David Brooks

[JRM]

I liked him but he certainly didn't have the impact I thought he would when he signed. His goal at Birmingham away was a cracker and he showed signs of the quality he has , just not regularly enough. 

It will feel weird next season if we come up against the likes of Brooks, Adams playing against us 

[spyinthesky]

1 minute ago, JRM said:

I liked him but he certainly didn't have the impact I thought he would when he signed. His goal at Birmingham away was a cracker and he showed signs of the quality he has , just not regularly enough. 

It will feel weird next season if we come up against the likes of Brooks, Adams playing against us 

And JWP

[Toussaint]

I think he was crucial at key times, Birmingham away and WBA second leg as examples. You have to remember where he has come from, see below. I'd be happy to keep him, I think he was overall good for us, but at the same time I won't be worried if we lose him.. 

 

“I was diagnosed with stage-two Hodgkin lymphoma and the prognosis was a positive one. I was told I would be given six months of chemotherapy and would hopefully be OK after that. You have to be prepared that you might not get good news at the end of that period and deal with it as it lies, but I had to have it in my head that it was six months of chemo and then just try to get back playing.”

Brooks said he initially found the cancer treatment not as difficult as feared before the reality hit home after the second and third rounds of chemotherapy. “My girlfriend used to come to every chemo and I remember just trying to fall asleep so I wouldn’t be sick,” he said. Of his comeback, he said: “I’d lost every bit of muscle and put on more than 15kg of weight, so I needed to get that off me and put muscle on before I could even think about stepping on a pitch again.”

[Matty's Caddy]

Such a clever player. If we can just get him on the ball enough high up the pitch…..

[ErwinK1961]

1 hour ago, Dman said:

Looks like he'll be heading back to Bournemouth for next season, but how do we rate his time here?

I was really excited when he came in, but imo he flattered to deceive - I can see why he wasn't going to get game time at Bmouth. 

That being said, I do think he showed bits of class - thinking against WBA in the second leg - and I'd much rather he was at us, than had he gone to somewhere like Leeds. 

Very likeable guy, I hope he can regain his fitness and fulfil his potential but not one I'd be looking to resign. 

Pretty much sums it up.

[Toadhall Saint]

1 hour ago, Matty's Caddy said:

Such a clever player. If we can just get him on the ball enough high up the pitch…..

My concern is his willingness to defend.

[Stripey McStripe Shirt]

3 hours ago, spyinthesky said:

And JWP

He's going to break that free kick record against us, isn't he...

[Chez]

5 hours ago, Toussaint said:

I think he was crucial at key times, Birmingham away and WBA second leg as examples. You have to remember where he has come from, see below. I'd be happy to keep him, I think he was overall good for us, but at the same time I won't be worried if we lose him.. 

We will need to win a few games, which will require some magic in the final third. We may need to sacrifice consistency to get the flashes of brilliance that create or score goals at that level. Fraser's work rate is admirable, but we might need the pace of Sulemena or a flick from Brooks. If we can get both elements, workrate and skill, brilliant, but if not, maybe we need a mix. It was great to have so many options out wide, even if some fans felt it confused RM. Having AA, Fraser, Edozie, Brooks and Sulemema was good. Lots of fresh and fit attackers, all of which contributed (let's not start a Sulemena aguement...so) although to a lesser extent Sulemena.  

[Chez]

2 hours ago, Stripey McStripe Shirt said:

He's going to break that free kick record against us, isn't he...

Ouch. That will hurt. 

[Holmes_and_Watson]

I thought Brooks showed a skill upgrade early on.

A bit like Fraser, that faded a bit. Where Fraser's workrate would compensate and lead to some things, Brooks is a different type, and maybe didn't stand out as much.

I put both down to them adapting into a controlled system. One that was trying different things to get the most out of RussBall.

Towards the end, and when we changed most, Brooks' skill became more obvious again.

With Edozie, we had a flash or two of outputs, before he was out the team again. Brooks is more capable in that respect.

We need a range of different attributes in our front 3. No reason why he couldn't be part of that group.

Edited May 30 by Holmes_and_Watson

[davefizzy14]

Class statement that Brooks put up on his Instagram page 😊 really hope we can sign him up permanently. He has so much quality. The two goals he scored were sublime and six assists too. He had such a big impact in the play offs, with an assist for Will in the 2nd leg semi final and he was playing so well until that unfortunate shoulder injury on Sunday. Hope he has a swift recovery and comes back to us 😊

[Matty's Caddy]

On 30/05/2024 at 11:36, Toadhall Saint said:

My concern is his willingness to defend.

Indeed

[gio1saints]

19 hours ago, Holmes_and_Watson said:

I thought Brooks showed a skill upgrade early on.

A bit like Fraser, that faded a bit. Where Fraser's workrate would compensate and lead to some things, Brooks is a different type, and maybe didn't stand out as much.

I put both down to them adapting into a controlled system. One that was trying different things to get the most out of RussBall.

Towards the end, and when we changed most, Brooks' skill became more obvious again.

With Edozie, we had a flash or two of outputs, before he was out the team again. Brooks is more capable in that respect.

We need a range of different attributes in our front 3. No reason why he couldn't be part of that group.

Like many I was disappointed with DB after some early promise BUT once we started playing less dogmatically the last four games it seemed to suit him better. His perf v WBA was his best for example. 

Might be contentious but the PB style can sometimes seem to put a bit of a downer / handbrakes on forward players with individual “flair”.  Alcaraz, Sam, Sulemana, Sekou, all ostensibly skilful but none really smashed the championship like we thought they could (or should) 

The most successful forwards in RM’s system were the most disciplined and most workmanlike - Che, Adam and Ryan. 
 

This season coming up will he persist with keeping “ flair” players who rarely contribute in his first team squad or will he replace with more Ryan’s Che’s and AA’s? 

[david in sweden]

Looking back at a few videos on You Tube, he reminded me a little of Adam Lallana in his better days, but if Lallana comes

back for a season ( or two) .. than Brooks might even be out of contract by then and we could get him for nothing. 

[SaintTex]

On 30/05/2024 at 06:14, Stripey McStripe Shirt said:

He's going to break that free kick record against us, isn't he...

Did he even get one at all at West Ham this past season?

[Whitey Grandad]

1 hour ago, SaintTex said:

Did he even get one at all at West Ham this past season?

Direct from a corner was about it.

[S-Clarke]

I thought it was a great loan when we got him, sort of player who could be a game changer for us in the second half of the season.

It didn't quite work out that way, although he did have some really, really big moments - just not the standout moments we hoped for. Gutted he got injured in the final.

Overall a decent loan, just slightly less impactful than I thought it would be. He always came across as someone playing as an individual rather than for the entire team.

[coalman]

His arrival with Rothwell unsettled our midfield. There was the odd good touch but between them a whole lot of giving the ball away and almost zero tracking back. Started well and became more anonymous the more games he had.

I thought Edozie offered more threat in the playoff final and before. As did Fraser.