Losing My Patience With Paqueta

[Cerveza Para Mi]

Sorry if it causes offence but I've had it with this bloke.  Sunday's performance was the best he's produced for a bloody long time imo but, right at the death, when an unlikely but deserved point was there for the taking he gets brushed in the back, falls over like a tart who's sunk too many G and T's and from the resulting corner the deserved point goes down the flusher.  

[Massive Attack]

Hate seeing Paqueta deep in our half as he's so error prone gifting possession back that then puts us in trouble. Much prefer to see him played up the pitch in oppositions half then if he loses it, it's not going to hurt us. 

I just think because of all this Betting nonsense that's fucked his head up over the past 2 seasons that's badly effected his form, it's time to move him on. 

[El Scorchio]

He's had some good games all over the place in fairness, but then equally bad ones all over the place. I feel like his best position is slightly deeper in midfield where he can get on the ball and influence the game a little more. He had 1-2 good games as a false 9 but then was terrible in others in that position. He just needs space created for him to operate in.

BUT he really does need to cut out the no look passes and unnecessary flashy shit in dangerous positions, and the like. 

[wils]

Depends if he really did it or not. I mean the charges getting dropped are one thing. But if he was involved match fixing but they just couldn't prove it, I'd rather he moved on.

[WHUDeano]

I’m not sure, I think the main issue may be positional, really. His best performances came on the left side of the front three - in that classic Moyes “position of doom,” where creative players who didn’t quite fit the system were often dumped. Back when Emerson was in better form and linking up well with Paquetá, we saw the best of him.To be fair to Moyes, I used to think it was ridiculous that we had Brazil’s No. 8 stuck out on the left wing. But now that Lopetegui and Potter have played him more centrally and deeper, he’s looked off the pace and a bit lost. Maybe that’s down to the potential lifetime ban, but maybe he’s just not cut out for central midfield in the Premier League, and he’s not as good as Summerville out wide, either.I’d sell him if a good bid came in, though I’d be quietly terrified he’d join Man City and turn into the best midfielder in the world overnight.

[onsideman]

I'll be up for that... as long as thriving doesn't mean trying step overs and back heels in his own penalty area

[On The Ball]

I think with that weight off his shoulders he'll thrive.

[El Scorchio]

Hopefully.
There's also some talk we might go after the FA/PL/whoever started this for some damages as well, seen as we had an 85mill transfer agreed at the time which is now out the window and lost revenue because of a frivolous/failed legal action which scuppered it and cost us and the player.

[scott_d]

Just a thought...

If Paqueta is cleared and Man City are not interested, can we expect a better, more focussed version of him with this burden of the betting scandal off his shoulders?  Could we see a return of the player we once saw?

Maybe optimistic, but at his best he is absolute class and definitely one that makes our team better.

[Cerveza Para Mi]

So Potter has won three games now? All three with Paqueta not playing. Just saying. 

In fairness Paqueta did play aginst Fulham in Potter's first home game.  But he played as a sort of false 9, not in his usuial spot.

But that said we do look a better TEAM, when he isn't in the side imo.  Although I will admit that is a very low bar indeed.

[wils]

So Potter has won three games now? All three with Paqueta not playing. Just saying. 

[Rossal]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footb ... -mind.html

probably do us a favour to be honest, he isn't good enough on the ball to play as a 2 in the middle. 

[Gank]

Since we have played a lot of games this season without starting a striker, it makes you wonder what more Ajala could have done to get a chance.

Granted, he looks like a primary school kid but so did Defoe and that worked out alright. We should have loaned him or played him.

[Cerveza Para Mi]

Surely one of the prime functions of the academy is to deliver the players the first team squad needs (and not wedge for Sullivan's sky).

It's been clear for 2, maybe 3 years what those needs are, so where are the youngsters needed, ready to stand up and be counted?

That is a question that needs to be asked of the manager.  Imo a massive opportunity to blood a few of the likelier youngsters has been missed. It has been fairly obvious since the turn of the year that West Ham were not in danger of relegation and were highly unlikely to qualify for a European spoit.  Consequently there were a great many meaningless games in which there was absolutely no downside to introducing a kid or two here and there, in the same way Scarles was introduced, But apart from Scarles and Guilherme and a very brief viewing of Orford none of them have been seen.  And Potter can hardly fall back on the "I didn't want to change a winning team" argument can he.

[Mike Oxsaw]

Surely one of the prime functions of the academy is to deliver the players the first team squad needs (and not wedge for Sullivan's sky).

It's been clear for 2, maybe 3 years what those needs are, so where are the youngsters needed, ready to stand up and be counted?

[Cerveza Para Mi]

Paqueta? On his day a superb technician and able to “pick a lock” but for every good game there are cheap turnovers and poor decision making and out of possession sometimes he will go missing. 

That, for me, sums up the bloke perfectly.  And if his skills manifested themselves on a more regular basis and he had a better sense of team discipline and work ethic he would not have spent the bulk of hius career plying his trade at clubs like West Ham and Lyon. The fact he has shows he is playing at a level that players of his kind normally arrive at.

We've had mavericks at the club before and, imo, Paqueta falls short of what we got from Payet and diCanio, to name two of the best. A great player on his day. But there are a minimum of 40 matchdays every season and unfortunately the "great" part has been missing from a lot of those.

[Sir Alf]

Dofferent opinions is normal.  Im with Cerveza on the power of a team.  Our squad is not that good and our best 11 tye same as a “team”. We demonstrate the opposite of the word “synergy”. We are less than the “sum of the parts”.  Squad imbalance and weakness in relation to the current requirements to be successful in the Premier League.  Sure there are multiple factors including manager and coaching but viewing the squad alone, it lacks pace, physicality, athleticism, stamina in key areas, primarily central midfield but central defence and one full back too imo not mentioning central striker.

