TWar

Yes. It wasn't a meaningful challenge for the ball and when the ball was struck by Broja there was loads of space. Then, after the ball was struck, the defender came in and clattered him. This is what they call a "late challenge" and should be a card when reckless which it was. These things aren't mutually exclusive, I'm only "all over the place" because you can't understand the simple concept of "challenging someone after the ball has gone is a foul and often a card but doesn't effect the playing of the ball as that happened before the challenge". Didn't feel I would have to explain the concept of things happening after other things to an adult today but here we are.

That's a fair opinion. I disagree but predicting into the future is super tricky. Who would have thought a young Kane or Vardy were going to be any good? Lets see what happens. I think both will have successful careers for the record, neither will likely be incredible but both are very talented. The only player I'd be willing to put my neck out and say is a superstar in the making and would be surprised if he isn't the next big thing in a few years is Livramento.

When he struck the ball he was in loads of space. He got clattered late but that wasn't a meaningful challenge for the ball and should have been a card. It doesn't effect the difficulty of the shot that he got blindsighted by a late challenge after he had already shot. Also, sorry mate, but if you call someone pompous for knowing more than you about things don't expect them not to point it out.

A rest certainly will do him good, agreed. And having three quality players competing for two positions is the dream really. We have it at fullback, we have it in the middle, and we have it up top. It's nice to see the squad actually have meaningful competition for places.

He got clattered way after the ball had been struck. By the time he makes contact the ball was already past the keeper Looks pretty unmarked to me. He did well to be unmarked, but really it was Redmonds run that pulled the CB out of position to open up the gap, he exploited the gap and that is a good trait. I'm not being negative about Broja, I think he's a good player, but off the basis off the two full games he has played saying he is ahead of Adams and Armstrong is a poor take for me. Also, it's easy to construe people as pompous or talking down to you when you aren't very bright. Talking at a normal level counts as talking down to you.

This is what we in the trade call anecdotal evidence, you will often find good players having one off poor games, they then go on and prove themselves over a long period of time. If Broja does this then fair play but saying "his bad game doesn't matter because great players also have the occasional bad game early in their career" is a silly argument because they also have many many more excellent games to offset it, Broja hasn't done that yet. Also I'm not backtracking. Broja seems decent. He has had one good game for us and one bad game. I am not rushing to put him ahead of Armstrong who I do believe is better now and I do believe has a higher ceiling. I can't prove ceiling hence why I said Broja "may become better", Armstrong could do his ACL, Broja could have a Kane-style swing and become a world star, right now Armstrong is more likely to be great for me. Broja and Armstrong is a poor idea in my opinion. Broja has nowhere near Adams' ability to pass and set up play from his current evidence. There is no point having two people who are quick and can finish and not having a player who can put them through. If our attacking mids really step up then maybe but with our current chance creation ability we need Adams.

If you think beating the keeper from 10 yards out centrally and unmarked is a "good finish" then fine, have lower standards. It was a standard finish. He could have missed it but I back any of our strikers to put that way 75+% of the time (except Long, who is nowhere near even Championship level anymore)

Well Armstrong got 28 championship goals whereas Broja got 10 in a comparable league. Broja scored and won us the game and I am as happy about that as anyone but he has now had one quite good game (I still don't think he was that great against Leeds, he got the goal which was very simple even if you don't like the word "tap in", but also wasted a couple of chances including skying it rather than playing Redmond through for an easy goal) and one shocker. Maybe you are right, and maybe he'll take off but if you take their previous seasons into account then Armstrong is firmly ahead of Broja for now.

He was 19, and playing in a completely different position. Hardly fair to write him off after that. Yes, 100%. Broja was very poor against championship opposition and to be honest he was OK against Leeds but hardly amazing. Armstrong is a better player now, certainly. Broja may become better as he is younger but he is not now at all. Saying a bunch of letters which don't mean anything isn't the dunk you think it is, it just shows you don't really understand the ones that do.

To be honest, I agree with most of this. I think Armstrongs biggest strengths haven't been shown yet and think he has a higher ceiling personally but I don't dislike Broja by any means.

Yeah I did, I thought they contributed more to our attack than he did. Contributing more to an attack isn't measurable by just who had the most shots, especially when you compare fullbacks to strikers.

Depends what you mean? Expected values are a pretty widely used statistical device across multiple fields, and are used by pretty much every analyst in the media and for clubs nowadays. If you mean "do they mean you win?", no, they don't obviously. They are like possession stats or save %, they give you a good idea of whats going on. What they demonstrate in this case is we made a bunch of chances, they weren't finished, and the one that was was statistically a very easy chance for a player who didn't actually see that many chances other than it.

Well a lot of them aren't forwards, so I doubt they shot as many times, but a lot of our dangerous moments came from one or more of them beating someone with a decent bit of skill, pace or passing, and setting the move going. If anything we weren't clinical at all with the chances being made, scoring 1 goal from an xG of 2.2, that wasn't just on Broja though, who performed basically on xG.

