Sam Saunders

[NorthamptonBee]

I must have missed something but I feel he puts in a shift when defending.Positionally he may roam around but on balance what he gives to us far outweighs his shortcomings.

It's lovely, isn't it. Perhaps "the plan" is deeply sowed into people now.
I'm sick of it.....

 

[robBEEh]

He's lucky that NF allows him such a free role, I am not sure many managers would and not just AS.

We're lucky that NF has the intelligence/understanding/balls to allow him this

 

[beebopalula]

I'd go further and play 4-5-1 with Sam given total freedom to roam at will around the sole striker. It would permit Grabban to come in and I think Sam has the capacity to do a hell of a lot of damage in this role.

 

[condorman]

I do think there were times yesterday when, under pressure for large periods, we needed him back in a more orthodox role on the right. As long as he does this when required then we certainly look better with him in the team

 

[slipmark]

i think he may start to do more on the defensive side now that he has had a run of games to gain some match fitness,but at the same time i want to see him in their half as much as poss.

 

[jlove]

God, there's some rubbish on here! Saunders can be difficult to accommodate in a side but the current stand-in manager, the previous manager and D&R's manager found a way of doing it. If the rest of the team get to understand how he works, then he can be a player who makes a real difference to a match. The other side of the coin is that he also needs to take some responsibility; this means that there are times in a match when sticking to an area, marking your man and supporting others is required. It's not too difficult to understand, is it?

I've posted it many times but I still believe that, in a squad of 25, we need a proper right winger... not a right-footed player who's young and a bit quick who can play out there. We don't have a right side equivalent of Weston.

 

[Ambrose_1889]

I've posted it many times but I still believe that, in a squad of 25, we need a proper right winger... not a right-footed player who's young and a bit quick who can play out there. We don't have a right side equivalent of Weston.

Byrne looks promising.

 

[detours]

I've posted it many times but I still believe that, in a squad of 25, we need a proper right winger... not a right-footed player who's young and a bit quick who can play out there. We don't have a right side equivalent of Weston.

To be fair, you dont come across Westons all that often.

I think Sam has been great lately, but his 'flair' and 'roaming' can simply be him not keeping the shape properly. Having him and Weston on the same side at times is doesn't really make the attack twice as powerful, it means that if we need to shift the emphasis of the attack we have no one on the other flank.

Nicky should allow Saunders to drift into the middle, but no further.

 

[jlove]

Byrne looks promising.

According to THFC Nathan Byrne is a "versatile defender or midfielder". That's my point; you'd never describe Weston as that - he's a winger. I appreciate that you don't come across Westons all that often, like you don't come across 20-goal a season strikers. Sam Saunders is a great asset but I'd still like to see a proper right winger in the squad.

 

[Paulo Bee]

According to THFC Nathan Byrne is a "versatile defender or midfielder".

According to a certain Director Byrne was a centre back... His judgement was swiflty changed when a 3"2 Byrne entered the pitch on Saturday...

 

[NorthamptonBee]

I can't work out if that Byrne cameo was sheer genius or a bit comical, he lost the ball a few times, one where the RB had overlapped and had that mazy run with a poor shot at the end.

 

[nick logan]

I can't work out if that Byrne cameo was sheer genius or a bit comical, he lost the ball a few times, one where the RB had overlapped and had that mazy run with a poor shot at the end.

I agree, he had a nice couple of runs but sloppy passes nearly cost us 2 points.

 

[hanworthbee]

I was having awful flashbacks to Isiaah Rankin when he kept tripping over his own feet and from what I saw I wasn't overly impressed

 

[brighton bee]

I think with some young players it takes a while to find their natural position. Whos to say that Myles wasnt also tried out at LB or anywhere else when he was starting out

 

[Debut1949]

I think Sam has been great lately, but his 'flair' and 'roaming' can simply be him not keeping the shape properly. Having him and Weston on the same side at times is doesn't really make the attack twice as powerful, it means that if we need to shift the emphasis of the attack we have no one on the other flank.

Nicky should allow Saunders to drift into the middle, but no further.

It has been fashionable for football commentators to talk about "the shape" as though football has to be played to a set template to be successful.

In practice fashions in football change and there is no such template. Successful teams adapt the way that they play to suit the strengths or otherwise of the players within the team and to counteract problems posed by the opposition.

