Most liked posts in thread: Akpan

What physicality? He's not been physical once all season, for a bloke with his build he should be turning up every week and bullying that midfield space. What makes you think he's all of a sudden going to turn up next season?

 

I'm not sure what anyones seen from Akpan to say he's 'just what we'll need in league 2' what we'll need is players up for a scrap, not afraid of a challenge, will take games by the scruff of the neck, will play with intensity and passion for 90 minutes and won't be scared to get stuck in on the fancy dan players.


Akpan isn't that player.

 

I actually like Akpan and he has improved BUT if as captain you duck out of challenges, get beat in the air and just generally do the bare minimum then as the leader of your team your setting exactly the problem that we currently have.

On the way to the game on Saturday we were listening to the Pulse who had Lee Duxbury on. We don't have a Duxbury. We don't have a player that can stick his boot in, put everything in to his game and go beyond what's needed for 90 minutes. He wouldn't put up with this shower.

 

The thing with akpan is he strolls around the pitch in the same sort of way Yaya Toure used to, but obviously with nowhere near the same ability. In his defence I think for the majority of the season he's been too isolated in midfield either because we've played him in there on his own or because he's had a partner nowhere near good enough to be on the pitch (Wright, Anderson) so he's ended up having to do the job of 2 players. When he plays next to LOB he looks a much better player.

 

Yeah, like er Jamie Lawrence?

What a load of stereotypical and borderline racist sh1te that is!

 

None of the usual suspects were the worst. Most of the players who played on Saturday have played at this level, the majority of them at a level above for varying degrees of time. Its not the players as such that are to blame for it all, although a lot of the performances have been pathetic, its the blame of a completely flawed transfer strategy that was implemented by Rahic and Abbott.
To what degree of influence Abbott had i don’t know but recruitmemt was his job. Its like a Rugby club recruiting a load of backs then wondering why the oppostion forwards steamroller them every week.
Our one chance to try and temporary repair the damage was January, i’m not sure we’ll ever know the reason/s as to why HopkinS never strengthened and arguably weakened our critically damaged areas.

 

Agree. I cannot believe how somebody his size is constantly outmuscled and outfought in the middle of the park every week.

His strolling demeanour each week will never endear him to City fans

Another one I hope is never seen again after this season

 

The isolation point is actually the key problem. He's actually very good doing that Pogba / Toure driving forward - he's an excellent passer. I'd be amazed if his pass completion rate was less than 90% and they are often good passes.

The problem is that he's actually not a DM and needs to playing alongside one. Put him with Cullen all season and we'd probably be where Burton are, at the very least

He'll be excellent in L2, provided he has the correct partner

 

We have far bigger problems than Akpan, you only need to look at who plays behind him

 

Hilarious PC comment. I'm frigging black, for God's sake!! Please learn to understand that players can be grouped together without it been racist

 

I'm still not sure what Akpan does well? Doesn't tackle enough to be an enforcer type of player, seems to be able to move the ball well which has been difficult to achieve this season because there are no runners off the ball and no wide players to give an outlet. Another victim of the unbalanced squad.

 

Read this!! Akpan is not an issue.

O'Connor and NKP on the other hand!

 

Can't agree BB, he's kept that shape all season, needs to try less tacos.

 

We don’t even have a Darren Morgan

 

I like the bits of the player that Akpan should be, the driving forward with the ball, getting challenges in and making more of a presence. He shows it in bits but not for 90 minutes.

 

Why's that? Can you get away with strolling though games in that division?

 

The thing is it is going to cost a lot of money to get rid so if we can get a tune out of the best of them possibly players like Akpan and Mellor we would be better doing that. Along with some of the younger ones like Connor Wood Colville and Robinson if he comes back

 

Don't understand your reasoning? If he's been pretty much an ineffective passenger in League One, then he'll be even more of a liability in the league below. There'll be no room in the team for the likes of Akpan if they're hoping to be successful. He's the very antithesis of what I'd hope to see in a League 2 midfielder.

 

I can't take you serious with that statement.

 

If that set of players can't do it in league 2 we might as well give up. Problem is they are all on decent league 1 salaries. They are going to take up a big chunk of the budget, interesting to see what is left in the kitty after their wages are removed. And has been proved this season the players above will only be able to contribute fully while complementing a balanced squad. Something which has killed us this season.