Pass the ball Morrison!!!

[Ramarena]

Doesn’t make the starting lineup if Shinniesta, Knight and Bird are available. 

Useful to bring on when trying to see a game out though.

[Comrade 86]

7 minutes ago, rammieib said:

If only we could have the following two stat lines:

"% Completion rate of making the wrong passing option"

or

"% Shooting when he should have passed it"

Sometimes you have to look beyond stats.

Maybe you should have entitled the thread, 'Pass the ball Morrison and don't shoot when you should have passed it or pick the wrong passing option' rather than using a title to suggest a player doesn't pass the ball when the stats (whether you like them or not) make a mockery of the point you've actually made ?‍♀️

[Ramarena]

1 hour ago, Jimbo Ram said:

Numerous occasions Byrne has been on his own in acres of space down the right and Morrison ignores him…

To be fair neither FB or winger gets much supply from him. 

Wasn’t a surprise to see much better movement against Millwall!

[rammieib]

5 hours ago, 86 Hair Islands said:

Maybe you should have entitled the thread, 'Pass the ball Morrison and don't shoot when you should have passed it or pick the wrong passing option' rather than using a title to suggest a player doesn't pass the ball when the stats (whether you like them or not) make a mockery of the point you've actually made ?‍♀️

Stats don’t make a mockery. How many league goals or assists does he have this season?

There is a telling stat for our player who has been number 10 for most of the season so far!

[kevinhectoring]

4 minutes ago, rammieib said:

Stats don’t make a mockery. How many league goals or assists does he have this season?

There is a telling stat for our player who has been number 10 for most of the season so far!

Not clear that when Bielik is back he should keep his place. But I think he probably will since he is Rooney’s mate. He looks beautiful on the ball - esp when the oppo are sitting deep - so it’s easy to think he’s more effective than he is 

[Comrade 86]

13 minutes ago, rammieib said:

Stats don’t make a mockery. How many league goals or assists does he have this season?

There is a telling stat for our player who has been number 10 for most of the season so far!

So we disregard stats indicating his passing ability, but take note of stats that you think show him in a negative light. Ok. 

[VulcanRam]

8 hours ago, rammieib said:

Stats don’t make a mockery. How many league goals or assists does he have this season?

There is a telling stat for our player who has been number 10 for most of the season so far!

He may be many things, but number 10 is not one. He's more of an old school centre mid who gets all around the pitch, and that means he spends as much time around Shinnie and Bird as he does anywhere near the striker. Let's not pretend he's some sort of attacking midfielder/goalscorer and use that against him when he clearly isn't.

[rammieib]

12 hours ago, 86 Hair Islands said:

So we disregard stats indicating his passing ability, but take note of stats that you think show him in a negative light. Ok. 

What would you prefer your number 10 to have better stats in? Passing accuracy or assists/goals/chances created?

I know what I'd prefer and unfortunately for me, he's one of the reasons (out of many!) that we don't score many goals.

Now if we was playing as a passing holding midfielder, I'd may have a different opinion. Thankfully we have Bird for that!

[Leeds Ram]

Morrison slows the play down too often for my taste that yes gives him a high passing% but becomes detrimental to a team relying upon pace, power and movement for their goals i.e., swift passing and counter attacks. It looks nice I guess but to me it almost looks like he's in love with his passing ability and having the ball at his feet for too long by which time the move has all but broken down and the opposition has plugged the necessary gaps. 

[sage]

I see this season as an investment season, much like a young player making his breakthrough season. He is doing ok but hopefully with this season behind him and full pre-season he will dominate next season.  I do think he would profit from being in a midfield 3, he is an 8 not a 10. 

[ck-]

8 hours ago, VulcanRam said:

He may be many things, but number 10 is not one. He's more of an old school centre mid who gets all around the pitch, and that means he spends as much time around Shinnie and Bird as he does anywhere near the striker. Let's not pretend he's some sort of attacking midfielder/goalscorer and use that against him when he clearly isn't.

Definitely agree with this, but doesn't that show why we're having difficulty scoring? We're effectively playing with 3 DMs. Morrison is often the deepest of the three of them, and while he looks tidy in possession, he's not creating much.

There has to be a better balance than this, even with the limited players at our disposal. If he's going to play so deep, would it be sensible do you think to push max Bird further up field and to have Shinnie running off him?

[VulcanRam]

3 minutes ago, ck- said:

Definitely agree with this, but doesn't that show why we're having difficulty scoring? We're effectively playing with 3 DMs. Morrison is often the deepest of the three of them, and while he looks tidy in possession, he's not creating much.

There has to be a better balance than this, even with the limited players at our disposal. If he's going to play so deep, would it be sensible do you think to push max Bird further up field and to have Shinnie running off him?

