Sekou Mara - Official: Signs for Strasbourg

[Turkish]

9 minutes ago, Bad Wolf said:

Ngl, I'm honestly gutted this didn't get any bites. Great effort

It’s got 21 laughs, which is quite possibly the highest ever for a single post on here. So another record for me

[Bad Wolf]

28 minutes ago, Turkish said:

It’s got 21 laughs, which is quite possibly the highest ever for a single post on here. So another record for me

I guess that's something but still, I read it and immediately prepared myself for the hilarious responses

[Saint Billy]

8 hours ago, Turkish said:

It’s got 21 laughs, which is quite possibly the highest ever for a single post on here. So another record for me

Ironically what you said in fun is actually possible. 

[John Boy Saint]

2 hours ago, Saint Billy said:

Ironically what you said in fun is actually possible. 

Given the powwow that occurred in the dugout with the new backroom team, that seemed to trigger a turning point  - you would hope that sort of nonsense is confined to the bin.   

[pimpin4rizeal]

Looked really good today .. don’t really get the stick he has received in the past ..looks to have much more  shooting technique then the likes of che and Armstrong , and pacy too . Him and sulemana who was outstanding completely changed the game 

[benjii]

I think he'll be good, given time. In the Champ he should be very good. 

[saintwbu]

Great awareness to nod down for Theo’s goal, could’ve easily wasted it with a soft header at goal. Add that to his assist against Leeds and his goal against City, and we’ve seen some glimpses of an intelligent forward. The way he created space for a shot after our second yesterday was great play too. Personally, I like the look of him.

[Turkish]

16 minutes ago, saintwbu said:

Great awareness to nod down for Theo’s goal, could’ve easily wasted it with a soft header at goal. Add that to his assist against Leeds and his goal against City, and we’ve seen some glimpses of an intelligent forward. The way he created space for a shot after our second yesterday was great play too. Personally, I like the look of him.

There is a player in there for sure. Shown moments of quality this season. Easy to forget he’s a 20 year old kid who had only played 30 odd games in France before joining us

the problem is like a lot of our signings he wasn’t what we needed. We needed someone to come in now and score goals not someone who might be good in 2-3 years. 

Edited 19 March, 2023 by Turkish

[Chez]

I've said it on other threads, his display against Newcastle in the first leg of the cup semi was excellent and gave me great hope that we have signed a proper player. 

[Chez]

2 minutes ago, Turkish said:

 

the problem is like a lot of our signings he wasn’t what we needed. We needed someone to come in now and score goals not someone who might be good in 2-3 years. 

It's done now. We've moaned all season and we will moan all summer, but at some point we'll need to think about what is the best path forward (probably to gett us out of the championship).

[egg]

8 minutes ago, Turkish said:

There is a player in there for sure. Shown moments of quality this season. Easy to forget he’s a 20 year old kid who had only played 30 odd games in France before joining us

the problem is like a lot of our signings he wasn’t what we needed. We needed someone to come in now and score goals not someone who might be good in 2-3 years. 

Yep. He's a huge talent, but we needed instant delivery, not "one for the future". That said, he turned us around yesterday, and he'll be a big help for the rest of the season. 

[Toadhall Saint]

Outstanding yesterday - did everything you expect from a CF (without scoring).

[Chez]

42 minutes ago, Toadhall Saint said:

Outstanding yesterday - did everything you expect from a CF (without scoring).

would you start him (he really hasn't been given that many starts) or does Adams still get the nod due to his great physicality?

The Onuachu signing got in the way of Mara getting a run in the side - who knows if he'd taken that opportunity. 

[saintwbu]

40 minutes ago, Chez said:

would you start him (he really hasn't been given that many starts) or does Adams still get the nod due to his great physicality?

The Onuachu signing got in the way of Mara getting a run in the side - who knows if he'd taken that opportunity. 

Personally think Adams showed yesterday again why he is still so good for us in terms of his all round game - his touch, hold up play, passing is brilliant. Would be interesting to see either Mara or Paul up top with him to work off his link up play. 

[Turkish]

16 minutes ago, saintwbu said:

Personally think Adams showed yesterday again why he is still so good for us in terms of his all round game - his touch, hold up play, passing is brilliant. Would be interesting to see either Mara or Paul up top with him to work off his link up play. 

Not Paul, he’s not mobile enough. You’d have two players whose strengths are the same, although Paul has not been anywhere near convincing yet. Adams needs a mobile striker to play off him, along with midfielders running in behind, perfect example of how it could worn well was the Leicester goal Alcarez scored. 

[Chez]

27 minutes ago, saintwbu said:

Personally think Adams showed yesterday again why he is still so good for us in terms of his all round game - his touch, hold up play, passing is brilliant. Would be interesting to see either Mara or Paul up top with him to work off his link up play. 

