Blues manager Paul Jewell felt Watford had no answer to midfielder Jay Emmanuel-Thomas during Saturday’s first half with some aspects of the youngster’s game even resembling his former Arsenal team-mate Thierry Henry. The Town boss is delighted with the form the 21-year-old is showing with opposition teams deputing two and even three players to deal with his threat.

Jewell said: “In the first half on Saturday they couldn’t handle him but we didn’t get the ball to him second half. Teams are doubling up on him, sometimes trebling up on him.

“He’s got better and will get better as gets to know the game even more. He is important, he’s a big outlet for us and not just that, he attracts so many people to the ball that he leaves space for other people as well.

The Blues boss says he has spoken to the Londoner about what he should do when things aren’t going his way as was the case after the break at Vicarage Road: “I chatted to him today and said that when this happens he’s got to be able to handle that side of the game and make sure he makes himself available for the ball and when we haven’t got it he’s got to work as hard as he is doing.

“When we bought him, I’m not sure what we paid for him, I think it was £600,000 going upwards [with clauses], I’d seen a lot of potential when I’d watched him.

“At first I was like all the supporters, thinking ‘Come on JET, liven up a little bit’. He’s just got that languid [look about him], he rolls his shoulders.

High-flying JET

“But he picked one up on Saturday on the edge of our box and took it right up to the edge of their box almost Henry-like.

“He’s got lots of natural ability, he’s learning the game and he’s an outlet for us. As the season’s progressed and as we’ve done well, he’s played a key part in that.”

However, he warns that the former England U19 international can’t play as he did in the first half at Vicarage Road all the time and that there are things he still has to work on, but when he’s at his best says he can get people off their seats: “He’s the one player in our team who can do that. He can go past people in a breath, he can hit a shot.

“But the closer he is to goal, the worse he is! He’s better off having a shot from 50 yards than 20 by the time it comes down!”

Photos: Action Images

Photo: Action Images

Benters added 07:20 - Mar 27 Shame about some of the others .....
0

slowerball added 07:38 - Mar 27 Phil - a lovely early use of the word deputing. Nice work fella. A very frustrating player, a luxury perhaps. There were points in the game at Hull where my son and I were more active sat in the stand - he was stood in a spot simply watching the game... Let's hope he reaches his potential, so that teams have to assign more markers to the enigmatic ex-Aresnal man.
0

tractorboybig added 07:58 - Mar 27 paul Watford did have an answer to jet, They won.
0

itfcst added 08:04 - Mar 27 A luxury? How many other times have you seen him this season? He's worked as hard as anyone over the course of our decent run
0

bahri added 08:35 - Mar 27 Like Henry LOL.
0

brogansnose added 08:44 - Mar 27 More to the point, we had no answer to Watford's hoof ball apart joining in with them.
0

Wallingford_Boy added 09:17 - Mar 27 Some nice moments from JET on Saturday but also lots of not-so-nice moments, eg. miscontrols, passing out of play, etc.
0

bluelady added 09:27 - Mar 27 early season i did feel he was a luxury player,now totally disagree. yes he has not so good moments, if he was perfect he would be playing for Arsenal now.. but when he turns it on (and its more and more nowadays) PJ is right defenders dont know how to deal with him. Trouble is our defenders dont know how to deal with ANYONE!
0

Sindre94 added 09:30 - Mar 27 I kinda love him! Look back at my previous blogs and you can see I rated him from the beginning! :) Hope he keeps it up
0

MaySixth added 09:39 - Mar 27 Emmanuel-Thomas is overrated.
0

walberswick added 10:06 - Mar 27 well done Jewellio, it's more of the "we won the first half" approach to promotion.
0

Kesgraveblue57 added 10:06 - Mar 27 The boy is talented BUT fails to show it most of the time Watford did have the answer they won
0

wideblue added 10:32 - Mar 27 At the moment, it's difficult to predict which JET will turn up - as PJ said earlier in the season 'world beater' or 'panel beater'. Against Peterborough he was poor, however against Burnley he showed enormous promise, at times being outstanding. I, for one, am glad he's playing for us rather than against us. As for 'Watford had the answer, they won', could I remind people that this is a team game? Messi would struggle to get us out of some of the holes we dig for ourselves!

0

bluelady added 10:39 - Mar 27 wideblue excellent post!
0

Martus added 10:41 - Mar 27 FUEL THE JET AND HE WILL SCOOOORE, FUUUUUUEL THE JET AND HE WILL SCOOOOOORE!!!!! AHAHAHAHA I frikin love him!!!!
0

jas0999 added 11:09 - Mar 27 More utter tosh from PJ: Watford 2 Ipswich 1 Three points for Watford - none to us. JET is very unpredictable - but one of PJ's better signings. I enjoy watching him play - as you never know what he will do. However, I do wish PJ would focus on signing a GK and CB's rather than uttering this sort of rubbish.
0

Sindre94 added 11:38 - Mar 27 Hello Jas, having a good day?
0

taylor15 added 11:47 - Mar 27 this really irritates me. he's 21 years old! do people expect him to have the touch of messi and ronaldo at 20? and just people watford won, that doesn't mean that they had an answer to him.. he did a lot of defending in the match, i was there, i saw it. just get of his back - he's the professional footballer, you're not! he knows much more about football than you do, i guarantee it.

0

mikeybloo88 added 12:38 - Mar 27 Not even as good as Karl Henry, never mind Thierry Henry
0

simonsays added 13:03 - Mar 27 It was a shame they had an answer to him in the 2nd half!
0

AlanMahon2011 added 13:31 - Mar 27 Sorry but JET is so overrated.
0

bluelady added 13:52 - Mar 27 ah Jas how refreshing, lets turn a post about Jet to one about PJ and CB, GK etc. do you have any other records as this one seems to have got stuck.... we all know how you feel Jas, bored of hearing it
0

NITFC added 14:22 - Mar 27 Jas - yawn
0

TractorBoy666 added 16:43 - Mar 27 Jas, every post is the same with you.
0

Garv added 16:49 - Mar 27 One particular part of his game I'd like to see him working on is his crossing when cutting inside. Maybe he should keep going on the outside because he can certainly put a good ball in with the outside of his left. But we definitely have a special player in him.
0

Blogs 295 bloggers

Ipswich Town Polls