Bacuna.

[Bassingham Terrier]

Aug 17, 2019 11:09:24 GMT 1 nicovaesen said:

Aug 16, 2019 22:20:43 GMT 1 @bacunafrittata said:

He was thinking he was clearing upfield and miss kicked it. Do you think he did it on purpose?!

The embarrassing thing was the crowd reaction.

Was Hogg and Schindler’s reaction to it embarrassing then too? They seemed to be having a go at him in equal measure! Players who work hard stand out and you can clearly see the effort put in. The frustration from them just exploded with not just that one mid kick but his whole attitude and performance that night!

Hogg, Schindler, Elphick and, I think Kongolo, all gave him the eye and said something as he walked back into midfield.

[htfcsince70]

How can the recruitment have been allowed to be so ineffective? Mbenza, Diakahby, Bacuna are all so ineffective, poor, awful, woeful - I can't decide upon the adjective that best describes them. I really don't want them not to succeed - it's not their fault - it's the fault of the clowns who thought that they could play in the first place - no doubt it was the same people who had been tracking Jan for three years!!

[thrice]

Don’t want to make excuses for him but he looks to have been carrying an injury to me.

[brickthespecial]

Bacuma needs a rest his confidence is shot.

I thought on Tuesday he was being played in the hope of finding his form, he had some distance efforts V Lincoln but last night everything he touched was dire and that hooked clearance for Mitrovic - was on a par with his Stoke o-g last August.

Seaweed was out of his depth, the squad were clearly not responding to him and the set up for the first 4 games and his lack of ability to make changes nor have the personnel to effect the changes was alarming.

Let's hope we get the next appointment right, Phil doesnt go cheap as we could be doing a Sunderland on the fair served up so far and slip another division otherwise.

Onto Baaardiff, can't wait !

[Baby Ate My Eight Ball]

One of the worst Town performances I’ve ever seen, may as well have been playing in a bathrobe and slippers.

Got the distinct impression he was trying to get his manager the sack. Didn’t try to take the ball forward when chances and passes presented themselves, his whole play was wild and erratic.

Has lots of potential and needs the right manager to get him back on track and producing what he’s capable of. One of the reasons that we need a good experienced manager in now, no more risky punts.

[oldrain]

Miss kick maybe but that’s what happens when you don’t focus on what you’re doing attitude is all wrong more bothered about his cocky walk and hairstyle than football thinks he’s better than he is Chalobah should keep him out of the team UTT

[Walton-on-the-Hill Terrier]

Another player I just haven’t warmed to. As poor a signing as all the others from last summer in my opinion.

[Deleted]

Aug 17, 2019 11:09:24 GMT 1 nicovaesen said:

Aug 16, 2019 22:20:43 GMT 1 @bacunafrittata said:

He was thinking he was clearing upfield and miss kicked it. Do you think he did it on purpose?!

The embarrassing thing was the crowd reaction.

Was Hogg and Schindler’s reaction to it embarrassing then too? They seemed to be having a go at him in equal measure! Players who work hard stand out and you can clearly see the effort put in. The frustration from them just exploded with not just that one mid kick but his whole attitude and performance that night!

They reacted in the moment...as many did. They weren’t booing his every touch for the remainder of the game like spoiled little children.

[ACW]

There's a decent player in Bacuna - we all saw it towards the end of last season - but he's young and inconsistent. Even when he's playing well!

At the moment nothing is going right for him. And he's not helping himself at times.

For me, he needs to concentrate on doing the basics well to build his confidence. His vision is often very good - he sees the creative pass - but his technique often let's him down. Perhaps by playing more conservatively he can rebuild his confidence and then try to reintroduce the more creative parts of his game?

Unlike Diakhaby and Mbenza, I've seen enough in Bacuna to think he has potential, but he is raw and needs coaching to make the best of his talents.

Perhaps he needs taking out of the firing line for a few games. He's playing so badly at the moment that he's an accident waiting to happen. Hopefully he'll learn from this difficult period and come back a better player. A Bacuna playing like he did at the end of last season - at a higher level remember - would be a real asset to us. I guess it's now in his hands, and the hands of the new manager.

[terrier2019]

i think bacunas trying to hard just needs to settle down and play his natural game.end day apart from grant whos got 3 in 3 everybodys confidence is at rock bottom.