Yes, that is an idea, though I guess Morrison's value comes in him being able to roam around without stricture, picking the ball up and moving it on. I think until the last couple of games, when he's run out of form and looks weary, he'd been a huge asset regards the team's ability to keep possession and move the ball around the pitch without hopeful punts. Firing mentally and physically, he has a big role to play, perhaps just try and get him concentrating on his abilities higher up the pitch and leave picking the ball up from the CHs to Bird/Shinnie.

[Comrade 86]

18 minutes ago, VulcanRam said:

Yes, that is an idea, though I guess Morrison's value comes in him being able to roam around without stricture, picking the ball up and moving it on. I think until the last couple of games, when he's run out of form and looks weary, he'd been a huge asset regards the team's ability to keep possession and move the ball around the pitch without hopeful punts. Firing mentally and physically, he has a big role to play, perhaps just try and get him concentrating on his abilities higher up the pitch and leave picking the ball up from the CHs to Bird/Shinnie.

He's looked really weary to me in recent games and more than a little frustrated. Wayne has had him operating in so many different roles his head must spin at times and his form has suffered, I think. I think that when we can, we simply need to play him in a central midfield role, but in fairness to his critics, Ravel has to get fitter too. It's been fairly argued that he's had more football in the last 24 months than some others, but he's only really ever had one full (ish) season and I think in a league as brutal as the Championship, the workload has found him out a little.

I do hope not too many get on his back moving forwards. The usual suspects will, but I hope the wider fanbase don't. He's worked harder at Derby than anywhere he's been and his reaction to goals we've scored shows he's got plenty of passion for the club. Lest we forget, he also has some well documented mental health issues as well however and I'd hate to see him disappear back into the abyss. I really hope he doesn't read this thread and the others started after his lesser games, as he'd have every right to feel singled out IMO. There's a wonderful and highly technical player in there if we can nurse him through to 'second wind'. I'd also dearly love to see him and Festy in the same side more often. There's something there, I'm sure of it.

Edited November 9, 2021 by 86 Hair Islands

[rammieib]

30 minutes ago, ck- said:

Definitely agree with this, but doesn't that show why we're having difficulty scoring? We're effectively playing with 3 DMs. Morrison is often the deepest of the three of them, and while he looks tidy in possession, he's not creating much.

There has to be a better balance than this, even with the limited players at our disposal. If he's going to play so deep, would it be sensible do you think to push max Bird further up field and to have Shinnie running off him?

Square pegs and round holes. I don't accommodate him sadly. 

I think we played better against Millwall without him impeding our progress and we got the ball forward quicker and more directly.

[Comrade 86]

4 hours ago, rammieib said:

What would you prefer your number 10 to have better stats in?

He's not a number 10. I know it's convenient for you to pretend he is but he's a central mid.

To be honest mate, you crack on raising a new thread every time you reckon he's been the worst player on the pitch, because your right to express an opinion trumps supporting the team all day long, doesn't it? I mean it's not like the players might need us behind them right now, is it?

[rammieib]

Just now, 86 Hair Islands said:

He's not a number 10. I know it's convenient for you to pretend he is but he's a central mid.

To be honest mate, you crack on raising a new thread every time you reckon he's been the worst player on the pitch, because your right to express an opinion trumps supporting the team all day long, doesn't it? I mean it's not like the players might need us behind them right now, is it?

Thanks 86, but I only need the one thread to discuss this, but appreciate the feedback.

So - back to a more sensible debate if you can have this. Do you think we should be playing him, Bird and Shinnie all in the same team if they are all centre mids?

[Comrade 86]

6 minutes ago, rammieib said:

Thanks 86, but I only need the one thread to discuss this, but appreciate the feedback.

So - back to a more sensible debate if you can have this. Do you think we should be playing him, Bird and Shinnie all in the same team if they are all centre mids?

I'll skip the 'sensible debate' as you put it as I believe I've already posted a sensible and fair observation on where he is right now form-wise and where he should play. He looked a different player to my eye at least in his early games when not being 'shoehorned', but I'm really not sure there's any real benefit at all to me saying the same thing again and again to folk who see no value in what he offers. Each to their own I guess.

[May Contain Nuts]

2 hours ago, rammieib said:

Square pegs and round holes. I don't accommodate him sadly. 

I think we played better against Millwall without him impeding our progress and we got the ball forward quicker and more directly.

Having watched a year of Derby under Rowett and having watched us against his teams in the past I think there's a possibility that we'd have played better against Millwall regardless.

There are plenty of examples of his teams allowing the opposition to play a bit and 'poor' teams looking better than they often do only to be hot with a suckerpunch.