Jump to content
IGNORED

Louis Britton and other U23s


Silvio Dante

Recommended Posts

Good article in the BEP with some typical honesty from Nige:

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport/football/nigel-pearson-bristol-louis-britton-5911617

Essentially saying we shouldn’t read everyone with a squad number as part of the first team squad, and Louis specifically isn’t in the first team squad as he needs to build up his fitness. With less than a year left, it feels very much make or break for him to make strides in that regard 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, Silvio Dante said:

Good article in the BEP with some typical honesty from Nige:

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport/football/nigel-pearson-bristol-louis-britton-5911617

Essentially saying we shouldn’t read everyone with a squad number as part of the first team squad, and Louis specifically isn’t in the first team squad as he needs to build up his fitness. With less than a year left, it feels very much make or break for him to make strides in that regard 

Hasn't Louis been injured/still not fully recovered from the injury???......

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Pretty much what I’ve been saying since his emergence last season….he needs to get fitter.  Think some of that will be his recent injury recovery (injured v Brum in u23 playoff), but general fitness too, which may be partly down to not having been part of Academy system….and trying to play catch up.

I’d say Nige has dangled the carrot, up to Louis to go for it.  Looks like they have a fitness plan for him, so over to Louis now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've said before that he needs to study a player like Chris Wood who a big man who consistently performs in the top flight and Britton could replicate that work rate and all round game. Wood is also 6 ft 3 and is athletic, hardworking and scores goals.

Didn't NP say the other day that our young strikers have been kept at the club because they're in the mix for firt team squads? Maybe Britton needed a loan after all? A season of league 2 would be a good test of his fitness.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

Pretty much what I’ve been saying since his emergence last season….he needs to get fitter.  Think some of that will be his recent injury recovery (injured v Brum in u23 playoff), but general fitness too, which may be partly down to not having been part of Academy system….and trying to play catch up.

I’d say Nige has dangled the carrot, up to Louis to go for it.  Looks like they have a fitness plan for him, so over to Louis now.

Ever since I've watched Britton, I've said from day one, that he doesn't have the legs capable of getting to Championship standard fitness, regardless of how much training he does. Some people just don't have the physical capabilities regardless of their footballing talent. You can see it in the way he runs... he's never going to be an athlete imo.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, spudski said:

Ever since I've watched Britton, I've said from day one, that he doesn't have the legs capable of getting to Championship standard fitness, regardless of how much training he does. Some people just don't have the physical capabilities regardless of their footballing talent. You can see it in the way he runs... he's never going to be an athlete imo.

Interesting.

Having watched a fair bit of the Sheff U game & as I said before that is U23 intensity, as opposed to Championship football, he did often look like he was labouring.

Straight talking as Pearson is, I do wonder if there is also something in the rumour he wasn’t willing to sign a new deal that is another factor here.

At present Bell, Conway (when fit again) & Janneh all appear ahead of him in the queue, no matter how many goals he scores.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

18 minutes ago, spudski said:

Ever since I've watched Britton, I've said from day one, that he doesn't have the legs capable of getting to Championship standard fitness, regardless of how much training he does. Some people just don't have the physical capabilities regardless of their footballing talent. You can see it in the way he runs... he's never going to be an athlete imo.

I know what your saying - in the way some are naturally fit (like myself?) others,no matter how hard they work it's still a struggle.

Hope your wrong & he can crack it Spud,,,as he has the attitude..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 minutes ago, mozo said:

I've said before that he needs to study a player like Chris Wood who a big man who consistently performs in the top flight and Britton could replicate that work rate and all round game. Wood is also 6 ft 3 and is athletic, hardworking and scores goals.

Didn't NP say the other day that our young strikers have been kept at the club because they're in the mix for firt team squads? Maybe Britton needed a loan after all? A season of league 2 would be a good test of his fitness.

I don't think it's about playing week in and week out, it's about his core fitness as others have said.

If there is a fitness plan in place then they will want to keep him close to monitor him through that.

I don't agree totally with @spudski, I can see what he means but I have seen several players over the years who I would have thought would never make the step up, do so through a rigorous training programme.

I guess the question is whether Nigels fitness man has told him he can bring his standard up, or whether he is giving it the good old college try because of his raw ability.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, Port Said Red said:

I don't think it's about playing week in and week out, it's about his core fitness as others have said.

