• All - as you will understand, the forum is exceptionally busy at this time. The admins and moderators simply don't have time to read every post in every thread. Could you PLEASE use the "Report" option below a post to flag any content that you feel we need to be aware of. We'll review everything reported as a priority and deal with it accordingly. Thank you.

Neco Shay Williams

Gyros Peter

Gyros Peter

Sauce salad?
Red Dog in a Forest said:
This was on The Athletic:

Neco Williams starting involvement:

L 0-2 Newcastle (WB)

L 0-2 Tottenham (WB)

L 0-6 Man City. (WB)

L 2-3 Bournemouth (WB)

L 2-3 Fulham (WB)

L 0-4 Leicester (WB)

Finally Dropped !!

L 0-1 Wolves (RB)

D 2-2 v Brentford (LB)

L 1-4 Blackpool! (RB)

L 0-2 Man Utd (RB)

W 1-0 Leeds (RB) - Moved at HT as he was so poor!

L 0-4 West Ham (RB)

1 W 1 D 10 L F 8 A 33

Not much else to say?

-------------------------

He's obviously not the only one under-performing, but that's almost Gareth Bale LB level performances (before we nearly signed him).
Click to expand...
Where's the West Ham, Liverpool and Blackburn wins in that list? Draws against Everton and Brighton too. While we have lost more with him in the side that record is wrong - he's 4 wins, 3 draws and 10 defeats (and W8 D7 L13 with sub appearances included.
 
Major Oak Morgan

Major Oak Morgan

First Team Squad
Steve B said:
He needs to come out fighting then and show some spirit and initiative and stop hesitating all the time.
Click to expand...
And the fans need to encourage him, not jump on him if he makes a mistake. I don’t think he’s lazy.

Man City atmos was amazing but there were still some miserable fukkerz sat in front of me desperate to moan. I don’t understand the psychology of it. Results show that the fans getting behind the team yields better performances - this goes for individual players too.
 
Statto

Statto

Free Kick Specialist
So I was looking at some highlights reels of TAA last night, whom Neco was understudy to at Liverpool, and who is widely considered one of the best full backs in the world.

He can't defend either. So much of it is him running back from being out of position (probably because it's also his game to push forward like a winger) and then he has to sprint back and make a challenge having conceded a lot of ground to the attack.

Neco has clearly seen this during the years both of them were training at Liverpool and learned from it but in reality he needs to be more Lodi and Aurier than TAA.

For a start, he isn't as fast.

Could explain a lot
 
Omar Devone Little

Omar Devone Little

Mr Realistic
Statto said:
So I was looking at some highlights reels of TAA last night, whom Neco was understudy to at Liverpool, and who is widely considered one of the best full backs in the world.

He can't defend either. So much of it is him running back from being out of position (probably because it's also his game to push forward like a winger) and then he has to sprint back and make a challenge having conceded a lot of ground to the attack.

Neco has clearly seen this during the years both of them were training at Liverpool and learned from it but in reality he needs to be more Lodi and Aurier than TAA.

For a start, he isn't as fast.

Could explain a lot
Click to expand...

He's actually had very little senior football for someone of his age (21). Put it this way, almost half of his entire senior appearances (not starts) have come this season for us. He's played 60 less senior games than Johnson who is almost exactly the same age.

Then you look at who his experience has been with, Liverpool during their pomp over the last few years and Fulham who pissed the Championship last season. He'll have never really had to defend in the way he's had to this season for us.

So I have a degree of sympathy with him, in that he's been put in a situation he's just not equipped for. But then it begs the question as to who in their right mind at the club thought 13 Premier League appearances with Liverpool, mostly as sub, and half a season at Fulham would be adequate for being first choice full back/wing back in a relegation dogfight.
 
T

Timothy Pope

I know that Nuno that I know that Nuno that I know
He’s also prior to the World Cup got 26 full Welsh caps (according to Wiki). So he’s played at a high level.

Cooper obviously has faith in Williams achieving his potential. Maybe he’s going to need first team experience at this level to achieve it? Just as Johnson had to learn that way.
 
