With and without Bannan

[Socialist_Owl]

I think he's run his course here.  A good, long run, but time for some fresh ideas and spark.

[Guest LittleG]

9 hours ago, Ronnie Starling said:

Just think of the value for money you get when Bannan plays. You can enjoy another season of failure.

Yeah its all BB's fault, nothing to do with the rest of the squad of failures, with one or two exceptions.

[Jim]

Bannan is a good player. I don’t think anyone on here would dispute that. Carlos used him very well but other managers have struggled to get as much out of him as he did.

 

While he’s here you use him but long term I’m not so sure he’s going to be part of the re-build? He has a good understanding on the pitch with Fletcher, who’s absence is making it difficult for the team and Bannan in particular at the moment. Whoever’s in charge next season may look to keep them both together but I think a change of approach is needed sooner rather than later. 

 

On a a side note fitting Reach into the side and getting more out of him is a bigger problem than Bannan and I would get shut of him before the little Scot. Personally our style of play has altered since the day we signed him and we’ve struggled to function as fluidly since?

[Yellowbelly]

9 hours ago, Junk Smuggler said:

 

Think you'll find I'm not pro or anti Bannan. What I'm saying is that it's a team of 11 players so stats like this can be misleading. The wins could have been we had a more settled back four and the losses a makeshift one. One players stats don't mean anything to me in that sense.

Then we agree. Excellent, thanks buddy.

[mattitheowl]

Bannan plays best when we're on TV and when he can link up with Fletcher.  

 

Too often is he quick to berate team mates for mistakes, then hide when he drops a clanger.  

 

When he's good he's our best player.  When he's not on it he is a complete waste of a shirt.  And at times he is a negative influence because too many times players look to play everything through him.  Yesterday the danger was us going wide and getting it in the box.  But Pelupessy only ever passes to Bannan.  That lead to a slowing of the play and Millwall getting in behind the ball.  

 

He also doesn't work hard enough.  Yes he does his token 60 yard chase down of the keeper for a ball he'll never get, just so he can get a round of applause from the fans, but he never lays a glove on the opposition.  He never challenges for headers (I know he's small but a jump might put off the opponent rather than just letting them have it) and doesn't challenge opposition players unless it's a stupid lunging tackle that usually ends in a booking.

 

I'm struggling to weigh up if his one good game in 5 warrants his constant selection for the 4 poor ones he has.  The only issue is I can't think of anyone better to put in his place who'd have more than one good game in 5!  Perhaps with the new signings we might see something a bit more expansive, rather than Bannan playing QB from the edge of his own box.

[steelowl]

12 hours ago, stocksyuto said:

How do his stats read over this season and last? Because yea his first 2 seasons were excellent but I'd like to know more recent statistics.  

 

Cant lie hes been good for us tho, he does go missing every so often .

 

if you lose him look in the back four thats where he ends up

[OwlinOldham]

10 hours ago, Holmowl said:

 

Myth.

 

He does not sit deep. He comes deep to get the ball to start our next attack. If he “sat” higher up who do you think would find him with a pass? Lees? Iorfa? Börner? 

 

He does what every energetic creative mid does. He seeks the ball at every opportunity.

 

I urge any Owl who thinks Bannan plays too deep to watch the vid of us v Villa at Hillsborough last season, and watch Grealish. Look how deep he picked the ball up. It was the only way he could influence the game. Same for Bannan. If he waited high up for the ball to get to him he’d never see it in our team. 

 

We we have two passes. Short into Bannan, and long to our target man. 

 

Him sitting, playing or dropping deep is irrelevant as it all pretty much results in the same thing.

 

The point remains that him getting the ball on the CBs toes then usually leaves a big hole in the middle of our midfield and tends to force us to play a long pass out from the back. For what its worth, i think both Borner and Iorfa can pass well and bring the ball out from the back. Why not let them do that and leave Bannan remain forward more? Or why not let the defensive midfielder thats normally played with Bannan bring it out instead? 

 

Seeking the ball at every oppertunity is fine, but when its to the detriment of how the team shape is held together its an issue. Watch Grealish come deep to get the ball and then play a short pass, he then moves on up the pitch to look for space to get the ball again. Usually when Bannan plays a short pass after coming deep, he tends to remain in the same spot or still behind the play waiting for a return pass. Comparing the two doesnt work because they play very differently. 

 

Bannan is by far our best player, but he should not be immune to crtisism either. Right now, for me at least, he needs to consider letting his team mates do some of the work and try to remain further up in midfield and he defo should be in front of the player tasked with being the defensive midfielder. Maybe then we can try control a game from the middle of the pitch like teams always do when they come to play us. 

 

 

[Owly Mowly]

Bannan looked better yesterday when FF and Da Cruz came on. 
He needs players around him who have the vision of what he sees. 
Imagine being a creative CM with no movement around you or clever runs for you to find - Fletch often makes those runs to make a pass possible for Bannan - when Nuhiu, Winnall or Rhodes play that doesn’t happen. 
And it’s impossible for him to find wide men as they are double banked - tough for him at the moment - hope it’ll change now we have the new additions 

[FreshOwl]

I personally want us to sell him and move forward with a different direction and approach. For all the praise and hype he’s actually contributed little, doesn’t score and assists 1 every 4/5 games. Silly little cryuff turns on the halfway line fooling people. Why have we never seen a big bid come in, and why has he never really featured for Scotland over all these years? 

[steelowl]

15 minutes ago, FreshOwl said:

I personally want us to sell him and move forward with a different direction and approach. For all the praise and hype he’s actually contributed little, doesn’t score and assists 1 every 4/5 games. Silly little cryuff turns on the halfway line fooling people. Why have we never seen a big bid come in, and why has he never really featured for Scotland over all these years? 

agree great little player but ultimately too easy to smother 

 

IMO our midfield is and has been the problem for many many years we need more athletic energy and desire to to move forward easier said than afforded 

[FreshOwl]

2 minutes ago, steelowl said:

agree great little player but ultimately too easy to smother 

 

IMO our midfield is and has been the problem for many many years we need more athletic energy and desire to to move forward easier said than afforded 

Yep, not having a decent midfield has cost us promotion since DC took the reigns 

[BarnsleyOwl96]

don’t understand why it’s a debate , sometimes because he’s set himself really high standards it works against him , fans then expect him to be a 9/10 every week, so when he has a 6 out of 10 he’s ‘rubbish ‘

the issue is the attacking areas (I’m aware he plays a part in affecting this ) but once we start Wickham, da Cruz , Windass , FF I would imagine we will start to create and score more , certainly should be more pleasing on the eye 

[FreshOwl]

Dominos and a beer for Bannan last night according to his insta, well earned