QUOTE (Danny @ May 16 2014, 02:54 PM)
Not so much - 21 isn't too late to show talent, but it is too late to be the Messiah that many are building him up as. SES could well go on to be a decent wee striker for Milan, I'm not TOTALLY writing him off albeit I've given up on him for now, in terms of the hopes we similarly had for Pato. But 21 IS too late for him to be viewed as the 'Falcao of Italy' to coin a phrase used earlier in this thread.
Fair enough that you aim your grievances at those who overly hype him over what was half a season of great performances. Totally understand that. I think he has great potential. Whether that potential is ever realised is another thing altogether, which for me, is what really irritates me about the overhyping.
Just let the guy be. Let him develop at his own pace. Why the need for everyone to rush into things?
I think he has a long way to go to be the type of player a team can rely on, as long as this club doesn't ruin him with injuries, I'm not going to be giving up on him just yet, personally speaking.
QUOTE (Danny @ May 16 2014, 02:54 PM)
Slightly harsh - we could all see the guy's potential but he had a lot of work to do to get rid of the diving and overzealous step-overs. And he had frankly the best manager to do exactly that, and Ronaldo knows that and credits SAF with making him the player he became.
I accept I didn't see him being the world's outright best and borderline superhuman but he certainly had something and that was evident.
Don't think it's that harsh tbh. He was all step-over, step-over, step-over, falls on his @ss.
Even if it's harsh on my part one can easily see the progression he's undergone over these years, and yeah, one of the key factors in that is having a strong figure like SAF to guide him, something that SES doesn't and probably won't have anytime soon
QUOTE (Danny @ May 16 2014, 02:54 PM)
Being pernickety he's peaked just as he approaches 30.
Sorry, for some reason I still imagine Ronaldo as being 25... Don't know why
QUOTE (Danny @ May 16 2014, 02:54 PM)
I truly believe it's nothing more complicated than being played at RB. It's actually ruined him. I'm hoping our next manager (let's face it, Zee won't last the summer) will play the guy at LB and he can return to what he was.
But that's a case of mismanagement from both Allegri and Zee wrecking something we can see capable of being way more.
Yeah, playing at RB has very obviously effected the way he plays. He's very obviously not comfortable playing there, (even if he HIMSELF says that he prefers the right)
But I think making passing errors and not being able to lift his cross past the first man (which he could do with ease last season from either side) is also down to bad form
QUOTE (Danny @ May 16 2014, 02:54 PM)
I'd say this upcoming season is literally make or break for his career. He's been with us since 2011 and that July-November 2012 period aside has been completely insipid.
I did like his energy V Catania but he has to offer more next season than running around with a stylish mohawk.
I personally don't see the deadline as being that short.
With SES you have to take into consideration that his first season here he was just the kid pulled from Serie B with guys like Ibra, Robino, Pato, etc all ahead of him in the pecking order, that was mostly just a "feeler" season for him. Last season I don't think anyone expected him to be thrust into centre stage and suddenly become the main man for us who we solely depended for goals. But he did that. Yes he them suffered a severe downturn in form but I think that's something very natural that players tend to go through. This season was just wasted for him in terms of development.
So personally I think we'll give him a good share of time. He's young and not earning a ridiculous wage, so I don't think it's really that much of a burden for the club to give him a bit more leeway in terms of patience