Boufal

When we bought him I asked a friend of mine in Paris what he thought - said he rated him very highly, but was mystified when I said he was assumed to be our replacement for Mane. Said he wasn't remotely the same kind of player - much more central, a lot slower, intricate rather than explosive. I think we've done what a lot of clubs do when bringing through unknown quantities, which is stick them out on the wing on the assumption that they can do the least damage there. However, if the player wasn't a winger in the first place, what's the point?

When we bought him I asked a friend of mine in Paris what he thought - said he rated him very highly, but was mystified when I said he was assumed to be our replacement for Mane. Said he wasn't remotely the same kind of player - much more central, a lot slower, intricate rather than explosive. I think we've done what a lot of clubs do when bringing through unknown quantities, which is stick them out on the wing on the assumption that they can do the least damage there. However, if the player wasn't a winger in the first place, what's the point?

wasnt he always a winger at lille? most of the clips ive watched at his time there is all fast skillfull wingplay more in the style of a young ronaldo..

not sure hes a number 10 like some people think

wasnt he always a winger at lille? most of the clips ive watched at his time there is all fast skillfull wingplay more in the style of a young ronaldo..

not sure hes a number 10 like some people think

According to Transfermarkt, his appearances for Lille were split about evenly between left, right and central attacking midfield. Looking back through his videos though, one thing is pretty clear - his first inclination even when receiving the ball wide isn't to drive for the byline, it's to drive towards goal. He also doesn't mind picking the ball up from deep, so no reason he couldn't link effectively with defensive midfield. I hope having Romeu and Lemina providing a solid base behind him will get the best out of him, as he's basically the only hope we've got until January of not being completely one dimensional and turgid in attack.

Question: I think Boufal is...

A worse player than Fabrice Fernandez

Thought he was going to be given a free role in the middle on Saturday, with Lemina and Romeu behind him. He was stuck out wide and did some good things when he got the ball, but it's difficult for them all at the moment.

Thought he was going to be given a free role in the middle on Saturday, with Lemina and Romeu behind him. He was stuck out wide and did some good things when he got the ball, but it's difficult for them all at the moment.

He created one of our best openings through his skill in the first half. We didn't have many in the box, and his pull back didn't quite manage to pick someone out*, but just afterwards we mentioned that when he gets the ball you at least edge forward on your seat thinking that something might happen.

* I do sometimes wish players would just leather it across the face of goal if there's no obvious pass on. Boufal admirably tried to pick out someone on the edge of the area, but it was a bl00dy difficult pass, and of course if it doesn't come off, it's an easy clearance for Watford and maybe even sets them up on a break. At least if you put it across the face there's a chance of a striker OR a defender turning it in, the keeper coming out and spilling it etc. I'm not saying always aimlessly whack it across, but perhaps when nothing better is available. Not only did Boufal not manage to find the target with his pass, but he also waited for an age to deliver (waiting for our players to make runs) - put it in quickly, defenders are panicking and anything can happen.

Thought he improved us when he came on today. Yes he will give the ball away, but he played at a quicker tempo than our other attackers and had the beating of his opponent virtually every time he got the ball.

Would give him a run instead of Redmond and see what he can do - potentially could be a difference maker.

Went full-Boufal once today and just about got away with it.

Bottled an aerial challenge right at the end today, said it all to me. Get rid

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He did pretty well but passed up a shooting chance that was in a similar position to the cracker he scored against Sunderland. Dunno why he didn’t try a shot.

He did pretty well but passed up a shooting chance that was in a similar position to the cracker he scored against Sunderland. Dunno why he didn’t try a shot.

Pretty sure I know what you're referring to and he was at full stretch just to toe poke it on to another player, no way he'd have been able to get a shot away.

Bottled an aerial challenge right at the end today, said it all to me. Get rid

 

 

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Come on Duck..Boufal has a few flaws in his game, but the skill, touch and killer pass he has in his locker is what we are crying out for. He has to be given a run in the side.

