Hannibal Mejbri | Birmingham Loan Watch
- Thread starter Samid
- Start date
-
In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik @Rood and Imran @Annihilate Now! start with the good news by celebrating Manchester United Women's emphatic FA Cup win over Spurs at Wembley and the future of manager Marc Skinner.
Then it's the bad news and the ever worsening form of our Men with losses to Arsenal and Palace.
Finally the main debate - ETH Out now or keep him until the end of the season - if not longer. Are you Team Nik or Team Imran?
The championship is a tough league, if he doesn't show the physical side of his game he'll get roughed up every week and after a while won't get picked because he's not being strong enough.
He's young, we know he can play, he has to show the other team and his own coaches that he' is strong enough to handle himself and isn't going to be bullied on the pitch. He's doing that and playing well, it's great to see a young player play with that aggression and desire to show what he can do. Hope he keeps it up and comes back all the better for it, Utd need more players with that attitude.
The thing I like most about Mejbri is that of all our youth players/midfielders, he has that sort of Pedri, Modric, Bernardo style of profile. He’s got that press resistance and he’s an excellent dribbler. I really hope he ends up there long term, because it’s my favourite type of player in midfield.
He needs to tone it down a notch but I'll prefer this type of personality, also you see it with Antony, Mctominay, Casemiro, Martinez, Garnacho, Bruno to the Lindelof, De Gea and Sancho type personality.
If I was an opponent I know who I'll want to play against.
If I was an opponent I know who I'll want to play against.
Chair is the best player in the Championship right now, so the answer to that is definitely a no.
Think its a great loan for him. Th little I have seen of Hannibal, it isnt his game needs developing but mental toughness and attitud to hone the fiery character in the right way.
He has a tonne oa bilaity and technique and its obvious there is a great player in there, its just whether he can get there mentally. Hope he makes it as I think he could be a fantastic player for us, but you just never know with youngsters, very very few are dead certs
He has a tonne oa bilaity and technique and its obvious there is a great player in there, its just whether he can get there mentally. Hope he makes it as I think he could be a fantastic player for us, but you just never know with youngsters, very very few are dead certs
Rooney lost it on a number of occasions as a teenager where on one occasion Moyes had to take him off against United after a dreadful tackle on Ronaldo.
Ilyas Chair might be the best player in the Championship but he wasn't good enough yesterday and he was lost for long periods against Birmingham's aggressive high press.
He turns 20 in 3 months - and I see very little signs of improvement in the temper-department. As I have said before - he has all the qualities to become a very good player - but unless he learns to control his temper he wont make it. And I don't mind a mistimed tackle here and there, or holding a player back - it's the complaining to the referees and the retaliation he often resorts to when he is fouled. Unless he improves, the players around him will target him even at this level - and he will get sent off. And unlike at U18 and U21-levels where it doesn't really matter if you get sent off - at first-team level - the managers wont dare to use a player who is a loose cannon.
We literally have proof to the contrary as our on field captain right now.
The only loose cannon I can think of at our club in the last 30 years was Keane - but he was so good and influential that it was worth the odd red card
You don’t think Bruno has a temper, a tendency to retaliate and complains to referees all the time?
If you want to go back 30 years then may I also point out a certain Eric Cantona had something of a temper.
Rooney stomping on Carvalho in the 2006 World Cup and receiving a red card is another example of Rooney's very short fuse.
Hannibal is nowhere near as bad as Rooney was when it comes to having a bad temper and like Cantona, Keane, and the less glamorous Alan Smith, they all had a burning desire to win which did cost us at times, but over the long-term it was worth it and the short term pain was worth it for the long-term gain.
Some of the players who have played for us post Fergie are as timid as they come and it's not a surprise to see how far we've fallen.
Hannibal may or may not make it, but it won't be because of his temperament imo.
Below are some examples of what Rooney was like as a player when the red mist descended.
Hannibal is nowhere near as bad as Rooney was when it comes to having a bad temper and like Cantona, Keane, and the less glamorous Alan Smith, they all had a burning desire to win which did cost us at times, but over the long-term it was worth it and the short term pain was worth it for the long-term gain.
