The Summer ins, outs and new contracts 2012

[paultheroyal]

Hope we hang on to Antonio for another season.

Just noticed his stats at Sheffield Wednesday
Prior to his arrival there they had lost 4 games on the trot
and since? Won 10 D3 L 0 25-7

This post is Snowball in a nutshell. You realise that Wednesday switched managers one game into Antonio's loan spell? Without knowing any of the context or considering any other possible explanation for their upturn you use the bare stats as an argument for keeping hold of a player.

Where in my post EXACTLY do I USE the stats to formulate a view of the player?

How exactly do you make the erroneous connection you make?

Yes, I realise Dave Jones went there, good manager. And the first thing he did was play Antonio.

I NOTE the stats. (But never USED the stats to make any claim.)
I NOTE, also that the Wednesday fans rate the guy highly.
I NOTE, also that the very good manager selected him for every game.
I NOTE, also that Antonio got MotM's
I NOTE, also that Antonio got 5 goals and a couple of assists in 14 appearances, very good for a winger, and would translate to 16/17 goals 7 assists in a season.
I NOPE, also, that Sheffield Wednesday are keen to keep the lad.

Antonio was already in the team and playing well before Dave Jones came in!!!!!!!

[Snowball]

With respect Snowball, it's pretty obvious why RR, or anyone for that matter, might come to the conclusion that the stats had formulated your view of the player, because you stated that we should keep him, and then cited the statistical improvements in Sheffield Wednesday's results since he joined them.

That's because you and he (and many others) are unthinking knee-jerkers.

Where in my post EXACTLY do I USE the stats to formulate a view of the player?

NOWHERE.

Now compare the stats there to my use of stats defending Shane Long
and extrapolating where I believed he'd go, or the stats I used to support
my belief in Ian Harte. There is no comparison. Not the slightest.

[Snowball]

Antonio was already in the team and playing well before Dave Jones came in!!!!!!!

ONE GAME.

Antonio's first game v Sheff Utd 26 February

Jones was appointed Sheffield Wednesday boss on 1 March 2012, replacing Gary Megson who was sacked the day before

[paultheroyal]

Re Antonio as posted in UR&G


Funny thing is if he was not our player and is tearing up league 1 like he is now most of you buggers will be creaming yourself over him and want him signed up aka Jordan Rhodes

[Snowball]

Re Antonio as posted in UR&G


Funny thing is if he was not our player and is tearing up league 1 like he is now most of you buggers will be creaming yourself over him and want him signed up aka Jordan Rhodes

YUP.

Or to put it another way... if we could get a raw young winger (for free) who has just won promotion
with Sheffield Wednesday and has yet to suffer a defeat with them, and has been getting widespread praise
and a few MotM's...

[winchester_royal]

But there's an element of risk with signing players from League 1, mostly about how they would step up the a higher level.

We've already seen him struggle to step up to CC level this season, so why would we come to the conclusion he could step to Premiership level? Madness.

I hope for our sake he comes good, but I don't think his loan spell at Sheffield Wednesday proves anything we didn't already know.

[RobRoyal]

Where in my post EXACTLY do I USE the stats to formulate a view of the player?

NOWHERE.

Hope we hang on to Antonio for another season.

Just noticed his stats at Sheffield Wednesday

Prior to his arrival there they had lost 4 games on the trot

and since?

Won 10 D3 L 0 25-7

Ok, sure. When you presented an opinion on a player followed by a statistic, thought the two things were somehow related. How silly of me.

[Woodcote Royal]

If we only signed 3 players and they were Betrand, Doyle and Long I for one would be happy.

This is a joke right? Doyle and Long are vastly over-rated......

If you're serious, the jokes on you.

[Ian Royal]

Re Antonio as posted in UR&G


Funny thing is if he was not our player and is tearing up league 1 like he is now most of you buggers will be creaming yourself over him and want him signed up aka Jordan Rhodes

I'd say there's just a tad of a difference between a player with 144 games and 83 goals at League One level compared to one with 69 games and 16 goals, although that is a pretty decent record itself. Especially when the second one is owned by a Championship club and has failed to seriously impress when given a chance. But call me Mr Picky.

Oh, and I don't see much mention of Rhodes at the moment anyway.

[John Peel]

Despite the good service they have given to the club over varying periods I don't see the point in offering new contracts to Bryn and Harte.
A sentimental decision by the club (unlike Salako?)similar to the situation with Ivar when we all knew he was past it.

I take it you've been to most games this season? Harte has been immense. Nothing to do with sentimentality whatsoever. He will make a superb back up for the defence in the Premiership. Hopefully we'll get someone like Wayne Bridge as first choice.

[John Peel]

Re Antonio as posted in UR&G


Funny thing is if he was not our player and is tearing up league 1 like he is now most of you buggers will be creaming yourself over him and want him signed up aka Jordan Rhodes

Fair point. Rhodes had his chance in the Championship with Ipswich and didn't hit the highs that he has done with Huddersfield.

As for Antonio, IMO he is proving once again that he is an excellent League One player. But he has had countless chances to impress when playing for us and it hasnt worked out. If we are serious about staking a long-term claim for Premiership football then we shouldn't even be considering keeping him. Let's cash in on Antonio. Given his form we could probably get about £750k for him. Not bad business given we paid next to nothing for him.

