AP's Reason for not picking Gillett

[The Fat Controller]

Many people on here have been asking why Alan Pardew does not pick or rate Simon Gillett to start in in our first team.

 

Last night I spoke with AP at Hungerford and asked him outright to why this was.

 

What we have to remember is that he works with him eveyday in training and we only see the players at matches. so when asked why AP replied

" I don't think he is quite showing me enough at the moment , but i do like him and i think he is a great passer of the ball. I am here tonight so that he and a couple of others can show me what they can do in the match"

 

When I said most people on this forum thought he was one of our best players in a poor team last year in the championship, we found it difficult to understand why he was being overlooked at a lower level.

AP replied" I will take it on board on board" I then asked him if there were any other incoming players and he said "may be a couple"

 

The scouts from Carlisle were looking at Ollie Lancashire, whilst I think Swindon's Mike Marshall took pardew's eye... an absolutely lightning fast winger who caused major problems and not the lad who played against us at The County Ground

Edited 16 September, 2009 by The Fat Controller

[trousers]

Cheers for the insights....appreciated

[Nadia Sllim]

Perhaps Gillett may get a 1 min sub appearance on Saturday now!

[Scudamore]

I understood it had something to do with Gillett's sponsors...

[CHAPEL END CHARLIE]

Somewhat surprised AP would openly discuss his opinions on Saints players with a complete stranger - most managers would keep that kind of thing 'in house'

[up and away]

Many people on here have been asking why Alan Pardew does not pick or rate Simon Gillett to start in in our first team.

 

Last night I spoke with AP at Hungerford and asked him outright to why this was.

 

What we have to remember is that he works with him eveyday in training and we only see the players at matches. so when asked why AP replied

" I don't think he is quite showing me enough at the moment , but i do like him and i think he is a great passer of the ball. I am here tonight so that he and a couple of others can show me what they can do in the match"

 

When I said most people on this forum thought he was one of our best players in a poor team last year in the championship, we found it difficult to understand why he was being overlooked at a lower level.

AP replied" I will take it on board on board" I then asked him if there were any other incoming players and he said "may be a couple"

 

The scouts from Carlisle were looking at Ollie Lancashire, whilst I think Swindon's Mike Marshall took pardew's eye... an absolutely lightning fast winger who caused major problems and not the lad who played against us at The County Ground

 

Most forget all the important bits and end up just asking him if he has settled in yet, well done.

 

My biggest gripe with Pardew is that performances from last season just don't come into the equation this season. Bearing in mind the amount of time is a major factor, so excusable. But when I see someone like Wooton being the answer, I can only assume training is conducted at half pace or Wooton is threatening anyone who goes past him with a good hiding. Pardew is finally getting there, but I do believe this delay has cost us for what ever reason.

 

Gillet put in some great performances last season and Pardew should have had enough time by now to have sat down and watched them. As soon as Gillet was injured for our final games, I could see nothing holding the midfield together and the cards were dealt. It was not all roses for Gillet as he did go off the boil a few times, looking nothing like the player he could be. When Gillet was on form in midfield, it was the only time I felt we really had a chance in games. But equally Surman, McG and Schniederlin suffered the same fate. We were talking about Lloyd James and the RB spot being sorted at the end of the season, that is near forgotten now.

 

As for Pardew, he seems to be getting there although luck looked to be on our side for the Charlton result. I was impressed pardew never panicked and threw an unfit Papa and Jaidi into the full match, building up their fitness instead.

[saint_stevo]

I understood it had something to do with Gillett's sponsors...

 

Henry, Federer and Woods?

[The Fat Controller]

Very open and honest bloke in fact

[opthomps]

the games I saw Gillett in last season I was never really impressed. I think including him in the first 11 now would not be a step forward. If he comes in and does a job then i'm happy to be proved wrong.

[krissyboy31]

Most forget all the important bits and end up just asking him if he has settled in yet, well done.

