Dwight McNeil

JJ12

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I think we're good in the "promising, maybe they'll be good" department. We're desperate for top class players.
I think we need both.
More emphasis on top class though definitely.
 

Ekeke

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I think we need both.
More emphasis on top class though definitely.
Agree. We clearly need players who are going to play well right away and push the team forward, but we also have several squad players who when they are called on to play their part, they arent anywhere near the standard they need to be.
 

Jeppers7

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:lol: Yeah ok....but you have to be pretty damn good compared with normal people to play professional football, in fact he never went through an academy system I think he went into semi pro football about 18 and climbed up the ladder on ability alone. If he'd have been spotted as a kid and developed through an academy no doubt he'd have played at an even higher level.

It's why I have a lot of respect for footballers. They take a lot of stick but they have a ridiculous talent and they have all dedicated their lives to it.
 

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Watched him a few times recently and never really been impressed. But then again its usually when Burnley are up against top 4 sides so they are set up defensively and don't see much of the ball. Maybe he tears it up against other midtable clubs like us.

My nuanced, objectively correct review is that he is nothing more than decent and Burnley is about his level.

Could he offer more right now than Lingard, Mata, Chong, or Gomes? Maybe. Could he offer more than Periera? Without a fecking doubt, even on one leg and hungover.

But I would hope we could sign someone better, if indeed we do ever decide to fix the gaping holes in our squad.
 

Classical Mechanic

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Watched him a few times recently and never really been impressed. But then again its usually when Burnley are up against top 4 sides so they are set up defensively and don't see much of the ball. Maybe he tears it up against other midtable clubs like us.

My nuanced, objectively correct review is that he is nothing more than decent and Burnley is about his level.

Could he offer more right now than Lingard, Mata, Chong, or Gomes? Maybe. Could he offer more than Periera? Without a fecking doubt, even on one leg and hungover.

But I would hope we could sign someone better, if indeed we do ever decide to fix the gaping holes in our squad.
He has 12 goals and assists in his last 30 PL games, I'd hazard a guess that those stats are probably more than those players have offered put together in the same time.
 

Sea-Cow

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He has 12 goals and assists in his last 30 PL games, I'd hazard a guess that those stats are probably more than those players have offered put together in the same time.
Who do you think you are, barging in here with your "facts"? Thats why I said "Maybe" and "Without a fecking doubt"! We're on the same side!

I still just think he's nothing more than decent.
 

Snow

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I think we need both.
More emphasis on top class though definitely.
Agree. We clearly need players who are going to play well right away and push the team forward, but we also have several squad players who when they are called on to play their part, they arent anywhere near the standard they need to be.
A "promising winger" is our least priority. We need a top class winger, top class striker, top class #10 and a top class midfielder.

Rashford and James are 22, Greenwood is 18. Those guys need better players around them.

Also to me this purchase would probably just push Rashford up top which I don't like.
 

amolbhatia50k

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A "promising winger" is our least priority. We need a top class winger, top class striker, top class #10 and a top class midfielder.

Rashford and James are 22, Greenwood is 18. Those guys need better players around them.

Also to me this purchase would probably just push Rashford up top which I don't like.
Not regarding McNeil, but we aren't going to get 4 "top class" players so people should stop dreaming of such things.

We'd be better off signing players like Mane who is on the cusp of becoming great given they tend to also be available.
 

Snow

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Not regarding McNeil, but we aren't going to get 4 "top class" players so people should stop dreaming of such things.

We'd be better off signing players like Mane who is on the cusp of becoming great given they tend to also be available.
We need to if we are going to compete and I don't think it's a dream to do so.

Mané was a top class player when Liverpool bought him. Was Southampton's best player when they bought him. McNeil isn't close to that level.
 

JJ12

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We need to if we are going to compete and I don't think it's a dream to do so.

Mané was a top class player when Liverpool bought him. Was Southampton's best player when they bought him. McNeil isn't close to that level.
Massive age difference too
 

amolbhatia50k

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We need to if we are going to compete and I don't think it's a dream to do so.

