Loan Watch — #1

I usually don't like judging players too early into the season but if Luke Garbutt can just do one I would appreciate it.

Today my posh, never swearing, Dad came with me and I was surprised to hear him turn to me and say:

"The guy we've got at left-back is shit!"😂#OUFC— D3D4Football🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (@d3d4football) August 18, 2018

My #OUFC line up for Tuesday 1) Mitchell
2) Not Garbutt
3) Not Garbutt
4) Not Garbutt
5) Not Garbutt
6) Not Garbutt
7) Not Garbutt
8) Not Garbutt
9) Not Garbutt
10) Not Garbutt
11) Not Garbutt

— Sam Allen (@guycalledsam) August 18, 2018

Can't wait to see him at Goodison.

Mind, he's no Lookman . . . . . .

Never mind; on the back of such a career the lad's a millionaire!

They were beaten 1-4, and he was substituted at half time, I think we have done well to offload him, oh wait a minute, it's only a loan, he will still come back.

Doesn't sound like he'll play but if Oxford do persist with Garbutt I will keep an eye on him and report back on here tomorrow...

Could anyone tell me what he has to do to play for us? Lost track now.

Next season we would have some really good players returning to the fold, all hopefully with a good season behind them and ready for the first team squad.

On return, I believe at least two out of the three wide men would be assets, Dowell would be there or thereabouts and we would have 3 ready-made full-backs in Kenny, Robinson and Connoly.

The young lads who don't come back good enough will have inflated their value whilst showing they weren't up to the level we need at the Blues.

I may write a piece arguing that Martina should have been kept as the back-up and Kenny sent out to play 40+ games in the Championship...

James, cheers for posting the video of Henry's goal. His pace is just plain scary, and coming off the knee injury that's great to see.

Mike A., Silva apparently thinks he's ready for Everton right now. Kenny looks like he spent the whole summer in the weight room – the skinny kid we saw last year is gone. And I think he'll get plenty of playing time, because if Silva is wise he'll give Seamus regular rest.

Browning, Galloway and Pennington have effectively proved they’re not good enough.

The jury is out on Williams (turned down a £1m bid, but no where near the first team)

Robinson, Henri and Connelly have gone back for a second time

Dowell has effectively forced himself into first team reckoning.

This year it’s far less exciting as, apart from the 3 back out on loan, they’re all there to save on the wage bill.

The alternative could be Bernard, or maybe three centre backs? But I’m glad Bolasie, is going because he’s never looked like a team player to me.

I never thought Garbutt, was good enough either, but the fact that he’s already made for life, will be doing nothing for his hunger, which was always my biggest concern whenever I watched him play.

As for not having enough width, well Silva plays wide forwards not touchline huggers, so we have enough wide forwards:
- Richarlison
- Walcott
- Calvert-Lewin
- Lookman
- Bolasie
- Sandro
- Bernard
- Antony Evans

I've included Evans as he should really be 5th choice and we should get rid of as many as we can to get him up that list.

Get rid of Bolasie and Sandro we all say. Sandro is on too much money, he's going nowhere. As a wide forward, rather than a winger, Sandro can do a job. I hope Bernard will challenge at no10, but he can be an option off the bench, or Gylfi can come on at 10 and we can shift Bernard wide (when he's playing as the 10).

One of our players is missing from that list and it's an interesting one. What if we flog Lookman now, for £30m. We offload Bolasie on loan, we make do with Sandro and Calvert-Lewin as backups for Walcott, Richarlison and Bernard, and we wait to try and get a work permit next summer for Onyekuru.

Sandro only has 3 more years on his contract, at a reported £120,000 per week! With any luck we can shift him at some point, but that probably requires playing.

I don't want to sell Lookman, but he's not going about things the right way. Clearly Silva is not happy with him either, or he'd have brought him on instead of Calvert-Lewin. I would insist Lookman puts in a transfer request if he wants to leave though, and make RB Leipzigpay every penny of £30m and pay it upfront.

Regarding Garbutt, I always thought he was excellent. Clearly something went amuck with the kid. Or my valuation of players is complete shite. Probably the latter.

This update on loans is absolutely fantastic. I'm very glad we will get some intermittent news on our loaned players – especially the young ones – to see how they are doing.

I don't have the time, or frankly the desire, to troll the internet for news on our loaned players. But I'll absolutely read about it on TW and be more informed.

Great addition / idea.

I'll bet a paycheck Kenny gets 18-20 games this season. Seamus won't be 100% until next year – a leg break requires at least two full years for a complete recovery – and I predict that even if he has no injury issues he'll sit out 1/4 of our league matches and all our Cup ties.

