Bruno Ecuele Manga

Everyone is raving about Zohore and rightly so, but I got a feeling this guy could be one of our main men this season,
he is probably my favourite player, he's been unlucky with injury over the last few seasons.

In fact with his previous clubs he has been outstanding on times, but being the type of player he is, has picked more than his fair share of injuries.This next couple of seasons should be his prime years, he's a bit under the radar at the moment, no one is talking about him, but I think he is a player of genuine class and style.

I think that he is going to make a statement to NW soon, drop me if you dare.

So although the Zohore situation is going to be interesting, this guy will become as equally important down the other end of the pitch, mind i am biased as I'm a huge Bruno fan :-):-):-):-):-):-)

I like Bruno but i do think he's overrated by our fan base.

He was caught out for Burton's one chance again on Saturday.

Every game he has one lapse of concentration that often costs us.

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Originally Posted by thehumblegringo

I like Bruno but i do think he's overrated by our fan base.

He was caught out for Burton's one chance again on Saturday.

Every game he has one lapse of concentration that often costs us.

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Morrison and Bamba are unquestionably Warnock's first choice pairing, unless we play a back 5. I thought Morrison was superb on Saturday and tellingly Manga was the man to make way to go to a back 4. Still, I don't think we would have brought him back if we didn't intend to play him fairly regularly.

Manga looks good on the ball but flatters to deceive. He is just as likely to make an amazing break from defence as he is to make an error leading to a goal. That, coupled with his injury record and trips abroad to play for Gabon where he always seems to get crocked, make him unworthy of some of the rave reviews by our fans.

I think Morrison deserves his place mate. I don't understand the shit he gets off some of our fans.

He's not the best on the ball but he holds his position and is a good defender.

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Originally Posted by thehumblegringo

I like Bruno but i do think he's overrated by our fan base.

He was caught out for Burton's one chance again on Saturday.

Every game he has one lapse of concentration that often costs us.

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I rate Manga although I accept that he is prone to the odd mistake - maybe that's why is is playing championship football as opposed to premier league? I may be wrong but from memory I don't recall his lapses 'often' costing us so I would challenge your view here. Also in respect of the incident that you refer to it was a very good through ball (which Morrison was unable to block) & he was out-paced so not sure what he could have done to prevent it? I suspect that both Bamba & Morrison would not have fared any better in the same situation.

I thought that both Manga & Bamba looked pretty uncomfortable as part of a back 3 on Saturday & seemed to be unsure of their positioning at times. If Warnock planned to use this formation then I cannot understand why he did not play it in at least a few games in pre-season to allow the players to get used to it. For example against Livingston he paired up Morrison & Bamba and against Plymouth it was Morrison & Manga.

Morrison on the other hand played well on Saturday & seemed to be comfortable playing in the centre of a back 3.

I expect us to revert to 2 central defenders on Saturday with Morrison & Bamba getting the nod. This not only suits their game but also Peltier who is strong defensively but is not so comfortable in an attacking sense.

I think the fact we turned down a large bid for Morrison in the summer, whilst an out of contract Manga couldnt get a move he wanted, and had to re-sign on a less lucrative deal, speaks volumes.

Morrison is obviously number 1 centre half, and thats why hes captain, and so I expect him to be the first name on the team sheet after Big Ken.

Also, to say he is going to be as important as Big Ken this season is stretching it some distance. Big Ken is irreplacable. Manga isnt.

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Originally Posted by Alfonso Perez

I rate Manga although I accept that he is prone to the odd mistake - maybe that's why is is playing championship football as opposed to premier league? I may be wrong but from memory I don't recall his lapses 'often' costing us so I would challenge your view here. Also in respect of the incident that you refer to it was a very good through ball (which Morrison was unable to block) & he was out-paced so not sure what he could have done to prevent it? I suspect that both Bamba & Morrison would not have fared any better in the same situation.

I thought that both Manga & Bamba looked pretty uncomfortable as part of a back 3 on Saturday & seemed to be unsure of their positioning at times. If Warnock planned to use this formation then I cannot understand why he did not play it in at least a few games in pre-season to allow the players to get used to it. For example against Livingston he paired up Morrison & Bamba and against Plymouth it was Morrison & Manga.

Morrison on the other hand played well on Saturday & seemed to be comfortable playing in the centre of a back 3.

I expect us to revert to 2 central defenders on Saturday with Morrison & Bamba getting the nod. This not only suits their game but also Peltier who is strong defensively but is not so comfortable in an attacking sense.

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I was surprised by the warm up on Saturday. Blackwell was working with Peltier, Bamba, Morrison and Manga whilst Bennett was doing some ball work well away from them with Jazz. I thought that was a big clue that we were going with four at the back (Manga as RB) and Bennett was going to play wide left. Maybe that was intended to confuse Nigel Clough (it confused me) or maybe Warnock intended to change to a four later in the game with that line up at the back. In the end his substitutions (taking Manga and Tomlin off) worked brilliantly. But there have been a few indications (including the Livingston game) that Warnock is prepared to use Manga in different positions - not just as centre back.

