Just realized Jackson was never in a youth academy. 

Explains a lot. 

On 25/01/2025 at 19:11, nonotnowjim said:

Another brilliant Jackson performance today. How many is that without a goal now? 🫣🫢

And still some think he deserves to play! 

🤯🫏💩

Yes, we get it. His backup in Nkunku did even worse though. This is the issue. 

17 hours ago, dkw said:

Dion Dublin was another who played up front and at Centre back.

 

Seem to remember Robert Huth going up top for us under Ranieri, didn't he? Was it Monaco in the CL?

I remember when United had four strikers going into a season, Cole yorke, Solsjear, Sheringham, tevez or something like that. 

We went into the season with Nkunku, Jackson & Guiuiuiui or however, you spell the child's name. Everyone wants to piss all over Jackson because its cool to hate online but the fact is that we just never had the right tools going into the season. Broja was shipped out on loan and has been injured. We have a manager who refuses to use players he was given or inherited and has not improved the defence because he refuses to try other players or tactics that are now not working and have been found out. 

We have players in a bomb squad. We have players on loan outperforming players on our books, yet, a young man is shouldering the blame because he hasnt stuck the ball in the net enough times... And, even when he was doing it regularly, he was being called out by "fans" saying he's not good enough. If you wish ill on someone, it comes back to haunt. 

Well here we are, half way through the season and Jackson is everyones fall guy again, like last season, except he had poch ahead of him for being too spursy and not having enough tactics but had us playing much more entertaining football than Maresca currently has. 

None of this will change unless Maresca hits a winning run, or the board sell up, bring in players outside their redundant data method, or players with much larger price tags than Jackson actually start doing the job they're supposed to. Neto, Madueke, Nkunku, Fernandez, et all really need to score more or create more. They dont and that is one of the reasons we are in freefall and I say that because we're only one point off top four despite an atrocious run since December. 

 

1 hour ago, Ukraine Bolt said:

Seem to remember Robert Huth going up top for us under Ranieri, didn't he? Was it Monaco in the CL?

Ha ha yeah, same times as he put Jimmy floyd on the wing.....a very strange formation that one.

On 26/01/2025 at 15:34, nonotnowjim said:

We could do with Paul Warhurst now... Think he had spells as defender, Midfielder and Striker - but never goalie. We should get him out of retirement and let him complete football by taking over from Sanchez

Our own David Webb play3d all across the back line , goalie and I seem to think he started at centre forward too and got a hat trick

Maybe Jackson is the fall guy because we would have loads more points if he didn't keep missing sitters and getting his legs tangled up.. Every game! 

16 hours ago, Ukraine Bolt said:

Yes, we get it. His backup in Nkunku did even worse though. This is the issue. 

No - the issue is Maresca keeps picking him. The same issue with Sanchez in goal. Both decisions are costing us points

7 hours ago, nonotnowjim said:

No - the issue is Maresca keeps picking him. The same issue with Sanchez in goal. Both decisions are costing us points

Who do you pick over Jackson? Nkunku isn’t a 9 and has been abysmal whenever he plays there and Guiu has looked lost and barely touched the ball whenever he’s played against anyone that aren’t part time PT’s. 

28 minutes ago, Ukraine Bolt said:

Who do you pick over Jackson? Nkunku isn’t a 9 and has been abysmal whenever he plays there and Guiu has looked lost and barely touched the ball whenever he’s played against anyone that aren’t part time PT’s. 

It is a dilemma, and it is ridiculous for a club who have spent so much money in recent seasons to be lacking any kind of striker. All of our rivals have better and more options.

But Jackson has been that woeful, that until we sign another striker I would try a few games without one. Just play the attacking options of Palmer, and a selection of Madueke, Nkunku, Neto, Sancho and Felix and just see if with their link up play they can start scoring more goals. Couldn't be any worse than watching Jackson failing every game.

   

Mind you, Poch did the exact same thing last season.

Started Broja instead.

Tried the Palmer at ST experiment. 

 

Every option was significantly worse than Jackson. We lost our entire press when Nkunku came on which made it all the more easier for City to play in long to their attackers against our high line. 

1 minute ago, Sconnie Blue said:

Mind you, Poch did the exact same thing last season.

Started Broja instead.

Tried the Palmer at ST experiment. 

At least he tried though, I’d put you in the team over Jacko at the moment!

4 minutes ago, Mod said:

At least he tried though, I’d put you in the team over Jacko at the moment!

Agreed. Should throw Palmer on the right wing, Nkunku at the 10, and let Guiu press his absolute balls off just to see what happens. At least give something a try, like you mentioned.

45 minutes ago, mwblue10 said:

Agreed. Should throw Palmer on the right wing, Nkunku at the 10, and let Guiu press his absolute balls off just to see what happens. At least give something a try, like you mentioned.

Palmer on the right with Marsesca won't happen. He has made that clear.

46 minutes ago, axman2526 said:

Palmer on the right with Marsesca won't happen. He has made that clear.

Which again shows EM is just watching and not changing enough! Palmer under Poch was much better than Palmer under EM!

2 hours ago, Ukraine Bolt said:

Who do you pick over Jackson? Nkunku isn’t a 9 and has been abysmal whenever he plays there and Guiu has looked lost and barely touched the ball whenever he’s played against anyone that aren’t part time PT’s. 

I have answered this, multiple times over.

