Ward Prowse on his way back

[Aalborg Hammer]

Happy to see this - might put a bit of creativity back in

[Monsieur merde de cheval]

He/she/it is shit
but  he/she/it is in good company

[honky cat]

I'm pleased he's back because we were bare bones and it gives us a few options. But hes a long way from being a starter for me, as hes hardly played this season. I expect he'll be back to southampton in the summer  - maybe as part of a deal, if we are interested in any of their players. Surely they are relegated.

[BoleynGone]

That is true. 100%
he hasn't had an assist in over a year,what part don't you get ?
Commentators get it wrong too.
They call him "Mr ASSIST".
His corners have been dreaful.
I wasn't signalling him out jsut saying he;s not the Messiah and not going to getting moving the ball much quicker.
Taht being said I'd rather have him in there instead of Soucek or Soler or Alvarez.

[Eerie Decent]

I'd play him right wing back for now, he lacks pace, but the whole team does, and for me, we need AWB in the defence. When you watch AWB live, he is pretty lazy getting back from wing back, which Ward-Prowse won't be, and you have the benefit of his crossing into the box.

Also, Soler has been taking loads of flack, but why on earth does he get played out on the left? He's actually looked decent in the few games he's play centre mid, and he's probably quickest of our centre mids, albeit we all know how low that bar is. I can't put Soucek in in the hope he scores a goal, we need footballers in our midfield who can get about the pitch, we're the slowest team in the league and he's our slowest player, by some distance.

Something like this for me looks about as solid as we can be, and give license to Bowen & Kudus to float between either side.

--------------------------- Areola/Fab -----------------------------------

----------------- AWB ------- Todibo ------- Kilman ---------------------

Ward-Prowse ---------- Soler ---------- Alvarez ---------------- Scarles

--------------------- Bowen --------- Kudus ----------------------------

--------------------------- Ferguson ------------------------------------

[dealcanvey]

He's bang out of form.
His last assist was over a year ago on the 3rd Feb against Everton.


 

Except that is not true is it.

Accoridng to Opta this season he has the same amount of assists as Soucek, Soler, Summervile and Kudus. Amazingly, more than Paqueta. 

He is having a poor season like nearly every other midfielder in our squad. To single him out 45 mins after his return is bonkers. 

[Sir Alf]

Well he might be but just read a couple of reports that he done his ankle today in training.

perhaps we now have the famous pot holes at Rush Green that we had at Chadwell Heath for years. Money is tight, PSR innit, Brady and Sullivan not paying Doris the Tea Lady’s other half, Wilf who’s the groundman?  

[BoleynGone]

The Standard says Soler will deputise.
I hope not.Time for Orford to step up

Joking aside Potter better not JWP or Soler as a no10.

[BoleynGone]

You sure about and he's not just after another weekend off on his island ?

[Sir Alf]

With Paqueta picking up another injury in training today, just as well we got him back.

[BoleynGone]

He's bang out of form.
His last assist was over a year ago on the 3rd Feb against Everton.
Before that 28th Dec 2023.

Is that good then ?
1 in over a year.
Time for someone else to take free kicks especially

[dealcanvey]

His corners were shit again. How long has it been since a) he found one of our players who hit the target b) we scored from a set piece he delivered.
He needs to leave set pieces for Scarles. The chance we had against Brentford was ideally set up for Scarles. But the ego's of Paqueta and JWP completly fucked that up. Ushering Scarles to the left back position.
Fuck these 2 .
JWP at set pieces we keep hearing how fantastic he is from the crap commnetators and fans.
HE IS NOT.WAS .

 

He scored 7 goals and got 7 assists in the PL last season. A good return for a midfielder and I remember us scoring a few from his corners.

Or, you are judging him on a second half appearance this season to remove him completely from set pieces in favour of a player who has just started his career scoring zero and assisting zero? 

[cholo]

I thought he had a few decent corners, whipped in with pace, but it's also up to the attackers to get on the end of them, it's not like none of them beat the first defender. Need Thom in there but that presents it's own problems elsewhere.

[Sir Alf]

Correction, I just remembered he scored direct from a corner last season. Keeper error in part but nonetheless a goal

[Sir Alf]

Agree on JWP with regards to set pieces. Don’t think I have seen him score one since he’s been with us and how many assists from corners ir free kicks? 4 ir 5 or even less?  In open play he works hard but a bit too lightweight. That said, he plays for the team and tries hard and a tad quickwr than Alvarez and definitely Soucek.   

Need him racking up assists 

[BoleynGone]

His corners were shit again. How long has it been since a) he found one of our players who hit the target b) we scored from a set piece he delivered.
He needs to leave set pieces for Scarles. The chance we had against Brentford was ideally set up for Scarles. But the ego's of Paqueta and JWP completly fucked that up. Ushering Scarles to the left back position.
Fuck these 2 .
JWP at set pieces we keep hearing how fantastic he is from the crap commnetators and fans.
HE IS NOT.WAS .
 

[Mad Ferret]

He needs to be starting.

[El Scorchio]

Did seem typical we signed one of the best ever free kick takers in the league and he didn’t really get even a sniff of one the whole season he played for us. Then again partly because we spent so little time in that area of the pitch per game, even less so with the ball would we even expect him to have had many opportunities? 

[fraser]

Just Googled when he last scored from a free-kick and according to Google he went longer at Southampton without scoring one.

James Ward-Prowse scored a free-kick goal on January 15, 2022 in a match between Southampton and Wolverhampton Wanderers. Southampton lost the game 3–1 at Molineux Stadium. 

[Alwaysaniron]

I thought he did alright till his lack of match minutes left him blowing out his arae at rhe end

Agreed.  He had his best game v Bayer Leverkusen (well for 60 mins at least).  Should do well under Potter.  Can't fault the lad for effort. (Golf swing celebration is pants though)

[Tomshardware]

Is he back yet? Not that long a journey is it.

[scott_d]

I think we'll see a different player under Potter, too.

He started well under Moyes because he was still getting used to the managers playing style.  Once he learned how to play like Moyes wanted him to play, just like pretty much everyone else in the team, he became far less effective.

I think you'll see a better player if we are allowed to have the ball and play positively, much like the JWP that started so well for us when he signed.



 

[Mad Dog]

I thought he did alright till his lack of match minutes left him blowing out his arae at rhe end

[Tomshardware]

Irving had a decent game. 

[Mad Ferret]

We won’t see Irving starting again, that’s for sure.

[Jaan Kenbrovin]

Said at the time it was wrong to let him go, having contributed to 7 goals and 7 assists last season, Soler was never going to replicate that let alone improve on it.

Having invested 30m on him a season ago, it was even more retarded.

Hope he gets back in the side over Soucek and gets that long awaited freekick.

Can't see anyway he gets in over Soucek...saw the other day how Potter used Soucek as a weapon to get up the field and win second balls. 

I reckon he gets on the bench over Orford as things are sadly...Irving offers something he doesn't (pretty much out best 1 or 2 touch central midfield). But Ward Prowse is probably our most 'terrier' like midfielder and is a sub for Alvarez.

Be really interesting to see if Potter finds a way to make him and Soucek work in the same midfield, as they inevitably will be at some point.

Yeah I don’t see Potter doing it, unless Soucek gets injured. I’d be shocked if Irving gets any more starts though.