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I couldn't make it to the game yesterday but listened on the radio and it sounded like Gabilondo has a lot of potential?

What are the opinions of people who saw him play? What can he offer the team?

Greedy fucker but did well, wonder if he might be a bit fancy dan for some games but could be used as a great impact sub. He was better than easyjet.

Has a bit of pace but isn't lightening fast.

Good dribbler and seems to be quite direct. Was capable of taking it down the left, but I think he's a righty. Got to the line and would get inside and drive into the box. He did this on 2 or 3 occasions. Almost scored on his first run, probably should've had an assist if he'd played the right ball.

I'd be pleased if that was my debut.

Did well. Decent pace, so did well knocking it past players. But also had good feet so was good when in a tight corner. As Cookie says, he did come across a little greedy but then I do have some sympathy - on his debut in front of a big crowd, he's taken it past two or three players... bound to shoot rather than try and lay it off! Hopefully he'll settle down when he has less of a point to prove and become a valuable asset.

I really rate Esajas (i assume thats who EasyJet is?) but are they not too similar a player to play together? Does sound promising, i don't think we have had anyone really confident enough to run at players since Danny Ward!

good job you never went yesterday as IMO he was very poor, distribution was dire, seemed to run around alot without doing much, as people have said it will take time for them to gel

Well if one starts, the other is a more than capable replacement. Good options down the wings.

That's pretty much it.

Also helped get the crowd interested in him that his first touch was putting his head in to win a ball off the Oxscum defender's foot, his second was to shoot on goal. So nearly a dream start.

His mazey run inside the box soon after he came on was class. Seemingly great dribbling.

I like the idea of a right footed player on the left who can run at defenders and cut inside and shoot (Gabilondo) and a left footed player on the right who can run at defenders and cut inside and shoot (Richie/SAS).

Where as I hate the idea of wrong footed players on the wrong side.

Ashley Young does a good job of it, no one else does...

Robben and Ribery do it very well for Bayern.

I accept that this does not necessarily mean that our players can.

looked VERY right footed

I agree as I thought Easy was poor yesterday. Didn't "appear" to have a great deal of confidence. Gabby looked great with his 1st run but, in my opinion, i am not sure that his crossing is up to much. However, mitigating circumstances are that a) It was his 1st game and probably trying to impress and b) we are a 4th division club attracting those "type" of players (Lukas & Clarke excepted) and probably isn't as good as we think he may be. I do hope i'm wrong though.

Agree.

Extremely 1 footed for a pro. But could be effective as an impact sub.

Especially as Esejas is already showing signs of the laziness Wednesday fans complained about. At one point Kennedy needed options, and instead of making a run he pointed towards the goal, as if to say 'just hoof it into the box Im knackered'.

I thought Esajas was shit yesterday.

As you say, a hint of laziness.

Gabilondo had moments of brilliance.  Definitely looked like he was desperate to play yesterday which probably encouraged the greediness but got a great player on our hands if yesterday if anything to go by.

He looked alright but i'm not getting carried away. He was direct and if he is direct all the time we have a different option there which is always handy. He did cut inside a lot. That's good if it comes off but it won't take a defender long to realise that he's going to cut in if he does it that often so I hope he has a bit more in his locker. He was greedy but then so were some of our other players. It was a shame some of them wanted to be the hero they forgot to play as a team on occasions. Any other game and we might have seen a few goals come from this lad's runs.

Anyone think Kerrouche looked good....or was it my beer goggles?

Kerrouche looked good yes, bit of pace and didn't have a bad touch. Perhaps he looked better because De Vita does absolutely fuck all though.

His footwork for the chance he set up for Clarke was top notch.

Agreed, better than De Vita. Suspect fitness though.

I thought Kerrouche was the pick of the strikers even though Connell and Clarke looked decent as well. I just hope he is not a crock.

Although none of them have scored yet, what great pleasure it is to have to choose from a vast array of talented strikers :D excluding De Vita of course. Just think with someone else in charge we may well of ended up with Delroy Facey, Drewe Broughton, Karl Hawley and Royce Brownlie. Paolo has constructed a good striker collection here

Going back to gabilondo, he was very direct although I was never convinced by his delivery at any point. He scuffed a number of crosses and a corner, yet to be convinced fully. However he did force the pox into altering their personnel, will be interesting to see how he goes, especially during the winter months.

I thought he was an Alan O'Brien style impact-sub, just a lot less shit.

Reminded me of Benayoun in terms of look and playing style.

When he gets used to the other players he'll surely look to pass more instead of going it alone every time. Could be worth playing just off the forwards to unlock defences as well.

Looked good.

He was quality last night. Love him already.

Again i couldnt make the game but listenend on the radio. It sounded like a brilliant solid performance by Gabilondo! Its a shame Esajas didn't get a look in though, i highly rate him!

Yep, he was excellent when he did get the ball. Always looks to take on his man if possible, and I think he pretty much achieved that every time he tried.

One thing though - when he plays in front of Kennedy, I think Gabi suffers a little bit. Kennedy wasn't as good as Caddis last night (nowhere near actually) and has a tendency to just chip the ball down the line and hope Gabi chases it.

I think that might explain why Ritchie was so influential last night, whereas Gabi didn't get the ball quite so often.

He has good composure on the ball and dosn't rush things,ran em ragged.

I thought his energy was outstanding last night. Fittest player on the pitch by a mile.

Defends well and is strong on the ball as well, no lightweight.

Only on a 1 year deal - extension please! ;)

Gabilondo was a different class last night. He has great fitness, willingly covers acres and has genuinely no fear when taking players on. It's a massive breath of fresh air and if we're honest mcnamee got sold for being worse......so i'd like him tied to a longer contract.

Rather oddly I liked the fact he crossed that ball for the goal!

How many players/teams would have let it run out for a corner and a chance to get the big men up.

none when you have forwards in the box waiting for a cross

In my opinion Gabilondo will be one to watch in this campaign. Him and Ferry both played well against Bristol City.


Matt

Thank you Matt

I agree Craig.

Thanks Don.

Thats Mr Stand to you :D

Don't you mean Mr Shop?   ;)

Caddis is by far the more mobile and looks to get forward with Ritchie, as you say Kennedy tends to boot the ball and let Gabilondo get on with it.

The first cross was with the left foot as well.

Just playing devil's advocate here you understand, but technically, should the goal have been disallowed on account of Gabilondo leaving the field of play and coming back on without the ref's permission?

I'm assuming that's what Calamity James was waving his arms around for. I can't think why else he was doing it (apart from detracting from his own ineptitude of course).

Does that apply when the game hasn't been stopped though? You see players skipping round the linesman during a foot race down the touchline and nothing comes of that.

I assumed he was berating his shit defence for leaving Raffa in so much space.

Goal is perfectly legal.

A player is allowed to leave the field of play, and re-enter it, as long as it is momentum that took him off of it. The interpretation of the law which relates to it is basically there to stop players going of to gain an advantage when their team is in the shit - like if a defender decides to step off the field because he's too deep and he wants to play the attacker offside - he's off the pitch  so how can he be playing him on...(even though the bone idol defender wouldn't realise if he does that he'll get a caution and he's taken to be playing on the goal line!)

Very rarely would you see a player be cautioned for leaving and then re-entering without the referees permission, it's usually just the entering/re-entering at substitutions/injuries..

no.

Leaving the field of play isn't quite the same as running over the line...

I think David James was appealing for offside, not realising it couldn't possibly be offside in any way, shape or form.

If James was appealing for offside then he is a grade A idiot.

If you don't ask, you don't get, I suppose