[rastrick32]

Aug 17, 2019 12:59:18 GMT 1 ACW said:

There's a decent player in Bacuna - we all saw it towards the end of last season - but he's young and inconsistent. Even when he's playing well!

At the moment nothing is going right for him. And he's not helping himself at times.

For me, he needs to concentrate on doing the basics well to build his confidence. His vision is often very good - he sees the creative pass - but his technique often let's him down. Perhaps by playing more conservatively he can rebuild his confidence and then try to reintroduce the more creative parts of his game?

Unlike Diakhaby and Mbenza, I've seen him bough in Bacuna to think he has potential, but he is raw and needs coaching to make the best of his talents.

Perhaps he needs taking out of the firing line for a few games. He's playing so badly at the moment that he's an accident waiting to happen. Hopefully he'll learn from this difficult period and come back a better player. A Bacuna playing like he did at the end of last season - at a higher level remember - would be a real asset to us. I guess it's now in his hands, and the hands of the new manager.

A measured post. He's out of form and inconsistent. A stable coaching team would have protected him last night and not started him.

[space hardware]

Aug 16, 2019 22:02:44 GMT 1 Ross83 said:

Aug 16, 2019 21:58:24 GMT 1 wigster said:

It was pointed out from the first pre-season game this season that he was strolling around as though he's made it. I must admit that at the end of last season I thought he'd be a key man this season - I was wrong.

He is a liability waiting to happen - every match - and his passing, which I considered a strength, is nowhere near good enough.

For me, like so many buys in the last two years, just not up to it. His attitude seems wrong and his football, alas, even more so.

Have to agree with you. He was absolutely immense last season and thought he'd tear this league up. I was very wrong! He has it but for some reason he's miles off the pace atm. Only correct thing that nob did tonight was bring Bacca off!

He really wasn't immense at all. None of our players could be described as immense last season.

He showed some promise, that's all. This season he's been garbage, for whatever reason. I think he actually believes he's too good for this league and is just strolling around.

As well as the complete fuck up for the first goal I don't think he played one decent pass all night.

[Deleted]

Aug 17, 2019 12:59:18 GMT 1 ACW said:

There's a decent player in Bacuna - we all saw it towards the end of last season - but he's young and inconsistent. Even when he's playing well!

At the moment nothing is going right for him. And he's not helping himself at times.

For me, he needs to concentrate on doing the basics well to build his confidence. His vision is often very good - he sees the creative pass - but his technique often let's him down. Perhaps by playing more conservatively he can rebuild his confidence and then try to reintroduce the more creative parts of his game?

Unlike Diakhaby and Mbenza, I've seen him bough in Bacuna to think he has potential, but he is raw and needs coaching to make the best of his talents.

Perhaps he needs taking out of the firing line for a few games. He's playing so badly at the moment that he's an accident waiting to happen. Hopefully he'll learn from this difficult period and come back a better player. A Bacuna playing like he did at the end of last season - at a higher level remember - would be a real asset to us. I guess it's now in his hands, and the hands of the new manager.

Spot on.

He’s the antithesis of Phil Billing for me.

Billing played within himself (even before things turned sour...pretty much his entire career to be honest), concentrated on trying to do things properly rather than playing on the edge.

I think Bacuna tries too hard to get involved...he doesn’t want to let anyone down and feels he has to do everything. When you’re playing on the edge like that then mistakes happen.

He will be incredibly frustrated at his performances, you only have to look at his face during the game, he looks on the verge of crying at times.


He could learn a lot from O Brien. Without standing out at all, he seemed to get the balance right in terms of his performance, mainly cruising through the game, putting in the effort when on the ball, but not taking too many risks along the way...he played exactly the kind of game that you expect from a young lad when thrown into a men’s game...”go out...do your job...gain a bit of experience and learn something....don’t cock up”.

The slight concern with Bacuna is he’s got around 100 top flight appearances in his back pocket...you’d think he have learned by now that you can’t do everything.

Maybe/hopefully it’s just because of the lack of a team based approach...he might hopefully become a much better player if we get set up by someone who has an actual idea.

[nicovaesen]

No he’s shit get him! My pitch fork is sharp as after nailing me a jan!!!

[Porrohman]

Aug 16, 2019 22:19:45 GMT 1 yorik said:

Can't pass a ball to save his life.

