Bong

[zicorice]

Nice to see we are giving Bong time to settle in and get up to speed (not).

So are we writing this lad off after just 60 minutes in the Garibaldi?

Thing is Sniff, we've only 14 games left now. Players bought here in Jan should already be up to speed. At the very least they should be able to see most the game out.

Bong was blowing after half hour, and I'm surprised he lasted until the 60 mark. He looks a good 5-10 games off match fitness at least.

He's 32 in April as well, so it's not as if we're developing him.

I think Bong was due to do no more than about 60 mins whatever happened, due to his lack of match fitness. 
I also thought he wasn't that bad, other than that backpass. Worse debuts have been seen many times. Muric and Mir for starters.

I agree Alf that he would need a couple of games to get up to speed, but he is still better suited to our system than want away Chema. If we lost Ribs for 10 games, we would suffer more previously than we would now. If Ribs stays fit then its a moot point.

Honestly though, the abuse he has got on here is too much. He wasn't even our worst full back on the night and in truth his crossing was also better than Cash on the night, though it was a bit weird how good Cash was up to the point of delivery to then spoon it over/long.

32 is no age IF he is still fit. Presumably, Forest still conduct a thorough medical?

Welcome to Forest.

Why are we signing players in Jan for a promotion push who aren't match fit though? 

Bong recently spent a 19 game stint at Oly, where he was widely regarded as a joke. To quote a post from some Oly fans about him

"He made mistakes and tactically he was very poor. run like a headless chicken sometimes which was odd because he is fast, strong and gives you the feeling he'll eat the opponent. Let's not mince our words, he was a joke."

I think you're being incredibly optimistic here Zic. My prediction is a brief stint of crapness here, followed by trying to move him out the club asap.

IMO his debut was one of the worst I've seen.

Ok, coming back from a bad injury it sounds as like he had a mare at Oly.

My optimism is based on much more than the odd viewing for Bong though. When living on South Coast, I regularly got freebies to Brighton. In their promotion season I attended 10 games at The Amex live, plus watched a few on sky. (Subsequently I hate Brighton) I wished them to lose every time (except against sheep) but they didn't, instead they got promoted in 2nd spot. The year before I had 7 freebies and they finished 3rd (on GD I think) losing in play offs.

At that time, through that season and the previous one Bong was starting left back in every game I saw. Sabri and Hughton set up their teams in a surprisingly similar fashion. The full backs were/are particularly important in the system. Now I accept players can lose it or not be suited to a certain  club (God knows we have suffered this enough times over the years), but I am giving an opinion based on 17 live games plus a few on Sky, 2-3 1/2 years ago about what Bong is capable of if fit across a period of time. He is still only 32. Brighton's other full back those seasons was about 100 years old and did a season in the Prem!

He was never terrible, defensively he could be caught out, especially if CF got on him in the air. However, going forward was very effective. Look at the ball he put in against us last time we played down there. He is not Matty Cash, but he can be as good as Ribeiro.

I get he has been struggling with injury and is not match fit and over a year has passed since I watched him play (until Tuesday). But form is temporary..... 

What I do know is, that being written off after 60 odd minutes is nuts with his previous. He was outstanding for Wigan before going to Brighton. Let's be absolutely clear the lad can be decent for us, but all our experts writing him off based on Tuesday is only going g to make it less likely he will regain his form.

Some people accuse us of delusions of grandeur, I normally refute this and just say that we have high Hope's for better times. But I am starting to see it a bit now. Chema wanted to leave (he was OK, but limited as LB, too weak in air at CB) Robinson got (amazingly) a prem offer and was costing goals when he played. So a LB was needed as cover. Are we really going to be able to sign a quality ready to go (ie 1st team regular) in Jan? Unlikely.

If Bong is on he bench all season, great as it means Ribs is fit. If needed for a run of games he is more than capable. 

I just hope he doesn't go into his shell as a result of the over the top criticism he has received online. I assume everyone wants to see the player I saw at Brighton and not "a brief stint of crapness...". That would represent genuine competition for Ribs.

I will leave it now.