Mané was a top class player when Liverpool bought him. Was Southampton's best player when they bought him. McNeil isn't close to that level.
Mane wasn't a top player. Being Southamptons best player isn't really a big deal. And that's those kind of signings would be perfect. Nobody is saying mcneil is at that level.
 

IrishRedDevil

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Mane wasn't a top player. Being Southamptons best player isn't really a big deal. And that's those kind of signings would be perfect. Nobody is saying mcneil is at that level.
Mane was a very very good player at Southampton. 11 goals and 4 assists in his first season, 11 goals and 9 assists in his second season. While playing as a winger, for Southampton.
 

Mark Pawelek

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Holy cow, if this guy is deemed 'average', this place really is filled with 'football professors'.

That, and/or, they don't really watch him play.
McNeil is not so much average as superfluous. We have left-wingers. We need: a striker, a right-winger, 2 midfielders. In this order: midfielder, striker, right-winger, midfielder 2
 

Snow

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Mane wasn't a top player. Being Southamptons best player isn't really a big deal. And that's those kind of signings would be perfect. Nobody is saying mcneil is at that level.
Yes he was, he absolutely was a top level player. You could see that almost immediately when he joined them.
 

amolbhatia50k

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Mane was a very very good player at Southampton. 11 goals and 4 assists in his first season, 11 goals and 9 assists in his second season. While playing as a winger, for Southampton.
Winger/wide forward, same thing. It's not exactly numbers of a top class player. Martial and Rashford get blasted for the same thing. Everyone here also felt he was clearly a good footballer who was capable of being terrific on his day but he wasn't really top class.
 

amolbhatia50k

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Yes he was, he absolutely was a top level player. You could see that almost immediately when he joined them.
He was not. But had the potential to be. There's a difference. Just like nobody in their right mind would have called Roberson pre Liverpool a "top class" player.
 

Fosu-Mens

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He was not. But had the potential to be. There's a difference. Just like nobody in their right mind would have called Roberson pre Liverpool a "top class" player.
To be frank, I don't see Robertson as a "top-class" player in another system then how Liverpool are currently playing. Mane would suit most approaches, either it being counter attacking or a possession-based approach. There are nuances to this, but in general Mane's abilities and style of play makes him productive and useful in most situations and styles of play.
The same, I think, can be said about McNeil. While he does not have the extreme physical abilities that Mane has, his ability on the ball is great, he can cross, dribble and function both on and off the ball. While still not being a great player, he got the abilities to be productive in a wide range of situations and styles of play. I also think he could perform centrally and on the right side, and seems to be really consistent (from what I have seen from him). From a pure squad composition perspective, he is an allrounder that every squad should have. If the manager is sacked, the next manager would find him useful. If you buy him and he does not improve, then at least you will have a multipurpose player able to play when needed.
 

starman

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He doesn't look outstanding or eye catching, but hes does the basics very well so imagine he will produces very good statistics.

He already has a assist today, and would have had another if VAR didnt overule
 

Acole9

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Makes me laugh all the comments about Mane. I remember when a lot of posters did not want us to sign him from Southampton, he was average apparently...
 

Schmeichel's Cartwheel

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This "he's british and he might be good in the future" policy is fecking stupid. We are crying out for world class players.

The fact that we were prioritising Sean Longstaff over Bruno Fernandes and Paulo Dybala this summer just sums us up.

If we're desperate for British players (I don't know why but we clearly are), go for Chilwell or Maddison or Sancho. We desperately need proven quality.
 

M16Red

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This "he's british and he might be good in the future" policy is fecking stupid. We are crying out for world class players.

The fact that we were prioritising Sean Longstaff over Bruno Fernandes and Paulo Dybala this summer just sums us up.
Where are we getting them from chief? Hey?

Do you think Dybala wanted to actually leave Juv for Utd
 

432JuanMata

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Where are we getting them from chief? Hey?

Do you think Dybala wanted to actually leave Juv for Utd
Yeah people think we can still sign most to every player. Dybala didn’t want to come here and at this time I don’t blame him