Bottled an aerial challenge right at the end today, said it all to me. Get rid

 

 

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He did more in twenty minutes than Redmond has done all season.

Got to keep playing him.

Think you have to expect with a player like him that he will be a bit wimpy, might not tackle as much as our "hero" redmond but will probably be our best chance of a piece of magic that could win us a game.

He has to be given a run in the side.

He'll start next game, be totally ineffective, be substituted after an hour, spend 3 or 4 games on the bench, come on & look mildly interested (to great acclaim on here), before starting the cycle all over again.

A 20 min cameo every 5 weeks is not the basis of deserving a run in the side.

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He'll start next game, be totally ineffective, be substituted after an hour, spend 3 or 4 games on the bench, come on & look mildly interested (to great acclaim on here), before starting the cycle all over again.

 

A 20 min cameo every 5 weeks is not the basis of deserving a run in the side.

 

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Yep, much better idea is to stick with someone who hasn't done it all season blindly rather than actually giving an opportunity to somebody else - who by the way is younger and didn't play his entire career thus far in this country.

Needs 5 starts in a row with at least 70 mins in each game imo

Yeah, we need creativity at the moment, despite his mistakes he's much more likely to make something happen than Redmond.

Bottled an aerial challenge right at the end today, said it all to me. Get rid

 

 

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Is that taken from the Branfoot School of Coaching ? Seem to remember him talking about MLT having flaws in his game and having to work on the defensive side of things.

Boufal himself admitted that Pellegrino had asked him to play differently this season compared to the last one.

Pellegrino sees him as a wide player whereas he was played mostly in the hole under Puel and was more effecient.

Would like to see a attaking midfield of Boufal in the hole with Tadic and Redmond on the wing swapping positions. If redmond continues to do nothing then replace him with Gabbi who can also play on the left of an attaking midfield.

Boufal himself admitted that Pellegrino had asked him to play differently this season compared to the last one.

Pellegrino sees him as a wide player whereas he was played mostly in the hole under Puel and was more effecient.

 

Would like to see a attaking midfield of Boufal in the hole with Tadic and Redmond on the wing swapping positions. If redmond continues to do nothing then replace him with Gabbi who can also play on the left of an attaking midfield.

Remember Lawrie's analogy of violinists and roadsweepers (may have been dustbinmen).

We shouldn't have those three on the pitch at the same time in my view, far too lightweight and powderpuff.

.

Boufal himself admitted that Pellegrino had asked him to play differently this season compared to the last one

Well, instead of shiete?

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He'll start next game, be totally ineffective, be substituted after an hour, spend 3 or 4 games on the bench, come on & look mildly interested (to great acclaim on here), before starting the cycle all over again.

 

A 20 min cameo every 5 weeks is not the basis of deserving a run in the side.

 

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Consistency is his biggest issue. He plays well one time, then has a stinker the next game.

Boufal himself admitted that Pellegrino had asked him to play differently this season compared to the last one.

Pellegrino sees him as a wide player whereas he was played mostly in the hole under Puel and was more effecient.

 

Would like to see a attaking midfield of Boufal in the hole with Tadic and Redmond on the wing swapping positions. If redmond continues to do nothing then replace him with Gabbi who can also play on the left of an attaking midfield.

I don't remember Boufal playing an awful lot in the hole last season.

IMO it would be better to play him in away games in which hes more likely to get more space on the break and only has to beat 1 or 2 players to work a shooting opportunity or pick a killer pass rather than home games where the opposition is likely to play with 2 banks of 4 and he'll keep going full boufal trying to beat 4/5 players on his own before he gets a sight of goal. IMO the league cup game against arsenal last season was when he was most effective. Breaking away from midfield beating 1 or 2 players easy, I remember him wreaking havok and terrorizing their defence.

I don't remember Boufal playing an awful lot in the hole last season.

No, me neither. He'd pop up centrally from time to time, but was almost always positioned out wide. The wing is a safe place for cautious managers to put unpredictable/unreliable players - they're less likely to lose the ball catastrophically, but less influential.

