JWP...how good could he be?

How good could this kid be?

Name-checked by Hodgson to rival Wilshere in Midfield for England, one of the best prospects in FM15 in World football and all this without actually playing THAT well for us, and without knowing his true position or calling. Oh, and he’s only turned 20 a couple of weeks ago.

Does anyone think we should be more excited about him than we are? I wonder if we just expect it of him as he has been in and around the first team for the last 3 years.

If we can work out his position and get him regularly playing there (probably where Davis is currently playing) we could have a (nother) genuine world class player here. Fingers crossed he comes back soon.

wrote this before, but....

he does look the part, and is very dedicated and comes over well in interviews. His dedication to training, and of set-pieces etc, has been well-publicised.

Captaining a young England side above his age group is a good recommendation, and he doesn't look out of place despite being ....just 20 (now in Nov.).

If he gets back into the Saints side soon....and continues to improve....he might even be an outsider for a seat on the England plane to the 2016 Euros.

wrote this before, but....

 

he does look the part, and is very dedicated and comes over well in interviews. His dedication to training, and of set-pieces etc, has been well-publicised.

 

Captaining a young England side above his age group is a good recommendation, and he doesn't look out of place despite being ....just 20 (now in Nov.).

 

If he gets back into the Saints side soon....and continues to improve....he might even be an outsider for a seat on the England plane to the 2016 Euros.

I don't think he's an outsider, I reckon he will be in an Englandvsquad before the end of this season.

Good player. Main problem is he isnt good enough defensively in the holding role (not strong enough yet IMO) and in a further forward role we have more creative players who are likely to trouble defences more.

I think he is still growing and when he finds his best position his clear technical ability will be a great asset.

His best form was out on the right early last season IMO. But that wouldnt work in our setup now as the wide players need to be a goal threat.

I am genuinely looking forward to having him back, as I feel that; 1) we will need him; 2) he will benefit from playing under Koeman and the coaching team, and may well work out his best role soon; and 3) he strikes me as not only very intelligent and decent, but seems almost like a fan at times, in which case it would be great if he became a first team regular

Morgan Schneiderlin rates him very highly too! We've missed his dead ball deliveries and free kicks on goal these last few weeeks. Will always be on the team sheet of 17 and will only get better over the next couple of years. Will probably be close to legend status by the Euros - just before he breaks our hearts and leaves for Arsenal!

I wouldnt be surprised for him to fit intot the Scholes kind of role for England, whether he stays is debatable.

I wouldnt be surprised for him to fit intot the Scholes kind of role for England, whether he stays is debatable.

My trouble is, England never know what to do with players of his ilk.

For an example of this, see...well, Scholes.

I really like JWP though, think the kid is a top talent. Seems to have a good head on his shoulders too. Potential captain, if he sticks around. Though, that may be unlikely, sadly.

I wouldnt be surprised for him to fit intot the Scholes kind of role for England, whether he stays is debatable.

Shoe-horned into the left side of a flat midfield 4?

Smashing player, but now needs to define exactly what sort of player he is and in what position.

I was speaking to an ex player (Last season) and he said he was being tracked by all the big boys, including foreign clubs

Not dominant enough to play DM, and not creative enough to play in AM. There is no doubt he's got quality though but we need to find him his position. In the current system it would have to be instead of Davis in the third CM position.

I guess we haven't got overly excited about him, as he's been around 2 and half years now, but he isn't playing regularly. Certainly be interesting to see how he develops over the next few years.

Easy to forget he's already clocked up 66 appearances for Saints...

I think he's class and look forward to having him back. Seems very committed to his dream and a nice guy into the bargain. All the best to him.

I had forgotten we had him - will be good to have him back, whenever that is. With him, Jay at some time in 2015 and Sam Gallagher to come back in, that's 3 decent young English players to bolster the squad again.

I wouldnt be surprised for him to fit intot the Scholes kind of role for England, whether he stays is debatable.

What, criminally under and misused or shunted out to the left so the golden boys can play?

Shoe-horned into the left side of a flat midfield 4?

beat me to it.

What, criminally under and misused or shunted out to the left so the golden boys can play?

Nah, that wouldn't happen now. Look at Hodgson, determined to make Wilshere a DM.

Hmmm, what point was I trying to make again?

I wouldnt be surprised for him to fit intot the Scholes kind of role for England, whether he stays is debatable.

Is JWP any good at nasty, niggling fouls? I thought Harrison Reed was being lined up as the new Scholes due to his hair colouring.

When he does come back in we need a team rule that says he has first dibs at any set-piece, possibly even goal kicks. Seriously though I remember seeing him defer/be overruled by Tadic earlier in the season and there's no reason for that. Tadic has very very good delivery but JWP is exceptional.

Good player! Shame he's a skate

Think we've looked better without him, he has the habit of killing every ball that comes to him, and therefore slowing down play unnecessarily. But he is young and the potential is there.

Shoe-horned into the left side of a flat midfield 4?

For England probably yes, Woy won't play him where he's strongest at least (if he's ever picked by him). I've got a horrible feeling he'll be seen as "versatile".