Saunders' "roaming" introduces a degree of enterprise, interest and pro-activity into the Bees' play that is almost certainly most unsettling for opposing players as they need to think carefully how they handle the unusual problem. If no opposing player tracks him onto the left the Bees will often have a man over in that area which they can exploit. If he is tracked the likelihood is that space will be created for the strikers whilst if he is closely man-marked the opposition cannot so easily "double up" on Weston.

It would be a most retrograde step to dictate that Saunders should not roam onto the opposite flank. Nicky Forster and the team will be well aware that there are other equally enterprising ways of utilising any space on the right that has been left free by Saunders' "roaming".

 

[The Pipe]

It has been fashionable for football commentators to talk about "the shape" as though football has to be played to a set template to be successful.

In practice fashions in football change and there is no such template. Successful teams adapt the way that they play to suit the strengths or otherwise of the players within the team and to counteract problems posed by the opposition.

Saunders' "roaming" introduces a degree of enterprise, interest and pro-activity into the Bees' play that is almost certainly most unsettling for opposing players as they need to think carefully how they handle the unusual problem. If no opposing player tracks him onto the left the Bees will often have a man over in that area which they can exploit. If he is tracked the likelihood is that space will be created for the strikers whilst if he is closely man-marked the opposition cannot so easily "double up" on Weston.

It would be a most retrograde step to dictate that Saunders should not roam onto the opposite flank. Nicky Forster and the team will be well aware that there are other equally enterprising ways of utilising any space on the right that has been left free by Saunders' "roaming".

Excellent post

 

[NorthamptonBee]

Dickson is out of favour at Soton, get him on a season long loan and watch him fill that left wing slot should Saunders defy football law and roam. We were so easy to defend against with our rigid plan that this new found freedom thing is a breathe of fresh air.

 

[condorman]

The roaming in itself is not a problem, far from it. It can be a big asset. There are though , sometimes, periods of a game when under pressure that it would be better to ADAPT and have a more traditional formation in order to take the sting out of the opposition, have better possession ourselves etc etc where we might need Saunders to play a more orthodox role. If manager and player can recognise this then we might be on to a winner all round.

 

[Adam]

Dickson is out of favour at Soton, get him on a season long loan and watch him fill that left wing slot should Saunders defy football law and roam. We were so easy to defend against with our rigid plan that this new found freedom thing is a breathe of fresh air.

Id rather Weston and Woodman to be honest and its cheaper than an extra player on the books.

 

[NorthamptonBee]

Id rather Weston and Woodman to be honest and its cheaper than an extra player on the books.

I was meaning when Sam goes right when he should be on the left.
The left flank is empty as poor old Woodman is a half way line marauder.

 

[detours]

The roaming in itself is not a problem, far from it. It can be a big asset. There are though , sometimes, periods of a game when under pressure that it would be better to ADAPT and have a more traditional formation in order to take the sting out of the opposition, have better possession ourselves etc etc where we might need Saunders to play a more orthodox role. If manager and player can recognise this then we might be on to a winner all round.

Absolutely, when we are under the cosh having Saunders roaming about makes us weaker on whichever flank he has abandoned. In the first 20 on saturday, and the previous games Saunders trekking about the pitch has given us that extra attacking impetus. It helps us very little when we are on the defensive though.

 

[sussexb]

I can't work out if that Byrne cameo was sheer genius or a bit comical, he lost the ball a few times, one where the RB had overlapped and had that mazy run with a poor shot at the end.

I wasn't convinced, I have to say. Looked very naive, and very much like a youth team player... Hope he proves me wrong.

 

[beebopalula]

Unfortunately there is a history in this country of criticising creative players on the grounds that they don't track back, leave gaps etc. Unfortunately true creativity breaks moulds and we, as a nation , just don't seem able to cope with it. Players like Glen Hoddle, Frank Worthington, Stan Bowles etc would have played many more games internationally had they been born abroad. In fact teams would have been built around them. Personally, I'll take creativity any time as it always gives you a chance of making an opportunity. The great Jo Mercer had a simple philosophy in football which was to pick your best footballers. OK let them know where they ought to be if they lose possession but when they've got the ball, let them get on with it. Don't be dominated by fear . So get on with what you do best IMO Sam.

 

[condorman]

there is certainly a correlation - under both managers this season - between sam playing and us getting better results generally. long may it continue

 

[SmiffyBee]

I wasn't convinced, I have to say. Looked very naive, and very much like a youth team player... Hope he proves me wrong.

How many minutes did this 18 year old league debutant play before you came to this opinion ?

I'd give him a good 3 games before making any sort of judgement....


ps - he played about 17 minutes on Saturday, including added on time.

