Darren Pratley

[lovethesmellofnapalm]

(i tried not to preface this post with how much i like/rate Muamba but hey ho its out there now )

just how much extra Muamba would have brought to the side instead of Pratley today i'm not sure. although many now have him as a mixture of Messi and Yaya Toure- he isn't - just isn't- that good.
more destructiveness in the tackle? pr'haps - but in no small part that is what RC is there for. do we need two essentially the same against fellow strugglers at home?
energy? Pratley seemed to get about at least as much as Moo does
passing? well neither are Johny Giles are they?
oh and
when was the last time Muamba timed a run into the box and scored with his head?
Pratley is more of a goal threat.

fecking barton wouldnt have got out of fabrice's pocket.

thought Pratley was more involved with that Daktari thug than Barton who until aforementioned went off was playing quite wide. so not sure even Messi Toure (sorry Muamba) would have been any more involved with Barton.
Barton was sh@t anyway

[mummywhycantieatcrayons]

oh and
when was the last time Muamba timed a run into the box and scored with his head?
Pratley is more of a goal threat.

I'd have to see it again, but wasn't it essentially put on Pratley's head unopposed from a set piece? Yes, he nodded it away well, but it was hardly a 'timed run into the box'.

[Worthy4England]

oh and
when was the last time Muamba timed a run into the box and scored with his head?
Pratley is more of a goal threat.

I'd have to see it again, but wasn't it essentially put on Pratley's head unopposed from a set piece? Yes, he nodded it away well, but it was hardly a 'timed run into the box'.

No. It was open play (or at least not direct from the free-kick), switch from the right to the left.

Pratley was in an offside position at one point, and had to get back onside, before heading it in, as you say unopposed.

[DJBlu]

Give Pratley credit for scoring the goal and having the whereabouts to find the space for the header.

Pratley = AMC
Muamba = DMC

Two totally different players.

If Pratley could tackle like Muamba then we'd have another Holden.
If Muamba could shoot like Pratley then we'd have another Holden.

[mummywhycantieatcrayons]

oh and
when was the last time Muamba timed a run into the box and scored with his head?
Pratley is more of a goal threat.

I'd have to see it again, but wasn't it essentially put on Pratley's head unopposed from a set piece? Yes, he nodded it away well, but it was hardly a 'timed run into the box'.

No. It was open play (or at least not direct from the free-kick), switch from the right to the left.

Pratley was in an offside position at one point, and had to get back onside, before heading it in, as you say unopposed.

Yes, I realise it wasn't direct from a free kick, but what I'm saying is that he was there in the box waiting for the first free kick, and that's why he was still there 15 seconds later when it came in from the other side... nothing to with a 'timed run into the box'. As you say, if anything he was having to get back onside!

[Worthy4England]

Gotcha.

[BWFC_Insane]

See I think my comparison with Nolan wasn't a million miles wide of the mark. Sure not anywhere near as good as Nolan was for us. But he definitely is the most likely scorer of any of our midfield players. Which might not be saying much, but still. Don't think any of our others would have scored that goal, despite it not being the hardest to score, the slight movement and finding the space in the middle of the box, Nolan esque.

He's clearly shite if he doesn't score. Slow, ponderous and offers little in the way of ball winning.

But if he scores every so often then I don't think it's all bad. We haven't got many who look like scoring either...

The trouble is that we look very soft through the middle with no Muamba, so still for me Fabrice has to start.

Hmmm.

[mummywhycantieatcrayons]

But he definitely is the most likely scorer of any of our midfield players.

Why do you say this? Before yesterday, he'd scored one off his shoulder. Reo Coker and Mark Davies both had what, 3 each?

It's true that by dint of being a big bloke he's a threat in the air, but, that's it.

What we lose by having him on the pitch totally outweighs this slender benefit.

Even yesterday when people were saying he had one of his better games, and the confidence of early goal under his belt, I thought he was dreadful. So many times he put us under pressure by fouling because he was too slow/technically inept to make a proper tackle. Several times his first touch let him down and he was dispossessed. Did I have a distorted view on my stream?