Three points off relegation, in one of the worst goal droughts I can remember, and with Romeu and Lemina providing the most solid DM pairing we've had in years, I'd say it's time to abandon caution.

Needs 5 starts in a row with at least 70 mins in each game imo

This. Redmond has had so much game time compared to him and has not proved he deserves it yet at all.

IMO it would be better to play him in away games in which hes more likely to get more space on the break and only has to beat 1 or 2 players to work a shooting opportunity or pick a killer pass rather than home games where the opposition is likely to play with 2 banks of 4 and he'll keep going full boufal trying to beat 4/5 players on his own before he gets a sight of goal. IMO the league cup game against arsenal last season was when he was most effective. Breaking away from midfield beating 1 or 2 players easy, I remember him wreaking havok and terrorizing their defence.

Yes I remember Boufal and McQueen being excellent that night.

He needs to be given a proper run of games to see if he can cut the mustard, Redmond and Tadic have had plenty of game time and failed miserably, what have we got to lose? He may end up a big flop but we won't know unless we play him, even in his cameos he looks far more likely to create something than Redmond has all season.

We used to have the same excuses & pony for Gaston. Here’s the simple truth, he’s been so poor that 2 different managers haven’t given him much game time despite our appalling lack of creativity. As bad as Redmond is, 2 managers preferred him. They didn’t do that because they’re told to by Les,they don’t like him, they’re idiots or any other nonsense, it’s because he’s **** poor. A lot of you are looking at this from the wrong end of the stick, instead of thinking why is Redmond playing instead of him, think how bad must he be that Redmond gets a game instead of him. And before anyone starts, he has had as many chances as anyone else.

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STOP. PLAYING. HIM. OUT. WIDE.

 

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Pretty much this.

Just a reminder what he can do when given a run in a team and he has some confidence and just to troll us further at the beginning of the vid it says strengths are :Dribbling, Flair and Agility which is apparently not the Pelligrino way of sulking, losing the ball and blaming others and being bang average.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VC_yiqAbzsA

It's easy to remember that he came to us with a pretty serious injury and hasn't ever had a decent run of games to get fully up to speed.

He is without a doubt our most creative player, who has the ability to do what no one else in the squad has (take a man on, create a chance / shot from nothing and shoot from outside the box).

He needs to play. Put your arm round his shoulder, tell him you believe in him and give him a rum of 5-10 games to prove himself. He cannot be any worse than our current wide men are, who offer practically nothing.

Tadic -- Gabbi -- Boufal as a front 3, with little defensive responsibility and the freedom to interchange and roam.

It's easy to remember that he came to us with a pretty serious injury and hasn't ever had a decent run of games to get fully up to speed.

 

Why do we always sign players carrying a serious injury - Delgado, David Hirst, Charlie George, Perry Groves and thats just off the top of my head. I rather think Keegan was carrying an injury when we signed him and we had to wait a year to get the best out of him before he upped an went.

Can we merge this thread with the Gaston one?

Same arguments, same excuses and probably the same outcome.

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Can we merge this thread with the Gaston one?

 

Same arguments, same excuses and probably the same outcome.

 

 

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Sounds like the Mane thread, how did that one turn out again ?

Sounds like the Mane thread, how did that one turn out again ?

Complete & utter pony.

The myth of the “Mane thread” is starting to match the “Villa game” in Saints web folklore. It was nothing like this thread, unlike the Gaston one , which also had people making excuses, blaming the managers, injured, out of position, young, foreign country, not given a chance , before the classic “ clearly talented “ is stated. Like Gaston’s a year after his signing the excuses are still coming strong, and like Gaston will probably do so until he sneaks out the back door for **** all transfer fee.

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Sounds like you know these anti flair player threads well.

The point is not about the player it is about the type of player that offers something different to the ones who presently cannot score or assist a goal against an under 7s team that continually are not being given much of a chance.

We cannot after all the games this season and about the last 5 home games of last continue the current approach.

