• Dear Guest, Please note that adult content is not permitted on this forum. We have had our Google ads disabled at times due to some posts that were found from some time ago. Please do not post adult content and if you see any already on the forum, please report the post so that we can deal with it. Adult content is allowed in the glory hole - you will have to request permission to access it. Thanks, scara

Thomas Frank - Head Coach

Jurgen the German said:
I was underwhelmed when I heard we were interested in Frank but I’ve given it some thought and we tend to do better when we go for managers who aren’t necessarily high profile. Its blown up in our faces when we went for Conte and Jose, yes we got top 4 and a cup final respectively but neither manager had any longevity.
Click to expand...
So you were Doubting Thomas initially?

I’d get my coat but it summer, so I’ll just walk out the door…
 
fernadez said:
I don't think he would be behind Maddison. Maddison goes from unplayable to anonymous (sometimes in the same game), while Kulu never hides and tries to drive the game forward while not as technically good as him.

Position is up for grabs for me, Maddison would actually have to start creating a lot more for him to undroppable.
Click to expand...

Maddison is a typical cup player who looks great on highlights reels but certainly nowhere near so consistent a performer as Eriksen or Kulusevski who consistently cover the most ground to ensure they help the team even when they’re not on song.

Hence why Leicester took a punt on him after selling Mahrez to €iteh and whilst Maddison helped them win an FA Cup he proved unable to prevent their relegation; thankfully they were even worse this season so there was no risk of him getting relegated for a 2nd time playing in a team which lost 22 PL games!!
 
SteveAWOL said:
Maddison is a typical cup player who looks great on highlights reels but certainly nowhere near so consistent a performer as Eriksen or Kulusevski who consistently cover the most ground to ensure they help the team even when they’re not on song.

Hence why Leicester took a punt on him after selling Mahrez to €iteh and whilst Maddison helped them win an FA Cup he proved unable to prevent their relegation; thankfully they were even worse this season so there was no risk of him getting relegated for a 2nd time playing in a team which lost 22 PL games!!
Click to expand...

Such a great observation.

Bentancur and Kulu are high up the pitch on a promising attack and we lose possession. Could you trust Dele, Eriksen or even Rafa VVD to be the 6 and drop back in as nearest man? Absolutely. No doubt in my mind.

Can you trust Madds to make that 50 yard sprint and be the team player? Unfortunately not. Ditto Grealish, whereas KDB would absolutely make that run. It's a massive reason why managers hit their heads against the brick wall every week with these classy players.

If Madds had that about him, he'd be a level above where he is right now. Such a good player but misses those defensive smarts and commitment that would make him elite in his chosen position.
 
@thfcsteff Here's the reply I would have posted to your last word in the Postecoglou thread if it hadn't been shut off. This seems like the only place now to put it. Apologies to the rest of you.

Ok, I'll bite, just this once. It's not just my opinion, the Europa League is, by definition, UEFA's second-tier competition; I just replaced the word tier with the word rate (and pointedly so). If you want to carry on clinging to this win like some sort of security blanket, you knock yourself out. Just like comments I've read from your good self in the past about the League Cup win under Graham, I'm not that bowled over by it. Postecoglou would have put us in a fuсking relegation scrap if he'd been given the opportunity to return us to Ange-ball next term, and as much as I normally despise Daniel Levy, I can't fault his decision-making in fuсking him the fuсk off after this absolute shambles of a season. I never want to see his face again.
 
Last edited:
mudshark said:
@thfcsteff Here's the reply I would have posted to your last word in the Postecoglou thread if it hadn't been shut off. This seems like the only place now to put it. Apologies to the rest of you.

Ok, I'll bite, just this once. It's not just my opinion, the Europa League is, by definition, UEFA's second-tier competition; I just replaced the word tier with the word rate (and pointedly so). If you want to carry on clinging to this win like some sort of security blanket, you knock yourself out. Just like comments I've read from your good self in the past about the League Cup win under Graham, I'm not that bowled over by it. Postecoglou would have put us in a fuсking relegation scrap if he'd been given the opportunity to return us to Ange-ball next term, and as much as I normally despise Daniel Levy, I can't fault his decision-making in fuсking him the fuсk off after this absolute shambles of a season. I never want to see his face again.
Click to expand...
You got what you wanted he is gone others wanted him to stay. I am upset he is gone but like most I have moved on.

Why continue a pointless discussion about a guy that has left.

As you rightly pointed out this is a Frank thread so why not create an anti Ange thread in general football where all the Ange haters can bitch & complain

Good luck Thomas I hope you prove me & all the doubters wrong. COYS
 
SteveAWOL said:
Maddison is a typical cup player who looks great on highlights reels but certainly nowhere near so consistent a performer as Eriksen or Kulusevski who consistently cover the most ground to ensure they help the team even when they’re not on song.

