John Lundstram

[Berlin Blade]

Do I need to make caveats about every player I think is crap at any given time, with every positive attribute they may have?

Yeah, course you did. You saw him as a potential PL box to box midfielder too.

You know, it wouldn’t absolutely kill you if you just said you were wrong.

He hasn’t magicked into a footballer overnight. Some of us on here actually said he may be more suited to playing premier league football and promptly got ridiculed for it.

He’s athletic, good height, strong in the tackle, good goal scoring ratio in comparison to our other midfielders, 2 footed and great at long passing. He has had all of those attributes since he came to us, just didn’t display all of them at the same time. He was being played in a role unsuited to him for a long time with huge shoes to fill in Coutts.

You said he wasn’t good enough. He was. You can admit that. Perhaps it is tough to admit because of how adamant you were about it and how you made it sound like everyone else was stupid for not seeing something that wasn’t correct. It’s okay though, people will probably even respect you more if you are able to admit when you’re wrong. It isn’t a great look to, upon being proven completely wrong, double down and say you were right all along about it.

 

[Roygbiv]

Very weird correlation and frankly quite odd to bring him up

 

[Akinbiyi]

You know, it wouldn’t absolutely kill you if you just said you were wrong.

He hasn’t magicked into a footballer overnight. Some of us on here actually said he may be more suited to playing premier league football and promptly got ridiculed for it.

He’s athletic, good height, strong in the tackle, good goal scoring ratio in comparison to our other midfielders, 2 footed and great at long passing. He has had all of those attributes since he came to us, just didn’t display all of them at the same time. He was being played in a role unsuited to him for a long time with huge shoes to fill in Coutts.

You said he wasn’t good enough. He was. You can admit that. Perhaps it is tough to admit because of how adamant you were about it and how you made it sound like everyone else was stupid for not seeing something that wasn’t correct. It’s okay though, people will probably even respect you more if you are able to admit when you’re wrong. It isn’t a great look to, upon being proven completely wrong, double down and say you were right all along about it.

I wouldn't mind but it's not like I've not said he's not improved immeasurably, and he's well deserving of his place in the team. He's been outstanding.

But at the time me and the rest weren't wrong to completely doubt him coming into this season. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but I'm not going to pretend I shouldn't have felt like that at the time.

Of course you did, because The Lun's fan club really was at an all time high this summer...

 

[Akinbiyi]

I agree entirely, Roy

 

[Snowman]

He's shit. end off.

 

[Cerberus Blade]

I posted a thread either last season or the one before called “return of the Lundstram” saying he’d be getting back in the team soon and might make a go of it. It didn’t meet with much agreement! The majority were unconvinced because he hadn’t shown enough, apart from an ability to pass 3 yards sideways and backwards and look dreadfully slow.

Of course, there’ll always be some who want to take an opposite view, just so they can claim to have some wonderful insight if a bloke does come good. But the majority view was he wasn’t up to it - and I don’t think anyone was wrong based on what we’d seen at that point. Neither do I think those who said differently had any valid reason for saying so. There was no evidence he was going to make it, even at Championship level, so I’m sorry but I don’t believe anyone foresaw that he’d be a regular in the Prem. No one. (Apart from Wilder!).

The lad has taken his chance well and all credit to him. I’m sorry but I’m still not convinced though. He does some good things but he doesn’t dictate the game in the way that some of the other midfielders do. And he goes missing for me. We lack attacking threat down the right especially. If we got a quality AM in that position it would give the team a real boost and I think that’s what will happen eventually. I appreciate that he’s come on leaps and bounds, but we need to be thinking beyond this and looking to improve all the time and I see him becoming a solid back up player but nothing more.

 

[PittsburghBlade]

Defensively solid but gives the ball away so so much. In the first half of the game he directly “passed a problem” onto another player who was forced to give it away 2 times.

If we are going to continue to improve he has to be the first we replace.

 

[PittsburghBlade]

And watch games back - full matches, you’ll see he’s flattering to deceive and by far our weakest link

 

[bromtom]

And watch games back - full matches, you’ll see he’s flattering to deceive and by far our weakest link

What did I watch first time round? Did some kind of massive monitor come down in front of the South stand and show me truncated highlights?

 

[dc_blade]

Defensively solid but gives the ball away so so much. In the first half of the game he directly “passed a problem” onto another player who was forced to give it away 2 times.

If we are going to continue to improve he has to be the first we replace.

He's got one of the best passing success rates in the team, and one of the best long-pass success rates among all players in the Premier League. So he's quite clearly not giving the ball away "so so much."

 

[Snowman]

What did I watch first time round? Did some kind of massive monitor come down in front of the South stand and show me truncated highlights?

No, but you're not watching the game. You're watching the spectacle.

 

[dc_blade]

Absolute shite. Get rid.

The thing I like so much about this is not so much the lovely bit of control (although it is lovely)--it's Lunny's willingness to play a quick pass and then make a good run to get the return: real give-and-go football and the sort of thing that our success has been built on. I always thought he got more stick than he deserved, but I did think one legitimate criticism was that he tended to slow us down and be a bit tentative with his passing. That has clearly improved a lot and it's great to see.

 

[bromtom]

He's got one of the best passing success rates in the team, and one of the best long-pass success rates among all players in the Premier League. So he's quite clearly not giving the ball away "so so much."

Just checked and according to Infogol only Robinson has a higher percentage, 85% to 84%, and considering the passes being made it just looks better for Lundstram.

I've heard of Infogol so I assume they're accurate.

 

[bromtom]

No, but you're not watching the game. You're watching the spectacle.

