Originally Posted by
the other bob wilson
I'm beginning to think that Gunnar may have played his last game for us.
I always think that it shows the problems we have in midfield when there are so many opinions as to what sort of player we need. Some say we need someone who can run at the opposition like Jordon Mutch used to, others say we need a passer in there like, say, Barry Bannan, some say we need an experienced organiser, others that we need more grit and others want someone with more pace and stamina.
There are players around who could provide all of these things, but they don't tend to play in the Championship where you tend to get people who are good at some of those things and pretty ordinary at others.
I've felt for a long time that our midfield players are too similar. As I've mentioned before, it says so much about Neil Warnock's approach to management when he calls Gunnarsson and Ralls "bread and butter" players. That could be meant as a criticism when used by other managers, but I don't think our manager is being critical of the two of them at all, in fact I believe he is being complimentary because, essentially, he likes players who do "nowt fancy" in that area of the pitch, they stick to the basics and, in Gunnars and Ralls' case, do them pretty well.
Do we have too many "bread and butter" midfielders though? You ask could Ralls be pushed further forward, I think he could do a decent job in a number ten type role, but the team would lose a lot because I feel he's more effective in a deeper role - I'd say the same applies to Gunnar.
Bryson is the one out of our specialist central midfielders currently who has enjoyed most success in a more advanced position, but he seems to have lost the scoring and creating knack he had at Derby three or four years ago and, his fine goal against Sunderland apart, has shown few signs of rediscovering it here.
Of course, the player who is a natural for the advanced role is Lee Tomlin, but, it's pretty obvious now that, rightly or wrongly, Neil Warnock doesn't trust him enough to start games on a regular basis - we have flair players in our first choice starting eleven, but they need to put in the graft that Warnock wants as well.
I just think we need a midfield player who is a bit of a workhorse, but is also able to provide some of the passing continuity that we often lack - someone who is a "bread and butter" central midfielder, but whose specialist subject if you like is to help make any team he plays for pass the ball better.
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