That'll explain the inch perfect through ball for Grant's equaliser against Montpellier. Some of the crowds reaction when he was subbed was embarrassing, near me you could hear folk cheering when his number went up and then booing him as he left the pitch 🤬

[Porrohman]

Aug 17, 2019 11:53:10 GMT 1 Bassingham Terrier said:

Aug 17, 2019 11:09:24 GMT 1 nicovaesen said:

Was Hogg and Schindler’s reaction to it embarrassing then too? They seemed to be having a go at him in equal measure! Players who work hard stand out and you can clearly see the effort put in. The frustration from them just exploded with not just that one mid kick but his whole attitude and performance that night!

Hogg, Schindler, Elphick and, I think Kongolo, all gave him the eye and said something as he walked back into midfield.

Don't think Elphicks one who can have a go at anyone for doing something wrong, was he the one old square head outjumped to score ?

[Captainslapper]

Aug 16, 2019 22:27:39 GMT 1 Chips Longhorn said:

Aug 16, 2019 22:20:43 GMT 1 @bacunafrittata said:

He was thinking he was clearing upfield and miss kicked it. Do you think he did it on purpose?!

The embarrassing thing was the crowd reaction.

Hes far too slack . There is a player in there but ....

Slack is about right.
Some of the plaudits he was gettjng on here last season were way OTT to me.
He had good games and poor games. Erratic from one minute to the next.
Could do something great or lousy in equal measure.
Basically a young player with potential learning his trade but nowhere near the star some were saying he was.

The difference now is hes not doing the great stuff anymore, just the lousy stuff and when his head goes, it really does go to pieces.

The best part of our side BY FAR during the past 2 years has been our central midfield 3 of Mooy Billing and Hogg.
2/3rds of that have gone, so we're feeling the pain of that just now.

[Headless Chicken]

Aug 17, 2019 13:12:19 GMT 1 @bacunafrittata said:

Aug 17, 2019 12:59:18 GMT 1 ACW said:

There's a decent player in Bacuna - we all saw it towards the end of last season - but he's young and inconsistent. Even when he's playing well!

At the moment nothing is going right for him. And he's not helping himself at times.

For me, he needs to concentrate on doing the basics well to build his confidence. His vision is often very good - he sees the creative pass - but his technique often let's him down. Perhaps by playing more conservatively he can rebuild his confidence and then try to reintroduce the more creative parts of his game?

Unlike Diakhaby and Mbenza, I've seen him bough in Bacuna to think he has potential, but he is raw and needs coaching to make the best of his talents.

Perhaps he needs taking out of the firing line for a few games. He's playing so badly at the moment that he's an accident waiting to happen. Hopefully he'll learn from this difficult period and come back a better player. A Bacuna playing like he did at the end of last season - at a higher level remember - would be a real asset to us. I guess it's now in his hands, and the hands of the new manager.

Spot on.

He’s the antithesis of Phil Billing for me.

Billing played within himself (even before things turned sour...pretty much his entire career to be honest), concentrated on trying to do things properly rather than playing on the edge.

I think Bacuna tries too hard to get involved...he doesn’t want to let anyone down and feels he has to do everything. When you’re playing on the edge like that then mistakes happen.

He will be incredibly frustrated at his performances, you only have to look at his face during the game, he looks on the verge of crying at times.


He could learn a lot from O Brien. Without standing out at all, he seemed to get the balance right in terms of his performance, mainly cruising through the game, putting in the effort when on the ball, but not taking too many risks along the way...he played exactly the kind of game that you expect from a young lad when thrown into a men’s game...”go out...do your job...gain a bit of experience and learn something....don’t cock up”.

The slight concern with Bacuna is he’s got around 100 top flight appearances in his back pocket...you’d think he have learned by now that you can’t do everything.

Maybe/hopefully it’s just because of the lack of a team based approach...he might hopefully become a much better player if we get set up by someone who has an actual idea.

If he is the antithesis, it's not from the angle you and some other fans see it, in my opinion.

Billing was constantly on the move and therefore rarely had to go diving into challenges and many fans then just saw him as lazy and timid, also not helped by him looking languid and being able to cover ground with little effort.

I'm sure someone mentioned a stat that Bacuna had the highest percentage of time walking on the pitch.