There's no way Silva keeps Kenny around to let him rot on the bench. He's ready.

Holgate and Zouma can both play right back, both can cover the few games Coleman won't play. Imo, Kenny could and should play 35+ Championship games instead of sitting on our bench all season.

Maybe he feels like he will have enough money to retire so he is no longer motivated?

Highlights on the beeb live feed include;

87' - Attempt blocked. Josh Windass (Wigan Athletic) right footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Callum Connolly with a through ball.

78' - Second yellow card to Ashley Williams (Stoke City) for a bad foul.

69' - Foul by Ashley Williams (Stoke City).

66' - Ashley Williams (Stoke City) is shown the yellow card.

34' - Foul by Ashley Williams (Stoke City).

23' - Foul by Ashley Williams (Stoke City).

17' - Foul by Ashley Williams (Stoke City).

9' - Foul by Ashley Williams (Stoke City).

etc.

"Robinson completed the full 90 minutes in both games, as Wigan were twice pinned back in a 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest, before causing an almighty shock by beating Stoke 3-0 at the bet365 Stadium.

On Saturday, Robinson was one of Wigan's better performers and had the most touches of any player on the pitch - but with a passing accuracy of just 50%.

He fared a little better at Stoke, completing 65% of his passes, but its clear that he needs to be more consistent on the ball.

He played a key part in Wigan's third goal at Stoke, fizzing a dangerous ball across goal before Nick Powell was pulled down and awarded a penalty – which Will Grigg duly dispatched to put the Latics 3-0 up."

If you watch to the end of these YouTube highlights, you see Williams getting tossed: Link

Nothing dubious about either of those yellows, if anything, the first could have been red. The 2nd Wigan goal showed exactly what is missing with Williams. A straightforward tackle is missed 25 yards out to gift the Wigan player a run on goal.

He has dropped a long long way from the player we saw at Swansea and for Wales in the Euros.

At least in Football Manager, work permits are not a problem anymore when England leaves EU rules.

Now they have Martina. Watch them surge up the table. LOL.

He doesn't look arsed either when he gets sent off. Never want to see him anywhere near our side ever again. A truly awful signing. Should have been the new Distin but played more like a dustbin!!

I don't know if Martina played in Stoke's defeat at West Brom.

Williams got rave reviews for Bolton. As Dave #43 says, Connolly and Robinson did well for Wigan. How about the rest? Don't we have almost a full team out on loan? Of course, some of those we don't want to see back, but please give some updates on the promising youngsters!

Did you see the Echo story, listing how the 24 - TWENTY-FRIGGING-FOUR!!! - players were sold or loaned out in the summer were doing?

It's a good read. Link

If anything, with the exception of Rooney in Washington, Martina is possibly the one impressing the most.

Ashley Williams reveals the full story behind the picture that shocked football

It's strange now in Liverpool concerning the Echo, I was a life-long reader of the Echo until about the last 18 months. I think the number of readers has decreased dramatically in the last few years and it is now printed in Oldham (I think) and links up with The Daily Mirror.

My wife brings it in occasionally but it is really only useful for the death notices (not being funny there) and that only brings you bad news. Thanks again, Jay.

Jay Rolls eyes... Shakes head... Sighs...

Get's on with life.

Very strange.

I actually enjoy some of your posts. Just your manner needs a bit of work. Problem? Yes, you need more humility squire

My COMPLETELY harmless post @ 46, intended to help simply inform a fellow TWer on the thread's subject that he expressed interest in, causes you... what, exactly?

Your response @ 49 implies you are indignant - incensed, even - that I had the temerity to (innocently) post a link you have already made (not, as you now admit, even within this thread).

Seriously, what is your beef about that 'infringement'? Do you want acclaim and acknowledgement for the link you posted in another thread, I don't know when, because (drum roll...):

I have never seen that post.

Do you believe I am belittling you, undermining you, being condescending to you, for innocently posting the link I did @ 46, addressing a named single TW poster...?

Your post to me @ 54 suggests you have some issues you need resolving.

What and why, exactly?

Because you actually contribute little or nothing to topics of the day, or football discussions, other - as you do here with me - berating fellow posters on their posting style and opinion, as you perceive it.

You accuse me of being condescending and lacking in humility... when you own default posting style almost exclusively attacks the poster, rather than engage in debate with them.

Victor Yu seems to be a poster who causes you particular duress, given your serial attacks on him, going so far as giving him the moniker 'Victor MeldYu'.

I humbly suggest, before you start hurling stones and casting haughty judgement about other TWers, you take a good look at yourself within the glass house you hypocritically inhabit.