Pablo Barrera

[acrimony]

Am I missing something here? Where is this bloke?

[DICAN10]

we signed his twin

[kthammer]

He's probably at Heathrow waiting for a flight to a minor continental club where he'll be playing next season.

[fmgod]

Another one of Grant's big signings that he has no confidence, not even enough to stick on the bench most weeks, brillant.

[Coledinho]

I told ya so. Knew he would never make it with us. He said he was using us as a stepping stone to Man United. I think more like a tripping stone to Ebbsfleet United. Horrid waste of money once again

I guarantee if i was in charge of transfers I wouldnt buy as much crap as we do.

[e1hammer]

I wonder who is more embrassed, Grant for signing him, or the club shop for selling scarfs with his name on.

Or the bloke who brought one....

[chuffster]

He's great in Fifa....

[fmgod]

He could stick make it, but needs to play week in week out in England, get him adjusted to the league etc, when you watch him he looks like has the technical ablity just needs to get the rest, still very young, if we go down would play him every game tbh.

[acrimony]

I told ya so. Knew he would never make it with us. He said he was using us as a stepping stone to Man United. I think more like a tripping stone to Ebbsfleet United. Horrid waste of money once again

I guarantee if i was in charge of transfers I wouldnt buy as much crap as we do.

I remember that and I remember thinking...fair enough, if he is that good ill happily take 2 years and a big sell on for him...pathetic

[Ray Stewarts Right Foot]

Never given a chance

And we've never played the system to suit his width. He is not a bad player but hasn't been given time to settle.

He will probably go to some Spanish club on loan for the season but I reckon we keep him around next season and give him a go.

[acrimony]

The width thing is true, Grant has never had a good idea of his system and maybe Barrera could have given us the width we lacked this season. Might be useful for us next year?

[Alf Garnett's (Ex) Missus]

Although I only saw him a couple of times, and for brief periods, I too thought he was technically good and just needed to get a run inteh side to get used to the pace and physicality.

[westlondonhammer]

He will come good... difficult circumstances for a young bloke in a foreign country this season

He is technically good and needs some time in the team to build his confidence

[Ercans]

Never given a chance

And we've never played the system to suit his width. He is not a bad player but hasn't been given time to settle.

Agree. Give him a decent manager to instill some belief and he'll come good.

[acrimony]

What about Winston Reid anyone?

[Up the Junction]

He will come good... difficult circumstances for a young bloke in a foreign country this season.

This, basically.

[Aceface]

What about Winston Reid anyone?

I think the championship is about his current level. It's just not realistic to chuck a guy with no experience of top level English football in at a position like CB and expect miracles - he hasn't even come up through the ranks like Tomkins etc. at age group level. I'd quite like to see a combination of him Tomkins and Spence given a run out next season if we go down to see how it goes. Would be one of the youngest defensive lines around

[libero]

I've been posting recently on Avram Grant's tactical ineptitude. I actually predicted what would happen against Blackburn (got it slightly wrong in that I thought we'd lose) because of Grant's lack of common sense in terms of tactics/team shape etc. That's what's getting us relegated

But there's another whole seam of criticism that's practically not been touched on - his squandering of resources at the club in the year he's been here. And Pablo Barrera is a perfect example of this

In a season in which WH have never managed to get above 50% possession in any game because Grant doesn't grasp the very basic concept of winning midfield, players like Spector, Boa Morte, Barrera, Kovac, Faubert have been almost totally frozen out while the likes of Hines, Obinna, Ba, Piq, Keane have been asked to play midfield.

I'm not saying that any of the first group mentioned are world beaters (I know they are not), but in a system more logically suited to West Ham's realistic aspirations this season (451/4231) any of them could have done a job and we'd have 6 or so points more than we do now. Grant's infantile obsession with throwing on strikers has meant that we lose the ball all the time, don't hold on to it when we get it, expose the defense, fail to support the strikers and, basically don't pick up enough points

Barrera might have been one of the alternatives. A more useful sub than Obinna, a player who just might provide something different to the endless supply of central strikers Grant slings on for the last 30 mins of every single game we play. We tend to finish every game we play with Ba, Cole, Keane, Obinna, Piq playing up front, but with no one to pass them the ball. Ever see Ferguson play that formation at Manure? Guardiola at Barca? Mourinho? Hodgson? No because they understand that their strikers need service. Barrera hasn't covered himself with glory this season, but he could have been a lot more useful than Obinna and Keane in the run in.

Just another thing that Grant got 100% wrong

[Jay-Dee]

In a season in which WH have never managed to get above 50% possession in any game

63 - 37 vs Blackburn

[libero]

Jay-Dee


Let's not let facts interfere with what I'm saying!