The views on these players will vary from those who ball watch and those who at least occasionally watch individual players for a bit.

Don't get me wrong, he has shown some really promising signs, unlike some of the other recruits in the previous summer, and don't get me started on people going on about his hair.

[Deleted]

Aug 17, 2019 13:06:54 GMT 1 terrier2019 said:

i think bacunas trying to hard just needs to settle down and play his natural game.end day apart from grant whos got 3 in 3 everybodys confidence is at rock bottom.

I agree entirely. I feel he’s trying to fill the creativity void left by Mooy and Billing leaving but trying too much. Sadly, Hogg doesn’t have great vision (many other attributes though) O’Brien looked good but is inexperienced and Chalobah looks unable to pass water (although in a Makalele role he could be a real asset).

Bacuna needs to relax, trust O’Brien more and get help from Pritchard on the creativity front.

[Porrohman]

His confidence is shot and everything's going wrong for him at the moment but we need to get him right cos there's sod all creativity in Hogg, Chalobah and O'Brien.

[Headless Chicken]

Aug 17, 2019 14:11:56 GMT 1 Porrohman said:

Aug 16, 2019 22:19:45 GMT 1 yorik said:

Can't pass a ball to save his life.

That'll explain the inch perfect through ball for Grant's equaliser against Montpellier. Some of the crowds reaction when he was subbed was embarrassing, near me you could hear folk cheering when his number went up and then booing him as he left the pitch 🤬

I wanted him off earlier and sent a message to a mate about it, but 100% agree.

[wildbillthetownfan]

Aug 16, 2019 22:20:43 GMT 1 @bacunafrittata said:

Aug 16, 2019 22:15:14 GMT 1 Christ in Shades (art) said:

The shank for the Fulham opener was embarrassing and atrocious in equal measure. What was he thinking?

He was thinking he was clearing upfield and miss kicked it. Do you think he did it on purpose?!

The embarrassing thing was the crowd reaction.

Well what do you expect the crowd to do, cheer. FFS anyone who has played football even at Sunday league level kmows it's safety first get the ball out for a corner not just some wild hopeful kick.

[wildbillthetownfan]

Aug 17, 2019 12:03:29 GMT 1 htfcsince70 said:

How can the recruitment have been allowed to be so ineffective? Mbenza, Diakahby, Bacuna are all so ineffective, poor, awful, woeful - I can't decide upon the adjective that best describes them. I really don't want them not to succeed - it's not their fault - it's the fault of the clowns who thought that they could play in the first place - no doubt it was the same people who had been tracking Jan for three years!!

Bacuna was recommended to Town by Ronald Koeman, mind you Mick Wadsworth was recommended to Town by Bobby Robson, seems like even the great player's of yester year can sometimes be wrong.

[htfc63]

Whilst his passing and skill level are questionable my major concern is that he is so hot headed he is liable to take the team down to ten men. He lacks composure in his game and unless a new manager can radically change the way he plays then he should be left out of the team. If you add his poor performance to :
Kachunga starting as he is nowhere near good enough.
Pritchard playing out of position.
Kongola seeming uninterested at times and drifting into centre back positions rather than marking his man.
Elphick being unable to dominate in the air when under pressure.
Haj wanting to get forward but being a poor defender
Etc etc
It all leads to the fact that whoever becomes the new manager has a poor squad to work with and will have to get the best out of players for us to compete in this league.

[Ross83]

Aug 17, 2019 13:10:38 GMT 1 space hardware said:

Aug 16, 2019 22:02:44 GMT 1 Ross83 said:

Have to agree with you. He was absolutely immense last season and thought he'd tear this league up. I was very wrong! He has it but for some reason he's miles off the pace atm. Only correct thing that nob did tonight was bring Bacca off!

He really wasn't immense at all. None of our players could be described as immense last season.

He showed some promise, that's all. This season he's been garbage, for whatever reason. I think he actually believes he's too good for this league and is just strolling around.

As well as the complete fuck up for the first goal I don't think he played one decent pass all night.

Okay immense might be pushing it but he was definitely the stand out player under Siewert, the only one in any kind of form but my god he's bang out of it atm!

His passing last night was woeful and hes usually the best in the team barring Mooy previously.

[Bigcolquaner]

Someone check his Betfair account. That performance was suspiciously bad!

