Needs to start vs Swansea

Next Bale we'll sell him to Madrid next year for 150 million

Comment deleted by Site Moderator

Comment deleted by Site Moderator

Very impressive. For me he has already staked a claim to start ahead of Lennon in the next game

Like all the Academy, they are works in progress.
Once they do their stint at a PL club, then we enter 'use tnem or lose them' mode.

No different now for Townsend to how it was for Walker, Naughton, Caulker etc. Same for the kids at Swindon etc who a bit further back in the pipeline.

Lennon's overall game has improved over the years no doubt, but he plays it too safe. In his earlier days his crossing was abysmal , but his runs were exciting and shook up the opposition and every once in a while his runs ended in something.

Now days, his crossing, link up play and shooting has got better, but there is no cutting edge or risks. He can do things now he couldn't before but its not often enough. He has sacrificed his cutting edge and unpreditable runs with safe, cutting inside play which gets us no where.

Remember who we were playing

----------------------------------------------------------

I despise that saying mate. What is he meant to do? Put his foot on the ball, wait till there are 5 men in front of him and then run at them?

Against the better teams he will have more space as there wont be 11 players behind the ball.

I would erase that cliché from your football vocabulary if I was you.

Comment deleted by Site Moderator

Deadknee Ledley

You are spot on. Townsend excites me. Still a little raw of course but I feel Lennon thinks his place is guaranteed these days. His delivery on Sunday was nothing short of abysmal.

Townsend played as composed and selfless a game tonight as he did against the Man City U21 kids on Monday.

That is what impressed me most : the evident focus and application for his team regardless of the opponent.

Several of the current squad are in for a rude awakening now.
Either keep your game to a high standard, or you'll be yesterdays' man.

great point MMD. Boy played extremely well.

Comment deleted by Site Moderator

Lennon tends to deliver in big games like NLDs, so if Townsend comes in against Swansea he is going to have to keep on it when the pressure is on in the following game

Makemyday

Are you saying it doesn't matter who the opposition are?

I've long been a fan of Townsend, and think he was excellent tonight. You can't just discount the fact it was a second rate Georgian outfit though. The whole team were head and shoulders above tonight.

Deserves to keep his place for Sunday though with that display. I'd like to see what he and Lennon can do together personally, give Chadli the break

Comment deleted by Site Moderator

They are a pub team.

I haven't said he isn't decent however to suggest he should replace Lennon on the back of this game is frankly absurd.

---------------------------------------------------------

I'm not slating Lennon at all but as a few have alluded to I think Lennon feels his place in the side is assured. Do you honestly think Lennon would have scored Townsend's goal tonight? He would have darted to the wing then ars ed about while the entire defence got back before eventually putting in a cross that is easily blocked.

I think the whole Townsend to replace Lennon is more on the basis of Lennon playing below par for about a year now. Of course it helps that Townsend played a blinder today, but you have to look at it both angles.


I think its less of people saying Townsend to replace Lennon on the basis of Townsend performance, its more of Lennon's below par performances for the last season or so.

Hmm ignore my last paragraph, I wrote that first but didn't like the way I worded it. Should of deleted it lol!

Makemyday

Are you saying it doesn't matter who the opposition are?

--------------------------------------------------

Is there much difference between Palace and the side we played tonight? I thought Lennon was terrible at the weekend. Townsend has confidence and wants to impress. I just feel these days Lennon goes through the motions.

Who knows. I could be wrong.

Lennon gets written off every couple of Augusts, it is astounding how often it happens.

It amazes me how quick people just reset their memory after the Summer break.

Next month it will be "I love Lennon, we missed him when he wasn't in the side. So hardworking, selfless, a proper team player. Balance...etc etc"

To be fair Lennon in the team along with Bale did offer us balance. He stretched the opposition when they were concentrating on Bale, just not to the extend he used to or as good as Bale. It was a good weapon to use when Bale was being marked/kicked out of the game.

He Bale seemingly leaving us, a lot will be resting on Lennon to stretch the game and offer us explosive runs, something which Townsend appears to offer.

** With Bale seemingly....

Considering we stuffed this mob 5-0 away and took a penalty to beat Palace I'd say there is a big difference.

Palace were well organised and hard to break down. Players that had decent games against them had excellent ones tonight, because the other mob weren't very good.

Comment deleted by Site Moderator