Yeah maybe Adams to start and Mara to come on when there's just that little extra space to work in. I'm not convinced Mara and Adams will work. Mara seems to be better on his own than in a pair. 

I don't really want to see Onuachu up front unless its the last few minutes of a game and we are humping it long in desperation. Also not sure he will complement Adams. If/when we go down we can talk again as to the value of Onuachu.

[saintwbu]

I guess I would just like to see Onuachu relieved of his hold up responsibilities and able to be more of a presence in the box, as his goal record suggests he’d be a problem in there but so far he’s not really had the chance to be in there. 

[Toadhall Saint]

2 hours ago, Chez said:

would you start him (he really hasn't been given that many starts) or does Adams still get the nod due to his great physicality?

The Onuachu signing got in the way of Mara getting a run in the side - who knows if he'd taken that opportunity. 

Adams just gets the nod but a few more of those off the bench appearances and he should get a start.

[SherborneSaint]

Was yesterday’s goal against City, Mara’s first league goal for us?

 

Whilst he was not yet ready to start every week, I do think that he will develop into a talented player…

[stevy777_x]

1 hour ago, SherborneSaint said:

Was yesterday’s goal against City, Mara’s first league goal for us?

 

Whilst he was not yet ready to start every week, I do think that he will develop into a talented player…

For sure but he is not at all what we needed last summer. We needed an established striker ready to bang them in.

[revolution saint]

So what do we think of Mara's chances next season?  Personally think he might go and suspect there'll be options for him in France but I'm hoping he gets a chance and stays.  I don't think a pressing style suited him at all but in a side that plays a bit more football he could flourish.  He's looks to be athletic and pacey enough to make his mark and I suspect he's probably the most clinical of our forwards (yeah, OK, that's not saying much).

I doubt we'll go into the season with him as the established main striker and I'm not sure I'd advocate doing that if we're serious about promotion but I definitely think he could make a big impact in the Championship.  I reckon if we have three out of Mara, Tella, Sulemana and Alcaraz then that's a pretty exciting set of young attacking players.

[AlexLaw76]

He will do well to score more than 10 league goals...

 

[disconnect]

I think he’s pretty good and would suit a better ‘footballing’ team. I’d be much more disappointed if he left than Armstrong or Onuachu. Reckon he’ll develop into a better player than Adams but obviously there’s a bit to be seen yet 

[gammon cheeks]

13 minutes ago, revolution saint said:

So what do we think of Mara's chances next season?  Personally think he might go and suspect there'll be options for him in France but I'm hoping he gets a chance and stays.  I don't think a pressing style suited him at all but in a side that plays a bit more football he could flourish.  He's looks to be athletic and pacey enough to make his mark and I suspect he's probably the most clinical of our forwards (yeah, OK, that's not saying much).

I doubt we'll go into the season with him as the established main striker and I'm not sure I'd advocate doing that if we're serious about promotion but I definitely think he could make a big impact in the Championship.  I reckon if we have three out of Mara, Tella, Sulemana and Alcaraz then that's a pretty exciting set of young attacking players.

Be sent out on loan ....Ballard coming through now and will be a far better player in my opinion .

[Turkish]

15 minutes ago, revolution saint said:

So what do we think of Mara's chances next season?  Personally think he might go and suspect there'll be options for him in France but I'm hoping he gets a chance and stays.  I don't think a pressing style suited him at all but in a side that plays a bit more football he could flourish.  He's looks to be athletic and pacey enough to make his mark and I suspect he's probably the most clinical of our forwards (yeah, OK, that's not saying much).

I doubt we'll go into the season with him as the established main striker and I'm not sure I'd advocate doing that if we're serious about promotion but I definitely think he could make a big impact in the Championship.  I reckon if we have three out of Mara, Tella, Sulemana and Alcaraz then that's a pretty exciting set of young attacking players.

I think he’s show moments of real class but never got a decent run. Definitely a player in there. 

[revolution saint]

17 minutes ago, gammon cheeks said:

Be sent out on loan ....Ballard coming through now and will be a far better player in my opinion .

I think he'll probably go out on loan as well and it might be the best thing for his development if he gets more minutes but still think it would be a shame.  Out of interest have you seen much of Ballard?  I've not seen enough to make a judgement.

22 minutes ago, AlexLaw76 said:

He will do well to score more than 10 league goals...

 

TBF it really depends on the context - if he isn't playing regularly then 10 goals is a decent return.  Start of last season I thought Mara had quite a bit about him but seemed to struggle as things went downhill.  There's stories about him struggling to settle and he's still only 20 but I'd like to think if he got some confidence and put away a few chances then we'd see a much better player. 