Eddie Howe spent a fortune at Bournemouth after coming up and it never came to anything. He over double the money in one summer (17/18...net £62m) than Ralph has in his entire saints tenure (£25m) and had other summers with net spends of £18m, £30m, £15m and £50m. They spent a fortune and never cracked 50 points (a task Ralph managed on the first time of asking). He is the definition of a lower league manager, did well with massive bankrolling to cruise past lower league opposition but no where near prem level. I have no idea honestly why people are so positive about him.

How far you run before the shot isn't taken into account generally when someone discusses a "tap in", also not sure he ran "three quarters the length of the pitch" (https://youtu.be/jxaXKjoAWkg?t=30) he was already in the Leeds half when Djenepo played Redmond through so am pretty sure he was near the half way line waiting for the break rather than anywhere near his own box. Also the defender lunging happened after the shot, it was more a late hit on the player than any realistic effort for the ball. He did have to beat the keeper, from like 10 yards out centrally with no defenders around. I'd say that counts as "largely unopposed" to me. It was the sort of goal I think any of our strikers puts in 75+% of the time (except maybe Long). I don't know if this fits your specific definition of tap in, if it doesn't then imagine I said "simple goal almost entirely made by Redmond, albeit with good positioning".

I personally think the ball coming to you unmarked in the centre of the goal, along the ground, at a good pace, to your preferred foot, about 10 yards out, and with just the keeper to beat is about as easy a finish as it comes except a literal open goal. He did finish it well but I think Adams and Armstrong both finish that most of the time too. Aside from that I don't remember him testing the keeper. Put a couple of flick ons wide from corners and skied a chance after taking a good touch. Was surprised to see people being so massively positive about him, I thought he was pretty anonymous for large spells and most of our attacking intent came from Redmond, Djenepo, Elyounoissi, Tino, and Perraud. Glad we have a more physical option with height who can hold the ball up as a target man but as an out and out striker I'd rather see Adam Armstrong.

If you score 28 goals in the championship then you are above that level and need to try your hand at the next one. He has been fine so far, has scored a goal, gotten an assist, and won a pen. He is new to the league and the team and has looked absolutely fine for me with limited service. Calling him championship quality is very very harsh. And calling Adams championship quality is ridiculous too.

I think to be honest we don't need one "Destroyer" type pure defensive midfielder. I think if both are hard working and good in the tackle (Which Diallo and JWP are) we can get away with having no pure DM and instead have two players who can also have a role in ball progression. Would be nice to not have a player who often misplaces very simple passes. Romeu can still be an option if we really need some steel.

West Ham finished 6th last season and are considerably better than Wolves.

Good points regarding the game on Tuesday! Had forgotten about that. Also it is good to have height to defend set pieces but he seemed to mainly stay up the pitch for those ready to counter so not sure we will use him that way. Maybe we could try two up top of Arma and Broja (then Arma can stay up to counter) but I think we will miss Che's passing and vision a bit.

Massively disagree with this, he got one tap in at Leeds, had a brilliant 15 mins as a sub and a woeful 90 mins against championship opposition. No where near clearly better than Adams for me. Hasn't shown any of Adams' skill with passing, positional awareness, or strength to bully players off the ball. His height is a great strength, as is his ability to spin markers (although Che does that well too) but he is more of an option for me than a first name on the team sheet. First names for me should be 1) JWP, 2) Salisu, and 3) Livramento

Broja did well against a high pressing Leeds side where we needed an out ball and also a flooded midfield and Redmond in a free role. Burnley could not be more different a prospect imo as they will sit deep, absorb pressure and try to hit us from set pieces. This calls for our best four attacking players which imo is Moi, Stu, Che, and Adam Armstrong. Djenepo and Redmond on as impact subs if we need something different. I don't think Broja is really the answer for this one as Burnley have very physical cbs who are good in the air. Playing to a target man is going to be less effective than playing through the defence with pace. Romeu and Diallo in the middle, same back 5 as today as they did well.

Liked him a lot. I think Romeu is a lot better at winning the ball still but Diallo is improving there and doesn't give it away nearly as much with sloppy passing. The future of our midfield is Diallo and JWP imo.

A dreadful take in a thread which is already a dreadful take, that takes some doing. No we are not better without jwp, if anything for a holding midfielder keeping a clean sheet at City is more impressive than against a depleted Leeds. Even if his strikers did finish a chance in one and not the other. Also Adams and Armstrong aren't championship quality and Broja scoring one tap in put on a plate for him doesn't make him better than either of them.

Agree to disagree I guess. I thought up until Djenepo came off we went Macca Livramento Bednarek Salisu Perraud ----------Romeu-------------- Elyounoussi-------Diallo Redmond-------Djenepo ---------Broja----------- In kind of an attacking 433/4141 and then after Djenepo came off we went to Macca Livramento Bednarek Salisu Perraud ----Romeu-------Diallo------- -----------Armstrong--------- Redmond-------Elyounoussi ---------Broja----------- Both with a pretty flexible front three though with Redmond often swapping with Broja who ran the channels well.