[paultheroyal]

Antonio was already in the team and playing well before Dave Jones came in!!!!!!!

ONE GAME.

Antonio's first game v Sheff Utd 26 February

Jones was appointed Sheffield Wednesday boss on 1 March 2012, replacing Gary Megson who was sacked the day before

So we agree I was right then, cheers!!

[paultheroyal]

Countless, I reckon it was mostly 5~10 minutes here and there, and 3-4 starts, maybe two years ago.
How many chances has he had to prove himself THIS year?

Exactly.

2 starts this year full knowIng he would be out when Kebe was fit. He did enough in those games to show something about him. That long throw is also worth having. Ridiculous to sell him at this stage.

[royal67]

Countless, I reckon it was mostly 5~10 minutes here and there, and 3-4 starts, maybe two years ago.
How many chances has he had to prove himself THIS year?

Exactly.

2 starts this year full knowIng he would be out when Kebe was fit. He did enough in those games to show something about him. That long throw is also worth having. Ridiculous to sell him at this stage.

I agree. I think that with a decent run in the team he would've been keeping HRK out of the squad. He's got a LOT of potential and will prove to be a very good player IMHO......

[sandman]

He started two games this year and failed to impress in either. He played the full game against Hull and was poor and then played against Brizzle Sh1tty for 82 minutes until he was replaced by Cwyka who did more in his cameo (winning a penalty) than Antonio from the start. He also played a good chunk of the second half against Stevenage and missed a very good chance to draw us level.

It's alright using the Kebe excuse and saying he hasn't had enough chances but you still need to take them when they are given to you and he has failed whenever when he's been given them. Keep saying it but he needs to move on to progress properly.

[paultheroyal]

Shall we dig out your Jordan Rhodes posts Sandman for the LOLS?

[Ian Royal]

He started two games this year and failed to impress in either. He played the full game against Hull and was poor and then played against Brizzle Sh1tty for 82 minutes until he was replaced by Cwyka who did more in his cameo (winning a penalty) than Antonio from the start. He also played a good chunk of the second half against Stevenage and missed a very good chance to draw us level.

It's alright using the Kebe excuse and saying he hasn't had enough chances but you still need to take them when they are given to you and he has failed whenever when he's been given them. Keep saying it but he needs to move on to progress properly.

I agree, he was also dire at Coventry last season, amongst others. It's all well and good doing the old, "he hasn't had the run of games to prove himself". Well he hasn't had the run of games to do that, because he's been toss in the cameos he's had. HRK has been far better, and he hasn't exactly been brilliant and he's kept Antonio out of the reckoning.

Much like Shane Long didn't play more in our first couple of seasons back in the Champ. Because he was toss in his cameos. With persistence he came good, at Championship level. If we were still in the Championship Antonio would be well worth persisting with. But we aren't.

[melonhead]

He started two games this year and failed to impress in either. .

showed promise in the 1st-actually looked half decent in the second


still dont want him as our3rd/4th choice winger in th eprem though

[Cypry]

Can't believe how skewed peoples views of Antonio seem to be....some Reading "fans" never cease to amaze me with how little support they show our own players....

Prior to this season I thought he was raw and strong with some promise, but not good enough to displace Kebe, McAnuff and HRK so his chances were always going to be limited and so it proved (2 starts and 4 appearances as sub)...
He didn't really get in the game against Hull (his first start this season) but in the first half of the Bristol game I thought he presented our biggest threat - prepared to try to get to the byline and showed his strength in doing so, and put a couple of great crosses in...given that it was only his second start in the Championship, it's hardly surprising that he faded later on and was replaced by Cwyka.

In honesty I suspect he's now pushing HRK hard for the third spot on the wing (with Obita coming up fast on the rails)...

As far as him going to Sheffield permanently, I guess it might have a lot to do with what the player himself wants, and how he fits into plans for next year....if Brian is, indeed, intent on signing another winger, then Antonio is realistically only going to get a chance in the event of some kind of injury crisis. He seems to have settled well at Sheffield, and if it were me at his age, I'd probably fancy a whole season of Championship level football as the #1 choice on the right, rather than sit at Reading in the reserves.....

It might just be that he's asked to go, and we've said (as we tend to do in these circumstances) that we won't stand in his way....

[Snowball]

But there's an element of risk with signing players from League 1, mostly about how they would step up the a higher level.
We've already seen him struggle to step up to CC level this season, so why would we come to the conclusion he could step to Premiership level? Madness.
I hope for our sake he comes good, but I don't think his loan spell at Sheffield Wednesday proves anything we didn't already know.

IMO anyone who thinks they can judge his Championship ability based on a TINY amount of minutes spread over THREE seasons
isn't thinking straight.

I remember him getting to the byline from a great through-ball from Howard! and giving Simon Church a goal on a plate,
and that was 18 months ago.

But he's had a total, a TOTAL of 690 minutes, in 3 seasons. Bit parts knowing he's not in the manager's short-term plans,
and in particular, having been non-league and not polished in an Academy (like a certain Mr Long?) he needs games.

I watched him recently for a full 90 and he was quick, skillful and "bustling" very strong.

He looks like, two years from now he could be special.

IMO we should keep him on contract, extended for at least a year, and then probably loan him again.