Statto

Statto

Free Kick Specialist
S Peel from Gedling said:
He’s also prior to the World Cup got 26 full Welsh caps (according to Wiki). So he’s played at a high level.

Cooper obviously has faith in Williams achieving his potential. Maybe he’s going to need first team experience at this level to achieve it? Just as Johnson had to learn that way.
Click to expand...
personally I would loan him to a top CH side for next season but that depends on bringing in 2 more RBs.

He needs experience, he needs coaching, the issues he has are tactical not capability, he needs to learn what to do in certain situations and the only way is playing.

But we can't afford him making too many mistakes for us like he has been.
 
Otis Redding

Otis Redding

Try A Little Tenderness
Omar Devone Little said:
it begs the question as to who in their right mind at the club thought 13 Premier League appearances with Liverpool, mostly as sub, and half a season at Fulham would be adequate for being first choice full back/wing back in a relegation dogfight.
Click to expand...
I'm sure you know full well who was the driving-force behind Neco's signing Omar, so why not come straight out and have a pop at Steve instead of trying to skirt around it.

I've absolutely no doubts that he's playing under the right coach in order to fulfill his obvious potential.
 
Last edited:
Statto

Statto

Free Kick Specialist
Otis Redding said:
I'm sure you know full well who was the driving-force behind Neco's signing Omar, so why not come straight out and have a pop at Steve instead of trying to skirt around it.

I've absolutely no doubts that he's playing under the right coach in order to fulfill his obvious potential.
Click to expand...
he is definitely a SC signing and there's definitely plenty of potential. SC would have coached NW in the age group sides at Liverpool and is not only one of the best coaches at developing players in general but also would know specifically how to help Neco.

But it isn't going to be something which happens overnight. Right now Omar is right that he's not experienced or good enough for what we need.

SC is also new to the PL and needs to adapt and improve as a manager.

I think generally speaking the club underestimated what was needed which is evident in the more recent experienced transfers.
 
Omar Devone Little

Omar Devone Little

Mr Realistic
S Peel from Gedling said:
He’s also prior to the World Cup got 26 full Welsh caps (according to Wiki). So he’s played at a high level.
Click to expand...

Is that because he's been playing at a high level and has earned his caps or is it because Wales have nobody else to call up?

The fact he was called up by Wales at 19 having played just handful of games for Liverpool, probably in the League Cup, suggests the latter.
 
N

NFFCForeverRed

First Team Squad
Red Dog in a Forest said:
This was on The Athletic:

Neco Williams starting involvement:

L 0-2 Newcastle (WB)

L 0-2 Tottenham (WB)

L 0-6 Man City. (WB)

L 2-3 Bournemouth (WB)

L 2-3 Fulham (WB)

L 0-4 Leicester (WB)

Finally Dropped !!

L 0-1 Wolves (RB)

D 2-2 v Brentford (LB)

L 1-4 Blackpool! (RB)

L 0-2 Man Utd (RB)

W 1-0 Leeds (RB) - Moved at HT as he was so poor!

L 0-4 West Ham (RB)

1 W 1 D 10 L F 8 A 33

Not much else to say?

-------------------------

He's obviously not the only one under-performing, but that's almost Gareth Bale LB level performances (before we nearly signed him).
Click to expand...
Christ that is worrying for Sunday !
 
Gyros Peter

Gyros Peter

Sauce salad?
NFFCForeverRed said:
Christ that is worrying for Sunday !
Click to expand...
They've ignored 3 more wins and a draw!
Omar Devone Little said:
From a very small pool.
Click to expand...
I run the risk of sounding like I'm defending a player who I so far don't really like if I'm honest - he's reactionary (which I don't really like to see in a defender) and so far has not justified the price tag. However...

It's clear he was bought in for his potential, rightly or wrongly ahead of Spence, who so far looks to have similar issues defensively but is better at the side of the game they are both supposed to be good at... and he hasn't played more than twenty minutes at this level, so can't really compare.

It's also clear that Cooper trusts him to some degree, since he keeps using him here and there where other options are available - he rightly isn't first choice though. We have to take the long game here - he isn't justifying the price tag now but the aim has to be to do that over the course of his contract. Let's hope he doesv- Cooper clearly thinks he can be an asset.