 

[bennyb]

i think sam may do better in a more central role with bryne and myles on the wings

 

[MetalBee]

i think sam may do better in a more central role with bryne and myles on the wings

To do this effectively though you'd need to have the 3 central players behind him which did work well in periods before the snow but that was also when Myles was well out of sorts.

Weston overall in playing much better now and is rightly starting games.

Saunders has been excellent overall under Forster and despite not having his best of matches in the last two you can see he was working hard but was getting bashed about all over the place.

 

[bennyb]

my thinking was somthing like


lee
nielson pim/legge osborne woodman
bryne dave bean/koc weston
saunders
simpson/gaz/chaz

 

[bennyb]

basically like spurs with sam playing the vandervaart role

 

[MetalBee]

I see where you're coming from but Alexander whilst a battler doesn't have the mobility to be the lone striker against competent defenders anymore and if you had Charlie there with Saunders behind there's the danger that they'd get muscled out of possession more often than not.

Would be open to trying it when the time is right but I think atm we need to keep two bodies up front

 

[bennyb]

i get what your saying but bringing saunders into a more central role would give us more pace in the side and for my money simpson is better than both chaz and gaz he is strong in the air and has some skill too.

 

[bennyb]

sam has got a shot on him which he would get more opportunity to use instead of getting stuck on the touchline were he struggles to beat his man. the front two arent playing that well together imho

 

[8 Bee]

i think sam may do better in a more central role with bryne and myles on the wings

No No No. Too much like the rigid AS approach with 2 wingers that had to stay on their wings.

Saunders free role is perfect for him and must be difficult for the opposition to combat as he seems to turn up anywhere on the pitch - sometimes on the same wing as Weston. Having an experienced full back such as KOC or Neilson behind him allows that flexbility as they can generally cover that flank until Sam returns to his base position.

A central midfielder would need to be more disciplined in their positional play and this would tend to stifle Sam's impact.

It's working well - don't change it. Our current weakness is more in terms of our 2 front men with Charlie seemingly having run out of steam and Alexander seemingly more interested in winding up defenders than doing something positive. Both of them need a rest but we have little proven back-up other than Simpson and ..... Forster . Get some training in Nicky - your team needs you.

 

[bennyb]

great post
very good points
what we are lacking is some real pace up front

 

[LingfieldBee]

Currently like his role on the right wing, he drifts around a bit which is fine with me, as long as he sticks to his defensive duties as well then im happy with him out on the right wing, not all wingers have to be quick, he offers much more than with his abilities.

 

[gj]

sam looked a class apart on tuesday against the best team in league one looks like he is really enjoying himself he is the player we all hoped he would be

 

[Low End Bee]

sam looked a class apart on tuesday against the best team in league one looks like he is really enjoying himself he is the player we all hoped he would be

Which is why they tried to kick him out of the game, Back handed compliment.

 

[Bigbee]

Any idea how he is ?

 

[Owlsmoor_Bee]

Any idea how he is ?

He was on crutches when we saw him after he came off :sad: Hopfully just a precaution.

 

[RitchBee]

He was on crutches when we saw him after he came off :sad: Hopfully just a precaution.

It normally is these days so hopefully he's going to be ok

 

[TwickenhamBEE]

tweaked ankle ligaments maybe couple weeks out?

 

[TwickenhamBEE]

Twisted*** my apologise

 

[sussexb]

How many minutes did this 18 year old league debutant play before you came to this opinion ?

I'd give him a good 3 games before making any sort of judgement....


ps - he played about 17 minutes on Saturday, including added on time.

Mate, I wasn't saying "take him out and shoot him, he'll never make it as a player", was just giving my honest assessment based on what I saw. You can only base your opinion on what you've seen, and reassess as he plays more.

Don't be so holier than thou.

 

[hanworthbee]

Dont think theres much chance of Sam playing tuesday

 

[Southern Bee]

Just hope he's ok for Wembley

 

[Billy Hunt]

Dont think theres much chance of Sam playing tuesday

Were you sitting on his lap when you took that picture, hanworth? :suspect:

 

[GP200]

He was on crutches when we saw him after he came off :sad: Hopfully just a precaution.

....................yep.....hopfully.......................

 

[Bigbee]

....................yep.....hopfully.......................

did you mean that ? On one leg and hopfully ?

 

[8 Bee]

Dont think theres much chance of Sam playing tuesday

Is this the latest design of boot with its own built in shinpad?

 

[hanworthbee]

Currently injured...