Some of the players who have played for us post Fergie are as timid as they come and it's not a surprise to see how far we've fallen.
Hannibal may or may not make it, but it won't be because of his temperament imo.
Below are some examples of what Rooney was like as a player when the red mist descended.
Last edited:
Agree.
I can't think of one player, who was actually bad enough in the discipline department to actually become a liability. Do people actually think he's going to come play in the first team, pick up a load of yellow or red cards and then be out of the team permanently? Or that he will be out of the team for a period, come back and then do the exact same thing again? When has a player ever be that stupid or the team environment ever let it happen.
I think ETH or himself will fine-tune his temperament by that stage. Especially as he's a talent worth nurturing for.
Why is his temper such an issue?
It's not like he's getting himself sent off every other week. I can think pf some great players who never sorted their temper out for their entire career, some of who played for us.
I mean it would be better if he did curb it obviously but I doubt its going to hold him back much
It's not like he's getting himself sent off every other week. I can think pf some great players who never sorted their temper out for their entire career, some of who played for us.
I mean it would be better if he did curb it obviously but I doubt its going to hold him back much
Personally I feel it's important to have the attitude and application as a player starting on the training ground. And from what's been written about the likes of Cantona and Keane, they were both excellent on the training ground and Keane has gone on record and said some of the hardest games he ever played were on the training ground. So that competitiveness begins by having a training ground culture which will then manifest itself on matchdays.
So I agree, I can't think of any technical player who never made it due to on-field disciplinary reasons. But players have failed in their development due to a lack of application and ill discipline off the pitch.
And the game Hannibal was involved in yesterday, required him to be aggressive, because Birmingham were setup in a 352 variant which required both the LCM and RCM to push up high, with the aim to transition quickly and get the ball into the attacking third with a minimum amount of passes. So what ends up happening is that if he does receive the pass then he'd be surrounded by opposition players high up the pitch, and if Birmingham lose the ball then the aggressive counter press is triggered. And the four players in rest defense were the 3 CBs and DM who were playing deepest and were getting the ball forward quickly. And alot of these games end up being a battle where the action zones are congested due to how evenly matched a lot of the teams are in the league.
I also don't think it's a bad idea to send young players to the Dutch or Belgian leagues. Because if we can arrange a loan to a club who dominate a lot of their games, then it would potentially help a young player develop their technical side a little better due to the territorial control the team enjoys against the majority of the competition. I think clubs like PSV or Feyenoord can provide that platform for a youngster to thrive.
Now that I think of it, Xhaka is a good example but then the second caveat of my sentence also comes into play as would 'the team environment' allow it? At Arsenal, he was played constantly and in a team of inexperienced players with not much of an identity i.e it was bit of a free for all. Over time and under Arteta he has curbed his temperament issues, helped by them being of a possession dominating side so he would be in less positions to be making 50/50 tackles or be in disadvantaged situations e.g getting in 1 vs 1 duels etc. You would think the same of us under ETH, where we would have more of the ball, which would reduce the areas of vulnerability and give players a platform to perform.
Overall I agree, a technical player needs to be competitive and tenacious. If they have that as a base, everything can be coached in line.
Whatever happened to controlled aggression?
Players like Robbo and Mark Hughes took no shit and could dish it out and the opposition really did not want to mess with them.
Players like Robbo and Mark Hughes took no shit and could dish it out and the opposition really did not want to mess with them.
I was referring to Rooney’s decision making on the ball being more matured and superior to Mejbri, (not off!) but I had also forgotten exactly how bad Rooney’s temper could get as well so thank you for the reminder!
Like you and some other posters here, I love that fire, enthusiasm and competitiveness and agree that we need more of these fighters in the team. EtH has already done well in bringing in more of such profiles.
Hello says Sergio Ramos
Strange way of saying hes 19.