Think we've looked better without him, he has the habit of killing every ball that comes to him, and therefore slowing down play unnecessarily. But he is young and the potential is there.

Agree with this. Not strong enough defensively and too cautious/limited in attack, apart from good dead ball delivery. Yes, he may improve as he matures, but seriously over-hyped at present. Would like to see Reed given the game time JWP has had over the past 3 seasons.

Written this a few times before, i personally believe we have a kid who can be as good as Paul Scholes. He is extremely talented, and outside of Morgan he's the Saints player i've seen with by far and away the most talent at such a young age.

Unfortunately, and as with Morgan, a section of our support seems to be very short sighted about him. He's not going to become a superstar overnight, and his natural game isn't the glamour game that lets people get excited about at a really young age. Instead for him you have to look at things like his ball control (which is phenomenal for a player of his age), his reading of the game and his passing/delivery.

Sadly in England a lot of fans look for pace or strength, i remember the comments about Morgan being "lightweight" when we were in league one, and people wanting him dropped for donkeys with half the natural ability he has. The discussions around JWP seem very similar to me, and my guess it's down to a lot of people never having played football to anything resembling a decent level (and for a lot the closest they get to playing it is a spreadsheet).

The good news is our backroom staff and managers know full well how good this kid is, and they're bringing him through at the right pace, what scares me the most is that he'll get sold to early and it'll stunt his development. Ultimately i think he's going to end up right at the top of the game, and that's probably not for us, but my hope is he has advisors around him clever enough to know that his best age is going to be in his mid late 20's and that he should progress slower than the "fancy winger/striker" type and work on reading the game and controlling the midfield.

Still expect a lot of our fans to write him off far too early though, but i'm fairly confident he's a future England international and technically one of the best players we have on our books at the moment.

JWP will most likely never get near Scholes level. He was a genius, JWP a good prospect and to be honest those kind of comparisons don't do JWP any favours.

For a start he has nowhere the goalscoring instinct Scholes had.

Thats not being negative, but Scholes was on a diffetent level. At 20 years old not a huge number of Saints fans would put JWP in their first choice team.

Let him develop withouy comparisons that are nigh on impossible to live up to.

Steven Davis mk2, I'd have no problem keeping him around the club if that turns out to be the case

A couple things I've picked up watch him is that JWP is an excellent passer of the ball, seriously I've seen him drop balls practically onto the foot of him team mates, and he has an eye to spot a good pass. On the down side he seems horribly weak in the tackle and gets pushed off the ball very easily. I do like the lad but right now I'm not sure I would have him in the team over any of the four senior pros we have in the central midfield positions.

JWP will most likely never get near Scholes level. He was a genius, JWP a good prospect and to be honest those kind of comparisons don't do JWP any favours.

 

For a start he has nowhere the goalscoring instinct Scholes had.

 

Thats not being negative, but Scholes was on a diffetent level. At 20 years old not a huge number of Saints fans would put JWP in their first choice team.

 

Let him develop withouy comparisons that are nigh on impossible to live up to.

I don't think Scholes had even made his debut at 20 had he?

Until he was injured he started every game - rightly so.

He is only just turned 20 and is better than Cork at most aspects of his game, and not far off in others.

At his age Scholes was just making his debut, appreciate for Man U, in league cup.

I think , not checked, that JWP played in more games than any player last season.

Read transfer threads on both Liverpool and Man U sites - fans of both want him.

Seems very balanced and dedicated lad as well.

Just needs, as matures, to make a position / role his own. Could be one of our best.

JWP will most likely never get near Scholes level. He was a genius, JWP a good prospect and to be honest those kind of comparisons don't do JWP any favours.

 

For a start he has nowhere the goalscoring instinct Scholes had.

 

Thats not being negative, but Scholes was on a diffetent level. At 20 years old not a huge number of Saints fans would put JWP in their first choice team.

 

Let him develop withouy comparisons that are nigh on impossible to live up to.

You are right about different levels - Scholes wasn't as good as 18!

You are right about different levels - Scholes wasn't as good as 18!

Possibly not, although he had greater competition to get first team appearances.

JWP is a good prospect and if he gets anywhere remotely close to achieving half of what Scholes did (718 Man Utd apps, 155 goals, 11 league titles and 2 Champions Leagues) then he will have a truely memorable career.

But of the two, I would have to pick Scholes! Haha.

I'm sure he's good and everything - he has always looked very composed, never been shown up and has a terrific dead ball delivery - but my question is what does he really do in a game?

He doesn't deliver the incisive final pass, he doesn't beat a man, he doesn't put in big tackles, he doesn't shoot, he doesn't pop up in the box late to smash one home.

I mean this as a genuine question, rather than a thinly-veiled insult. I'm a bit guilty of remembering the "big moments" of the big tackles / goal chances etc, so interested to hear more about what his value is to the team over and above any of the other players - where I'm much clearer what their roles are for the team and what their strengths are. At the moment I'm just not getting what Hodgson is seeing in him over our current crop of England midfielders.

I heard from someone close to JWP that he has already been earmarked as a future England captain by Hodgson, Southgate et al.

