On 28/12/2024 at 08:34, nonotnowjim said:

Is he not still our first or second top scorer this season? He CAN play up front, and he would score loads of goals if given the opportunities (starts/minutes) that the Donkey has been given. 

He is better than Jackson at everything. 

Better finisher. Better at dribbling. Better at controlling and passing. Better at running in behind. 

I would say the only area they are close is heading and winning physical duels - where they both seem pretty poor. 

If we break down the areas of the game - Nkunku is better. If we break down the whole/collective - Nkunku is better. If we break down only the vital key areas for a striker - Nkunku is better.

So Maresca is either a) too stubborn or inflexible or b) he is getting orders from up top who want Chris gone to reduce the wages.  

Just think about this - we are forcing a genuinely class player out of the club, because we keep backing a player who most agree is inferior in every way.  

It is madness.

LOL.

Nkunku should never lead the line for us again after yesterdays showing. 

48 minutes ago, Ukraine Bolt said:

LOL.

Nkunku should never lead the line for us again after yesterdays showing. 

I suppose that comes down to other options. We have Guiu, Nkunku and Felix who can all lead the line for us. None of them are perfect, but all are good footballers who give different things. Guiu chases eveything. Chris is a cracking finisher. Felix is a player with touch, vision and audacity to try something different. All 3 can do a job for us, and should be more integrated into the first team. 

instead Maresca keeps selecting the Donkey for some reason - a player with no positive traits.

Sell Nkunku whilst his name still has some value.

10 minutes ago, The Boehly Babes said:

Sell Nkunku whilst his name still has some value.

Gone in 2 weeks from now.

Buying a real striker is an absolute must.

1 hour ago, nonotnowjim said:

I suppose that comes down to other options. We have Guiu, Nkunku and Felix who can all lead the line for us. None of them are perfect, but all are good footballers who give different things. Guiu chases eveything. Chris is a cracking finisher. Felix is a player with touch, vision and audacity to try something different. All 3 can do a job for us, and should be more integrated into the first team. 

instead Maresca keeps selecting the Donkey for some reason - a player with no positive traits.

Imo, only you, just and a few others refuse to see his positive traits mate but he does have them.

I like nkunku, he provides the manager with a different option. But mate he can't lead the line! He isn't a #9. Jackson in the 20 odd mins he had as a sub, ended up in better scoring positions than nkunku did for the whole game but typical jacko just couldn't finish.

Nkunku is definitely more refined but Jackson at least put the effort in to learn where a #9 should be or should do, remember he started as a LW. 

Guiu, I like a lot but he's not ready for the PL yet. He's a natural #9 and will be amazing when he's ready. But to place that pressure on an 18yr old now when he isn't ready might have a negative affect on him, and even I wouldn't risk that, regardless how bad we are/were losing. I imagine he would have gotten minutes instead of jacko if we were leading and just coasting along.

Felix as a #9!?

I don't know about that mate...I have never seen him as a proper #9. Even this season when he played he's a #10/second striker. More pockets than occupying/running the cbs ragged even if he was "lined" up as a #9.

Regardless of all that...

Really disappointed with nkunku. How many times has the manager said players need to take their chance and be ready when called upon! He showed fk all effort (tbh so did a lot of the team) and no fkn ambition or drive. 

You keep calling Jackson a donkey, well at least he puts in the effort mate and unfortunately for some weird reason you can't see that. He's put the effort into learning a new position and doing what hes been told to do. And again, in the 20min cameo yesterday ended up in better positions to score than nkunku did for his 80 odd mins.

What we need imho and I've said this from the start, is someone to mentor jacko and to challenge him for the #9, make each other better. Guiu would be that person if he was older but he's part of the next generation. We need someone now.

Shame, I really wanted nkunku to show he can step up. It's shocking tbh, in all the time he's been with us he still hasn't picked up how a #9 moves! Really disappointed in him. 

Edited December 31, 20241 yr by Simplymo

What a disappointment this guy has been. We bought him in hope he would be the one to secure us more goals, but he's been a flop. Apart from scoring goals against low level European sides, he's another Bundesliga flop like Werner was. All the hype, but just not showing he's capable at this level in England. 

One good season in the Bundesliga and people call him world class.

Needs to go to Bayern or PSG. Perhaps even Spurs or Man U.

1 hour ago, Simplymo said:

Imo, only you, just and a few others refuse to see his positive traits mate but he does have them.

Simply unfair Simply. I have said many times I would be OK to have Jackson as a squad option. But he would more often than not be used as a LW, which, as you rightly point out, is his natural position. I think he is worth some minutes in that position with a proper centre-forward, (that's one who can hold the ball up, head the ball, anticipate and react in the box, bash up defenders, cut across defenders to the near post crosses and of course, finish a reasonable percentage of chances), playing alongside him. Jackson has some decent traits namely his pace and the ability to operate out wide. But it's as plain as day, he simply isn't a centre-forward Simply.

3 hours ago, nonotnowjim said:

I suppose that comes down to other options. We have Guiu, Nkunku and Felix who can all lead the line for us. None of them are perfect, but all are good footballers who give different things. Guiu chases eveything. Chris is a cracking finisher. Felix is a player with touch, vision and audacity to try something different. All 3 can do a job for us, and should be more integrated into the first team. 

instead Maresca keeps selecting the Donkey for some reason - a player with no positive traits.

I know I am in the minority but I would give Guiu a run of games as our striker.

1 hour ago, axman2526 said:

I know I am in the minority but I would give Guiu a run of games as our striker.

He certainly can't be any worse than the Donkey. 

