Have we missed this man

[jimtastic56]

3 hours ago, jameso said:

Yes - most of his (to date somewhat rare) goals are absolute beauties. We hear that he is frequently encouraged to shoot more often and he probably should!

Unfortunately , he only scores about once every 47 games . 

[Sparkle]

27 minutes ago, sage said:

if he picks him 😀

If he hasn’t signed a contract by January I suspect he will be sold then so not many games left in probable reality

[McMuffin]

5 hours ago, sage said:

The points with and without him last season suggest otherwise.

Agree about last season. However this season we were getting battered by the likes of Oxford and Blackpool reserves to name 2 with Bird in midfield. Yes we are not playing much football but results have got better without Bird. We will see what happens when he’s back. Book mark this anyone that wants to. Let’s see what happens 

Edited September 26, 2023 by McMuffin

[Carl Sagan]

4 hours ago, Rich3478 said:

Bird is a decent footballer but has far too little impact on a game. Probably makes us a slightly better side but would argue it needs to be in place of hourihane. Together doesn’t work.

Exactly this. The lad has a lot of skill, but hides in games rather than taking responsibility. If he had been using his talent to the max we'd miss him, but last season he just coasted through.

When he comes back (presumably soon) and all the others are available too, we'll have more midfield options (Fornah, Smith, Embleton, Hourihane, Tommo, Sibley, Ward, Robinson). That should mean upping his game, but I expect Warne will pick him and Hourihane regardless of performance. So, they'll both need to play much better if we're to challenge for promotion.

[Gisby]

Poll please 🙂

[Magicman]

We miss Bird, Thompson, Rooney and Ward.

[Walkley Ram]

18 minutes ago, Magicman said:

We miss Bird, Thompson, Rooney and Ward.

Which Rooney?

[Guest]

1 hour ago, jimtastic56 said:

Unfortunately , he only scores about once every 47 games . 

I have confidence he is going to reduce that to an average of every 45 games or fewer 😉

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Carl Sagan said:

Exactly this. The lad has a lot of skill, but hides in games rather than taking responsibility. If he had been using his talent to the max we'd miss him, but last season he just coasted through.

Struggles to make the impact he could make, yes. Does he actually hide though? I don't think so. 

Tip of the hat for the max pun, either way!

[mwram1973]

Imo, No. He's a decent player but no more. Sometimes goes missing for large parts of the game. He has his moments for certain and he's had games where he's been brilliant, but it's very few and far between.

Fornah looks a better player for me and he's only been here a month or so.

My opinion of course 😆

[CapeTownRams]

10 hours ago, JuanFloEvraTheCocu'sNesta said:

It's an interesting dilemma for Warne when all, or at least a majority, of our central midfielders are fit.

Fornah, Smith, Hourihane, Bird, Embleton. 

The way we are set up at the minute really only means there are two starting positions available for five players.

  By the time he is fit he will be going to Hull in Jan- same as Cash to Brighton…. The latter could derail our season… 

Edited September 26, 2023 by caymanram

[Ghost of Clough]

6 hours ago, sage said:

The points with and without him last season suggest otherwise.

Since he became a regular in 19/20, there hasn't been a single season where our ppg has been better without him.

[Rammeister]

1 hour ago, Gisby said:

Poll please 🙂

Ok.

[Carl Sagan]

2 hours ago, jameso said:

Struggles to make the impact he could make, yes. Does he actually hide though? I don't think so. 

Tip of the hat for the max pun, either way!

Pleased you noticed. And I didn't mean he deliberately hides, but it does feel he's sort of marking himself. He should be demanding the ball all the time, always making himself available. And then wanting to use it for an attack. But it seems to me he's only rarely available to receive it.

[Magicman]

12 hours ago, oodledoodle said:

Which Rooney?

Jake 

[Ambitious]

We have missed him yes, but I think in a lot of games he actually plays that we also miss him. Fantastic player, but until he starts having more impact on the game then he’s not exactly leaving a massive hole - same with Knight. We miss Knight’s energy, sure, sometimes significantly, but we don’t miss his ability or production. Bird is similar, where we miss his technical ability, but not his energy or production. 

We have four wins, one draw and one loss since he was sidelined. One win and three losses in games he played. It doesn’t tell the whole story as we know, but also shows how little we have missed him despite him being a key player for us. 

[Premier ram]

When fit, Max is the first name on the team sheet IMO

[Grumpy Git]

We've missed Barkhuisen more than Max Bird.

Nothing against the lad, but i do feel hes a tad overrated.

[inter politics]

What have we missed? Control, ball retention. Yes, we have missed Max Bird all day long.

[Blondest Goat]

8 hours ago, inter politics said:

What have we missed? Control, ball retention. Yes, we have missed Max Bird all day long.

We've missed that in plenty of the games where he's been playing.