The aforementioned physical traits we lack as a squad are supplemented by some players lacking the commitment amd attitude that are critical to succeeding as a player and team in  the Premier League.  

Paqueta? On his day a superb technician and able to “pick a lock” but for every good game there are cheap turnovers and poor decision making and out of possession sometimes he will go missing. He lacks the industry and work rate of his conpatriot Bruno G at Newcastle or Macalaister at Liverpool. He can do it but its not consistent. Same under Moyes, Loppy and Potter although he has been better of late.  Ideally we keep him but failure to make Europe, wasting so much on unguided recruitment means we are needing a big budget again and as one of the few who can fetch a decent fee ( betting scandal notwithstanding) he will need to be sacrificed. Of course that will only make sense if we get the right profile of player in with the proceeds ( with aforementioned traits above ). No certainty on that what with Sullivan / agents and previous regimes also complicit in maling transfer windows wrong ( Pellegrini/Husilos, Steidten,Newman/Moyes etc).  Biggest recent example was Rice. Essentially replaced as the only “legs” we had in midfield with Alvarez.  Alvarez alongside someone with pace etc like Rice, Caicedo, GibbsWhite, Baleba, Gravenburch, Tonali etc would look a lot better but was brought into the “tortoise collective” that is West Ham and has looked seriously wanting trying to cover the ground Rice did.

So, for finanicial reasons and the sheer scale of rebuild again required he, Alvarez, Kudus, Emerson,Soucek, Emerson, Aguerd, Mavro, Irvine all in the shop window to get the 150 million or more needed. 

[Rossal]

Paqueta and Kudus are the two that based on this seasons form we could sell and pull peoples pants down for 

£30m for a bloke with 2 penalty goals and no assists is good business. 

£70m for a bloke with 4 goals is it?  also great business 

No doubt both can be great players on their day but we dont see that day enough. It depends how much of a rebuild we/Potter feels is needed. There isn't much money in the rest of the squad so sacrifice those two to bring in say 4 or 5 players to make us a better team?  

As we all know a very interesting summer lies ahead for us, I've got no idea what sort of shape we will be in come August or who the fuck will still be here. 

[Cerveza Para Mi]

Sorry Sir Alf, I cannot agree. Name your strongest 11 and Paqueta probably makes it. Don't sell your better players, sell those who don't make the strongest 11 and then use that money to try to buy a starter. Otherwise you're weakening the team before trying to strengthen it and we haven't signed a starting player since Kudus.

 

 Not selling your better players obviously makes perfect sense.  However is Paqueta one of those?  As Sir Alf has said he has not contributed directly to any goals this season.  I accept he is not alone in this underachievement of course but, as one of the higher earners, one is entitled to expect a higher level of performance.

And I agree with your point about signing players to im prove, not weaken, the team. But the key word is TEAM. And I get mightily pissed off when people keep trumpeting that we have a good squad. Imo we don't. We have some good players, and one or two very good players, but we don't have a good squad. Those players have been assembled together without much thought, at least imo, as to how they would gel as a unit.  And let's be honest it has been an absolute car wreck.

[Gank]

A Potter signing will be breaking the bank to sign Ferguson then not playing him because Fullkrug keeps scoring, leaving us with no money to rebuild the defence.

[Takashi Miike]

the financial situation is they'll fabricate a scenario where the best (most profitable) have to be sold. they haven't got the bollocks to sell bowen, so kudus/paqueta/alvarez/soucek will have to do. that will bring in about 130-140m, plenty of money for the favoured agents to spunk up the wall on potter style players (whatever the fuck that is)

[Gank]

Sorry Sir Alf, I cannot agree. Name your strongest 11 and Paqueta probably makes it. Don't sell your better players, sell those who don't make the strongest 11 and then use that money to try to buy a starter. Otherwise you're weakening the team before trying to strengthen it and we haven't signed a starting player since Kudus.

[Sir Alf]

With our alleged financial situation and need to rebuild central midfield as a priority, if we can get £30 million or more them to me makes sense to sell him. This also assumes he gets off of the betting allegations of course.

He has zero assists this season I read?  Has been one of our better players recently but thats a relative measure.   

Him, Alvarez, Soucek, Irvine, JWP. All dispensible so sell any number that can generate funds needed to get two, even three athletic, pacy, physically strong and technically sound ( passing, control ) players for centre mid.  Get it right and it will go a long way to improving our performances and results. The other critical transfer is another central striker so that we can start every game with a recognised no 9 and not a “false 9”, Bowen or other makeshift solution.

[Cerveza Para Mi]

How'd he do at Brighton? MOTM again?

Indeed.  The way he shut down the Brighton bloke who opened the scoring was great team play wasn't it ?

Not. 

But of course we mustn't criticise the Brazilian because what would we do without his occasional "wonder ball" .and did you see THAT pass in Prague.  He's certainly not the only one but, let's be honest, like most of the cunts he's been pretty bloody useless this season.  

[Brentwood-112]

How'd he do at Brighton? MOTM again?

[scott_d]

Yeah agree.

But what would generate more of a reaction?  Calling out players for blatantly diving and cheating?  Or excusing them for it?

It could actually generate move views, clicks, listens etc if someone actually had the bollocks to be honest about these cheats.

Problem is though Scott, football fans being whatb we are, when the other team's bloke does it he's a cheat but when it's one of ours it's a foul.

But most of us on here are recognising this part of Paqueta's game and agreeing that we don't like it.

If Paqueta started regularly picking up cards, bans and fines for diving, I'm pretty sure we'd be giving him pelters for cheating rather than blaming the authorities.