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2024/25 Jake O'Brien

If Branthwaite is out we need to do something different than just going back to Keane-Tarkowski.

I'm a bit wary of playing O'Brien just now as he looks less than secure around the edge of the 18 yard box when I've seen him play. But he's a decent distributor of the ball - certainly better than Keane - and who knows, he might trouble the Newcastle defence from set pieces.

Play him and let him make a name for himself. I honestly dont see what we have to lose, as Keane will make a lot of mistakes in any case.
 

davek said:
If Branthwaite is out we need to do something different than just going back to Keane-Tarkowski.

I'm a bit wary of playing O'Brien just now as he looks less than secure around the edge of the 18 yard box when I've seen him play. But he's a decent distributor of the ball - certainly better than Keane - and who knows, he might trouble the Newcastle defence from set pieces.

Play him and let him make a name for himself. I honestly dont see what we have to lose, as Keane will make a lot of mistakes in any case.
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Tarkowski looks ordinary when he doesn't have pace alongside him, so O'Brien would undoubtedly be a better bet owing to the fact that my garden shed had more pce over five yards than Keane does.
 
Bluebonic said:
Tarkowski looks ordinary when he doesn't have pace alongside him, so O'Brien would undoubtedly be a better bet owing to the fact that my garden shed had more pce over five yards than Keane does.
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I’ve been a big fan of Tarkowski but as you say without Branthwaite next to him it was quite the drop off . Once he came back there was a visible transformation .

In fairness it might be he’s as terrified of playing with Keane as we are of watching it happen
 
davek said:
If Branthwaite is out we need to do something different than just going back to Keane-Tarkowski.

I'm a bit wary of playing O'Brien just now as he looks less than secure around the edge of the 18 yard box when I've seen him play. But he's a decent distributor of the ball - certainly better than Keane - and who knows, he might trouble the Newcastle defence from set pieces.

Play him and let him make a name for himself. I honestly dont see what we have to lose, as Keane will make a lot of mistakes in any case.
Click to expand...
Crazy that the manager can’t see this isn’t it mate.

I don’t care how rough or unready O’Brien is, we know we’re getting a disaster class from Keane, so give O’Brien his chance and let’s see what we’ve spent a huge chunk of our budget on.
 
NathDogg said:
Crazy that the manager can’t see this isn’t it mate.

I don’t care how rough or unready O’Brien is, we know we’re getting a disaster class from Keane, so give O’Brien his chance and let’s see what we’ve spent a huge chunk of our budget on.
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I do fear any time we dont have the Tarkowski-Branthwaite duo.

We look a different team with those two in.

But we need to see a replacement to emerge so that we have something to work with when one of those two are injured or suspended.

It's a big game on tv and under the lights. Maybe the lad rises to the occasion. I dont know. I'm willing to try him and to be patient with him, even though I do have my doubts.

He needed to come into a team that wasn't so desperate for points, basically.
 

One of my main complaints about Sean Dyche is his inability to solve problems. If Branthwaite isn’t available again then surely he must find an alternative to Keane. He can’t just stick Keane in and hope things will be alright. If Jake O’Brien isn’t ready for the Premier League then he has to do something different. He is the manager, his job is to manage different scenarios not just blindly repeat his mistakes.
 
davek said:
If Branthwaite is out we need to do something different than just going back to Keane-Tarkowski.

I'm a bit wary of playing O'Brien just now as he looks less than secure around the edge of the 18 yard box when I've seen him play. But he's a decent distributor of the ball - certainly better than Keane - and who knows, he might trouble the Newcastle defence from set pieces.

Play him and let him make a name for himself. I honestly dont see what we have to lose, as Keane will make a lot of mistakes in any case.
Click to expand...
Absolutely. He can’t be any worse than Keane because he’s breathing and has functioning legs, so give him a chance.
 
Caolam said:
One of my main complaints about Sean Dyche is his inability to solve problems. If Branthwaite isn’t available again then surely he must find an alternative to Keane. He can’t just stick Keane in and hope things will be alright. If Jake O’Brien isn’t ready for the Premier League then he has to do something different. He is the manager, his job is to manage different scenarios not just blindly repeat his mistakes.
Click to expand...
He is ready, but Dyche is a bottler on changes like this.
 
It's pure doggedness and stupidity that he doesn't give O'Brien a chance when JB is injured.

Everyone knows the difference Keane makes to our chances of winning and goals conceded.

Not everything is Keane's fault but it's simply just factual at this point that he is a liability in defence and also negatively affects Pickford and Tarkowskis games in particular.

What has Dyche got to lose in playing O'Brien. Practically nothing from the ample evidence we've seen.

You either learn from mistakes or you repeat them.
 

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