2018/19 Kieran Dowell

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Parker NSNO said:
I think its a weird one with Dowell, he clearly has talent but at the moment I think he is in between the Championship and Premier League in terms of quality.

Too good for the Championship, not quite good enough to start in the Premier League (which I think will come eventually).

Encouraged with what I see of him last night though, him and Davies did well in a two man midfield.
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I call that the Darren Huckerby Dimension
 

Eggs said:
..glad most folk liked what they saw. I don’t think he’s ever going to be an all action midfielder, always in the game but he has that bit of quality that can make the difference in football matches. He’s capable of putting the most exquisitely weighted passes behind the opposition back four that could really benefit a speedy central striker, winger or overlapping full back.
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So in the cup games Davies and Gueye in CM with Sig and Dowell given a free role in front of em. And we'll get to see what he can do.
 

jazzy said:
Went last night and paid particular attention to Dowell seeing as we are both from Ormskirk.

What a strange player.

He clearly has good technique with a good 1st touch ( watch and learn Oumar) and can pick a pass but is so one footed it is ridiculous for a pro footballer. Far too lightweight to play centre midfield and doesn't seem to have any devil in him.

You would struggle to play him wide because he has no pace.

Could he play off a striker ? Maybe but not convinced.

I honestly don't know how you would accomodate him in a succesful team.
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I`m with you this one mate.

I`ve never really seen him play properly before so watched him quite closely last night.

He`s deffo deffo neat and tidy, with a good footballing brain, but he seems to want too much time on the ball, which you don`t get in the Premier League.

Hopefully if he gets more game time, he`ll adapt to the pace along the way.

He got caught with the ball an awful lot last and unlike similar type players- Barry, he doesn`t have the snide to get it back.

He needs more time, but at the mo I`m on the fence about the lad.
 
Nealroy said:
It's difficult because the things he needs to learn, how to impose himself on a game, can only be learnt by playing for a decent spell and at quite a high level. He would really benefit from a midfield injury crisis - a run of five games where there is no one waiting in the wings to push him out of the team. Bit weird for something to rely on fate like that but I actually think it's probably the case for quite a lot of young players. Think Rashford who was by no means 'knocking on the door' at United when he got into the team initially.
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It can't be underestimated how important the cup games are this season to the development of this team. We have to have a decent run in both.
And when the injuries come he's going to have to step up...and get in. Full confidence he will, if he picks up his work rate.
It may be a case that Davies is the player he needs next to/ around him. They compliment each others styles, in terms of mentality and skill.
 
When I first saw dowell at 16, I always thought he would be 21/22 before he became a Premmier league regular. Because of his languid style, slight frame even though he’s quite tall and not blessed With pace.

How many young players are thrown into premier league teams, up front or on the wing because they have pace IE:- Jordan Ibe
And how many 19/20 yr olds are playing regular in the number 10 role for top half teams.

With the right coaching and more work in the gym, so he can handle the Premmier league, I wonder if he would suit Silva’s 433 system, playing left hand side of the 3 midfielders. With a powerful defensive player in the middle and a more balanced player on the right might just work.

I personally hope he gets a few chances this season, we can’t just throw talent like this away.
 

Eggs said:
..i’ve seen what he can do. The unknown is whether he can force his way into getting more game time in the Cup and Premier League.
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He has considerable ability with the ball. I'd say probably more than even Gylfi. He struggles with structure. There are lots of similarities with Davies in this. He does lots of aspects of the game very well, but struggles in other areas and if you were a manager you'd probably question if you could rely on him. Compared to say Kenny, or Beni or Calvert Lewin, who may have less bits of brilliance but ultimately you could put them in and know what you were going to get.

What gives me grounds for optimism though is that you have seen a big improvement at some of the simple things in Davies over a 2 month period. He is tackling and intercepting much more, making more passes and looking calmer. This is not down to him trying harder (as I always felt he tried) but it's about being coached how to position yourself to be in the optimal position to affect the game.

That same coaching is likely to be happening for Dowell too. He needs that as well. I think he's a willing lad, clearly got a great attitude and is willing to learn. There's a difference between being unwilling and unable. I think he probably needs the game broken down for him, in terms of structure. This is how you get back into shape. This is when you press. This is what you do when your partner presses etc. With the ball he is better, but it's as much about where you pick the ball up and put yourself in a position where you can get the ball regularly. That will come more easily to Dowell. He's a lad, who if he reaches his peak will have the game going through him.

For me he was never going to get this coaching on loan. The Championship is a physical league on the whole. There's a lot of % play. A lad like Dowell is currently not very suited to it. Yes it toughens him up a bit, and I think he benefitted from that for 6 months but ideally would have come back last season in January. You also have enormous short termism in the league. The nature of parachute payments causes that. Sides gamble to get back up. None of it leads to a manager taking the time to improve a loan player who will then improve to a level they cannot afford him.

6 months intensive training is what Dowell needs (and Davies). Every day working with top players. For Dowell every day seeing how hard Sigurdsson works without the ball. Seeing him get every drop of ability out. Working on shape etc. Silva seems in that mould. If he's introduced slowly and we see him more in the 2nd half of the season, thats good for me. He can "make his mistakes" on the training pitch and hopefully come with the end product at the second half of the season. He will never have a better chance to become a Premier League player, and in honesty if he doesn't take it that will probably be it for him. However early signs last night and flashes in pre season (where he looks to improved from again) are very promising.

As with all the young players, give them time. Hopefully the first team lads keep them out and make them work to get in for as long as possible.
 
He took time to get up to speed last night but he showed quality in the second half. You can tell he's still a bit wet behind the ears though.
 
I didn’t go to the game, nor seen any highlights, but the comments I’m reading here are a little underwhelming.

Rotherham are a play-off promoted Championship team that made almost as many changes as us last night.

I don’t want to read “started off slow, got into it more second half”.

This kid is one of the most gifted players in the entire squad and was playing in central midfield last night. Starting slow? Pfft.

He should be demanding the ball absolutely everywhere, looking constantly for it when we don’t have it & genuinely trying to dominate a game.

He’s a complete waste of talent right now IMO.
 

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