[foxtrot666]

Aug 17, 2019 12:26:02 GMT 1 thrice said:

Don’t want to make excuses for him but he looks to have been carrying a sack of coal on his back to me.

Edited for accuracy.

[Deleted]

Aug 17, 2019 14:34:00 GMT 1 wildbillthetownfan said:

Aug 16, 2019 22:20:43 GMT 1 @bacunafrittata said:

He was thinking he was clearing upfield and miss kicked it. Do you think he did it on purpose?!

The embarrassing thing was the crowd reaction.

Well what do you expect the crowd to do, cheer. FFS anyone who has played football even at Sunday league level kmows it's safety first get the ball out for a corner not just some wild hopeful kick.

I’m on about the crowd reaction for the rest of his time on the pitch.

He was booed simply when the ball came near him during the game....I don’t expect the crowd to do that, unless we’ve got a crowd full of morons.

Plenty other players have made individual and costly mistakes and not had that kind of sustained reaction directed at them. Very weak response.

Look at the goal that Elphick gifted v Derby.....was he booed throughout the rest of the game, and surely that was a “FFS anyone who has played football even at Sunday league level knows it’s safety first hoof the ball up field or into the stands, don’t try and flick/chest/shoulder it back to the keeper” moment??

He’s not playing Sunday League football...it’s more than acceptable for a player of his ability to attempt to hook the ball upfield from where he was, he’d succeed 9 times out of 10 if the circumstances were repeated, I know I probably would too.

[Headless Chicken]

Aug 17, 2019 16:10:21 GMT 1 @bacunafrittata said:

Aug 17, 2019 14:34:00 GMT 1 wildbillthetownfan said:

Well what do you expect the crowd to do, cheer. FFS anyone who has played football even at Sunday league level kmows it's safety first get the ball out for a corner not just some wild hopeful kick.

I’m on about the crowd reaction for the rest of his time on the pitch.

He was booed simply when the ball came near him during the game....I don’t expect the crowd to do that, unless we’ve got a crowd full of morons.

Plenty other players have made individual and costly mistakes and not had that kind of sustained reaction directed at them. Very weak response.

Look at the goal that Elphick gifted v Derby.....was he booed throughout the rest of the game, and surely that was a “FFS anyone who has played football even at Sunday league level knows it’s safety first hoof the ball up field or into the stands, don’t try and flick/chest/shoulder it back to the keeper” moment??

He’s not playing Sunday League football...it’s more than acceptable for a player of his ability to attempt to hook the ball upfield from where he was, he’d succeed 9 times out of 10 if the circumstances were repeated, I know I probably would too.

I heard the odd shout, but didn't hear too much else away from his prominent cock-ups and when he was taken off (even that was drowned out to some degree, with some clapping).

I think he needs a spell out of the first eleven, if not the match day squad, but he isn't a w/off like some. Hopefully he can kick his lethargy and up his concentration and awareness.

[Deleted]

Aug 17, 2019 16:27:48 GMT 1 Headless Chicken said:

Aug 17, 2019 16:10:21 GMT 1 @bacunafrittata said:

I’m on about the crowd reaction for the rest of his time on the pitch.

He was booed simply when the ball came near him during the game....I don’t expect the crowd to do that, unless we’ve got a crowd full of morons.

Plenty other players have made individual and costly mistakes and not had that kind of sustained reaction directed at them. Very weak response.

Look at the goal that Elphick gifted v Derby.....was he booed throughout the rest of the game, and surely that was a “FFS anyone who has played football even at Sunday league level knows it’s safety first hoof the ball up field or into the stands, don’t try and flick/chest/shoulder it back to the keeper” moment??

He’s not playing Sunday League football...it’s more than acceptable for a player of his ability to attempt to hook the ball upfield from where he was, he’d succeed 9 times out of 10 if the circumstances were repeated, I know I probably would too.

I heard the odd shout, but didn't hear too much else away from his prominent cock-ups and when he was taken off (even that was drowned out to some degree, with some clapping).

I think he needs a spell out of the first eleven, if not the match day squad, but he isn't a w/off like some. Hopefully he can kick his lethargy and up his concentration and awareness.

I agree.

It was regular and prominent booing from quite a few up in middle / back of South Stand. Idiots.