Cam Bragg

[washsaint]

Thought he was superb today.  Always there to receive the ball, closing down CHarlton players and typically looking to get the ball forward.

I would have him in the team ahead of Downes.

Showed a lot of promise today and did enough to start against Leicester.  Very strong CM options in Jander, Charles, Bragg and Downes and Williams also did well in his debut.

I'm liking that Tonda is not afraid to put our Academy graduates in the line up

[benjii]

Yes, he was great. Really mature and the positioning and composure of him and Jander was a key reason why we had such an effective attack.

Really encouraging and great to see another academy lad coming through.

[SaintNewForest]

Surprising inclusion today; would anyone of our previous managers have played him today over Downes? 

Felt sorry for him after the Blackburn fiasco; thrown into a game he had no place being in, but absolutely outstanding today. Fantastic to see another option developing nicely. 

[davefizzy14]

Cam Bragg was outstanding today 😊

[Greenridge]

46 minutes ago, washsaint said:

Thought he was superb today.  Always there to receive the ball, closing down CHarlton players and typically looking to get the ball forward.

I assume that’s why he got the nod ahead of the crab style of Downes. 

[Simo is back]

96% pass completion 

2 chances created

4 possession won

72% duals won

[jamesfp1]

Was an absolute rolls royce

[Sheaf Saint]

Very impressive full debut from the lad. He seems untainted by Russball and the shit show of last season, so it's really encouraging to see him actually trying to get the ball forward instead of always looking for the safe, backwards or sideways pass.

[qwertyell]

There's a little bit of academy depth to the midfield now. Bragg did well, Williams didn't look out of place, and I think Sesay is maybe a better prospect than both of them. 

Nice to see. One of the few benefits of being in the lower leagues should be greater opportunities for the youth to get some first team exposure, as opposed to being thrown into the deep end in the Premier League. 

[sockeye]

Jander, Downes, Charles, Romeu and now Bragg.

That’s an embarrassment of riches in midfield at this level.

[SuperSAINT]

16 minutes ago, sockeye said:

Jander, Downes, Charles, Romeu and now Bragg.

That’s an embarrassment of riches in midfield at this level.

Really important position.  Also interesting to see how the sitting specialists like Romeu can help free up Charles etc to move forward. 

[Roo1976]

3 hours ago, sockeye said:

Jander, Downes, Charles, Romeu and now Bragg.

That’s an embarrassment of riches in midfield at this level.

and we still have a shit keeper..............................

 

[whelk]

Does he remind anyone else of Cole Palmer? In looks and how he moves on pitch

[LGTL]

58 minutes ago, whelk said:

Does he remind anyone else of Cole Palmer? In looks and how he moves on pitch

My brain read that as Carlton Palmer to begin with and I was most confused. 

[Football Special]

10 hours ago, SuperSAINT said:

Really important position.  Also interesting to see how the sitting specialists like Romeu can help free up Charles etc to move forward. 

It will certainly be interesting who plays when they deem Romeu to be match fit (from what I understand he'd maintained a very high level of fitness last few months so it shouldn't take much longer training with the team) 

When is Charles expected to return? 

It's a shame not available yet but we've got loads of games in next 6 weeks 

[SuperSAINT]

31 minutes ago, Football Special said:

When is Charles expected to return? 

“Back in training in just over a week”

Edited 13 hours ago by SuperSAINT

[die Mannyschaft]

9 hours ago, Roo1976 said:

and we still have a shit keeper..............................

 

Keeper needs an eye test, recommend varifocals. He cant see a player until right infront then passes ball almost everything close to opponents. Specsavers not part of medical.

[Sheaf Saint]

32 minutes ago, SuperSAINT said:

“Back in training in just over a week”

That's really positive. I was expecting him to be out for longer.

[macca155]

Fantastic debut and just what we needed. The contrast with Downes when he came on was palpable. Now nothing against Flynn, he's a good player but he simply doesn't look to move the ball forward. His natural game is just different.

We need to remember that Bragg is a youngster, they can be brilliant one day, and less so the next. It takes time for them to develop consistency. One of the reasons Southampton has had such success with academy players, is the patience shown by the club and fans. Hopefully that continues.

It will be a good test of Tonda's management skills, to see how he manages this situation. We don't want another pulled hamstring on our hands, equally Bragg is going to be absolutely buzzing to play Tuesday.

Edited 12 hours ago by macca155

[Badger]

1 hour ago, LGTL said:

My brain read that as Carlton Palmer to begin with and I was most confused. 

Yes, had to do a double take on it as well! 

[Midfield_General]

12 hours ago, sockeye said:

Jander, Downes, Charles, Romeu and now Bragg.

That’s an embarrassment of riches in midfield at this level.