 

My biggest gripe with Pardew is that performances from last season just don't come into the equation this season. Bearing in mind the amount of time is a major factor, so excusable. But when I see someone like Wooton being the answer, I can only assume training is conducted at half pace or Wooton is threatening anyone who goes past him with a good hiding. Pardew is finally getting there, but I do believe this delay has cost us for what ever reason.

 

Gillet put in some great performances last season and Pardew should have had enough time by now to have sat down and watched them. As soon as Gillet was injured for our final games, I could see nothing holding the midfield together and the cards were dealt. It was not all roses for Gillet as he did go off the boil a few times, looking nothing like the player he could be. When Gillet was on form in midfield, it was the only time I felt we really had a chance in games. But equally Surman, McG and Schniederlin suffered the same fate. We were talking about Lloyd James and the RB spot being sorted at the end of the season, that is near forgotten now.

 

As for Pardew, he seems to be getting there although luck looked to be on our side for the Charlton result. I was impressed pardew never panicked and threw an unfit Papa and Jaidi into the full match, building up their fitness instead.

 

The thing is AP can't pick a team on past reputations and TBF he'd probably never heard of most of our players before he came here. He can only pick players that are (firstly) showing form on the training ground and (secondly) on the football pitch. At least he is making a point of going to the reserve games and giving players the opportunity to impress him in a match situation.

[gordonToo]

" ... but i do like him and i think he is a great passer of the ball."

 

... I do like him but he needs to improve his passing.

[trousers]

[J Bizzle]

... I do like him but he needs to improve his passing.

 

He is a bloody awful passer of the football. doesnt have enough composure.

[Fowllyd]

Somewhat surprised AP would openly discuss his opinions on Saints players with a complete stranger - most managers would keep that kind of thing 'in house'

 

Pardew's answer was pretty bland though really; I doubt he'd have simply said that he thought Gillett was crap, even if he thought that (and no, I'm not suggesting that he does). If the Fat Controller had asked too searching a question, Pardew's answer might well have been along the lines of "If you mind your own business then you won't be minding mine".

[Pancake]

Somewhat surprised AP would openly discuss his opinions on Saints players with a complete stranger - most managers would keep that kind of thing 'in house'

 

7 years of "WHY WILL NO ONE FROM THE CLUB TELL US WHY X Y OR Z ISNT PLAYING FFS!" and when someone does tell us......

[saint_stevo]

you should not share any info you are privvy to on here as you will get grief.

 

Should be in the forum rules, along with posting in caps.................^

[Pancake]

you should not share any info you are privvy to on here as you will get grief.

 

Should be in the forum rules, along with posting in caps.................^

 

Knob.

[saint_stevo]

And using foul and or abusive language aimed at another poster ^

[Lets B Avenue]

He is a bloody awful passer of the football. doesnt have enough composure.

 

It shocks me to have to agree with the In-House Racist:) but my regular gripe with Gillet, was when he thought he was Hoddle and constantly gave the ball away. Win it and give it short (no pun intended) and he was fine.

 

He also showed the same aptitude in front of goal as The Sainted Adam.

[greg_hill]

7 years of "WHY WILL NO ONE FROM THE CLUB TELL US WHY X Y OR Z ISNT PLAYING FFS!" and when someone does tell us......

 

+1

 

(Apprently that's the cool, geeky way to say you agree with someone)

[The boy done well]

I agree with AP too. I don't think he's good enough. Do the majority on here really think he is? Runs around a lot or at least looks as though he does with little end result. He's 24 too and not very likely to improve much IMO.

[krissyboy31]

I agree with AP too. I don't think he's good enough. Do the majority on here really think he is? Runs around a lot or at least looks as though he does with little end result. He's 24 too and not very likely to improve much IMO.

 

I'm not sure about him either TBH but would rather see him in CM than either Wotton or James.

[Professor]

Somewhat surprised AP would openly discuss his opinions on Saints players with a complete stranger - most managers would keep that kind of thing 'in house'

Agreed - not very professional for any manager to discuss the people who work for him behind their backs, but it seems to be something that some football managers are prone to. A better reply from Pardew would have been to say thanks for taking an interest and not getting drawn into any comment. Maybe he needs some PR training.

 

Whether any particular player is selected to play is not just down to how that player performs, but also the performance of others who are competing for places. A manager can't really comment on one player without making implications about others.

[Give it to Ron]

So where does he play?

I like Hammond and think he has solved a number of problems we had, height, mobility, does the simple things well and mobile.

To compliment him we need a passer and the frustrating Schneiderling fits that bill if fit and willing.

James did pretty well when he played there but is not a creator and nor is Gillett, yes Gillett gets stuck in but his lack of height in this league is a problem .

 

To sign the leagues top scorer but then deny him the service he needs is where are problems lie IMO not with the dropping of a very ordinary footballer.

[Lets B Avenue]

Agreed - not very professional for any manager to discuss the people who work for him behind their backs, but it seems to be something that some football managers are prone to. A better reply from Pardew would have been to say thanks for taking an interest and not getting drawn into any comment. Maybe he needs some PR training.

 

Whether any particular player is selected to play is not just down to how that player performs, but also the performance of others who are competing for places. A manager can't really comment on one player without making implications about others.

 

Horse Manure.

[Professor]

Horse Manure.

 

Le recours à l'abus est la ressource de ceux qui n'ont aucun argument logique à faire

[krissyboy31]

Agreed - not very professional for any manager to discuss the people who work for him behind their backs, but it seems to be something that some football managers are prone to. A better reply from Pardew would have been to say thanks for taking an interest and not getting drawn into any comment. Maybe he needs some PR training.

 

Whether any particular player is selected to play is not just down to how that player performs, but also the performance of others who are competing for places. A manager can't really comment on one player without making implications about others.

It's not exactly breaking any confidences or criticising Gillett in public is it? "Why are you not playing him?" "Because he's not showing me enough!" Something we all could have worked out for ourselves and something Gillett would have been told to his face. It's the same as any player not being picked for his club. The incumbents are there because they have given the manager a bigger reason to pick them.

[Smirking_Saint]

Agreed - not very professional for any manager to discuss the people who work for him behind their backs, but it seems to be something that some football managers are prone to. A better reply from Pardew would have been to say thanks for taking an interest and not getting drawn into any comment. Maybe he needs some PR training.

 

Whether any particular player is selected to play is not just down to how that player performs, but also the performance of others who are competing for places. A manager can't really comment on one player without making implications about others.

 

B*llocks, he has hardly said anything scathing towards Gillett, nor has he overly praised him in any way. He has IMO given a very good answer that keeps the fans happy due to his approachability etc. And also if it gets back to Gillett in any way it is a small form of encouragement, not writing him off but saying work harder and you will get in the team.

 

So i guess in your mind you would have rather he said, f*ck off and mind your own ?? In which case i would expect a large outcry of people saying how unapproachable and unwilling to comment he was.

 

Terrible post imo.

 

Well down Fat Controller, cheers for the info

[Professor]

It's not exactly breaking any confidences or criticising Gillett in public is it? "Why are you not playing him?" "Because he's not showing me enough!" Something we all could have worked out for ourselves and something Gillett would have been told to his face. It's the same as any player not being picked for his club. The incumbents are there because they have given the manager a bigger reason to pick them.

 

Its true that AP tried to make it a balanced comment, but I still agree with CECharlie. If you make a comment about an individual, other people will start to re-interpret it. It is hard for managers, as so many fans think they could do the manager's job better than the manager, and the manager is answerable to the fans in a way, though the gate, but that doesn't mean being answerable to any individual who decides to question you.

[wild-saint]

IMO the reason why he isnt figuring in AP's plans at the moment are -

 

1) At the beginning of the season we had a real lack of height in the team and playing wooton over Gillet was a short term solution to the problems created by that.

2) Once the lack of height issues had been resolved - Trotman, Hammond, Jaidi & lambert etc coming into the team that could allow gillet a chance to be selected he has to overcome the competition in CM from James and MS as the 2nd CM partnering Hammond.

 

Well thats how i see it anyway.

[chrisobee]

And using foul and or abusive language aimed at another poster ^

 

Agreed but I think it is fair to make you an exception !

[IamLeGod]

The thing is AP can't pick a team on past reputations and TBF he'd probably never heard of most of our players before he came here. He can only pick players that are (firstly) showing form on the training ground and (secondly) on the football pitch. At least he is making a point of going to the reserve games and giving players the opportunity to impress him in a match situation.

 

Totally agree, would be more worried in all honestly if a manager went totally on what they did for previous managers in previous seasons.

 

Pardew can only go on what he see's, it's the same basic principle (whilst there are some obvious differences) Capello takes with England, "play well and impress me and you'll get a chance"

[CHAPEL END CHARLIE]

B*llocks, he has hardly said anything scathing towards Gillett, nor has he overly praised him in any way. He has IMO given a very good answer that keeps the fans happy due to his approachability etc. And also if it gets back to Gillett in any way it is a small form of encouragement, not writing him off but saying work harder and you will get in the team.

 

So i guess in your mind you would have rather he said, f*ck off and mind your own ?? In which case i would expect a large outcry of people saying how unapproachable and unwilling to comment he was.

 

Terrible post imo.

 

Well down Fat Controller, cheers for the info

 

Don't really understand such anger towards a perfectly reasonable post :confused:

 

It seems to me most top managers don't discuss their personal opinions regarding their players in the public arena - Imagine some fan going up to Sir Alex Ferguson or Arsene Wenger and demanding to know why he hadn't picked this player over that player in the last game etc... - he probably get a short and not very polite answer !

 

Never explain - never complain .

[RinNY]

So far I've only been able to watch one match -- against Millwall -- but when he came on in that match gillett was not good. Plenty of short players (the likes of Maradona and Dennis Wise come to mind) have been able to succeed and make their short stature work for them. Gillett isn't doing that so far it seems. In the Millwall match whenever he got the ball he was either quickly hustled off it, or made a bad pass when pressured, usually giving away possession. That isn't going to cut it. Successful short players use their low centre of gravity to their advantage: by developing core and lower body strength they have the power, added to the leverage being shorter gives them, to stand their ground & hold the ball, or ride tackles & stay upright with the ball. Until Gillett is strong enough & determined enough to keep the ball when hustled, and cool enough & a good enough passer to move the ball to an open team mate when under pressure, he won't be a first team fixture. He seemed able to do that often last season; he seems to have gone backwards this season.

 

And btw, Pardew said nothing managers don't frequently say about players to the press: it was the usual platitudes.

[londonsaint1604]

He is a bloody awful passer of the football. doesnt have enough composure.

 

When did you last watch him play? Maybe his passing has improved a lot recently, to compliment his already outstanding work rate.

[Nineteen Canteen]

Many people on here have been asking why Alan Pardew does not pick or rate Simon Gillett to start in in our first team.

 

Last night I spoke with AP at Hungerford and asked him outright to why this was.

 

What we have to remember is that he works with him eveyday in training and we only see the players at matches. so when asked why AP replied

" I don't think he is quite showing me enough at the moment , but i do like him and i think he is a great passer of the ball. I am here tonight so that he and a couple of others can show me what they can do in the match"

 

When I said most people on this forum thought he was one of our best players in a poor team last year in the championship, we found it difficult to understand why he was being overlooked at a lower level.