You still know when someone's giving it away a lot though. You subconsciously keep note of it.

You're also watching the ball the majority of the time, so you see him not giving it away "so so much".

 

[BladeTillIDie]

Actually many of you were.

He got stick for being a 'shit footballer' but several of us defended him and pointed out there was a decent player in there. The skills he's shown this season haven't just been magically acquired by rubbing a unicorn's knob, they were always there.

As I've said many times, his biggest problem was that he wasn't Paul Coutts. He was a bit part player suddenly dropped in it and expected to make us tick like Rolls Royce Coutts had done.

But hardly had a kick for the last 2 seasons?

 

[I should coco]

But hardly had a kick for the last 2 seasons?

That might be how it seems but he's often come as sub.

2017/18 36 appearances
2018/19 10 appearances

He's been very much part of the 'group' and clearly CW didn't want him to go out on loan.

 

[SUFCinks]

Lundstram is jesus, anyone who disagrees is a nincompoop - simples

 

[I should coco]

The Lun's fan club really was at an all time high this summer...

Not an all time high, but he still had his advocates.

It doesn't give me pleasure to say it as I often agree with you, but you are starting to make yourself look silly.

 

[Akinbiyi]

Not an all time high, but he still had his advocates.

It doesn't give me pleasure to say it as I often agree with you, but you are starting to make yourself look silly.

How so? Like Cerberus Blade says, the views as they were in the summer were justified. I’m not going to pretend to be the bigger blade like some are desperate to be and say we were wrong to think that.

It’s just all clicked into place for him. Credit to him for that.

 

[I should coco]

Lundstram is jesus, anyone who disagrees is a nincompoop - simples

No he's not the Messiah, but he's not a very naughty boy either.

 

[itsinyerblood]

Not an all time high, but he still had his advocates.

It doesn't give me pleasure to say it as I often agree with you, but you are starting to make yourself look silly.

Starting??!???

 

[Roygbiv]

I agree entirely, Roy

No idea how I did that. I don't even recall opening the thread!

 

[Akinbiyi]

No idea how I did that. I don't even recall opening the thread!

Virus

 

[BladeTillIDie]

Credit to Lunny for starting the season well but if ever went back to a Duffy type player then i can't see Fleck or Norwood being dropped...

 

[I should coco]

How so?

You won't admit you called it wrong (as we all do from time to time).

I’m not going to pretend to be the bigger blade like some are desperate to be and say we were wrong to think that.

Plenty agreed with you but quite a few recognised a decent footballer and defended the lad. I know i was one and I'm more than happy for anyone who can be arsed to dig back and see that, but I wasn't alone. It's not that I have wonder analysis skills, I just saw a decent young footballer doing his best while the usual lynch mob wanted to hang him out to dry.

t’s just all clicked into place for him.

What, like magic?

I don't think the lad has changed other than getting a bit fitter. Obviously he's playing a different role (Coutts shirt now amply filled by Ollie), that suits him more, but he is a good two footed footballer and was always going to be able to adapt.

 

[I should coco]

No idea how I did that. I don't even recall opening the thread!

You're an S2 celeb. Get used to it.

'Your people' want to agree with you to show their devotion to the great ROYGBIV*.


* When you get yourself an agent he might suggest you go for something a bit snappier.He'll probably suggest you get rid of some of those old clothes too, but I guess Mrs Panchero has been saying that for ages too?

 

[Eza Blade]

No idea how I did that. I don't even recall opening the thread!

Mystic Roy more mind control than Darren Brown

 

[Akinbiyi]

You won't admit you called it wrong (as we all do from time to time).

Plenty agreed with you but quite a few recognised a decent footballer and defended the lad. I know i was one and I'm more than happy for anyone who can be arsed to dig back and see that, but I wasn't alone. It's not that I have wonder analysis skills, I just saw a decent young footballer doing his best while the usual lynch mob wanted to hang him out to dry.

What, like magic?
I don't think the lad has changed other than getting a bit fitter. Obviously he's playing a different role (Coutts shirt now amply filled by Ollie), that suits him more, but he is a good two footed footballer and was always going to be able to adapt.

I wasn’t wrong. Nobody was wrong who had a negative view of him at that time. There was no evidence to the contrary. Nobody could have envisaged this level of improvement. End of story.

And saying I’m not happy to admit I’m wrong is bollocks, I’ve already admitted I was wrong and premature in writing Basham off. This is totally different.

Was it a bit harsh at times? Maybe. I’m guilty of that. But I thought this summer we weren’t preparing enough for the Premier League by holding our hopes on a scarcely used midfielder who couldn’t get into our side in the Championship. Clearly Chris knew better than I.

Well there you have it with your last point, if it wasn’t for the change of shape this would’ve never happened because he couldn’t do any of the 3 midfield roles we had in our previous system. So you could call it magic if you want, but I’d say the system change and new role for him - along with his improvement mentally and physically has meant it’s ‘clicked’ - and that’s not magic, no.

 

[Akinbiyi]

Starting??!???

Hi professor, I can’t believe you’ve managed to make a post comprising of only one word and without some sort of stupid riddle.

I’m impressed. Have a gold star ️

 

[Roygbiv]

You're an S2 celeb. Get used to it.

'Your people' want to agree with you to show their devotion to the great ROYGBIV*.


* When you get yourself an agent he might suggest you go for something a bit snappier.He'll probably suggest you get rid of some of those old clothes too, but I guess Mrs Panchero has been saying that for ages too?

If you listen to Bladespod, you'll know I now only wear a Colombia shirt