I'm also surprised the Athletic have listed those stats, since a minute on a site like soccerbase confirm they're wrong. Poor to use them against a player, especially a young lad. And while not sure how many cup games we've won, surely the most any player can have on their record at the minute is about 10? Think we're won 6 in the league?
 
Tobias

Tobias

Jack Burkitt
Omar Devone Little said:
Is that because he's been playing at a high level and has earned his caps or is it because Wales have nobody else to call up?

The fact he was called up by Wales at 19 having played just handful of games for Liverpool, probably in the League Cup, suggests the latter.
Click to expand...
They also had Chris Gunter in their squad ready to play fullback. He's a player I liked during his time at Forest, but he's now playing in League Two with Wimbledon. How many other countries had a fourth-division player in their squads? Wales were comfortably the worst country at the tournament.
 
Statto

Statto

Free Kick Specialist
Tobias said:
They also had Chris Gunter in their squad ready to play fullback. He's a player I liked during his time at Forest, but he's now playing in League Two with Wimbledon. How many other countries had a fourth-division player in their squads? Wales were comfortably the worst country at the tournament.
Click to expand...
I was wondering if Wales had anyone other than Williams and Gunter who played RB. But doesn't he play LB as well for them?
 
DizzyBala

DizzyBala

Jack Armstrong
Reality is with Neco, he'd played 27 games of first team football and we decided he was worth the £17m that Liverpool were asking for him. Spence was never an option from the moment Tottenham were interested or we would have signed him.

Spence was good going forward and while defensively he wasn't so great, he had blistering pace to the point where he could quickly recover and chase down even the quickest players. Neco doesn't have any of that. He runs out of ideas going forward, he's not resolute at defending and he's not especially fast either.

Yes, he's an international but all due respect to Wales, so was Jonny Williams, Joe Allen, Aaron Ramsey and Wayne Hennessey.

I actually think Steve Cooper is getting the best out of him, I don't see anything in the lad that makes me think he's going to push on beyond if I'm honest.
 
Omar Devone Little

Omar Devone Little

Mr Realistic
DizzyBala said:
Reality is with Neco, he'd played 27 games of first team football and we decided he was worth the £17m that Liverpool were asking for him. Spence was never an option from the moment Tottenham were interested or we would have signed him.

Spence was good going forward and while defensively he wasn't so great, he had blistering pace to the point where he could quickly recover and chase down even the quickest players. Neco doesn't have any of that. He runs out of ideas going forward, he's not resolute at defending and he's not especially fast either.

Yes, he's an international but all due respect to Wales, so was Jonny Williams, Joe Allen, Aaron Ramsey and Wayne Hennessey.

I actually think Steve Cooper is getting the best out of him, I don't see anything in the lad that makes me think he's going to push on beyond if I'm honest.
Click to expand...

Yep, if we stay up I think the summer will tell us a lot. Cooper has shown a ruthless streak at times with O'Brien and Cook particularly so if he doesn't rate him I don't see him keeping him around. Needs must at the moment though unfortunately.
 
Gyros Peter

Gyros Peter

Sauce salad?
DizzyBala said:
I'll go with Fin then! :ROFLMAO:
Click to expand...
He'll be a decent player in time - real shame his loan has been detailed by injury.

It's funny - I went to see the u21s and was thinking at the time how it's impressive how far the likes of Johnson and Williams have got to gain the first team and international games they have. They're miles ahead in terms of development.
 
Tobias

Tobias

Jack Burkitt
Gyros Peter said:
He'll be a decent player in time - real shame his loan has been detailed by injury.

It's funny - I went to see the u21s and was thinking at the time how it's impressive how far the likes of Johnson and Williams have got to gain the first team and international games they have. They're miles ahead in terms of development.
Click to expand...
It's easy to lose perspective with Brennan sometimes - he's younger than Ateef Konate, a member of our U23s who just made his professional debut with Oxford United in the third tier.

Panzo and Back have both looked very good the few times I've seen them this season. Panzo has been out for 4 games with an injury but is expected to play again soon. Back is expected to return in late March, so all being well he'll get a few more games this season and experience a promotion with Carlisle.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom