Dozzell

[rickyqpr]

www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/gary-rowett-birmingham-city-dozzell-28952487
Rowett has dropped our lad from the squad...watching on from the stands!
Meanwhile, Kelman does not make the starting line for Wigan and has only scored one goal there.
Dukes- McKenna not in the Sutton squad yesterday.
Gubbins doing ok at Accrington.
Seems those that we have out on loan are not doing that well.
Only Kelman has a contract for next season with QPR.
Will we extend Dozzell? Surely not?

[hitmanrangers]

It seems to be the story of nearly all our loan outs over last 5-10 years. Who was the last successful one? Eze to Wycombe? So long ago though.
Armstrong desperately needs to go out on loan next season, as long as we stay in Championship, to learn the game. He is miles away from being a reliable and promising forward whilst his technical and mental attributes are so limited.

[robindubois]

Apr 7, 2024 17:31:44 GMT hitmanrangers said:

It seems to be the story of nearly all our loan outs over last 5-10 years. Who was the last successful one? Eze to Wycombe? So long ago though.
Armstrong desperately needs to go out on loan next season, as long as we stay in Championship, to learn the game. He is miles away from being a reliable and promising forward whilst his technical and mental attributes are so limited.

Have to agree, with the exception of Dieng and maybe Walsh we have not achieved anything in terms of player progression through loans since Eze.

I believe this is because many of our loans are not so much designed to get players up to first team standard but purely to shift some cost of players who will not make it but are under contract.

Re Armstrong I must sadly also agree. How many free kicks has he given away in the opponents half, when we should have been putting pressure on the opponents, purely through offsides and too much aggression and unnecessary careless tackles/ struggles. We have no better in Dykes and they become target men for the long hoofball tactic that does not work. Will Armstrong learn from a season in a lower division - not sure really as he has spent 2 seasons in our first team squad and has had a decent amount of game time now but does not seem to learn or progress or score goals. He is popular for his effort etc but where are the goals and intelligent play?

Smyth can be just as worrying for defenders with speed and getting behind the defence but again is not really showing Championship quality in other than small patches.

We desperately need a couple (not one) of regular goal scorers for next season which ever division we are playing in. 

[rickyqpr]

I understand the frustration with Armstrong and broadly agree. But it is also quite harsh with regard to Saturday.
I am a huge Marti fan, and ok he got Saturday wrong - so we move on.
But Marti knew what Sheff Wednesday would do, they had nothing to lose, but he opted to stand off them, draw them forward, and then get Armstrong in over the top. To be fair it could have worked, except it had already been anticipated once we announced the team at 2pm. They just man marked him with a brute of similar strength. The two just wrestled away for an hour, with the officials judging against Armstrong throughout. When officials take against an aggressive stance like Armstrong's they are unlikely to change - and they didn't all afternoon and he got more and more frustrated, fist pumping the ground. To be fair, he deserved something, but he is not a 'quick learner' either.
But I do think that Armstrong could learn from a loan. It needs to be to a club with a decent coach. He has improved under Marti, but not enough. I think it would be useful to see how he would develop playing regularly. in particular, he has to learn about officials, to adapt his game, to be cleverer, rather than doing the same thing over and over. On Saturday, he was racing away. the rest offered little or no support, often half the pitch behind, so he just kept going for it. Just hold the ball up and wait for support Sinclair.
Marti took the blame, because he presumably decided the tactic, and did not attempt to change it, only replacing a knackered Armstrong with Adomah.....Adomah? What was that all about.
We played completely into Sheff Wed's hands for 96 minutes, including the daft second goal, with Fox playing then on as Field rushed forward with his hand aloft.
We were mugged off, and Marti was man enough to put his hand up - he gets a big plus from me for that. Although I was surprised that he did not change it earlier. He watched as Sheffield brough on fresh legs to maintain the high / aggressive press.
I agree that the motive for our outgoing loans is usually cashflow. Perhaps, having renewed Kelman's contract before shipping to Wigan was a little different. It has not worked; we will probably ship him out in the Summer now (loan or transfer).
But, Dykes, Frey and Armstrong are all we have. Marti shuffles them, but Armstrong has been a useful substitute when teams tire. A bigger serious question is 'What the hell has happened to Dykes?' He is just invisible now, and one of our highest earners. Is he trying to avoid injury for Scotland? Watch him now score at Plymouth...... I hope.

[robindubois]

" understand the frustration with Armstrong and broadly agree. But it is also quite harsh with regard to Saturday.
I am a huge Marti fan, and ok he got Saturday wrong - so we move on."

Agreed Ricky I am a huge Marti fan as well. He got it wrong at the weekend and has put his hand up which many do not do. Also he does not get it wrong very often so that gives me hope for the coming games that he has learnt and will get it right.

My comments on Armstrong - maybe a bit unfair but they are not just based on Saturday - I suppose they only way we will find out is to send him on loan next season and hope.

Dykes I agree has disappeared. He has never been a goal scorer (unless for Scotland) and I do not think he fits into Marti's style or future plans. I was amazed when he signed a new contract at the star of the season - maybe in Ainsworth be believed

Now he is probably going through the motions if he knows he is not the gem in Marti's eye.

Maybe someone north of the border will pay a couple of hundred thousand pounds for him - if not we are either stuck with him for a couple more season and a drain on financial resources or we let him go free. I cannot see any Championship clubs fighting to sign him. Maybe we can convert him to a centre back if JCS goes - Sadly he is or already has turned into another Washington.

But we have what we have for the rest of the season so have to battle on with what we have. It may all come down to goal difference so I would be more than happy to be proven wrong/stupid by a Dykes first half hattick at Plymouth

[robindubois]

" understand the frustration with Armstrong and broadly agree. But it is also quite harsh with regard to Saturday.
I am a huge Marti fan, and ok he got Saturday wrong - so we move on."

Agreed Ricky I am a huge Marti fan as well. He got it wrong at the weekend and has put his hand up which many do not do. Also he does not get it wrong very often so that gives me hope for the coming games that he has learnt and will get it right.

My comments on Armstrong - maybe a bit unfair but they are not just based on Saturday - I suppose they only way we will find out is to send him on loan next season and hope.

Dykes I agree has disappeared. He has never been a goal scorer (unless for Scotland) and I do not think he fits into Marti's style or future plans. I was amazed when he signed a new contract at the star of the season - maybe in Ainsworth be believed

Now he is probably going through the motions if he knows he is not the gem in Marti's eye.

Maybe someone north of the border will pay a couple of hundred thousand pounds for him - if not we are either stuck with him for a couple more season and a drain on financial resources or we let him go free. I cannot see any Championship clubs fighting to sign him. Maybe we can convert him to a centre back if JCS goes - Sadly he is or already has turned into another Washington.

But we have what we have for the rest of the season so have to battle on with what we have. It may all come down to goal difference so I would be more than happy to be proven wrong/stupid by a Dykes first half hattick at Plymouth