| Akpom 13:31 - Dec 11 with 2330 views | nick141 |
I don't think I've ever seen a player where the phrase "hasn't quite fallen for him" comes to mind more often. He's clearly technically very good - he just never gets the rub of the green, which makes him seem worse than he is. |  | | |  |
| Akpom on 13:39 - Dec 11 with 2252 views | Herbivore |
It's not working for him yet but I'm not sure that's down to luck necessarily. He's just not been very good. I think he's probably trying too hard and overthinking stuff, not really playing naturally. Last two games we've seen more patters of play, quick passing with players feeling more confident knowing where their teammate will be. It feels like Akpom is still a way off being on the same wavelength as his teammates. |  |
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| Akpom on 16:41 - Dec 11 with 1935 views | Radlett_blue |
| Akpom on 13:39 - Dec 11 by Herbivore |
It's not working for him yet but I'm not sure that's down to luck necessarily. He's just not been very good. I think he's probably trying too hard and overthinking stuff, not really playing naturally. Last two games we've seen more patters of play, quick passing with players feeling more confident knowing where their teammate will be. It feels like Akpom is still a way off being on the same wavelength as his teammates. |
And as Akpom certainly shouldn't be starting too often right now, I doubt his form and confidence is going to recover. I'd bin him off in January if we can get a decent replacement. |  |
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| Akpom on 17:07 - Dec 11 with 1798 views | gainsboroughblue |
| Akpom on 16:41 - Dec 11 by Radlett_blue |
And as Akpom certainly shouldn't be starting too often right now, I doubt his form and confidence is going to recover. I'd bin him off in January if we can get a decent replacement. |
But can we bin him off? I think we're also committed to buying him if we go up. |  |
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| Akpom on 17:16 - Dec 11 with 1751 views | Radlett_blue |
| Akpom on 17:07 - Dec 11 by gainsboroughblue |
But can we bin him off? I think we're also committed to buying him if we go up. |
I think you're right. We have an obligation to buy him for £7m if we get promoted (we could then bin him off) & we're committed to cover his £25k weekly wage so I guess we have him for the season so we'd better treat him nicely & try to get the best out of him (which on the evidence so far, isn't much).
Ajax paid €12.3m for him on the back of his great season with Boro, but ended up packing him off to Lille on loan last season so they clearly saw him as a bit of a dud. | |
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| Akpom on 17:16 - Dec 11 with 1745 views | NthQldITFC |
| Akpom on 13:39 - Dec 11 by Herbivore |
It's not working for him yet but I'm not sure that's down to luck necessarily. He's just not been very good. I think he's probably trying too hard and overthinking stuff, not really playing naturally. Last two games we've seen more patters of play, quick passing with players feeling more confident knowing where their teammate will be. It feels like Akpom is still a way off being on the same wavelength as his teammates. |
He has looked a bit tight at times, but he's also shown some real top level skills too. I think he has qualities that KMc will bring out with his confidence-boosting coaching style, and he'll be very good for us in the spring.
Was impressed with the humility he showed when he got his first goal, seems like a good character, which we do tend to sign.
Patience. |  |
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| Akpom on 17:49 - Dec 11 with 1658 views | Axeldalai_lama |
| Akpom on 17:16 - Dec 11 by Radlett_blue |
I think you're right. We have an obligation to buy him for £7m if we get promoted (we could then bin him off) & we're committed to cover his £25k weekly wage so I guess we have him for the season so we'd better treat him nicely & try to get the best out of him (which on the evidence so far, isn't much).
Ajax paid €12.3m for him on the back of his great season with Boro, but ended up packing him off to Lille on loan last season so they clearly saw him as a bit of a dud. |
That conclusion seems a bit unfair looking at the stats. First season at Ajax scored a goal every other game, got 11 in 26. Then 4 the start of the next season and moved to the French top flight and got another 4 goals. So 20 odd goals accross two top flight seasons from limited starts. Far from amazing but shows he's decent enough for this level, Shirley?
Clearly not worked out so far in general the last few seasons, but I wouldn't say he's bombed. |  | | |
| Akpom on 17:50 - Dec 11 with 1650 views | ringwoodblue |
| Akpom on 17:07 - Dec 11 by gainsboroughblue |
But can we bin him off? I think we're also committed to buying him if we go up. |
If we do go up, I don’t think Akpom would be good enough to even be a sub in a PL matchday squad on his current showing. |  |
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| Akpom on 18:06 - Dec 11 with 1568 views | mellowblue |
I don't blame Akpom, he has been asked to play a role not natural to him. He is no more a 10 than Leif is a left midfielder. In the right formation, he could be excellent. But just not our formation. | | | |
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| Akpom on 18:08 - Dec 11 with 1548 views | LankHenners |
| Akpom on 18:06 - Dec 11 by mellowblue |
I don't blame Akpom, he has been asked to play a role not natural to him. He is no more a 10 than Leif is a left midfielder. In the right formation, he could be excellent. But just not our formation. |
He had the best season of his career in that position and has said since he's been here that it's the role he favours. |  |
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| Akpom on 18:25 - Dec 11 with 1473 views | King_of_Portman_Rd |
| Akpom on 18:08 - Dec 11 by LankHenners |
He had the best season of his career in that position and has said since he's been here that it's the role he favours. |
That team had a slightly difference balance. Certainly more creativity behind him and he played a classic secondary striker role alongside a ‘big man’
In our system, the 10 needs to be able to create more than Akpom did in his pomp at Boro.
Similar to Smodz both he and Akpom aren’t quite as effective in the 10 as Chaplin was in his peak.