I am probably not the right person to ask, as I would literally choose anyone over Jackson. But from the options we currently have I would play Guiu, Felix, Chris or Noni up front, or a fluid front 3 with no fixed number 9.  Failing that I would go to Stutter. McNeilly or Richards from the u21's, or even Washington. 

Frankly it doesnt matter. The Donkey and Sanchez have both been costing us points with a string of inept performances. Both need dropping as a matter of urgency to stop them continuing to damage the team.

2 hours ago, Mod said:

Which again shows EM is just watching and not changing enough! Palmer under Poch was much better than Palmer under EM!

That's because, and many won't want to hear/agree with this, Poch is a better manager than Maresca, imo at least.

 

1 hour ago, nonotnowjim said:

I have answered this, multiple times over.

I am probably not the right person to ask, as I would literally choose anyone over Jackson. 

I really would it to be you that replaced Nico. Show him how it is done.

1 hour ago, nonotnowjim said:

I have answered this, multiple times over.

I am probably not the right person to ask, as I would literally choose anyone over Jackson. But from the options we currently have I would play Guiu, Felix, Chris or Noni up front, or a fluid front 3 with no fixed number 9.  Failing that I would go to Stutter. McNeilly or Richards from the u21's, or even Washington. 

Frankly it doesnt matter. The Donkey and Sanchez have both been costing us points with a string of inept performances. Both need dropping as a matter of urgency to stop them continuing to damage the team.

Right, so you have no serious options to throw out there, just moaning for the sake of it again. Guiu is the only one that could be considered and he's looked awful most of the time. 

Once again, the standard of your posts on here have plummeted since you took up this bit. 

26 minutes ago, axman2526 said:

I really would it to be you that replaced Nico. Show him how it is done.

Something like this probably 🙂 

 

 

8 hours ago, Ukraine Bolt said:

Right, so you have no serious options to throw out there, just moaning for the sake of it again. Guiu is the only one that could be considered and he's looked awful most of the time. 

Once again, the standard of your posts on here have plummeted since you took up this bit. 

No serious options? What - you mean orher than the 3 I have just given, which literally included 5 other first team players, and 3 from the reserves (i.e every attacking option we have). It also includes the option of a system change (front 3 - false 9).

So I seems that you would have dismissed any suggestion I made - In which case I wonder why you bothered asking for options in the first place.

Seems like you want to keep blind faith in the donkey, regardless of how bad he plays. 

5 hours ago, nonotnowjim said:

No serious options? What - you mean orher than the 3 I have just given, which literally included 5 other first team players, and 3 from the reserves (i.e every attacking option we have). It also includes the option of a system change (front 3 - false 9).

So I seems that you would have dismissed any suggestion I made - In which case I wonder why you bothered asking for options in the first place.

Seems like you want to keep blind faith in the donkey, regardless of how bad he plays. 

You listed a teenager and three players that aren't strikers. Like i said, no serious options. 

This is down to horrendous squad planning by Clearlake. 

1 hour ago, Ukraine Bolt said:

You listed a teenager and three players that aren't strikers. Like i said, no serious options. 

This is down to horrendous squad planning by Clearlake. 

But isn't it constantly mentioned whenever Jackson has another shocker, that he is apparently a winger and not a striker. By this measure the only actual striker within the first team squad is Guiu. Now i am not saying Guiu should necessarily be the starter but the horrendous Clearlake squad planning doesn't exonerate the manager from using all of the tools within his toolbox regardless of how snug a fit that they are, or are not, in the positions on the pitch. Not playing Palmer in his better position of being on the right and drifting into the half spaces, simply because you do not have faith in the full backs to be able to support and then get back is just weak management, in my book

25 minutes ago, WhiteWall said:

But isn't it constantly mentioned whenever Jackson has another shocker, that he is apparently a winger and not a striker. By this measure the only actual striker within the first team squad is Guiu. Now i am not saying Guiu should necessarily be the starter but the horrendous Clearlake squad planning doesn't exonerate the manager from using all of the tools within his toolbox regardless of how snug a fit that they are, or are not, in the positions on the pitch. Not playing Palmer in his better position of being on the right and drifting into the half spaces, simply because you do not have faith in the full backs to be able to support and then get back is just weak management, in my book

Jackson is a striker. Jackson's finishing has somehow got even worse but what he offers in build up and occupying defenders no other player in the squad can currently do up top. Its compounded by the fact that outside of Palmer everyone else seems allergic to scoring. 

21 minutes ago, WhiteWall said:

Clearlake squad planning

Using the transfer fee values on Transfermarkt, this is what they have spent to date : 

The competition for Jackson at striker is Deivid Washington, David Datro Fofana, Marc Guiu, Jimmy Jay Morgan, Dujuan Richards. I guess can always throw in Broja and call "House" LOL

 

5 hours ago, Ukraine Bolt said:

You listed a teenager and three players that aren't strikers. Like i said, no serious options. 

This is down to horrendous squad planning by Clearlake. 

The fact that you prefer the options over Jackson is clouding your judgement.  Jackson has, for a year and a half, never demonstrated that he deserves a place in the team.  He has consistently cost us points, cost us chances and has generally been poor.

 

Now - I accept that Guiu and the attacking midfielders/false 9 options are not ideal - but things do not have to be ideal to give them a try. 

Enough is enough. The Jackson experiment has gone on too long, with too little to show for it. The lack of options cannot be used as an excuse. When does it end? If Jackson sits down in the centre circle and crosses his legs for 90 mins, are you still going to say we should play him, simply because Guiu is not experienced?  It is madness. He has to be dropped. Ditto to Sanchez.