[Dusic]

21 minutes ago, Turkish said:

I think he’s show moments of real class but never got a decent run. Definitely a player in there. 

This really. Some of the individual moments (pass vs Leeds, finish vs City) are the type that many players cannot do.

But he really lacked intensity at times, although he is still extremely young and has been thrown into the first team at both of his clubs with little time to really learn his trade.

I would be disappointed if we loan him out and think he has a lot of attributes Martin values and could be an interesting player with a high ceiling.

[Saint Garrett]

Could be massive for us this season, assuming he stays. 

He’s quality but predictably volatile form at his age. No doubt confidence played a part last year, but he was also not good enough for the prem last year. He also needs coaching to put a bit more of a shift in. I’d stick him in the “jogger” group last season along with the likes of Aribo and AMN.

If we can get him on board working hard, he could score 15-20 goals this season. 

Edited 1 July, 2023 by Saint Garrett

[SambaMaverick]

Lazy cunt

[Nolan]

Mara turns 20 at the end of July.

He's got a lot of potential, still dont think he's a starter, but with 9 subs on the bench hes a player that we should be targetting through balls to.

[Chez]

There's some nice attributes there, but we need to see improvement this season.

I'm hoping he's a revelation and scores twenty goals. Not sure where the chances are coming from though.

[beatlesaint]

He's got something about him I think. Could be a decent option in the Championship.

[Charlie Wayman]

17 hours ago, SambaMaverick said:

Lazy cunt

Disgraceful comment.

[SambaMaverick]

18 minutes ago, Charlie Wayman said:

Disgraceful comment.

Why? Am I wrong?

[Toussaint]

17 minutes ago, Charlie Wayman said:

Disgraceful comment.

😂 Charlie, you do like to keep us on the straight and narrow 

[Toussaint]

Just now, SambaMaverick said:

Why? Am I wrong?

I might phrase it that it seems he lacks hunger and desire, but it boils down to the same thing.  He looks to have talent, but probably needs to work on “wanting it” more.

[Ex Lion Tamer]

I like him. Think Martin's system could suit him better

[SaintJackoInHurworth]

On 01/07/2023 at 18:30, revolution saint said:

I think he'll probably go out on loan as well and it might be the best thing for his development if he gets more minutes but still think it would be a shame.  Out of interest have you seen much of Ballard?  I've not seen enough to make a judgement.

TBF it really depends on the context - if he isn't playing regularly then 10 goals is a decent return.  Start of last season I thought Mara had quite a bit about him but seemed to struggle as things went downhill.  There's stories about him struggling to settle and he's still only 20 but I'd like to think if he got some confidence and put away a few chances then we'd see a much better player. 

I happened to go and see the away match against Middlesbrough's U21s last season and it was striking how far short of first team standard many of the B team were. However, the standout players in that game and the only players who looked like they might be worth considering for first team football were definitely Ballard and Doyle. I've argued ever since that Ballard, in particular, deserves to be given his chance and I was disappointed that he did not get a look in at the end of the season when we were clearly struggling for goals.

I felt that Ballard played with a kind of nonchalant freedom in his game and that he could have come in and got some goals and given us some much needed hope. I was disappointed that he was not given his chance until it was too late.

[grezz]

On 02/07/2023 at 16:34, Ex Lion Tamer said:

I like him. Think Martin's system could suit him better

Me too. Always felt he needed a run of games to adjust/settle and it was hard on him being in a side that created diddly too. When the Championship Top Scorer market opens, if he's anything around 33/1 I'm having it.

[AlexLaw76]

Anyone think he will 'cook' the Championship?

[SambaMaverick]

1 minute ago, AlexLaw76 said:

Anyone think he will 'cook' the Championship?

No chance

[Miltonaggro]

46 minutes ago, AlexLaw76 said:

Anyone think he will 'cook' the Championship?

Like a fridge freezer.

[AlexLaw76]

Absolutely stealing a living. Still dining out on a pass against Leeds and a goal against Man City.

Woeful player and hope he is one of those Wilcox mentions who could still leave.

Has a fit mum though, so not all bad.

[Convict Colony]

To be fair to him Martin for some reason played him as a winger and everyone was shit yesterday.

Not seen many posts slagging off our midfield, it's always our forwards or defence, midfield get a pass always.

[Harry_SFC]

5 minutes ago, Convict Colony said:

To be fair to him Martin for some reason played him as a winger and everyone was shit yesterday.

Not seen many posts slagging off our midfield, it's always our forwards or defence, midfield get a pass always.

It was a very odd decision to play Mara out wide, firstly because he is never a winger in a month of Sundays and secondly, A.Armstrong is terrible upfront on his own.

