Steed Malbranque...

[Flatters]

I don't actually think Steed had a particularly great game for him yesterday, but he still worked his ass off and played well. That's the great thing with Steed. He doesn't have to play well technically to play well overall. He generally has been technically good this season though. Some of his through balls have been fantastic.

 

[Netty]

I was never a fan of Steed's but he's really impressed me this season, one of the only players to actually put 100% in most games. Ok, he's not up there with the Gerards or Lampards but when he plays well, he plays very well. A real team player he is.

 

[Krafty]

Steed's problem when he first started playing for us was that for half an hour he would track back, help out Lee, get forward, and then as the game went past 30 minutes he would stop tracking runners, let Lee get exposed and with our other mdifielders not always breaking a sweat to get back we would get over run.

However he has slowly improved his work rate (Coleman always said that with the ball Steed was a magician but when he didnt have the ball he was useless) to the point where he is battling for a whole game.

I thought he was superb yesterday. He has the strength of a bull and was putting in loads of tackles, winning us the ball back on numerous occasions, helping out Lee, and even though he will always tend to be inside he has also increased the times that he has been prepared to go down the wing and use his left foot.

I think he is an expert through ball passer, his weight of pass is sublime and you never see him give a silly ball away. Technically he is very good, he has his physical qualities and now he is becoming an integral part of the team. Its like he haas realised that we are shouting STEED and not booing him! If we do play an out and out left winger I would have Steed high up in the list of contenders for a central midfield role as I think he is improved his all round game.

 

[Dougal]

I don't actually think Steed had a particularly great game for him yesterday

Why can’t we agree on anything?

 

[SpurSince57]

I love the way you keep slipping in comments like that, daring someone to say "We wanted to sign him, but he wanted too much money so took a pay day at Man City". Then you get another chance to trot out "No, he actually only wanted £12,000 a week, but we offered him £5.50 an hour and a banana so he turned us down, and I'm ITK on this".

Well, truth is no-one on here really knows why we didn't sign him, but (according to JTG, whom you are welcome to believe or disbelieve as you please), he was one of Comolli's favourite players, and Jol was presumably keen too once it became clear Downing was off the menu. He was, after all, the only decent LM available. So either we weren't prepared to take a gamble on his knee holding out, which is fair enough, or it was a question of money.

And when have I trotted that out, Ray? What has been trotted out pretty much as an article of faith is that he's on something silly like £70k-£80k a week at City. If that really were the case, again, fair enough, but where did those figures come from? All I've heard (and I wouldn't claim to be ITK) is that he's on about half that, which would be towards the top end of our pay scale, but well within it.

 

[BoringOldFan]

A lot of people have very entrenched views of Steed. I'm not looking to change people's minds, but here are some reasons I like him:

a) He's a central midfielder and has been consistently played out of position but never complains.

b) He can use both feet. Please note messrs Berbatov, Zokora, Chimbonda etc.

c) Tackles back like a maniac. Loves a sliding tackle. Has run back and recovered others mistakes on countless occasions.

d) Gets taken off after an hour even when he's one of the best players on the pitch and doesn't moan (cf. Ghaly).

e) As we are still fighting on four fronts, Steed is a terrific player to have in the squad as he can cover any position across the midfield.

He's a midfield player. He's tackles, scores goals, provides assists. Good enough for me.

 

[Bill_Oddie]

Very true. Now I've realised he was never shit for Newcastle (is 27 too young for Alzeihmers?), and hence, therefore he's generally only ever been good, I fully agree.

I also think it's dead cute when he runs in that tight circle with the ball like a puppy. :lol:

 

[DC_Boy]

I like Steed he's a good player - and it's helped that Ramos hasn't played him on the right - like Lee he's one of those right footed players who's better on the left than the right

though I take BOFs point he can use both feet - but I think he's predominantly right footed - am open to correction as ever

what is for sure tho is he plays better on the left than on the right

 

[muffwah]

Isn't he actually...
quite good?

I've completely changed my mind.
After my last 'Steed Malbranque' thread, I decided to take a closer look at the Frenchman, see what the fuss was all about.

...And I decided that he actually does a bit. Not a lot. But enough. More than Jenas anyway.

I was wrong.


High five, Steed?

He is a very good player. He has always been a very good player. I have no idea why some of our fans have doubts about him, it's fucking ridiculous.

 

[Dougal]

He is a very good player. He has always been a very good player. I have no idea why some of our fans have doubts about him, it's fucking ridiculous.

Because some of our fans are fucking ridiculous

 

[gooch]

was impressed with his defensive work yesterday. a couple of times he bombed it back to make a great sliding tackle, and came away with the ball. great work ethic, one of our best players this season

 

[Rocksuperstar]

"No, he actually only wanted £12,000 a week, but we offered him £5.50 an hour and a banana so he turned us down, and I'm ITK on this".

Sorry - is that £5.50 and a banana, per hour, or £5.50 per hour, and just one banana? :shrug:

If it's just one banana, that's a bit of a con really...

 

[Kendall]

he was dogger yesterday

 

[Bromavinci]

ive always been a fan of steeds - so much so he always figured in my fantasy teams even when he was in foolham..and he was always in the points with assists and goals!! (pretty cheap too!) He has been excellent for us this year and from what ive seen works like a dog, wins plenty of ball and powers forward with purpose...and if the rumours are true he has had penis implants...which i think is an admirable thing to do given the slating he must get....

 

[Stoof]

But that's doing him a disservice at the moment, because he's been brilliant for us this season.

Ex-fucking-actly.

Spot on, bom-bom, you greasy piggy pig. :wink:

 

[yanno]

I thought Steed was one of the players who was vulnerable when Ramos joined. But he's really stepped up to the plate, showing great attitude, and proved he can go down the line and put in good crosses with his left foot. Which is important because Juande likes his wide players to stay wide much of the time.

Surprizingly, it's Teemu Tainio from Tornio who's completely dropped out of the picture since we changed coach. I'm sure Ramos can't be holding a grudge for that Red card against Sevilla last season.... :wink:

 

[talkshowhost86]

Does anyone else really want to see Steed played in the middle? He's easily our most creative player at the moment and has shown he's not afraid of putting a tackle in. I know we don't have any other options on the left for now so he's got to play there, but if/when Bale gets back or if/when we sign a left sided player in January I'd love to see what Steed can do in the middle. Put him alongside JJ and I think he'd be superb.

 

[N10toN17]

Does anyone else really want to see Steed played in the middle? He's easily our most creative player at the moment and has shown he's not afraid of putting a tackle in. I know we don't have any other options on the left for now so he's got to play there, but if/when Bale gets back or if/when we sign a left sided player in January I'd love to see what Steed can do in the middle. Put him alongside JJ and I think he'd be superb.

I'd very much like to see this happen. Steed deserves a crack in his best position.

 

[tony0379]

best player of the season far

 

[General Levy]

Steeds needs to play in midfield were he is behind the strikers and have bale on the left

I would play him in the middle with Zokora and Jenas on the right, Lennon on the left or Tainio on the left and Lennon on the right.