Oh, he can. As we perfectly saw with Broja last season when we begged Poch to play him. 

1 minute ago, Sconnie Blue said:

Oh, he can. As we perfectly saw with Broja last season when we begged Poch to play him. 

I would prefer us to play with 10 men than have this fraud up front for us. Where is Broja 

15 minutes ago, Sconnie Blue said:

Oh, he can. As we perfectly saw with Broja last season when we begged Poch to play him. 

Such a sad waste of talent. That injury really killed his top level career.

19 minutes ago, nonotnowjim said:

I would prefer us to play with 10 men than have this fraud up front for us. Where is Broja 

Funny enough we practically played with 10 men last night given how woeful Nkunku is at ST. 

4 hours ago, Gordon Bennett said:

One good season in the Bundesliga and people call him world class.

Needs to go to Bayern or PSG. Perhaps even Spurs or Man U.

I am yet to witness a Bundesliga player replicate the same quality in the Premier League. I could be wrong, but I just don't remember any. 

3 minutes ago, Sunspear_88 said:

I am yet to witness a Bundesliga player replicate the same quality in the Premier League. I could be wrong, but I just don't remember any. 

Klinsmann and Ballack would be the two that most come to mind ... 

 

<< EDIT: actually quite a few others  ... De Bruyne, Kompany, Heung-min Son, Haaland, Firmino, Gundogan (pt 1), Dzeko, Leroy Sane, even Auba when he went to Arsenal >> 

Edited December 31, 20241 yr by Sexyfootball

Club want Nkunku to ask to leave before we let him go, so says Fabrizio.

There is a great player in there, but some times things just don’t fit. Unfortunate with the injury and perhaps best all move on. 

11 hours ago, Sunspear_88 said:

I am yet to witness a Bundesliga player replicate the same quality in the Premier League. I could be wrong, but I just don't remember any. 

Son ? Haaland?

I'm so gutted this transfer hasn't worked out so far, suffered bad injuries in his first season and has been been treated like  sh*t to accommodate worse players.

This being said, if he truly doesn't fit the system and if selling him means we get a real striker to replace Jackson then I think we'll have to, but it'll be painful watching him flourish at any other club he goes to.

4 hours ago, timetowaste said:

I'm so gutted this transfer hasn't worked out so far, suffered bad injuries in his first season and has been been treated like  sh*t to accommodate worse players.

This being said, if he truly doesn't fit the system and if selling him means we get a real striker to replace Jackson then I think we'll have to, but it'll be painful watching him flourish at any other club he goes to.

Aside from padding his bank balance his move here has, unfortunately been, a giant waste of time for his career.

 

On 31/12/2024 at 14:24, just said:

Simply unfair Simply. I have said many times I would be OK to have Jackson as a squad option. But he would more often than not be used as a LW, which, as you rightly point out, is his natural position. I think he is worth some minutes in that position with a proper centre-forward, (that's one who can hold the ball up, head the ball, anticipate and react in the box, bash up defenders, cut across defenders to the near post crosses and of course, finish a reasonable percentage of chances), playing alongside him. Jackson has some decent traits namely his pace and the ability to operate out wide. But it's as plain as day, he simply isn't a centre-forward Simply.

Sry mate, I must have got the posters mixed up dude. I blame all the meds I'm on. Lol

I actually like that idea too. A proper #9 coming in with wacko on the LW. He's fast and gives us another different option on the wing. Also jacko can polish up on how to be a proper #9 from him just in case of injury or giving the guy a rest. Imho he really needs a mentor or someone to challenge and learn from.

In rgds to nkunku, I just posted up a reply in the match thread. It's really annoying he didn't take his chance imo, ugh want to give him one of those friend slaps and wake him the fk up. He's better than that.

(I'll grab that post and link it below...)

 

Which again, imo, brings us back full circle to having an experienced and mature player in the squad. A leader who's been there and done that, and we've had a few, if only we kept just one or two on the books instead of a full clear out. Unfortunately I believe the owners underestimated that part, the leadership bit, and think the coaches can "create" those leaders from kids in 3 or 4 seasons.

Maybe in baseball or whatever sport it is they have franchises in but not in footy. Experience, maturity and leadership count for so much more in footy compared to those sports where they pause between each play or have a leader figure constantly in their ear. 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 2, 20251 yr by Simplymo

On 01/01/2025 at 04:36, timetowaste said:

I'm so gutted this transfer hasn't worked out so far, suffered bad injuries in his first season and has been been treated like  sh*t to accommodate worse players.

This being said, if he truly doesn't fit the system and if selling him means we get a real striker to replace Jackson then I think we'll have to, but it'll be painful watching him flourish at any other club he goes to.

Does seem he lost some explosiveness. Can blame it on the injury or him being disinterested. 

Elephant in the room is that he anticipated to be the main man here when he was signed. Got injured, and then Palmer came to take that mantle, with the team built around him instead. 

7 hours ago, Sconnie Blue said:

Does seem he lost some explosiveness. Can blame it on the injury or him being disinterested. 

Elephant in the room is that he anticipated to be the main man here when he was signed. Got injured, and then Palmer came to take that mantle, with the team built around him instead. 

I think he probably more miffed Jackson is ahead of him.

Looks to be heading towards the exit door. Really gutted this hasn't worked, class player, that never really had his chelsea career take off. Would've been lethal off a front man under Tuchel. 

Could see this coming a mile off though, he is on the old style contract, same as Chukwuemeka, and Chilwell, so there is very little chance they would renew for a pay cut, with the bonus incentives. 

James, Cucurella, and Fofana will be the last 3 on those old contracts...