We buy these flair players for what they can bring offensively to the team not their defensive contribution.

As someone has said elsewhere we have 2 rocks in DM so surely we can risk having a player who might lose the ball a lot, make a bad pass but is trying to beat men and go directly towards the goal, when he loses the ball let the the ray donavans clean up after him.

Play him in the hole and give him a run of games.

Sounds like you know these anti flair player threads well.

 

The point is not about the player it is about the type of player that offers something different to the ones who presently cannot score or assist a goal against an under 7s team that continually are not being given much of a chance.

 

We cannot after all the games this season and about the last 5 home games of last continue the current approach.

 

We buy these flair players for what they can bring offensively to the team not their defensive contribution.

 

As someone has said elsewhere we have 2 rocks in DM so surely we can risk having a player who might lose the ball a lot, make a bad pass but is trying to beat men and go directly towards the goal, when he loses the ball let the the ray donavans clean up after him.

At last someone who knows what he’s talking about utter dross as normal from the lord f#ck hunter who does nothing but moan

Sounds like you know these anti flair player threads well.

 

The point is not about the player it is about the type of player that offers something different to the ones who presently cannot score or assist a goal against an under 7s team that continually are not being given much of a chance.

 

We cannot after all the games this season and about the last 5 home games of last continue the current approach.

 

We buy these flair players for what they can bring offensively to the team not their defensive contribution.

 

As someone has said elsewhere we have 2 rocks in DM so surely we can risk having a player who might lose the ball a lot, make a bad pass but is trying to beat men and go directly towards the goal, when he loses the ball let the the ray donavans clean up after him.

Well said that man.

The Sunderland (cup) & 'Boro (prem) games last season at home were woeful, but #TheBouf came up with a couple of stunners to win both games.

He's not going to do that sat on the bench this season.

It's easy to remember that he came to us with a pretty serious injury and hasn't ever had a decent run of games to get fully up to speed.

 

He is without a doubt our most creative player, who has the ability to do what no one else in the squad has (take a man on, create a chance / shot from nothing and shoot from outside the box).

 

He needs to play. Put your arm round his shoulder, tell him you believe in him and give him a rum of 5-10 games to prove himself. He cannot be any worse than our current wide men are, who offer practically nothing.

 

Tadic -- Gabbi -- Boufal as a front 3, with little defensive responsibility and the freedom to interchange and roam.

That's quite a statement to make about a player who's Saints career thus far has produced 1 League goal, 0 assists and 7 shots on target.

Play him regularly. Anyone with half a brain can see how he changed game when he came on other day. Is a very talented player, the type we are in desperate need of

Well said that man.

 

The Sunderland (cup) & 'Boro (prem) games last season at home were woeful, but #TheBouf came up with a couple of stunners to win both games.

 

He's not going to do that sat on the bench this season.

It is very hard to score from the bench. He troubled Stoke when he came on and was instrumental in Yoshi’s goal. I want to see him start the next match.

It is very hard to score from the bench. He troubled Stoke when he came on and was instrumental in Yoshi’s goal. I want to see him start the next match.

For him to truly be the next Gaston, a strong performance vs Newcastle @ St Mary's is vital.

Bottled an aerial challenge right at the end today, said it all to me. Get rid

 

 

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You're a ****head. I see your name and scroll over your posts.

Forster

 

Yoshi VVD Hoedt

 

Cedric Romeu Lemina Bertrand

 

Boufal

 

Long Gabbiadini

I would swap Tadic for Yoshi and there we have a serious team

I would swap Tadic for Yoshi and there we have a serious team

Tadic as a CB?

Tadic as a CB?

That would be worth the admission fee alone - you'd come away thinking you could make it as a professional after all!

That's quite a statement to make about a player who's Saints career thus far has produced 1 League goal, 0 assists and 7 shots on target.

Which highlights exactly why we are sh!te in front of goal at the moment.

Great goal. Singlehandedly changed the game.

Get rid? Absolute pony