To be honest stuff like this is just as bad. We veer to extremes on a weekly basis. A couple of bad games and someone's awful, a couple of good ones and everyone's out going 'WHERE ARE THE MOANERS NOW EH', only for us to get tonked in the next game and the whole thing starts again. I think Doucoure is a decent player who is pretty inconsistent and not always particularly effective. Last night he was really good, it didn't surprise me, he has it in his locker to do that and i've seen it plenty of times. It also didn't surprise me when he had some poor games earlier in the season, and it won't surprise me when he has an absolute shocker and some point in the next month or two, because that's the type of player he is. You can appreciate someone's good points and acknowledge their faults at the same time.
All very fair. I mean I do occasionally veer into that too and you're right it's not a great way to behave. Recently I did so with the Keane/Mina partnership, and mockingly asked "I thought they can't play together". It was a snide dig really, but I do think there are a small layer of fans, who think their opinions become gospel (though I'm sure some may think I act that way too!).
Nuance is always good, and I think it helps sort of avoid the boom and bust thinking which in the end probably makes people feel more angry than they ought to be. Nobody knows everything, and the view that Doucoure is either good or bad is not an unreasonable view. There is good evidence for either.
Anyway taking out that prelude, I think he had been much better Fulham onwards. He seemed to lose a lot of confidence in the derby, which he and Allan were really poor in (as well as Gomes) and the following few games he was awfu (albeit not helped by him playing right wing at Newcastle). He seemed to sit more at Fulham, and enjoythat aspect of the game. Simplifying it helped him.
Like most of the team he went missign against Leeds, but I thought he was ok against Burnley for the most part and good against Chelsea before the Leicester display.
At Watford he never really sat and broke play up, partially because they had Capoue to do so and really because they needed him further forward. Sitting in front of the back 4 seems to suit him. He can cover ground, reads the game ok, and can occasionally break from that position too. He looks happier in that role to me, whereas playing in an 8/10 role I've always felt he looked a bit muddled by it. You get some good moments from him, but also some games he would not get the flow of.
We need him in front of the back 4 now and I'm pleased to see him excelling in the role. Lets hope the consistency level he has shown for the last 4 games can go forward across the next 34. He will be a great buy if thats the case.