With Williams and Sesay coming through too, if we’re going to continue only playing two in centre mid maybe it will be time for Flynn to return to his spiritual home in January 

[saintant]

Cam Bragg played very well yesterday but he'll obviously face far tougher tests. If he plays against Leicester and does equally well we may be on to something. Some youngsters are just born to shine as soon as they get first team action and I've seen that from the likes of Steve Moran and Steve Williams. They came into the side and straight away you sensed they were the real deal, they thrived on performing with and against better players and so it proved as they reeled off top quality performances. These players are the exception rather than the norm but maybe Bragg can emulate them. Here's hoping.

[ErwinK1961]

1 hour ago, Midfield_General said:

With Williams and Sesay coming through too, if we’re going to continue only playing two in centre mid maybe it will be time for Flynn to return to his spiritual home in January 

Hanging out the back of Russell?

[Midfield_General]

10 minutes ago, ErwinK1961 said:

Hanging out the back of Russell?

In a sick bed in Ipswich 

[Holmes_and_Watson]

2 hours ago, saintant said:

Cam Bragg played very well yesterday but he'll obviously face far tougher tests. If he plays against Leicester and does equally well we may be on to something. Some youngsters are just born to shine as soon as they get first team action and I've seen that from the likes of Steve Moran and Steve Williams. They came into the side and straight away you sensed they were the real deal, they thrived on performing with and against better players and so it proved as they reeled off top quality performances. These players are the exception rather than the norm but maybe Bragg can emulate them. Here's hoping.

Agreed. In his early appearances, it was clear he wasn't an out and out defensive midfielder. He could do the basics, but wasn't at the stage of controlling a game. Later, when he appeared, he did fine in a game where he had a bit more space, and tidily passed it about.

It was another game with lots of space for him against Charlton, which suits him. As you say, he'll face tougher tests and time will tell.

[stfrancisofbenali]

A young Tony Kroos. A very classy player. 

[spyinthesky]

Trying to remember when Cam Bragg made his debut.

Think it was a Cup Game a few years back when we were in the Prem.

He was involved in the game with another youngster who scored.

[Badger]

1 hour ago, stfrancisofbenali said:

A young Tony Kroos. A very classy player. 

A pretty bold statement after one match. 
 

Yes he played well but let’s not get ahead of ourselves with the hyperbole. (Hoping you’re proved correct, but let’s temper that with how out of place he seemed at Blackburn a month ago). 

[SaintNewForest]

1 hour ago, spyinthesky said:

Trying to remember when Cam Bragg made his debut.

Think it was a Cup Game a few years back when we were in the Prem.

He was involved in the game with another youngster who scored.

Walsall in the FA cup, under RM in the last promotion season wasn't it? 

[qwertyell]

8 hours ago, Midfield_General said:

maybe it will be time for Flynn to return to his spiritual home in January 

The toilet?

[Doctoroncall]

23 hours ago, sockeye said:

Jander, Downes, Charles, Romeu and now Bragg.

That’s an embarrassment of riches in midfield at this level.

Charles and Romeu out of contract end of the season. 

[SuperSAINT]

2 minutes ago, Doctoroncall said:

Charles and Romeu out of contract end of the season. 

Charles has a year extra. Romeu has an option.  Be off with your negative views 😂

[Turkish]

10 hours ago, Midfield_General said:

With Williams and Sesay coming through too, if we’re going to continue only playing two in centre mid maybe it will be time for Flynn to return to his spiritual home in January 

Romeu back in the squad in a few weeks too. Downes will be 5th choice for 2 positions 

[CB Fry]

3 minutes ago, Doctoroncall said:

Charles and Romeu out of contract end of the season. 

Romeu hasn't kicked a ball yet.

Charles under contract until 2027.

Other than that spot on.

[saintant]

As good as Cam Bragg was yesterday I'm wondering if he is keeping that spot warm for Oriol Romeu. Ok, we none of us know what he has in the tank but there are older players than him still putting in a shift and he certainly seems to have looked after himself physically. With his know how and strength he might well be a good foil for Caspar Jander. It will be interesting to see how Oriol fits in once he is up to speed. He'll probably start with appearances off the bench to assess how he does but I'm hopeful he'll be a very useful acquisition over time.

[HnycS]

7 minutes ago, saintant said:

As good as Cam Bragg was yesterday I'm wondering if he is keeping that spot warm for Oriol Romeu. Ok, we none of us know what he has in the tank but there are older players than him still putting in a shift and he certainly seems to have looked after himself physically. With his know how and strength he might well be a good foil for Caspar Jander. It will be interesting to see how Oriol fits in once he is up to speed. He'll probably start with appearances off the bench to assess how he does but I'm hopeful he'll be a very useful acquisition over time.

Only a year older and playing a league lower than Granite Xhaka, who plays a similar position. Let's hope Romeu has a similar effect on Saints as Xhaka has had on Sunderland.