[lovethesmellofnapalm]

he was hanging about in the box- timed run was a bit of hyperbole.
but no matter.
would argue he carries more of a goal threat than RC or Davies though and certainly more than Muamba- he missed a couple earlier in the season (Blackburn?) which was about his running power and ability to get beyond the front players
his energy gives him a nuisance value defensively but he doesn't have the positional sense of Nolan (or most other players for that matter)
dunno really - perhaps RC and Muamba are too much of a likeness- but Pratley did a job yesterday.
shades of grey chaps

[TANGODANCER]

Half this board used to hate Muamba. Its just convenient for them not to now. For the record I've always liked him, before people get their collective knickers in a twist.

Me too. (Quick everyone, on the bandwagon!)

If truth be known, Pratley's just been a bit of a scapegoat for frustration caused by the whole team lately. We haven't been playing anything like decently and somebody has to get it. A win and three points are great forgivers of sins.

[Sponge]

Credit to Ream for the assist. It's amazing what can happen when a cross is played beyond the first man.

[bobo the clown]

If truth be known, Pratley's just been a bit of a scapegoat for frustration caused by the whole team lately. We haven't been playing anything like decently and somebody has to get it.

That'll be because he's shite, Tango.

... & his being picked disrupts the teams flow ...

... & kept Moo out.

He was crap yesterday too, just that he scored a goal, so he may seem less crap.

[thebish]

Half this board used to hate Muamba. Its just convenient for them not to now. For the record I've always liked him, before people get their collective knickers in a twist.

aye... witness:

Muamba and Mark Davies are both equally shite IMO.

[plymouth wanderer]

this hate for pratley reminds me an awfull lot of the hate that Moo use to get a year or so ago

don't get me wrong i don't think pratley is prem standard but comparing him to nolan is shocking

if ya gonna do like for like he's more like tamir Cohen runs around like a headless chicken with zero ability and pops up with the odd goal

which is fine by me as we need squad players but coyle seems to think hes a starter at the moment which is bollocks

it will be irelevent when holden gets back because i don't think eithier(muamba or pratley) will get in the starting 11

well providing were still in the prem anyway

all tho it would't surprise me if coyle put pratley left back

[plymouth wanderer]

Half this board used to hate Muamba. Its just convenient for them not to now. For the record I've always liked him, before people get their collective knickers in a twist.

aye... witness:

Muamba and Mark Davies are both equally shite IMO.

[/quo

bish you ever been laid

you got way too much time on your hands pal

[Loyal White]

If Pratley could tackle like Muamba then we'd have another Holden.
If Muamba could shoot like Pratley then we'd have another Holden.

Absolute tosh.

[Jokers in White]

If Pratley could tackle like Muamba then we'd have another Holden.
If Muamba could shoot like Pratley then we'd have another Holden.

Absolute tosh.

Agree.

[Turkish Trotter]

If Pratley could tackle like Muamba then we'd have another Holden.
If Muamba could shoot like Pratley then we'd have another Holden.

Absolute tosh.

Agree.

Seconded

[Jokers in White]

People don't half get carried away FFS he scored from 6 yards and it was a free header, Ream put on a plate for him. The question is who would you rather have in the team Pratley or Muamba my answer would be none of them i don't rate either one, i've never rated Muamba though and some of you know my opinion on him. He's a fit lad closes people down but has pissed me off too many times over the years giving the ball away after just winning it of someone, and i don't understand this Muamba fetish on here its like hes Xavi. I had hoped Muamba would of improved during his time here but hasn't which is a shame, but i do think Coyle prefer's Pratley now.

[thebish]

Half this board used to hate Muamba. Its just convenient for them not to now. For the record I've always liked him, before people get their collective knickers in a twist.

aye... witness:

Muamba and Mark Davies are both equally shite IMO.

[/quo

bish you ever been laid

you got way too much time on your hands pal

there's a site search tool - it's not that hard to use!