I think the fact we all seem to judge James so harshly rather than constantly say how young he is, is testament to his personality and talent. He is superb on and off the pitch and only 20 years old.

Until he was injured he started every game - rightly so.

He is only just turned 20 and is better than Cork at most aspects of his game, and not far off in others.

At his age Scholes was just making his debut, appreciate for Man U, in league cup.

I think , not checked, that JWP played in more games than any player last season.

 

Read transfer threads on both Liverpool and Man U sites - fans of both want him.

 

Seems very balanced and dedicated lad as well.

 

Just needs, as matures, to make a position / role his own. Could be one of our best.

Interesting point that. With Cork's contract situation not seemingly resolved, is he basically place-sitting for some younger members of the team? Surprised we haven't seen Reed much this season - not complaining, but we were starting to see more of him.

Good player! Shame he's a skate

Good thing about being a Skate is that he won't be disappearing any time soon to rejoin his boyhood team. Unless he wants to slum it in the lower reaches of the Football League (or perhaps the Conference).

Good to see the Shots did the biz tonight.

In all honesty, not nearly as good as his hype..... Truly does not affect games..

^yet.

In all honesty, not nearly as good as his hype..... Truly does not affect games..

Which central midfielders of a similar age and play in a similar role are you more impressed with in the Premier League? People forget how young he is and how much experience he has compared to most players in his age group. Ward-Prowse played in 54 Premier League games as a teenager. That is extremely rare in the modern game. He is clearly though very highly of by Saints and England.

Compare Ward-Prowse to Chalobah... Chalobah is only a month younger but has only played in 4 Premier League games for Burnley compared to Ward-Prowse's 54 at Saints (would have been higher if not for injury).

If he "Truly does not affect games", then how did he win 3rd best player of the tournament and goal of the Toulon tournament (vs Brazil) in the summer for England...

He is clearly doing something very right even if a good number of Saints fans can't see it. He is not going to dribble at pace past a player like Walcott, Bale, Oxlade-Chamberlain or Shaw and so many overlook the attributes he has that make him a very good player in his central midfield role.

His set piece delivery, passing and crossing is Beckham "like". Of course he still has a long way to go before being in that category, but he has the makings of a very good player.

If he can improve and learn an equivalent amount in the next three years as he has in the last two then he will be a very decent player.

I just don't want England (and Saints for that matter) to go through another era of overrating a player because of his dead-ball skills.

I think he could learn a lot from Davis, and with time become his natural substitute as the NI captain becomes older. Although a player with that sort of role is usually one that has a long career and is still around the team squad at 36.

Which central midfielders of a similar age and play in a similar role are you more impressed with in the Premier League? People forget how young he is and how much experience he has compared to most players in his age group. Ward-Prowse played in 54 Premier League games as a teenager. That is extremely rare in the modern game. He is clearly though very highly of by Saints and England.

 

Compare Ward-Prowse to Chalobah... Chalobah is only a month younger but has only played in 4 Premier League games for Burnley compared to Ward-Prowse's 54 at Saints (would have been higher if not for injury).

 

If he "Truly does not affect games", then how did he win 3rd best player of the tournament and goal of the Toulan tournament (vs Brazil) in the summer for England...

 

 

He is clearly doing something very right even if a good number of Saints fans can't see it. He is not going to dribble at pace past a player like Walcott, Bale, Oxlade-Chamberlain or Shaw and so many overlook the attributes he has that make him a very good player in his central midfield role.

 

His set piece delivery, passing and crossing is Beckham "like". Of course he still has a long way to go before being in that category, but he has the makings of a very good player.

It's Toulon, not Toulan and you keep wheeling out that picture when I'm not sure what point you're trying to make. Having watched nearly every game, he scored a great free kick against Brazil which was a definite highlight of the tournament and probably singlehandedly won him 3rd place; but otherwise didn't particularly stand out in a pretty flat side that looked streets behind decent opposition -and I don't mean Qatar the only side England managed to beat.

JWP, the well-spoken, well-mannered boy next door, has been touted since his league cup debut against palace in 2011 -clearly has time on his side but hoped to see him make more progress than he has done in those three years, given the hype.

He's going to be a top, top player. Love reading "expert" opinions on him from posters on here. Probably the same ones writing Morgan off when we were in League 1.

For those comparing him to Scholes, lets also remember Scholes started out up front at Man Utd before moving back in to midfield a couple of years later where he was afforded the time to perfect his craft alongside people like Beckham and Roy Keane. I don't think many people are predicting JWP to be better than Scholes but it is likely he will develop in to the same sort of player. His potential is unreal.

Good player! Shame he's a skate

be fair. He may have been born there, (not his fault)...but it's not as if he's played for them......

He is a class act who just needs to add a few more goals to his game, which he will when given time and when confidence grows. Once this happens then I can see him having a similar season to Aaron Ramsey last year.

He could be unbelievable, Jeff.

He's going to be a top, top player.

That's a relief as I thought he would be only exceptionally good with a keen positional sense, an excellent understanding of the game and a refined craftsmanship in the midfield passing role.

This lad is a class act. His set piece delivery and passing is execeptional.