In terms of the midfield, I've said it several times that Smallbone is overrated by our fan base. He's ok sitting infront of our back 4 passing the ball around but when the going gets tough he isn't a player you want on the pitch. 

Downes also had a poor game by his standards. 

[grezz]

16 minutes ago, Harry_SFC said:

It was a very odd decision to play Mara out wide, firstly because he is never a winger in a month of Sundays and secondly, A.Armstrong is terrible upfront on his own.

In terms of the midfield, I've said it several times that Smallbone is overrated by our fan base. He's ok sitting infront of our back 4 passing the ball around but when the going gets tough he isn't a player you want on the pitch. 

Downes also had a poor game by his standards. 

Can't agree more. I feel a bit sorry for Mara because I don't feel that he's been given a fair crack and I reckon he's a confidence player. If you're gonna start him, stick him in the number 9 role and give the kid a chance. I think there's a player in there but he hasn't been allowed to show it and you have to say that time is running out for him. Sticking him on the wing with AA in the middle was just.......a strange decision that kind of makes you lose faith in the management.

Smallbone - he's done alright. I gave him MoM in one game but I think you're right that he's a fair weather/luxury player and not a guy who will jump into the trenches, where we need other personalities in his position.

[Fabrice29]

I thought he was decent yesterday. Played his role well, pressed well, linked up with KWP well. Nobody had more succesful tackles on the pitch yesterday than him which I thought was interesting.

[stevy777_x]

2 minutes ago, grezz said:

Can't agree more. I feel a bit sorry for Mara because I don't feel that he's been given a fair crack and I reckon he's a confidence player. If you're gonna start him, stick him in the number 9 role and give the kid a chance. I think there's a player in there but he hasn't been allowed to show it and you have to say that time is running out for him. Sticking him on the wing with AA in the middle was just.......a strange decision that kind of makes you lose faith in the management.

Smallbone - he's done alright. I gave him MoM in one game but I think you're right that he's a fair weather/luxury player and not a guy who will jump into the trenches, where we need other personalities in his position.

I think RM completely overates Arma, you could just see that by his interview last week.

”i was just talking about you, about how wonderful you are”

Arma isn t good as a focal point up top, does a job in behind the striker, but that is Alcaraz’s position, we tried him on the wing last season and he wasn t good. So where do you fit him in?

 

[AlexLaw76]

Just now, stevy777_x said:

I think RM completely overates Arma, you could just see that by his interview last week.

”i was just talking about you, about how wonderful you are”

Arma isn t good as a focal point up top, does a job in behind the striker, but that is Alcaraz’s position, we tried him on the wing last season and he wasn t good. So where do you fit him in?

 

Just wait till Ross Stewart is fit. Will he play him CM?

[Holmes_and_Watson]

1 hour ago, grezz said:

Can't agree more. I feel a bit sorry for Mara because I don't feel that he's been given a fair crack and I reckon he's a confidence player. If you're gonna start him, stick him in the number 9 role and give the kid a chance. I think there's a player in there but he hasn't been allowed to show it and you have to say that time is running out for him. Sticking him on the wing with AA in the middle was just.......a strange decision that kind of makes you lose faith in the management.

Smallbone - he's done alright. I gave him MoM in one game but I think you're right that he's a fair weather/luxury player and not a guy who will jump into the trenches, where we need other personalities in his position.

Yeah, I took a second look at the team sheet, thinking they'd made a mistake there. AA is clearly more influential elsewhere, and Mara was next in line should have got the nod centrally, because that's where he's better.

I thought Small one did well alongside JWP. But that he falls into the same category. We've better defensive specialists, and attacking ones. Interesting about the tackles, as I thought Downes would be the one to add a bit of steel in there, leaving Smallbone out, to be used in certain games/ cover.

1 hour ago, stevy777_x said:

I think RM completely overates Arma, you could just see that by his interview last week.

”i was just talking about you, about how wonderful you are”

Arma isn t good as a focal point up top, does a job in behind the striker, but that is Alcaraz’s position, we tried him on the wing last season and he wasn t good. So where do you fit him in?

 

I thought he was best, so far, as the left of the midfield 3. Mainly because we leave so much space down the flank, and behind Edozie, that his work rate comes in really useful. With our, let's be charitable and call it patient build up, he can also get into more advanced positions when possible, and when the full back pushes up.

1 hour ago, AlexLaw76 said:

Just wait till Ross Stewart is fit. Will he play him CM?

Key to all our strikers is, of course, defending corners. But with the gaps at full back allowing more crosses to come in, centre half seems a better fit. He can always use his time there to study our goalkeeper. If Stewart can pass a ball, he's got a chance of taking over there. 🙂