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Player Archie Gray
- Thread starter The Fighting Cock
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Your namesake would love him
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Leader at 20 years of age
He’s got the physique to play as a 6 but he doesn’t cover ground particularly quickly, or read the game particularly well. He’s not shown that aggressive tenacity and ability to sniff danger and move quickly ti snuff it out.
And again, he’s not got much press resistance, so can’t help much in transition from cb’s through midfield.
And his passing is nothing special either.
I just don’t see what tools he’s got that make him a cert for any midfield remit going forward.
Bayern paid real money for Palhinha
And more bizarrely, people want the club to keep Palinha here.
Surely those people have all disappeared by now, no? It was a stance a while ago but I’m pretty sure it died off.
You still see some in the wild, every game when the team sheets come up you see people that say he has to play. I had the Pal debate last week with someone. It's quite frankly, unbelievable at this stage. I don't think I've ever seen a worse footballer.
Oh, TheSpurEst is a big fan of his. That says about enough.
I never wanted him. I remember the predictable good start where the people who had been dubious about him got tagged (like every time) but now I think as usual, time answers all questions and it’s pretty obvious to I’d say 90% of fans that he’s extremely limited and was a classic Spurs opportunistic purchase because easy to sign and available.
Every time we make one of these shit signings you tend to get a cohort who will tell you till they’re blue in the face that it’s a “pragmatic” “sensible” buy. It just is what it is.
Anyway it isn’t his thread. I much prefer Gray to him.
There's certainly not much "logic" about my feelings about Archie Gray. I pretty much agree withbus-conductor 's assessment and yet... and yet... I just think the kid's got something.
I'm just not sure how to quantify it because there's no attribute he possesses that I can point to and say "that's elite". So I totally get the frustration.
He comes across really well and he’s clearly mature and hard working. He’s not been drawn in to the ill discipline or straight up giving up others have. These are good traits. He’s also physical and clearly quite intelligent or he wouldn’t have been asked by numerous managers to fill in multiple positions, even if he hasn’t necessarily massively shone in them.
I can see why people like him. I personally think despite all that I’m just not seeing something which will one day explode. I can definitely see a Milner or Barry type, which isn’t an insult as both had brilliant premier league careers and were parts of title winning sides, they just weren’t stars. I don’t see Gray ever being a star. I’d love him to, not just for Spurs but for England.
I think of our squad only Bergvall has genuinely elite potential. He’s miles and miles off it now but I could see it. BC disagrees with me on this too I think. Maybe Van de Ven too, but I’ve cooled on him a bit as athletically he’s insane but his box defending and aerial ability is really not good, and I think I’ve been lulled a bit by him being really good at the sexiest bits of being a centre back.
Think I agree with all of that. And you're right if Gray can get anywhere near the levels of a Milner or a Barry type (very good examples actually - no elite characteristics but just very very good at what they do) he's exactly what we need.
It's just all the other stuff we need that seems so far off at the moment...
Am I right that you and BC differed on Rice too, just because I know Gray has been talked about as having the potential to be a similar style player?
I think a lot of it is just people searching for positives. You get the occasional manager/player that the entire fanbase collectively doesn't want (e.g. Gattuso) but the overwhelming majority will have a lot of people looking on the brightside, defending the purchase, when they're announced. Signing players is exciting and people want to have hope and not feel the club's shat the bed.
I usually try to do the same tbh. I was dead against Gallagher but when we signed him I tried to look for the positives and hoped he'd at least provide some leadership, goals, etc. Nah, turns out it really was just a pointless waste of money after all
The issue us when people dig in and then can't accept they were wrong.
Along with Bergvall and Tel, probably the only player that seems to give a damn. Sadly like Tel he doesn't seem to be very good. Happy for him to be involved for Champo next season though.
Not sure I've seen simpler mind in my life than you, mate.
