squad player, and I think he knows it.