itsinyerblood
Well-Known Member
Think it was Kozzy_is_my_Dad who enquired as to what made the difference with young Lunny.
I recall one of Wilder's interviews where he described him and his colleagues as teachers, men capable of taking plyares on a journey where they learn more about themselves as players and in the process improve along the way. Must admit I was uncertain along the way, but it was clear that Lunny had something so worth persevering with.....and what a player we appear to have unearthed.
Underneath that physicality, and for well less than a million, we have a player who seems to have learnt that it's not a crime to think, move, pass, receive, and make himself available, and do it continuously for 90 minutes. Now, more than ever, the whole idea of paying large amounts to justify your existence as a club seems clumsy and lazy when you realise that it's possible to find players for relatively small amounts, and through careful polishing turn a rough stone into a gem of a player.
None of which is to suggest that paying large amounts is yesterday's news, of course we'll continue to consider paying large amounts when called upon (all this assumes we remain a Prem club), but through being able to think outside of current received wisdom we have understood that good players, players with potential, often slip through the gaps that exist in football. Wilder, and Knill too, seem to have retained the ability to see what has been overlooked elsewhere. Lundstram is a wonderful example of a player given the chance to show what he's capable of, and what a player he is.....one note of caution, whilst I love much of the revisionist critiquing that surrounds Lundstram this season, it's probably fair to the lad to see what he'll be like next season before declaring him the answer to England's woes.
I recall one of Wilder's interviews where he described him and his colleagues as teachers, men capable of taking plyares on a journey where they learn more about themselves as players and in the process improve along the way. Must admit I was uncertain along the way, but it was clear that Lunny had something so worth persevering with.....and what a player we appear to have unearthed.
Underneath that physicality, and for well less than a million, we have a player who seems to have learnt that it's not a crime to think, move, pass, receive, and make himself available, and do it continuously for 90 minutes. Now, more than ever, the whole idea of paying large amounts to justify your existence as a club seems clumsy and lazy when you realise that it's possible to find players for relatively small amounts, and through careful polishing turn a rough stone into a gem of a player.
None of which is to suggest that paying large amounts is yesterday's news, of course we'll continue to consider paying large amounts when called upon (all this assumes we remain a Prem club), but through being able to think outside of current received wisdom we have understood that good players, players with potential, often slip through the gaps that exist in football. Wilder, and Knill too, seem to have retained the ability to see what has been overlooked elsewhere. Lundstram is a wonderful example of a player given the chance to show what he's capable of, and what a player he is.....one note of caution, whilst I love much of the revisionist critiquing that surrounds Lundstram this season, it's probably fair to the lad to see what he'll be like next season before declaring him the answer to England's woes.
