Archie Gray-EFL Championship Young Player Of The Year

[mentalcase]

Archie won't be going anywhere for at least 3 seasons.
He's in good hands and his family will keep him grounded, this is no petulant bitch like gnonto.

[Cjay]

Totally get that, Kamara is a very safe pair of hands but not the most progressive. Unlike Gruev, who is a very good link between defence and attack, imo. Maybe there's a place for all three in rotation depending on who we are playing as you suggest. Saturday might give us a clue if DF thinks the same way?

I think maybe we'd have seen DF try the 3 if we'd have had more options as right back all season?

Think I'm right in saying he played attacking midfield in the youth teams? Gray could play behind a striker maybe?

Just think after what was imo his best performance of the season vs two of the best in the Prem (Fernandez and Caicedo are class imo even though Chelsea makes them look less so) you can't move him back to right back for the next game?

Be harsh on Roberts as well who felt did well.

[Cjay]

[andrewjohnsmith]

Like you, Nick, I wouldn't want to disrupt the spine of our team.

I would be looking to playing Gray as a midfielder in the PL next season.

It's encouraging that Farke keeps wanting to play him in midfield. A few times he's made subs and instead of doing the easy thing (taking Archie off), he's moved Archie into midfield to finish out the game. And even more encouraging last night that he was trusted to start against a Chelsea - against 2 100m center mids. I certainly Farke is prepping Gray to start in midfield next season.

[andrewjohnsmith]

Totally get that, Kamara is a very safe pair of hands but not the most progressive. Unlike Gruev, who is a very good link between defence and attack, imo. Maybe there's a place for all three in rotation depending on who we are playing as you suggest. Saturday might give us a clue if DF thinks the same way?

Whatever Farke has done in the cups, he's always gone back to his previous league starting 11.

This is an interesting one now though. Connor Roberts was a star championship right back with Burnley. He got good minutes against Leicester and a really good run out last night. It does widen our options.

[andrewjohnsmith]

I think maybe we'd have seen DF try the 3 if we'd have had more options as right back all season?

Think I'm right in saying he played attacking midfield in the youth teams? Gray could play behind a striker maybe?

Just think after what was imo his best performance of the season vs two of the best in the Prem (Fernandez and Caicedo are class imo even though Chelsea makes them look less so) you can't move him back to right back for the next game?

Be harsh on Roberts as well who felt did well.

Our commentators (can't remember which one) said Enzo and Caicedo looked the only two certainties for Chelsea to build a team around.

[lufc1304]

I think maybe we'd have seen DF try the 3 if we'd have had more options as right back all season?

Think I'm right in saying he played attacking midfield in the youth teams? Gray could play behind a striker maybe?

Just think after what was imo his best performance of the season vs two of the best in the Prem (Fernandez and Caicedo are class imo even though Chelsea makes them look less so) you can't move him back to right back for the next game?

Be harsh on Roberts as well who felt did well.

His hand was forced slightly with Ayling not having the legs anymore for the system he wanted to play, Spence injured and Sam being a stand-in LB, so Gray almost defaulted to RB where he has played well but his limitations (he's not a right back) exposed on occasion.

Don't know about where he played in the youth set-up, but he shows good attacking instincts and intent, so you could be right. And yes, he was stand-out last night and deserves to keep his spot in the middle. Whether or not DF sees it that way remains to be seen. Agree re Roberts, was impressed with him. Less so his spiv moustache!!!

[lufc1304]

Whatever Farke has done in the cups, he's always gone back to his previous league starting 11.

This is an interesting one now though. Connor Roberts was a star championship right back with Burnley. He got good minutes against Leicester and a really good run out last night. It does widen our options.

Nice conundrum to have, for a change.

[andrewjohnsmith]

Nice conundrum to have, for a change.

Plus (As your previous comment) Roberts is a natural right back.

I love all Archie has done there this season. But he has got caught out a few times. And he doesn't look like a natural wide player going forward. We've got used to seeing it with Ayling. Getting to the byline or cutting into the box. The position Roberts was in when he scored against Leicester. we haven't seen Archie being that aggressive.

Archie has played really well. But has less experience and doesn't look as natural at RB as Roberts. So we could see a little shift. And maybe more of Archie in midfield.

[lufc1304]

Plus (As your previous comment) Roberts is a natural right back.