Hence why Leicester took a punt on him after selling Mahrez to €iteh and whilst Maddison helped them win an FA Cup he proved unable to prevent their relegation; thankfully they were even worse this season so there was no risk of him getting relegated for a 2nd time playing in a team which lost 22 PL games!!
Click to expand...
Why is covering the most ground always seen as a thing? I always think the sign of a really good player is the ability to use space. Kulusevski is a part of the problem in that he does as you say run around a lot as did likes of Solanke and Johnson and actually that creates issues in and of itself - finding your dangerous players consistently in space is more difficult for players further back when 1) they don't know where the fu*k they're going to be second to second and 2) they're always having to play a % ball to find them.

Maddison doesn't run around like a headless chicken because hes a more intelligent player in the Bergkamp/VDV mould that finds pockets of space and makes himself available only in positions where theres a point- i.e. "give me the ball where I can hurt the opposition, no im not going to run 10 metres just to give you a passing option which means that the only passing option i then have is to pass it back to you"

You're sort of implying Maddison had a role in Leicester's relegation - he scored 10 goals and made 9 assists in 30 PL appearances in a dog-sh*t team. He did all he could.

This season, again in a dog-sh*t team hes provided 9 goals and 7 assists in 31 appearances. Season before 4 goals and 9 assists.

That doesn't tell the whole story either because how many of our other assists and goals came from Maddison dropping deeper and playing the crucial pass that turned a move into a dangerous one? He's the only player in the squad that is consistently capable of playing that early creative ball from deep.

Maddison provides output not running.

This isn't the Maddison is GHod post, its merely pointing out that Maddison is a crucial player for us and the only player that provides real intelligence and creativity and reliable output on a consistent basis.

Despite those saying that he lacks consistency Maddison's stats are consistent: what those stats show is that you put him in any team in any situation, mostly if we are brutally honest, struggling teams and he gives you double figures goal involvements. Season in season out.

As to the idea that Kulusevski is displaying greater consistency than Maddison, this isn't ratified by evidence from actual output:

24/25: Madds: 9 gls / 7 a in 31 apps vs. Deki 7 gls/ 4 a in 32 apps
23/24: Madds: 4 gls / 9 a in 28 apps vs. Deki 8 gls / 3 a in 36 apps
22/23: Madds: 10 gls / 9 a in 30 apps vs. Deki 2 gls /7 a in 30 apps.
 
Last edited:
Mikey10 said:
Given the patience shown by fans and club to a man who gained just 78 points from a possible 198 over 66 games, I’d expect it to be considerably longer than that.
Click to expand...
It was tongue in cheek.

But interestingly the club showed patience, the fans less so. The poll shifted downward fairly quickly from an 80% high. I kept my Ange in vote all the way to the end. But that was more due to wanting to break our managerial merry go round.

I really like the Frank appointment and I have high hopes. This could be the next guy that manages to stay 4/5 years.

Me the eternal optimist.
 
Probably covered somewhere in this thread already, but I've read quite a few reactions from Brentford fans about his departure, and they have all been complimentary of his ability and time at the club. They seem genuinely disappointed, but not surprised, about Frank leaving the club, and wish him success at Spurs.
 
Silly McSilly Face said:
Why is covering the most ground always seen as a thing? I always think the sign of a really good player is the ability to use space. Kulusevski is a part of the problem in that he does as you say run around a lot as did likes of Solanke and Johnson and actually that creates issues in and of itself - finding your dangerous players consistently in space is more difficult for players further back when 1) they don't know where the fu*k they're going to be second to second and 2) they're always having to play a % ball to find them.

Maddison doesn't run around like a headless chicken because hes a more intelligent player in the Bergkamp/VDV mould that finds pockets of space and makes himself available only in positions where theres a point- i.e. "give me the ball where I can hurt the opposition, no im not going to run 10 metres just to give you a passing option which means that the only passing option i then have is to pass it back to you"

You're sort of implying Maddison had a role in Leicester's relegation - he scored 10 goals and made 9 assists in 30 PL appearances in a dog-sh*t team. He did all he could.

This season, again in a dog-sh*t team hes provided 9 goals and 7 assists in 31 appearances. Season before 4 goals and 9 assists.

That doesn't tell the whole story either because how many of our other assists and goals came from Maddison dropping deeper and playing the crucial pass that turned a move into a dangerous one? He's the only player in the squad that is consistently capable of playing that early creative ball from deep.

Maddison provides output not running.

This isn't the Maddison is GHod post, its merely pointing out that Maddison is a crucial player for us and the only player that provides real intelligence and creativity and reliable output on a consistent basis.

Despite those saying that he lacks consistency Maddison's stats are consistent: what those stats show is that you put him in any team in any situation, mostly if we are brutally honest, struggling teams and he gives you double figures goal involvements. Season in season out.
Click to expand...
I would say that watching Maddison live paints a slightly different picture.

