Bryan Ruiz latest

[colcliff]

the difference between the likes of Hoddle, Hudson Osgood etc were that they were continually good where i'm sory to say that with Bryan its hit or miss
I Like Bryan and feel  he does not deserve some of the criticism he is getting
But if we are all being honest he has not been worth the money we paid for him
   if he is this great player some feel he is why are there not queues of clubs banging at the door to get him
I think its about time we now all got off this case, if he stays ok lets all get behind him and hope he can be the player some feel he already is if he goes good luck to him at his next club

[epsomraver]

Just get rid of him. He won't have much impact next season anyway he isn't suited to English football

What a load of rubbish !
And exactly the reason why the likes of Hoddle, Hudson, Osgood, Currie, Worthington , Marsh and Charlie George didnt play more games for England !
This stupid English mentality, that all eleven players "Have to do the Donkey Work" In your world Symons was right in packing our midfield with Parker, Tunnicliffe, Hoogland and Kavanagh , whilest Ruiz (a star at The World Cup just last summer) cant even make the squad !
He will be a star in Spain, where they appreciate players like him, but I still think he could play in The Premier League for a club like Villa, Spurs and Southampton, where they would get the best out of his creativity !
This board will be full of people then telling me "We should never have sold Bryan " whilest we have to endure Scott Parker running around in circles

[Craven Mad]

At our level, Bryan is a brilliant player.

He's suffered from a) being played out of position almost every time he played, b) being played in the prem behind strikers that didn't know how to run (with Berba dropping deep he had no one to pass to, nor draw players away from him), and c) having a style of play that makes him appear lazy (when actually, he gets on the ball more than most players and is far more efficient with his running and passes, because he's smart and knows how to read the game).

I want Bryan to go because he deserves better than being a marmite player in a championship team. But, like when Murphy left, I don't think people will realise his impact until after he goes; this season, we looked instantly better every time Bryan stepped onto the pitch.

[MJG]

To all the people that have been slagging Bryan off and at the sametime sidestepping my question , I will therefore ask again,
Were you happy with a midfield four of Parker, Tunnicliffe, Kavanagh and Hoogland with Ruiz being left out of the squad entirely ? Yes or No ?
I thank you.

But its not as simple as a yes or no (and when you say squad..starting or the matchday 18?) he was not at Sheff Wed when that 4 started because he had a bad back for example.

Now lets get this right, those 4 in a flat midfield four is not good. But could be argued Symons went for that to give some kind of solid base.

And even the fans of Ruiz have to acknowledge that he cant play in a flat 4 in midfield as a winger (or central) it just never works.

For me he can only play behind one or two strikers or if we every did play 433 then as a wide striker. So diamond or 4312/4411 are the only options.

[MJG]

At our level, Bryan is a brilliant player.

He's suffered from a) being played out of position almost every time he played, b) being played in the prem behind strikers that didn't know how to run (with Berba dropping deep he had no one to pass to, nor draw players away from him), and c) having a style of play that makes him appear lazy (when actually, he gets on the ball more than most players and is far more efficient with his running and passes, because he's smart and knows how to read the game).

I want Bryan to go because he deserves better than being a marmite player in a championship team. But, like when Murphy left, I don't think people will realise his impact until after he goes; this season, we looked instantly better every time Bryan stepped onto the pitch.

Apart from second half of Forest at home when he came on as sub when we nearly lost the game and he was dreadful that last 30 minutes he was on.

[Craven Mad]

To all the people that have been slagging Bryan off and at the sametime sidestepping my question , I will therefore ask again,
Were you happy with a midfield four of Parker, Tunnicliffe, Kavanagh and Hoogland with Ruiz being left out of the squad entirely ? Yes or No ?
I thank you.

But its not as simple as a yes or no (and when you say squad..starting or the matchday 18?) he was not at Sheff Wed when that 4 started because he had a bad back for example.

Now lets get this right, those 4 in a flat midfield four is not good. But could be argued Symons went for that to give some kind of solid base.

And even the fans of Ruiz have to acknowledge that he cant play in a flat 4 in midfield as a winger (or central) it just never works.

For me he can only play behind one or two strikers or if we every did play 433 then as a wide striker. So diamond or 4312/4411 are the only options.

I largely agree, he's no RM or CDM, that's for sure.

But I think Bryan can be played in a couple of other positions:

RF or LF in a 4-3-3 (that doesn't use wing forwards), CAM (in most formations), CF (paired with another, more energetic, striker), SS (just behind another striker), or even in a playmaking CM role (provided there is a DM behind him).

You're right, there are games when he won't be ideal (I always think he struggles playing in a packed, highly pressing midfield or when the other team are man-marking effectively), but he offers us something we're sorely lacking - a good passer with vision..