You can now stop obsessing about me, feelings are not mutual, sorry
.Based on this season every single player can be thumped to mud. Literally. Every player that played for us (only potential exemption being maybe Solanke). Yes, that does include also Palhinha.
Team is in total mess and there is no midfield. There is not enough ball control, there is not enough passing ability, there is not enough movement. And thus Xavi looks totally useless player and at times Palhinha too. I do believe in functioning side both could actually do much better.
But then there are also some intellectually challenged people who do not think that having a defensive contribution in the midfield is worth anything and only thing that matters is passing. Not my battle to educate imbeciles rly.
P.S "don't think i've seen worse footballer" - talks about defensive CM that has 8 goal contributions... while we have supposed striker on loan with 7 goal contributions
P.P.S "don't think i've seen worse footballer".... goes to check the player ratings across whole season... to see all the fans collectively voting him to 3rd highest place from the current squad. Ok
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What's your PS got to do with his ability to play the bal? He's a big boy, popped up a few times, having an anomaly in terms of that, great. But being in the bottom 10th percentile for basically any state that indicates ball playing ability, means you're a poor technician. That's fact, friendo.Not sure I've seen simpler mind in my life than you, mate.
You can now stop obsessing about me, feelings are not mutual, sorry
Based on this season every single player can be thumped to mud. Literally. Every player that played for us (only potential exemption being maybe Solanke). Yes, that does include also Palhinha.
Team is in total mess and there is no midfield. There is not enough ball control, there is not enough passing ability, there is not enough movement. And thus Xavi looks totally useless player and at times Palhinha too. I do believe in functioning side both could actually do much better.
But then there are also some intellectually challenged people who do not think that having a defensive contribution in the midfield is worth anything and only thing that matters is passing. Not my battle to educate imbeciles rly.
P.S "don't think i've seen worse footballer" - talks about defensive CM that has 8 goal contributions... while we have supposed striker on loan with 7 goal contributions
P.P.S "don't think i've seen worse footballer".... goes to check the player ratings across whole season... to see all the fans collectively voting him to 3rd highest place from the current squad. Ok
Your PPS is from people who were blinded by his sliding about the pitch, thinking that made him a good player. Thankfully people have woken up to the realization that we're as bad defensively with, or without him, but much worse when it comes to being able to progress the ball and create attacking chances. And I take the opinions of most people here with a huge pinch of salt, most of it is brain-dead nonsense.
He's a dreadful footballer. And even as bad as the idiots that run this circus are, he won't be back here next year, thank God. Acquiring average dross like him for years are why we're in this mess. But it's the likes of you that celebrate this mediocrity and make excuses for it, you know, the intellectually challenged type, to steal your quip, who let the club get away with it for so long.
Just to respectively provide a counter point, as someone far removed from English football in general, I find it really surprising how quick fans are to bin players as well, especially early career ones.
What I really like about Archie is that he seems very level headed, and just does what is asked of him. He's not going to be at the superstar level, but will be a very good, and reliable one.
Given how many positions we are asking him to cover right now if he ever becomes captain of the club he is going to be immense because he'll understand damn near every role.
And not be great at any of them.
I like Archie, do I think he's essentially a regen of Winks, Skipp, Mason, Carroll? Potentially, which is to say I think our level right now and we could do alot worse than a player who is hard working, honest and quietly has his tidy moments. I do think his potential is higher than the crop I just named and the likes of Mason/Bentaleb dug poch out of a hole in his first season. I do think Archie would look stronger in a better team with a proper ball progresser next to him.
In a way I feel like we are back to that in the sense that we have a group of toxic senior players who either aren't performing, are mentally checked out or simply not good enough and relying on honest youth who give a shit can be a springboard onto something better, all depends on who we get next to manage and if we get relegated.
In a way I feel like we are back to that in the sense that we have a group of toxic senior players who either aren't performing, are mentally checked out or simply not good enough and relying on honest youth who give a shit can be a springboard onto something better, all depends on who we get next to manage and if we get relegated.