That said, as things move on I’m sure Kmc will adapt systems to get best of players he’s got, but Nunez is by far best option as he currently has most similar attributes to Chappers. |  | | |
| Akpom on 22:26 - Dec 11 with 1099 views | Radlett_blue |
| Akpom on 18:08 - Dec 11 by LankHenners |
He had the best season of his career in that position and has said since he's been here that it's the role he favours. |
Right - so why sign an expensive player & then play him in a role which doesn't appear to suit him? | |
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| Akpom on 23:18 - Dec 11 with 987 views | have_a_word_with_him |
The generous side of me says the constant chopping and changing by McK has given him little chance to settle and contribute. The critical side of me says he's not done much at all when he has been in the team.
Overall, I think it's McK having too big of a squad and having to rotate people too much. We didn't need Akpom, like we didn't need McAteer. Not Akpom's fault. |  | | |
| Akpom on 07:22 - Dec 12 with 763 views | jasondozzell |
| Akpom on 17:16 - Dec 11 by NthQldITFC |
He has looked a bit tight at times, but he's also shown some real top level skills too. I think he has qualities that KMc will bring out with his confidence-boosting coaching style, and he'll be very good for us in the spring.
Was impressed with the humility he showed when he got his first goal, seems like a good character, which we do tend to sign.
Patience. |
Yep fully agree.
Once again it is worth listening to KM on this! Look at what he said in the last presser about Chuba. He emphasised that he wasn't fully fit when he joined and that is still early days in terms of him bedding in.
Just like it probably wasn't a good idea to write off this team when we were only a few points off second with game in hand etc, I wouldn't be dismissing Chuba yet. |  | | |
| Akpom on 12:18 - Dec 12 with 578 views | BouncebackIpswich |
| Akpom on 13:39 - Dec 11 by Herbivore |
It's not working for him yet but I'm not sure that's down to luck necessarily. He's just not been very good. I think he's probably trying too hard and overthinking stuff, not really playing naturally. Last two games we've seen more patters of play, quick passing with players feeling more confident knowing where their teammate will be. It feels like Akpom is still a way off being on the same wavelength as his teammates. |
I tend to agree, his performances haven't been anything like the level required. Continuing to bed him in may pay dividends, it's not impossible that at some point things may click for him, but how long can we wait?
At this point of the season we should be firing on all cylinders and taking off the kid gloves. If there's an option to send him back in January I'm sure we will be wanting to trigger it |  | | |
| Akpom on 12:26 - Dec 12 with 557 views | mellowblue |
| Akpom on 18:08 - Dec 11 by LankHenners |
He had the best season of his career in that position and has said since he's been here that it's the role he favours. |
All the goals he scored for Boro were as a striker, I have seen all 29 goals. Nothing suggests otherwise. As a striker he occasionally came short seeking space, but that is standard. He did have a good midfield set up up behind him and Carrick had them cooking with gas that season. He can favour that role all he likes, but he isn't natural to it. maybe some players are destined to have wonder single-seasons, Szmods, Akpom, Murphy, Clive Allen from all those years ago. | | | |
| Akpom on 12:29 - Dec 12 with 541 views | OldFart71 |
| Akpom on 17:07 - Dec 11 by gainsboroughblue |
But can we bin him off? I think we're also committed to buying him if we go up. |
Probably, as long as the bin men aren't on strike. | | | |
| Akpom on 12:44 - Dec 12 with 510 views | LankHenners |
| Akpom on 12:26 - Dec 12 by mellowblue |
All the goals he scored for Boro were as a striker, I have seen all 29 goals. Nothing suggests otherwise. As a striker he occasionally came short seeking space, but that is standard. He did have a good midfield set up up behind him and Carrick had them cooking with gas that season. He can favour that role all he likes, but he isn't natural to it. maybe some players are destined to have wonder single-seasons, Szmods, Akpom, Murphy, Clive Allen from all those years ago. |
Well they weren't though were they - he often played off Marcus Forss and latterly Cameron Archer. Obviously the role played differently to how we use it, and the different context of how teams played against Boro then vs us now make comparisons difficult, but a bit silly to try and claim it's not a natural position for him. | |
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| Akpom on 17:44 - Dec 12 with 329 views | MK1 |
He has in general, been played out of his favoured position. I think we stick with him, but as a 10. If Nunez starts, then Akpom when needed. No reason he can't come good. |  |
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| Akpom on 18:48 - Dec 12 with 256 views | Radlett_blue |
| Akpom on 07:22 - Dec 12 by jasondozzell |
Yep fully agree.
Once again it is worth listening to KM on this! Look at what he said in the last presser about Chuba. He emphasised that he wasn't fully fit when he joined and that is still early days in terms of him bedding in.
Just like it probably wasn't a good idea to write off this team when we were only a few points off second with game in hand etc, I wouldn't be dismissing Chuba yet. |
McKenna will naturally always talk up his players in public. Everyone buys duds from time to time & Akpom looks like one of those, but McKenna understandably isn't going to say this. | |
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| Akpom on 20:19 - Dec 12 with 162 views | mellowblue |
| Akpom on 12:44 - Dec 12 by LankHenners |
Well they weren't though were they - he often played off Marcus Forss and latterly Cameron Archer. Obviously the role played differently to how we use it, and the different context of how teams played against Boro then vs us now make comparisons difficult, but a bit silly to try and claim it's not a natural position for him. |
He played as a second striker off Forss mainly. Boro flooded players forward and Akpom was able to find plenty of passes to run onto hence his scoring form. He has shown little creativity ability so far in his attempts at 10, which is a broad concensus here, so is hardly a silly thing to say. Happy to disagree. Hope he comes good, as his Boro form was pretty awesome stuff. [Post edited 12 Dec 22:28]
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