I love all Archie has done there this season. But he has got caught out a few times. And he doesn't look like a natural wide player going forward. We've got used to seeing it with Ayling. Getting to the byline or cutting into the box. The position Roberts was in when he scored against Leicester. we haven't seen Archie being that aggressive.

Archie has played really well. But has less experience and doesn't look as natural at RB as Roberts. So we could see a little shift. And maybe more of Archie in midfield.

All of the above, Andrew, spot on. Leicester on Friday night a prime example; he pops up at the edge of the box and gets the ping pong 2nd goal and we all love that it's his first goal, but prior to that he'd had a pretty torrid night at RB. He just looks so much more at home and a natural fit in the middle of the park. But, as I said to Cjay in my initial response, it'll be harsh on Kamara or Gruev. Maybe it has to be horses for courses and they all get game time? Saturday's line-up will be interesting.

[andrewjohnsmith]

Farke made a really good point about Archie's maturity and humility. He's got the advantage of a family who've all been there. I mean when your great uncle is Eddie Gray that has to keep you humble about your own achievements.

So many youngsters today would be swayed the wrong way by their families. Families that don't have much money and encouraging their kid to chase the money. Families that never achieved anything of note and constantly filling their kid with inflated ideas of super stardom.

So it does make it much easier for someone like Archie to make that adjustment to professional football than it would for most kids his age.

[weasel]

All of the above, Andrew, spot on. Leicester on Friday night a prime example; he pops up at the edge of the box and gets the ping pong 2nd goal and we all love that it's his first goal, but prior to that he'd had a pretty torrid night at RB. He just looks so much more at home and a natural fit in the middle of the park. But, as I said to Cjay in my initial response, it'll be harsh on Kamara or Gruev. Maybe it has to be horses for courses and they all get game time? Saturday's line-up will be interesting.

Like you say Gray had a torrid time against Leicester being skinned repeatedly. The Chelsea match came at a perfect time for Farke to give Roberts the full match without dropping Gray (as a right back). It may well be that the decision is made easy for Farke if Gruev doesn't recover as I would imagine it would be a striaghtforward decision to play Roberts at RB, Ampadu back in CD and as such Kamara and Gray in midfield.

[The Subhuman]

Like you say Gray had a torrid time against Leicester being skinned repeatedly. The Chelsea match came at a perfect time for Farke to give Roberts the full match without dropping Gray (as a right back). It may well be that the decision is made easy for Farke if Gruev doesn't recover as I would imagine it would be a striaghtforward decision to play Roberts at RB, Ampadu back in CD and as such Kamara and Gray in midfield.

It's likely, except you lose that DMF/third CB option

[DDB220]

Gray is a cut above Kamara in the middle. He has the ability and confidence to play forward balls in tight spaces. He has a Spanish element in his game to play forwards around players.

For me his inclusion in the middle if Roberts is ready to play RB is not even worthy of a debate.

[Jaydog]

Gray is a cut above Kamara in the middle. He has the ability and confidence to play forward balls in tight spaces. He has a Spanish element in his game to play forwards around players.

For me his inclusion in the middle if Roberts is ready to play RB is not even worthy of a debate.

So not like the Spanish Inquisition then.
I didn’t expect it in fairness

[lufc1304]

So not like the Spanish Inquisition then.
I didn’t expect it in fairness

Nobody does....

[weasel]

It's likely, except you lose that DMF/third CB option

You do but I'd rather have the Ampadu & Rodon combo at the back than Rodon & Cooper. You then probably have to have Kamara sitting a bit deeper, doing the Gruev role and allow Gray the freedom to roam.

[lufc1304]

You do but I'd rather have the Ampadu & Rodon combo at the back than Rodon & Cooper. You then probably have to have Kamara sitting a bit deeper, doing the Gruev role and allow Gray the freedom to roam.

Difficult to argue that that isn't what both do best. Kamara is a spoiler/disrupter/protector, Gray the more attack minded. The Ampadu/Rodon combo should definitely remain.

[GreennWhite]

The Rodon & Ampadu pairing is a no brainer, they have to be kept together. I would love to see Gray play more in midfield than at RB he would give us even more of an attacking threat but as others have said, who do you leave out if you play him in there.
Farke has got a good headache now of who should start in certain positions and who to leave out. He now has got players that come on and play their part in a big way as opposed to bringing players on and hoping they might change things.

[mentalcase]

Interesting to hear Eddie the legend down at chelsea when asked about Archie.
" He isn't a RB, wait till you see him in a regular midfield birth, he isn't a right back"