How much is Aké worth?

Improving by the game SDD!! That's his second in a row after you slated him in his first! I suppose at least that stacks up...

He is clearly a class act but we knew that because he was excellent in a much better defence than ours last year. We have to use the players we sign sooner than we do. Would love to see him alongside Arter in a centre mid but that means dropping a fit Surman. That's as likely to happen as me getting a game though....
 
Don't think franno has been as reliable as the last few seasons. Prefer smith at right back. Just wonder if cook is as happy on the right side of the pairing though?
 
Neil Dawson - 28/11/2016 06:57

Improving by the game SDD!! That's his second in a row after you slated him in his first! I suppose at least that stacks up...
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Didn't you tell me off for attributing things to you that you didn't say?

I said Ake played well at Stoke but made a fair few errors, which he did. I think he was excellent yesterday and he didn't make anything like the errors he did at Stoke (the one error he made he atoned for immediately). I'd say that is improving by the game wouldn't you Neil?
 
Yes I would, and you did.

You also said he didn't merit a start in our back four. He merited a start in a better one last year.

Had he made a mistake like Cook made would you defend him the way you defended Cook or would you be using this as evidence for your statement that he didn't merit a start in our back four.

That's what I was wondering..this is because you honed in on his mistakes at Stoke, none of which cost goals in the way Francis and Cook have on several occasions this year. I'm trying to understand your logic.
 
Can Eddie drop him now, I would stick with Francis, Cook & Ake, which means unfortunately Adam Smith is dropped
 
CherryBare - 28/11/2016 10:18

Can Eddie drop him now, I would stick with Francis, Cook & Ake, which means unfortunately Adam Smith is dropped
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Simon Francis thought Ake was our best player and as captain I imagine Eddie consults him, but Eddie could see for himself Ake was our standout player yesterday.
 
It's possible we could end up with a situation that, for the second season running, the captain ends up not being a first choice player.
 
Francis had a tough job yesterday, up against Oxlade Chamberlain first half, and then Sanchez in the second, plus booked early.

Question is would Adam Smith have coped any better, personally I think Francis is better defensively than Smith. The other problem for Ake is that Cook is better on the left side, but despite Cook's mistakes I can't see Eddie dropping him.

So tough decisions to be made, is unclear also how long Charlie & Surman are going to be out for.
 
I didn't attribute things to you that you didn't say Neil, in fact you cost yourself £50 last time you accused me of that.

I'm quite straightforward in my views on players because I don't feel the need to prove some point about transfer policies or any other ulterior argument. If they play well I will say so and if they don't I will also say.

Ake played well at Stoke but I thought he made a number or errors and he let two players have free headers in the last ten minutes. I said that in response to people saying he was MOM as I didn't think he was. Yesterday I thought he was excellent and looked every inch a centre back. He had cut out the mistakes and was my MOM (he was also the player that the Arsenal fans we spoke to in the pub picked out as excellent). Ake's mistakes have led to goals at palace and at home against PNE - Cook and Franno have also made mistakes that have led to goals - they have all got it in them.

I wouldn't have started Ake in the back four partly because Cook and Franno is the more reliable CB pairing on the evidence up until yesterday's game. Also partly because I think Smith is the better RB at this level. I honestly don't know who I'd pick in the back four now. I don't think Cook deserves to be dropped based on yesterday's performance - yes he's made other mistakes but in general he's been very solid - as you've pointed out he's not as comfortable on the right side.

Eddie is in for some real selection headaches - fair play to Ake for taking his chance.
 
I would like to make a case for the defence!

I am not a great fan of the ‘what if’ argument but I was looking at us in twelfth place with Spurs in fifth. AFCB have scored 10 at home and conceded 6. Tottenham have scored 9 at home and conceded 4.

However, our 'goals for' and the suggestions of how well we are doing, has been distorted by the six we put past Hull. Let us say, for the sake of argument, we had only put one past Hull but hadn't conceded, the stats would show us having scored only 5 goals, the joint lowest in the league at home. However we only conceded 5. In the general scheme of things the defence is holding up.

