Dean Hammond

[jam]

hopefully this is in response to the added competition.

 

it's what he's needed for ages.

 

He does seem to raise his game against good opposition - I thought he was excellent against Portsmouth last season, when he had been poor in the games he'd played prior to that.

[LostBoys]

I agree that Hammond along with the other midfielders (Lallana aside) have been below par - but we have still created loads of chances and won every game so far.

[kpturner]

but we have still created loads of chances and won every game so far.

....

[RonManager]

I agree that Hammond along with the other midfielders (Lallana aside) have been below par - but we have still created loads of chances and won every game so far.

 

Parallel universe.

[kpturner]

Parallel universe.

Of course - I overlooked that possibility.

[St_Tel49]

He was terrible

He was in the first half but I thought he was much better in the second half. Words at half time?

[saintedwill]

I can understand people criticising Hammond for the simple fact that he can't pass, but Schneiderlin?

 

Along with Lallana, he is one of the most technically gifted players in our squad.

[influx]

Its like we have a midfield of just Magilton Clones!

[John Smith]

When Hammond first joined last season, I didn't know what he brought to the team, but, by the end of the season I realised we need him, Morgan certainly needs him, he is a good player. But some on here are treating him like Real Madrid treated Makalele. With this, I mean we are not appreciating what he does bring but highlighting what he doesn't. Seriously, if he was rubbish, would he have been made captain? No. he is a team player, he covers everybody on the pitch and he attacks (not well against Leyton, but most games). Hammond is not the sort of player that is going to set the world on fire, this is why I am so glad we have brought in Gully, exactly what we need. take Hammond or Morgan off after a 75 min stalemate, and hopefully win the game.

 

please stop all this hating of our players, hammond is a perfectly good CM, he covers the whole of the middle of the park and is always on offer for a pass or a tackle, that is what he does. We need something more, and that is why we have brought in this Brazillian, but, as I have said before, this is possibly the most difficult positions to buy for, especially at this level, as players like that are often eaten up by higher level clubs. We are in League 1, Hammond is a very good league 1 player. I think he needs to be more forward thinking if we get promoted. However, the real issue has been Morgan, he's not quite on his game yet and is not zipping his passes around. By not moving the ball quickly enough, players cannot make 10 metre darts to get behind their markers. I'm not saying get rid of Morgan, I'm saying, it's the second league game of the season, they will get sharper, if not, they will get subbed.

[saint1977]

When Hammond first joined last season, I didn't know what he brought to the team, but, by the end of the season I realised we need him, Morgan certainly needs him, he is a good player. But some on here are treating him like Real Madrid treated Makalele. With this, I mean we are not appreciating what he does bring but highlighting what he doesn't. Seriously, if he was rubbish, would he have been made captain? No. he is a team player, he covers everybody on the pitch and he attacks (not well against Leyton, but most games). Hammond is not the sort of player that is going to set the world on fire, this is why I am so glad we have brought in Gully, exactly what we need. take Hammond or Morgan off after a 75 min stalemate, and hopefully win the game.

 

please stop all this hating of our players, hammond is a perfectly good CM, he covers the whole of the middle of the park and is always on offer for a pass or a tackle, that is what he does. We need something more, and that is why we have brought in this Brazillian, but, as I have said before, this is possibly the most difficult positions to buy for, especially at this level, as players like that are often eaten up by higher level clubs. We are in League 1, Hammond is a very good league 1 player. I think he needs to be more forward thinking if we get promoted. However, the real issue has been Morgan, he's not quite on his game yet and is not zipping his passes around. By not moving the ball quickly enough, players cannot make 10 metre darts to get behind their markers. I'm not saying get rid of Morgan, I'm saying, it's the second league game of the season, they will get sharper, if not, they will get subbed.

 

I don't think there has been Hammond-hating John and for the first half of last season he was excellent, particularly the MK home game. Poor games started to creep in regularly though, particularly Brighton home and too many for a side pushing for promotion. I don't know late last season whether he was carrying injuries but he looked very tardy at times. He was excellent on Tuesday night and I think that is partly him shaking off a pre-season injury but more to the point because he now has competition. No offence to Wotton but I'm not sure he'd get in many other L1 squads.

[John Smith]

I don't think there has been Hammond-hating John and for the first half of last season he was excellent, particularly the MK home game. Poor games started to creep in regularly though, particularly Brighton home and too many for a side pushing for promotion. I don't know late last season whether he was carrying injuries but he looked very tardy at times. He was excellent on Tuesday night and I think that is partly him shaking off a pre-season injury but more to the point because he now has competition. No offence to Wotton but I'm not sure he'd get in many other L1 squads.

 

I don;t disagree with you saint1977. And don;t get me wrong, not saying Hammond hating, but player hating or demonising of Saints players in general, it was Harding this time last season and kelvin the season before. Jaidi (man mountain) is being questioned on another thread and a poll has been raised. Not saying people aren't entitled to their opinion but seriously, Jaidi? Hammond? 2 very good players at this level.

 

Anyway, as I was saying, I don;t disagree with you, and I think you are agreeing with me. Your 'tardy' comment is about right. I think though, eith the amount of games we played last season, players will become more 'tardy', and we have to forgive them this but also encourage them to do better. However, I would go further, I think Hammond does not take people on enough. I don't think we break through the central area's enough. A lot of supporters talk about getting wide and swinging it in for Lambert, but we do that, time and time again and the dividends will come. But the way to really hurt a team is to smash through the middle. hammond did begin to do this last season, but then him and Morgan got into a pattern of passing their way through, something that worked very well, then, as you say, Hammond, and Morgan got Tardy, they got a little sloppy with their passes and when enough pace was on the pass, sometimes their control was not brilliant and the move would break down. I think we have started off a bit slowly, which is not acceptable but not the end of the world. Hammond lacks natural pace, as does Morgan, so their passing needs to be brilliant, it also needs to be more zippy than it is at the moment. On Saturday and against Plymouth, there was a lack of energy in the passing, more stroking than pinging. Both Morgan and hammond need to be shaken and kicked to get this together, sooner rather than later. Hell, last season we ripped teams apart when we did it. You don;t need to beat a player on the floor if you can pass it round them, we need to do this again. Also, I do wonder if hammond is covering a rather lathargic Morgan. Not saying he's disinterested just that he's lost his spark early this season.

 

But, at the end of the day, I am over analysing and over critical, these two, Hammond and Morgan are top class League 1 players, they should be looking to be better and they should be the best in this league. I honestly think they can be, I just think they need to prove it and prove it consitently. Hammond didn;t become rubbish, neither will Morgan, but both need to move the ball and themselves more quickly.

[hughieslastminutegoal]

Shame you could not match him. Blew it with an unnecessary comma.

 

Ha. Very good! However style is everything.