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Originally Posted by jon1959

I was surprised by the warm up on Saturday. Blackwell was working with Peltier, Bamba, Morrison and Manga whilst Bennett was doing some ball work well away from them with Jazz. I thought that was a big clue that we were going with four at the back (Manga as RB) and Bennett was going to play wide left. Maybe that was intended to confuse Nigel Clough (it confused me) or maybe Warnock intended to change to a four later in the game with that line up at the back. In the end his substitutions (taking Manga and Tomlin off) worked brilliantly. But there have been a few indications (including the Livingston game) that Warnock is prepared to use Manga in different positions - not just as centre back.

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Apart from centre half, realistically the only other position he can use him in is right back & we are well stocked in that position with Peltier, Richards & Paterson when he is fit. As I suggested earlier I don't think that Bamba & Manga totally understood their roles on Saturday & pre-season would have been an ideal time to get them used to playing as part of a back 3.

The substitutions did indeed work, mainly down to Mendez Laing & Damour adding some impetus but also maybe due to Bamba & Peltier being in far more familiar roles.

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Originally Posted by Alfonso Perez

I rate Manga although I accept that he is prone to the odd mistake - maybe that's why is is playing championship football as opposed to premier league? I may be wrong but from memory I don't recall his lapses 'often' costing us so I would challenge your view here. Also in respect of the incident that you refer to it was a very good through ball (which Morrison was unable to block) & he was out-paced so not sure what he could have done to prevent it? I suspect that both Bamba & Morrison would not have fared any better in the same situation.

I thought that both Manga & Bamba looked pretty uncomfortable as part of a back 3 on Saturday & seemed to be unsure of their positioning at times. If Warnock planned to use this formation then I cannot understand why he did not play it in at least a few games in pre-season to allow the players to get used to it. For example against Livingston he paired up Morrison & Bamba and against Plymouth it was Morrison & Manga.

Morrison on the other hand played well on Saturday & seemed to be comfortable playing in the centre of a back 3.

I expect us to revert to 2 central defenders on Saturday with Morrison & Bamba getting the nod. This not only suits their game but also Peltier who is strong defensively but is not so comfortable in an attacking sense.

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Ok maybe I'm over exaggerating saying it costs us but this is usually down to squandered chances more than anything else.
The opposition generally have one chance a game due to a Manga mistake.

It was telling on Saturday that the one time Morrison was drawn out of position that Burton had their only chance.

It was telling in my opinion that neither Manga or Bamba had the nous to drop deeper when Morrison was drawn out as Morrison always does for them.

With a visit from Villa coming up, it's worth remembering what happened when we played them last season. We played a flat back four with Morrison and Manga in central defence and had Bamba patrolling in front of them - Villa had plenty of the ball that day, but didn't create much at all and a team that had only kept three cleans sheets before then I think it was, had another one from a win which I think played a big part in turning our season around.

Although subsequent games where we played that way didn't work quite as well as it did against Villa, playing two centrebacks with Bamba (I reckon Manga could play there as well) just in front of them is an alternative to using them all in a back three.

I'm another one who struggles to understand the way Morrison has never really been accepted by many of our supporters and I can understand why he would appear to be one half of our first choice centreback pairing alongside Bamba. I've always thought that Manga, generally, finds the game fairly straightforward at this level and that carries with it the risk that he'll make that one mistake a game Gringo mentions above.

Nevertheless, I'm not going to join in with the slight anti Manga tone from some of the contributors to this thread. I was delighted when he signed a new contract with us and I'm still delighted about it today - - as far as I'm concerned, we have a trio of central defenders (plus the reliable and assured Connolly) that compare very well with every team in the Championship.

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Originally Posted by jon1959

I was surprised by the warm up on Saturday. Blackwell was working with Peltier, Bamba, Morrison and Manga whilst Bennett was doing some ball work well away from them with Jazz. I thought that was a big clue that we were going with four at the back (Manga as RB) and Bennett was going to play wide left. Maybe that was intended to confuse Nigel Clough (it confused me) or maybe Warnock intended to change to a four later in the game with that line up at the back. In the end his substitutions (taking Manga and Tomlin off) worked brilliantly. But there have been a few indications (including the Livingston game) that Warnock is prepared to use Manga in different positions - not just as centre back.

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We played that exact formation against Huddersfield on the last game of the season. I was confused by Bennett not warming up with the defenders but there we go! Bamba and Tomlin were straight swaps for Connolly and Tomlin, otherwise it was the same side that cruised to a 3-0 win.

Bamba and Manga will get moved about this season I think. Presumably Manga, despite his paycut, will still be one of our top earners so I don't think we'd have brought him back to be 3rd choice centre half.

I can't remember a city manager with so many options in his squad for quite a while.