AP replied" I will take it on board on board" I then asked him if there were any other incoming players and he said "may be a couple"

 

The scouts from Carlisle were looking at Ollie Lancashire, whilst I think Swindon's Mike Marshall took pardew's eye... an absolutely lightning fast winger who caused major problems and not the lad who played against us at The County Ground

 

Interesting update, thanks On Board.

[Chez]

I'm not sure about him either TBH but would rather see him in CM than either Wotton or James.

 

IMO the reason why he isnt figuring in AP's plans at the moment are -

 

1) At the beginning of the season we had a real lack of height in the team and playing wooton over Gillet was a short term solution to the problems created by that.

2) Once the lack of height issues had been resolved - Trotman, Hammond, Jaidi & lambert etc coming into the team that could allow gillet a chance to be selected he has to overcome the competition in CM from James and MS as the 2nd CM partnering Hammond.

 

Well thats how i see it anyway.

 

I agree with both of these statements. So long as he is ahead of Wotton then at least we know Pardew's eyesight is OK.

[slickmick]

oops.

Edited 16 September, 2009 by slickmick
just seen wild saints post.

[hughieslastminutegoal]

Le recours à l'abus est la ressource de ceux qui n'ont aucun argument logique à faire

Ok, Comme il disait, "Merde du cheval", alors.

[shurlock]

Not just a question of how good Gillett is but is he better than the rest of what we have; certainly find it hard to believe that James is better than Gillett.

 

James is like the guy with amnesia out of the film, Memento. Constantly has to look up for familiar objects and landmarks (almost invariably with a pained and gormless look) to remind himself where he is, not just where he is on the pitch.

 

Good questions. Think Pardews replies were honest while diplomatic. And the rest of you lighten up, the curious case of Simon Gillett is not the Manhatten Project FFS.

[trousers]

Interesting update, thanks On Board.

 

I see what you did there...

[trousers]

the curious case of Simon Gillett is not the Manhatten Project FFS.

 

Chanson d'amour

[S4INT]

I'm a big Gillett fan (6ft...) and think he has a terrific work-rate at CM and protecting the back four. Then again I've not seen enough of the team this season to know if he fits into the current set up.

[suewhistle]

He has IMO given a very good answer that keeps the fans happy due to his approachability etc. And also if it gets back to Gillett in any way it is a small form of encouragement, not writing him off but saying work harder and you will get in the team.

 

Well down Fat Controller, cheers for the info

 

My feelings as well. Also if he did take on board the comment that he was one of the better players last year it will have given him food for thought.

[LostBoys]

Ok we have to respect APs opinion and Gillett had some good and not so good performances but you have to take into account he was in a poorly performing side. However I would put him in above James any day of the week.

[Saint Fan CaM]

I would like to confirm The Fat Controllers OP. AP was available for anyone bothered to go to the match to have a discussion. He was stood not 6 feet from us in the bar watching SSN. Very approachable - nice, normal guy and clearly into his football in general. It's amazing how many different aspects of the club, its officials and the players you pick up from being a few feet (or less) from them, rather than watching on a TV screen, listening on the radio or indeed even watching from the stands at SMS. A completely different perspetive TBF.

[Leicestersaint]

I find this a very interestig thread as I have certainly been wondering why Gillett is so out of favour.

 

A Charlton fan I know, who is very critical of AP, says he chopped and chnaged their side too often and had favourites and out-of-favour players.

 

I think Gillett has considerable potential.

[Lets B Avenue]

Le recours à l'abus est la ressource de ceux qui n'ont aucun argument logique à faire

 

J'etais d'au cricket et ai eu besoin d'une reponse rapide aux dechets que vous aviez postes.

[StInky]

J'etais d'au cricket et ai eu besoin d'une reponse rapide aux dechets que vous aviez postes.

 

 

C'est magnifique, mais ce n'est pas le francais.

[Lets B Avenue]

C'est magnifique, mais ce n'est pas le francais.

 

What's french got to do with it?