Away from home we have only scored 5, a sort of skewed symmetry if you will. In the goals scored chart, only Burnley and Sunderland have scored fewer than us and we have conceded 13, we are leaking goals. Tottenham have conceded only 6 and scored 10. Only four teams are worse than us at conceding.

My admittedly tortuous point is that we are simply not scoring enough either at home or away and this is constantly putting the defence under pressure. Although we are frustrated by the daft goals conceded, I think we must admire the defence from the perspective that they are holding up in matches when they must know that the odds are our strikers will not deliver.

So, if we are to get anywhere near the top five teams, which someone mentioned, I think in another thread, we are going to need to double our output in terms of goals scored. Although our approach play is good, it’s painfully obvious that we don’t have a cutting edge presently and we are not working opponent’s goalkeepers anywhere near enough.

Some questions are: should we give Mousset a start, we have nothing to lose? Will Callum come good again? Will Eddie be buying strikers in the January sales and if so, from where?
 
Absolutley, if we don't up our scoring rate we will involve ourselves in the lower table scrap. Defensivley were relativley fine.

But you have to be optimistic, were missing chances rather than not creating any which would be a bigger concern. The fact that we've hit the woodwork 13 times suggests it's just not running for us at the moment.

 
Lack of goals is proving costly since sunderland, boro and stoke could have been a couple of goals of down early in in the game which would dampen their attacking threat, enable us to sit back and hit teams on the break and enable us to survive the odd cock-up in defence. Think the balance of the team still isn't right yet. I don't think we are fully utilising the talents of josh king in the current set up.
 
That's an interesting point AFCBade. I don't think Wilson has quite got to the levels of terrorising defences that King had towards the end of last season as centre forward. Once he is gone, he is gone, wheras Wilson can get caught. The signing of Wiltshire, Wiltshere, Wilshere, Wiltsheer meant the end of 442 for us. Correct move in my eyes that formation change but Callum needs to prove he is man to spearhead it and not King. Had Brad Smith squared the ball instead of shooting it we might not be saying this of course!
 
Hypothetically could be recalled in January...

http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/sport/cherries/clubnews/14944285.AFC_Bournemouth__No_Wilshere_recall_clause__says_Howe/?ref=rss&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
 
I like Ake a lot but 15-20 million made me splutter. However if Papy Djilibodji can go for 8 million having never played then anything is possible. I'd like him here but I think he poses more questions than answers. Not his fault but ours, we have a defensive puzzle and the pieces don't quite fit the way we'd like

RB
Francis - best delivery, stronger defensively, not as fit as he was
Smith - always growing, should be first choice

CB
Francis - better here nowadays, allows Cook to play on the left
Cook - can't play on the right, his urinal errors are most often when on that side, sometimes covering that side when alone even if he's technically on the left of the two, if he's only one at that moment.. ...
Ake - great couple of games, composed, strong, but forces us to play Cook on the right
Mings - Seemed alright in the cup, this seems to be where we want him to play
Wilson - Forgotten man
Cargill - not likely to see much game time this season, but shouldn't be forgotten about

LB
Daniels - has been done for pace too often
Mings - Don't really know if he still has his pace, seems down the pecking order. His being on bench with B Smith often suggests he is CB cover and maybe shouldn't be in this section
Ake - doubt we'll see him here as Chelsea want him playing CB/XM
B Smith - Done ok, will grow, not add positional good as Daniels but has the pace that Chaz lacks
A Smith - Only playing him out if position to keep him in the side as he's done well at RB, not really fair on him or the team, I hope he doesn't have a nightmare there as it could affect his confidence. Alternatively could be the making of him if he process he can play anywhere

Maybe just say bugger it and go all out for Ake and Denayer in January, 10-12 million each, twice what they are realistically worth but it's a crazy market
 
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