Barry "Messi" Bannan - again

[Rip Van We Go Again]

How many goals do Busquets or Xabi Alonso or even Petrov score? And that's when they're specialists at the position.

Don't know about the Spaniards but Petrov was 9 in 186.

[Monty]

How many goals do Busquets or Xabi Alonso or even Petrov score? And that's when they're specialists at the position.

Don't know about the Spaniards but Petrov was 9 in 186.

Prolific. Not least considering his previous specialism was being a goalscoring midfielder in Scotland.

[Rip Van We Go Again]

A lot better than wee Barry.

He was played as an attacking midfielder at Blackpool, with a return of 1 goal in 20.

[Monty]

A lot better than wee Barry.

He was played as an attacking midfielder at Blackpool, with a return of 1 goal in 20.

He was played all around the shop at Blackpool, not solely as an attacking player. Incidentally, that was a great goal he scored there (though I know that proves nothing).

[saunders_heroes]

How many goals do Busquets or Xabi Alonso or even Petrov score? And that's when they're specialists at the position.

Don't know about the Spaniards but Petrov was 9 in 186.

Prolific. Not least considering his previous specialism was being a goalscoring midfielder in Scotland.

Petrov played a less attacking role than he did at Celtic. He sat in front of the back 4 at Villa but he still scored more goals than Bannan. I don't remember him taking penalties either. 

[Rip Van We Go Again]

I remember him hitting the bar for them from about 50 yards out with a rocket.

A Tangerine fanatic at my old place said he played either behind the front 2 or on the wing.

I'd love him to make the grade with us (same goes for any player home grown) I just can't see it though.

[Monty]

How many goals do Busquets or Xabi Alonso or even Petrov score? And that's when they're specialists at the position.

Don't know about the Spaniards but Petrov was 9 in 186.

Prolific. Not least considering his previous specialism was being a goalscoring midfielder in Scotland.

Petrov played a less attacking role than he did at Celtic. He sat in front of the back 4 at Villa but he still scored more goals than Bannan. I don't remember him taking penalties either. 

He was much more experienced and played a total of 139 more games than Bannan has. And I know he sat in front of the back 4 - that's the role Bannan is, inexplicably, being asked to play.

I remember him hitting the bar for them from about 50 yards out with a rocket.

A Tangerine fanatic at my old place said he played either behind the front 2 or on the wing.

I'd love him to make the grade with us (same goes for any player home grown) I just can't see it though.

That's fair enough, though as an early fan I remember him being played mostly on the wing.

And again, that's fair enough. There do just seem to be people who want him to fail, for some reason (maybe they don't like him for his disciplinary record - justifiable, I just wish they'd say so). There are, equally, some people who are indeed blind to the deficiencies in his game and think he's developed as well as many of us hoped he would, which he clearly hasn't - not entirely his fault, his crucial development years were ludicrously disrupted. I think he can make it, but in the right position - continue to play him here and he'll look as out of place as a centre back on the wing.

[Mister E]

I'd be delighted for him to succeed but I fear that he's not quite got the all-round game required. 

The problem we have is that - with the players available to us - it is difficult to know what our best midfield looks like. Lambert clearly has some uncertainty in that he keeps switching it around without having any obvious tactical benefit.

If KEA had delivered what we all thought he could - DMF with a passing capability - and Vlaar ahd stayed fit, we'd have a much better idea of the individual capabillities of the other midfield players, because we'd have had a bedrock around which to experiment.

[tomd2103]

I'm not sure how well James McCarthy would have done in that position yesterday. Or James Morrison or Wes Hoolahan.

Take your point that you don't think Bannan is a defensive midfielder, which is fair enough.    McCarthy is a central midfielder so would have been fine in that role and would be a great signing for us.  The other two you mention would struggle, although I think they are both better than Bannan in the attacking midfield position. 

 

[Monty]

I'm not sure how well James McCarthy would have done in that position yesterday. Or James Morrison or Wes Hoolahan.

Take your point that you don't think Bannan is a defensive midfielder, which is fair enough.    McCarthy is a central midfielder so would have been fine in that role and would be a great signing for us.  The other two you mention would struggle, although I think they are both better than Bannan in the attacking midfield position. 

They certainly have proved more, but then again have had the opportunity to play there for longer, especially Hoolahan.

[SoccerHQ]

Two games that sum him up well....Arsenal and Reading at home in 3 days. Against Arsenal he played well, didn't give the ball away and tracked back well. Think he got MOTM that night.

Then against Reading, hopeless. Worries me we get that level of inconsistancy in just 72 hours.

[Rancid custard]

I've got a Scottish mate who stays away from the super tennants and rates him really highly, he reckons he bosses the games for Scotland, not there have been that many. He wants Rangers to sign him up now. That doesn't really mean anything though because when I ask him about the times he plays for Villa all he says is 'Don't know I only see him for Scotland'.

[tomd2103]

I've got a Scottish mate who stays away from the super tennants and rates him really highly, he reckons he bosses the games for Scotland, not there have been that many. He wants Rangers to sign him up now. That doesn't really mean anything though because when I ask him about the times he plays for Villa all he says is 'Don't know I only see him for Scotland'.

Being as it's widely known that Bannan is a big Celtic fan, I think your mate is going to be disappointed!! 

[Monty]

Indeed, a Coatbridge boy I think I'm right in saying. Besides, I would suggest that the standards of the Scottish national team's fans aren't the same as those of a Premier League (for the moment, at least) side.

[brontebilly]

Not enough presence to play as a deep lying midfielder, too one sided and slow to be a poor man's Scholes. When he plays further up the pitch, he rarely gets assists, not a goal threat from outside the box and tries to force the play too much.

I see him as a poorer version of Stephen Ireland to be honest but at maybe 1/4 of the wages. Also gives more of a shit that Ireland and is grand for special team type of introductions like Southampton at home where we have all the ball. He put in some very decent deliveries that night.

Ridiculously inconsistent and is starting to run out of time for it to click at Villa.