2025/26 Jack Grealish

efcste97 said:
Disagree I thought he was more of a 10, like he literally said himself he’s a 8 who plays in a 2, not a 10. Modern day ‘10s’ have to press etc.

We’re short of a 6 still, I think rohl will play more as a 8
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Well then if your judging his as a creative 10 (which is what i consider a 10 to be) he was awful.

But he wasnt that in my opinion mate.

Hybrid!
 

efcste97 said:
Disagree I thought he was more of a 10, like he literally said himself he’s a 8 who plays in a 2, not a 10. Modern day ‘10s’ have to press etc.

We’re short of a 6 still, I think rohl will play more as a 8
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In one way I agree with you, in another we don't play with a 6 - more two 8s in a double pivot who alternate between holding and pressing.

I saw an analysis somewhere that said Roehl would be a perfect 6. He's only 23 and good all round midfielders can easily be moved further forward or further back depending on the circumstances. C.F. Gravenberch, Rice. Roehl seems young enough, cerebral enough, and to have the physical qualities to be able to adopt a more defensive position on the field to the one he had at freiburg
 
Neiler said:
Its was more of an 8 and half role mate, hed occupy the place behind the striker offensively and try and arrive in the box to get on the end of something, lead the press on the break down and sit in midfield to make it 3 without the ball, thats not a 10 role in my mind. key to it all he had the legs to do it and enabled the shape both offensively and defensively.

I wouldn't have kept him on his existing terms for sure and id have no issue with the club putting a value on him and offering what presumably was a lower contract, as i said above id be hoping to build over players like him, DCL and McNeill in the short term - but that doesn't mean they dont or wouldn't have had a role here and offered value and we wont miss them, in some games i think we will, particularly when we are under the Kosh.

I think we are still light in midfield.
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I think a lot of people don't pay attention to what players do off the ball mate.
 
ElGato said:
Leeds have largely equipped themselves with 6ft plus whoppers in the middle of the park (centre backs, centre midfielders, centre forwards) who like to charge around and bump into people. Combined with the Elland Road atmos under lights, first game of a new premier league season, and a lenient referee, was kryptonite to our new brand of dimunitive and technically gifted centre midfielders, and we got bullied.

We definitely missed Doucoure then, and will coming up against teams who deploy a similar approach. Need a bit more physicality and also height at times to win the first and second balls. I think that's why we were in for Soucek and why we signed Roehl.

Tbh I think with Tim, Garner and Roehl we've probably got a 3 we could play in the middle of the park that can deal with the physical demands of the more direct teams, whilst also being technically astute enough so that we can keep playing our way (progress the ball on the ground through the thirds). However I would like one more of that profile (slightly surprised we binned of Armstrong, who is a tall fella and looks physically capable)
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Thats the thing mate, we will come up aginst teams and games were his physicality is missed or we are under the Kosh and we will miss his off th eball, legs shape he enables and workrate. We probably have new players with different and easy on the eye skills, but we will miss Docuoures skills as well i think in some games. I was actually impressed with the Stach at Leeds and the two Wolves midfielders the last day.

Think you are right mate, think we are just that one player short, hopefully Rohl can hit the ground running and we get lucky with injury and suspension in the engine room. ;)
 
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Neiler said:
Not sure its the pace myself mate. And we wont miss Docuoure from a technical nor creative point of view - we will miss him for what he enables, is presence and as you say off the ball work is going to be missed terribly, in some games Idrissa and Garner aren't going to be enough as a midfield two and if one goes down injured or suspended then we are really stretched.

Were we will miss Doucore is in the shape he enables, us to fo 3 in midfield, his presence, work rate and off the ball. He wasn't very technically talented but he was an enabler and that was influential and impactful - it created that great contradiction when it came to him.

I think we've been found wanting at midfield if im honest mate. I hope Rohl may be the answer and he could be - ive never watched him - but hes clearly the tall, Athletic, physical presence with legs Moyes likes like Fellaini and Soucek and ear mared the Docoure replacement.
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I’d say it’s perhaps acceleration. Garner is a good example, he got burned past by that Wolves player on the weekend but then clawed the ground back to get a tackle in. He’s obviously therefore got the top speed, but the game is played in the half yards and far too many of our players seem ‘slow’ in this department compared to the top clubs. McNeil is probably another one, over 100 yards he’d probably get up to a very decent top speed but over 5 yards he’s never going to be first to the ball. Whenever we play top teams we look slow and leggy and second to everything and they just seem to run all over us and we can’t get the ball back and if we do we’re smothered immediately.
 

Take Abdoulaye Doucoure’s name out of your mouth and certainly do not sully this Jack Grealish thread with it! Surely there is a designated thread for Duracell donkeys where you can reminisce about all the times he lost the ball, miscontrolled it, passed behind or to the feet of his teammates when trying to break forward etc. We have actual footballers now you weirdos.
Doucoure had all the footballing ability of Stephen Hawking’s wheelchair ffs, he was capable without the ball but the club has thankfully moved on from athletes who treat the ball like a used syringe. Plenty of the squad have high energy and plenty of them can also make a simple 10 yard pass. Leave this nonsense in the past where it thankfully, for the sake of everybody’s eyes and blood pressure, now belongs.
 
Saint Domingo said:
I’d say it’s perhaps acceleration. Garner is a good example, he got burned past by that Wolves player on the weekend but then clawed the ground back to get a tackle in. He’s obviously therefore got the top speed, but the game is played in the half yards and far too many of our players seem ‘slow’ in this department compared to the top clubs. McNeil is probably another one, over 100 yards he’d probably get up to a very decent top speed but over 5 yards he’s never going to be first to the ball. Whenever we play top teams we look slow and leggy and second to everything and they just seem to run all over us and we can’t get the ball back and if we do we’re smothered immediately.
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The gap between the midfield and defense is also important mate, I was told last season Branthwaite was our fastest player over a standing start. We miss him on that score, when he doesn’t play the defensive line is a lot deeper which leaves space for the opposition to play in behind the midfield.

Branthwaite has deceptive recovery pace. The first goal Wolves scored on Sat I do t think they score that of Branthwaite played as the ok e is higher and there is less space between midfield and defensive line.
 

Billy Dean said:
I think a lot of people don't pay attention to what players do off the ball mate.
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Doucoure led the press and put in relentless work off the ball, which can’t be denied. That said, I personally value players in this so-called ‘8 and a half’ role who can really pass the ball and help initiate or create chances, if said players can also press, which the likes of KDH can, then great.
 
Neiler said:
I wouldn't call Doucore a 10 or played that role myself mate. ;)

We will miss him for sure, i think we already are, midfield is going to be a weak area for us this year despite the investment we've been forced to make since his leaving us. I disagree and i think people will cotton onto it as games pass by, we've left our selves short in midfield.

Im hoping Rohl hits the ground running - we need him to.

Ultimately we move on, he decided to leave the club even if we wanted him to stay - which is telling.
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We’re missing doucoure like a hole in the head 😂😂😂😂😂. And yes he’s not a number 10 and now we’re miles better in that position now and he can’t play as a 6, so his only position for team is an 8 and he’d be 3rd/4th choice. The lad can’t control or pass the ball, so it basically a car crash in the 8 role,

Well we were that desperate for him to stay. we basically offered a smaller salary. End of the day he’s a poor player and signing poor players puts you in trouble, look at McNeil, we’ve moved on from him in 6 weeks. Another poor player that’s a bottom 6 footballer with doucoure.
 

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