Sawyer can't get a start with Sturrock......

[Jedi Shrimper]

Sawyer was disappointing last season, but in his appearances so far this he's shown that he is getting back to his best. With Paul Sturrock stating that JJ was disappointing again those that want Sawyer in the side may well get their wish soon. Don't see any problem myself, nice to have a squad for once.

 

[Bluepen]

I don't really see what the point of sign Kalala was....... good as he looks Sturrock said we needed a defensive midfielder but we already have 2 class acts in Granty and Ferdinand. Surely the money would be better spent providing competition on the wings!?!

Perhaps Sawyer needs to learn a bit of a lesson and break through into the side... but I hope it happens soon... in the middle and not on the wing!!!

Not quite sure what lesson he needs to learn can you elaborate :unsure:

 

[Somerset Ex-TTB]

I'm not disagreeing that they are defensive players.
But surely that's because we have two out and out wingers in the side. We will win a lot of games from Kane Ferdinand and Kalala breaking down play which they did do yesterday.

How can you win games by breaking down play?

 

[MrB]

Jeez, we're two games in. Sawyer didn't do it last season so has to wait for his chance and it will no doubt come soon.

Lest we not forget that at the start of the 05/06 season, Freddy Eastwood was being kept out of the side by Wayne Gray and James Lawson for three games following his suspension. The team shape changes all the time and if he keeps delivering when he comes on, he'll get his start.

 

[MrB]

How can you win games by breaking down play?

Winning back possession. Though then you need someone to do something with the ball.....

 

[Beefy]

Those criticising the make up of the Kalala/Ferdinand midfield should remember that last night was the first time Kane will have played a first team game in the middle of a 4-4-2. The kid is a centre-half playing out of position. He popped up with a couple of goals at the end of last season which would suggest that he's going to be capable of getting forward once he adapts to his new position.

Sawyer will get a game when Sturrock thinks he's one of the best two (or three when we change formation) central midfielders in the squad. It's up to Lee to knuckle down and show that in the cameo appearences he gets but also every other day in training.

 

[Silencer]

Personally I am a big Sawyer fan and I was a little dissapointed that he was not really given much of a chance to impress during pre-season. Always seemed to be Currie, N'Diaye then Kalala picked ahead of him.

Agree that Ferdinand and Kalala are too similar...and Granty just does bits of everything quite well as opposed to just being a top defensive or attacking player.

In my opinion, if Sawyer doesn't play, our only real creative options in midfield come from Ryan Hall - if he has a night like last night (Too greedy, wrong decision making) when things don't come off for him, the likes of Harris, Corr and Dickinson will not be effective. Sawyer in the middle with a Kalala/Ferdinand allows us to have some drive and third man running from the middle of the park.

Personally, I say get him in and give him a run of games Mr Sturrock

 

[Onion_Bag_Dave]

How can you win games by breaking down play?

Winning back possession. Though then you need someone to do something with the ball.....

Precisely, so we have 2 players to do the dirty work and then the advanced wingers to play on the counter attack. It will work well some games, but it's nice to see we can adapt the formation to suit the play, which Sturrock does well, and it won us games last season!

 

[southendkid]

Alright maybe I was a bit tred when I claimed Ferdinand was a good passer of the ball, however I still don't see why sawyer is credited as a good passer. Maybe I'm missing something but I never see his passes lead to many chances, and a defensive midfield works fine because hall and clohessy, and to a far lesser extent JJ and prosser will get the ball forward or into the box, and Kane and kalala both look competent enough to play a pass for us to have chances.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Yet again he comes on tonight and shows crablike, Grant, Ferdinand and Kalala how to go forward with pace, skill and movement. Why can't the man in charge see that when he is involved we look so much more dangerous and exiting to watch. Like Sturrock but how is he missing this blatant move is beyond me and everyone that i sit with!

LOL - Sawyer is the most crab-like player I've seen at Southend. Every time he picks the ball up he runs sideways with it!

He does give us more going forward, but in a 4-4-2 with 2 wingers you need some defensive midfielders to do the donkey work - Ferdinand and Grant would be my choices. You could then play Sawyer wide midfield or Grant wide midfield and Sawyer in the middle.

 

[Jam_Man]

Yet again he comes on tonight and shows crablike, Grant, Ferdinand and Kalala how to go forward with pace, skill and movement. Why can't the man in charge see that when he is involved we look so much more dangerous and exiting to watch. Like Sturrock but how is he missing this blatant move is beyond me and everyone that i sit with!

You dont actually say who he should replace though ?

We need someone like Kalala to win the ball which would be even more important with Sawyer playing central midfield as he is hardly renowned for defensive duties.

So does he drop Grant ?

Or does Kalala get dropped and thus devoid us of the bite in the middle that Sturrock bought him for ?

I would like to see Sawyer given a chance but I dont see how he fits in the team at the moment other than in a 4-3-3 and that doesnt suit our strikers when Corr is back.

 

[Tampa Blue]

LOL - Sawyer is the most crab-like player I've seen at Southend. Every time he picks the ball up he runs sideways with it!

LOL again - you must be joking surely!!

Think this award must go to Kevin Maher.

Sawyer should be a definite starter for me alongside one of Grant, Kalala or Ferdinand - we need flair and drive going forward as we did last season - we can't rely all the time on Hall for creativity.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Maher passed sideways, crabs and Sawyer run sideways. If you want flair and drive from central midfield you're going to have to drop one of the wingers and play someone who tucks in.

 

[Beefy]

To be honest with the central midfielders we've got I think we should probably be lining up 4-3-3 so you could get Sawyer in there alongside two of Grant, Kalala and Kane. The trouble is I don't see where Neil Harris fits into that formation.