Birkir Bjarnason - Released

[Risso]

He shouldn't have played, and that's Bruce's fault. That said, I don't think he's going to turn out to be much use.

Ha!

First impressions and lasting impressions and all that.

I'm not going off last night, more his club career to date which isn't that impressive. Anyway, hard to believe that Bruce has gone off much more than a few Euro 2016 games! 

[paul_e]

He hadn't been playing regularly recently and has never played in this country before, it can definately effect your performance in a big way. Add to that the general confusion in the midfield with three new players and it was always going to be difficult. Hourahane who has far less excuse was only 5% better and Lansbury who has less excuse only maybe 10% better. We've had some good midfielders in the past take some time to show their best, Petrov springing to mind as one of the more recent. I'm sure they're all good players but my worry is that the formation doesn't work, and is not likely to, and his signings are pretty much geared up to it. There are never enough bodies forward and everyone in the opposition half seem to be isolated, whereas in our own half we seem to be almost getting in each other's way and confusing each other.

It not the formation it's the gaps.  We look like a team that is a defensive unit, a midfield unit and a striker and those 3 are all entirely separate and have never trained together.  We looked like it with Jedi, Westwood and Gardner, people said it wasn't down to Bruce but the fact that those 3 were shit.  We signed 3 new midfielders, 2 who've been playing well for other clubs in this league and the exact same problem is still there.

I said in November that I thought most of our problems could be addressed on the training ground, I think that is doubly true now we have better option in midfield, I'm just not sure I trust Bruce/Calderwood/etc to have the coaching ability to fix it.

[AV82EC]

Interesting that since Calderwood arrived we haven't progressed at all.

[Ads]

He shouldn't have played, and that's Bruce's fault. That said, I don't think he's going to turn out to be much use.

Ha!

First impressions and lasting impressions and all that.

I'm not going off last night, more his club career to date which isn't that impressive. Anyway, hard to believe that Bruce has gone off much more than a few Euro 2016 games! 

You've seen him.play for Basel?

[Risso]

He shouldn't have played, and that's Bruce's fault. That said, I don't think he's going to turn out to be much use.

Ha!

First impressions and lasting impressions and all that.

I'm not going off last night, more his club career to date which isn't that impressive. Anyway, hard to believe that Bruce has gone off much more than a few Euro 2016 games! 

You've seen him.play for Basel?

No.  But then didn't say or otherwise intimate that I had.

[olaftab]

A couple of seasons ago I would have been happy for us to spend a 100 million in one go and buy the entire Basel team as they were good so I am assuming that this fella  is going to be in the same mould and come good  eventually.

[N'ZMAV]

He should be an improvement when he's fit. As he hasn't played for almost two months it's going to take him weeks to get back up and running.
Our best hope is that Jedinak is soon available for selection.
The defensive gaps in the midfield were huge last night.

[BOB MANSFIELD]

BB hasn't played since before Christmas......in an inferior league against lesser opposition.
I believe he can develop and integrate his own style within the SB New Plan and we should judge him after a few games.
Not after an exhausting debut when he was clearly all-at-sea for all to see.

[villabear]

If he hasn't played a game in two months then surely he shouldn't have started?

[MarkM]

He hadn't been playing regularly recently and has never played in this country before, it can definately effect your performance in a big way. Add to that the general confusion in the midfield with three new players and it was always going to be difficult. Hourahane who has far less excuse was only 5% better and Lansbury who has less excuse only maybe 10% better. We've had some good midfielders in the past take some time to show their best, Petrov springing to mind as one of the more recent. I'm sure they're all good players but my worry is that the formation doesn't work, and is not likely to, and his signings are pretty much geared up to it. There are never enough bodies forward and everyone in the opposition half seem to be isolated, whereas in our own half we seem to be almost getting in each other's way and confusing each other.

It not the formation it's the gaps.  We look like a team that is a defensive unit, a midfield unit and a striker and those 3 are all entirely separate and have never trained together.  We looked like it with Jedi, Westwood and Gardner, people said it wasn't down to Bruce but the fact that those 3 were shit.  We signed 3 new midfielders, 2 who've been playing well for other clubs in this league and the exact same problem is still there.

I said in November that I thought most of our problems could be addressed on the training ground, I think that is doubly true now we have better option in midfield, I'm just not sure I trust Bruce/Calderwood/etc to have the coaching ability to fix it.

Agree 100%

[UK Redsox]

If he hasn't played a game in two months then surely he shouldn't have started?

I was surprised as well. I thought that Leo should have started

[BOB MANSFIELD]

Villabear you are absolutely right, but maybe SB thought he had to show the fans that these new men could do it from the off.
Unfortunately, they couldn't. innit ?

[PeterWithe]

Aren't these European winter breaks designed to give players a rest and have them coming back at the peak of their powers, I can kind of understand his touch not being up to snuff after not playing but his mobility was crap as well.

Surely they still train over the winter break in Europe?

[BOB MANSFIELD]

In Switzerland.......skiing, snow-boarding and the likes.

I think he looked " lost " more in the sense of being overwhelmed by it all and the adrenalin turned to water in his abdomen. He looked like he was wetting himself last night. Let's hope he's got his act together and realises that he is part of a team and not a new kid at school worrying that the others might be better than him. That way lies failure.

[cdbearsfan]

Their last game prior to his departure was postponed, so the last time he played (in a friendly) was 19th January... presumably not for the full game but can't find any way of checking.

His last start in a competitive fixture was in November.