Yeah, but in fine caf tradition - he's only 19 until he turns 20
(More importantly - the idea that his mentality is a major worry is laughable. Sure no's more likely to get a yellow, but he's also more likely to draw a yellow. He's a talented ball carrying midfielder who gets pissed off with being fouled. The idea that that means he'll never make it for us is ridiculous)
Yeah true. I've only peaked through the thread but seems to me the conversation started with a fairly innocuous comment that his temperament is something he needs to work on (and is something that generally improves with age anyway), and it's turned into an extreme argument about whether his temperament means he will mean he never make it for us. Not sure if anyone is, or actually would, claim the latter. 100% of 19 year old players need to work on stuff. Even world class players have some flaws, it's just a case of minimising them. Certainly a better base line to work with someone who is over-eager and aggressive than someone who is passive and deferential. If its harnessed correctly it can be turned into a major strength rather than a weakness.
On another note I think it may contribute to which position he ends up best suited to. If he can play with a cool head he has the tools to be a deep lying midfielder, if he keeps that impulsivness (in possession and defensively, as well as in terms of tempermant) he is more likely to end up as a more advanced midfielder. Its all speculation at this point though, he's 19 (19.75!), playing regular adult football in a tough league, he has plenty of time to develop as a player and I'm interested to see where he's at in another year or so. I think Birminghams 5122 formation is a good position for him at this stage, more positional discipline required than as a 10, but less shackled than playing in a double pivot.
Also, players change throughout their careers and especially during their 20s. People seem stuck on the idea that players have to be first teamers by a certain age, but some players it clicks at 19, others 21, others 25. Some players games at 19 is stylistically the same as when they're 30, others have changes in their style either gradually or sometimes drastically. I'm just enjoying watching Hannibal and others develop on loan atm (Laird, Fernandez, Diallo).
This is rubbish, frankly. The professional game has a long history of successful players who were significantly more temperamental than Hannibal Mejbri.
I watched the QPR game the other night, too. I didn’t see any evidence of a temper either.
Yeah from reading Eustace's post match comments it sounds a bit like the Anfield stuff
Happy he's doing so well. I said before in the normal Meijbri thread that I thought the CM version of him was gone by now because of all the AM and forward roles he's been playing in the 23s, but here he's playing in a packed midfield and doing a proper CM job - at least trying to pressure and win the ball. Yes its obvious he loses his head in the intensity of the match and gets himself into trouble, and especially as a proper CM he needs to mature and keep himself calm. At 19 its not alarming, but it is something that might delay his progress into playing a lot in the first team. He'll need to show the manager he can trust him
Not really - but thanks for your insight
No - it's a way of saying - he is not a kid anymore.
It does, really. Our most-loved player in the past thirty years once assaulted a fan in the stands. Hannibal picks up a few yellow cards. You’re massively over-egging the pudding here, which is why several people have called you out on it.
He's not giving away many yellows or reds. But to be trusted in our first team, he will need to learn to not take so many risks, especially when on a yellow. He often commits to the point where he can't back out, and he's been a bit lucky to avoid being sent off a couple of times this season.
Shaw's close control is up there with anyone's.
Don’t mind his aggressiveness at all. Since SAF left we have been waaay to vanilla from my POV. ETH should show him video of Keane’s hit hit on Alf-Inge before he starts his first game against City.
Sergio fecking Ramos has a record amount of red cards in his career yet we are worried about a midfielder becoming a liability for his temper. It’s comical
Just assisted a goal direct from a corner kick, which puts Brum 2-0 up away to Stoke on a miserably grim afternoon.
Shame its not a Tuesday night because that would be another test passed.
Has he fouled anyone yet? I’m asking so that I can preempt the hyperbole that follows when he does.
Should have been sent off three times and is in fact a disgrace to the game.
He's been subbed off in the 72nd minute and his replacement Chong has been booked pretty much straight after coming on. Brum have also conceded a goal via a penalty and are hanging on for dear life.
He's doing very well, and today's test against Stoke in pretty grim weather conditions would've been a great learning curve for him. And the Brum fans seem to love him.
And the way he carried the ball below is something we're badly missing in midfield
Tweet
— Twitter API (@user) date
Tweet
— Twitter API (@user) date
And the way he carried the ball below is something we're badly missing in midfield
Tweet
— Twitter API (@user) date