The space he takes up aren't useful for the team, he's constantly (when not up for it) standing behind opposition players with no route for the ball to actually get to him. He doesn't consitently hurt teams in the final third which is partly reflected by the amount of 1v1's not created for Solanke (although a big part of this is the system).

He also has a habit of coming deep, taking the ball off someone and then passing it 5 yards, which is the pass they could have made themselves.

When he comes, gets it's on the half turn and then plays vertically he's great but I don't think he does it often enough for his ability level. I would say that "run 10 metres just to give you a passing option which means that the only passing option i then have is to pass it back to you" is actually a more apt description of what he does then what Kulu does. When I refer to covering ground, Kulu gets it an immediatly tries to drive forward.

Roy Keane is right in his assessment of him, he should be doing much more on a weekly basis, it's not abilty, it's mentality. He's quick to banter back or give a soundbite but should be controlling games, and that's probably the big thing missing from him, he rarely controls a game.
 
fernadez said:
I would say that watching Maddison live paints a slightly different picture.

The space he takes up aren't useful for the team, he's constantly (when not up for it) standing behind opposition players with no route for the ball to actually get to him. He doesn't consitently hurt teams in the final third which is partly reflected by the amount of 1v1's not created for Solanke (although a big part of this is the system).

He also has a habit of coming deep, taking the ball off someone and then passing it 5 yards, which is the pass they could have made themselves.

When he comes, gets it's on the half turn and then plays vertically he's great but I don't think he does it often enough for his ability level. I would say that "run 10 metres just to give you a passing option which means that the only passing option i then have is to pass it back to you" is actually a more apt description of what he does then what Kulu does. When I refer to covering ground, Kulu gets it an immediatly tries to drive forward.

Roy Keane is right in his assessment of him, he should be doing much more on a weekly basis, it's not abilty, it's mentality. He's quick to banter back or give a soundbite but should be controlling games, and that's probably the big thing missing from him, he rarely controls a game.
Click to expand...
As I said, Maddison has to work on a lot of aspects of his game and as I've said none of our players are being coveted actively by elite clubs which says a lot. But Maddison is a better more consistent and more intelligent player than Kulusevski in my opinion whether you want to imply the eye test or the stat test. Kulusevski is being put on a pedal stool by some way above his actual performances over the last few seasons. Suggestion that he is going to be better than Eriksen (despite not being as good as Eriksen by the equivalent age) is a case in point.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DTA
fernadez said:
I would say that watching Maddison live paints a slightly different picture.

The space he takes up aren't useful for the team, he's constantly (when not up for it) standing behind opposition players with no route for the ball to actually get to him. He doesn't consitently hurt teams in the final third which is partly reflected by the amount of 1v1's not created for Solanke (although a big part of this is the system).

He also has a habit of coming deep, taking the ball off someone and then passing it 5 yards, which is the pass they could have made themselves.

When he comes, gets it's on the half turn and then plays vertically he's great but I don't think he does it often enough for his ability level. I would say that "run 10 metres just to give you a passing option which means that the only passing option i then have is to pass it back to you" is actually a more apt description of what he does then what Kulu does. When I refer to covering ground, Kulu gets it an immediatly tries to drive forward.

Roy Keane is right in his assessment of him, he should be doing much more on a weekly basis, it's not abilty, it's mentality. He's quick to banter back or give a soundbite but should be controlling games, and that's probably the big thing missing from him, he rarely controls a game.
Click to expand...

I think a lot of that is fair.

But, not all movement has to be to make you available for the pass, manipulation of the defence is important too, you moving a defender over to cover you may open a passing lane to someone else.

Also dropping back and making short passes moves the opposition around as well, if you are being tracked, how far will they track you, what space can you move them out of or into?

He should be doing a lot more though, he’s like Eriksen in that his limitations are in his head.
 
glorygloryeze said:
At least 3 of the following:

Another CF who we can rely on when Solanke is out (admittedly this might be Johnson given that Frank might play him differently)
A proper top level number 6 (who can teach/allow Grey to grow into the role in time)
A creative CM who can bench/rotate with Maddison
Another option for the RW/RWF role who can take a man on like Odebert
A bonafide rotation option for Udogie who is actually left-sided
Click to expand...
Agree with most of that.
I really want to see Johnson as a CF option.
The creative CM is Kulu. He is then also the RW if looking to exploit in behind for Johnson to run into.

CM I like - Bent, Grey, Berg, Sarr.
I don't think Grey needs to bed in - he's ready.

LB. Udogie and Spence works.
Three full backs for two spots works - they all generally stay fit. Davies as emergency/tactical option, especially when Frank wants a wonky.

Agree wide forward options would be good. Definitely one, maybe two - one might be Tel. I suspect we'll test the market and then decide if he is the right option. I'd prefer someone already established.
Johnson, Kulu, Odobert, AN other, Son as a option. Son might even be a CF option for balls in behind. He's not slow, and finishes well - he'd still destroy most defences in the PL.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back