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Originally Posted by the other bob wilson

With a visit from Villa coming up, it's worth remembering what happened when we played them last season. We played a flat back four with Morrison and Manga in central defence and had Bamba patrolling in front of them - Villa had plenty of the ball that day, but didn't create much at all and a team that had only kept three cleans sheets before then I think it was, had another one from a win which I think played a big part in turning our season around.

Although subsequent games where we played that way didn't work quite as well as it did against Villa, playing two centrebacks with Bamba (I reckon Manga could play there as well) just in front of them is an alternative to using them all in a back three.

I'm another one who struggles to understand the way Morrison has never really been accepted by many of our supporters and I can understand why he would appear to be one half of our first choice centreback pairing alongside Bamba. I've always thought that Manga, generally, finds the game fairly straightforward at this level and that carries with it the risk that he'll make that one mistake a game Gringo mentions above.

Nevertheless, I'm not going to join in with the slight anti Manga tone from some of the contributors to this thread. I was delighted when he signed a new contract with us and I'm still delighted about it today - - as far as I'm concerned, we have a trio of central defenders (plus the reliable and assured Connolly) that compare very well with every team in the Championship.

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I think the reason the system worked so well against Villa was because Bamba had one job and that was to curb the threat of Grealish.

Though Grealish always looked a threat, Bamba definitely came out on top.

As i said in my opening reply, i am a fan of Manga, however i don't understand how some of our players can't do no wrong with our fans yet other players get constantly criticised no matter what.

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Originally Posted by thehumblegringo

Ok maybe I'm over exaggerating saying it costs us but this is usually down to squandered chances more than anything else.
The opposition generally have one chance a game due to a Manga mistake.

It was telling on Saturday that the one time Morrison was drawn out of position that Burton had their only chance.

It was telling in my opinion that neither Manga or Bamba had the nous to drop deeper when Morrison was drawn out as Morrison always does for them.

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You seem to have a real downer on Manga which I am at odds with. For example you say that Morrison was drawn out of position but appear to hold Manga & Bamba responsible for not covering? Maybe Manga & Bamba could have done more but maybe Morrison could have stayed in position or done better with blocking the through ball? My view is that Manga was simply outpaced by a quick winger, it happens. At the end of the day Burton did not score & we kept a clean sheet which from a defensive perspective represents a good day.

You make it sound like Manga is a liability & I really do not share this view. I am glad that he signed a new contract & I am also glad that Morrison & Bamba have signed new contracts. I think that all 3 have a big part to play this season & indeed I have confidence in all of them to produce the goods over the course of the season.

I'm honestly not anti Manga and i was more than pleased when he signed a new deal. He’s a good player and a much better player on the ball than Morrison on the ball.

I do however think Morrison is a better defender, especially for the championship and i think a pairing of Bamba and Manga (which many are clamouring for) could be disastrous as both tend to get drawn out of position countless times in a game and i believe that good teams will find this easy to exploit with 3rd man runners.

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Originally Posted by Alfonso Perez

You seem to have a real downer on Manga which I am at odds with. For example you say that Morrison was drawn out of position but appear to hold Manga & Bamba responsible for not covering? Maybe Manga & Bamba could have done more but maybe Morrison could have stayed in position or done better with blocking the through ball? My view is that Manga was simply outpaced by a quick winger, it happens. At the end of the day Burton did not score & we kept a clean sheet which from a defensive perspective represents a good day.

You make it sound like Manga is a liability & I really do not share this view. I am glad that he signed a new contract & I am also glad that Morrison & Bamba have signed new contracts. I think that all 3 have a big part to play this season & indeed I have confidence in all of them to produce the goods over the course of the season.

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Manga gets outpaced but curiously stops running, appealing for the offside. Either way, Morrison is Warnock's captain and he clearly rates him highly. I was delighted we kept hold of Manga but prefer Morrison and Bamba. We probably have the best group of centre backs in the division, all 3 mentioned are very good at this level and Connolly was our best player in 15/16.

Also, I don't think Bamba has actually signed a new deal, has he? I know it was talked about but as far as I know, him and Gunnar are out of contract in the summer as far as I am aware.

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Originally Posted by Pedro de la Rosa

Manga gets outpaced but curiously stops running, appealing for the offside. Either way, Morrison is Warnock's captain and he clearly rates him highly. I was delighted we kept hold of Manga but prefer Morrison and Bamba. We probably have the best group of centre backs in the division, all 3 mentioned are very good at this level and Connolly was our best player in 15/16.

Also, I don't think Bamba has actually signed a new deal, has he? I know it was talked about but as far as I know, him and Gunnar are out of contract in the summer as far as I am aware.

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If we are referring to the same incident he didn't stop running but seemed to make a half-hearted appeal when Dyer was way past him but it looks like Bamba was playing him on. As I said earlier Manga got done for pace by a quick winger which happens to most if not all central defenders at some stage.

As for Bamba's contract I think you may be right. The attached WoL article states that talks were underway a month & a half ago and there does not appear to have been an update since.

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/f...-over-13222507