If there is a fitness plan in place then they will want to keep him close to monitor him through that.

I don't agree totally with @spudski, I can see what he means but I have seen several players over the years who I would have thought would never make the step up, do so through a rigorous training programme.

I guess the question is whether Nigels fitness man has told him he can bring his standard up, or whether he is giving it the good old college try because of his raw ability.

Agree. If club think they can get him to the pre-requisite fitness levels, then I suspect it’s possible. I’m not qualified to know if there is such a thing as “naturally fit” or not, but surely not all footballers are built the same and there are plenty of examples of what appear to be unathletic players playing at all levels.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

43 minutes ago, spudski said:

Ever since I've watched Britton, I've said from day one, that he doesn't have the legs capable of getting to Championship standard fitness, regardless of how much training he does. Some people just don't have the physical capabilities regardless of their footballing talent. You can see it in the way he runs... he's never going to be an athlete imo.

Totally agree with your comment about the expected fitness levels he can attain. But as against promoted Brentford at the end of last season, he can definately be an impact sub. When he came on he flattened a defender and gi8t into the box to do a tap in goal. He also got the crowd going and lifted his team mates. He's more a player who does his best work in the box.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

18 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

Agree. If club think they can get him to the pre-requisite fitness levels, then I suspect it’s possible. I’m not qualified to know if there is such a thing as “naturally fit” or not, but surely not all footballers are built the same and there are plenty of examples of what appear to be unathletic players playing at all levels.

Echo’d. Appreciate times are always changing yet Jon Parkin carved out a decent career - not to long ago either. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Engvall’s Splinter said:

Echo’d. Appreciate times are always changing yet Jon Parkin carved out a decent career - not to long ago either. 

Think we’ve seen with Chris Martin at 32 years of age that you can improve fitness levels and add an extra dimension to his game.  Martin has never really been one to run the channels but that is now something added fitness has been able to add to his game.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

25 minutes ago, Engvall’s Splinter said:

Echo’d. Appreciate times are always changing yet Jon Parkin carved out a decent career - not to long ago either. 

We should get Britton going full Parkin...

He is renowned for his large stature (quadruple XL size shirt) and an unusual unathletic lifestyle which includes never going to the gym and not having a diet, eating large portions instead (for example: for lunch; tuna crunch sandwich, a bag of crisps, a pepperoni pizza, a steak bake and either a bacon and cheese turnover or a sausage bean and cheese melt; having a full English breakfast before training).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 minutes ago, DaveF said:

We should get Britton going full Parkin...

He is renowned for his large stature (quadruple XL size shirt) and an unusual unathletic lifestyle which includes never going to the gym and not having a diet, eating large portions instead (for example: for lunch; tuna crunch sandwich, a bag of crisps, a pepperoni pizza, a steak bake and either a bacon and cheese turnover or a sausage bean and cheese melt; having a full English breakfast before training).

Meanwhile Lee Tomlin reads this and thinks "hold my beer"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

40 minutes ago, Engvall’s Splinter said:

Echo’d. Appreciate times are always changing yet Jon Parkin carved out a decent career - not to long ago either. 

Parkin didn’t play Championship standard football in the last 10 years & I’ll be willing to bet anyone that no one in his physical condition ever does so again.

Ten years in conditioning & nutrition in football is an absolute life time, I struggle to think of a less relevant comparison.

If Britton took him as a template (he won’t, by the way) he wouldn’t even play league football now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, JonDolman said:

Similar to Fam and Djuric in that he might not ever be capable of pressing from the front like some other smaller forwards can.

Since he joined us he doesn't seem to have improved much in that area. Not a lack of effort as he clearly looks shattered every game.

 

I think the crucial part is how much is Britton doing to maximise his fitness.

Does he get his nutrition right? Does he do enough on his strengthening and conditioning? Does he bust a gut?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 minutes ago, mozo said:

I think the crucial part is how much is Britton doing to maximise his fitness.

Does he get his nutrition right? Does he do enough on his strengthening and conditioning? Does he bust a gut?

@Son of Fredsays he has a good attitude so I assume he knows him.  If he does then he will be doing everything he can surely. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

31 minutes ago, GrahamC said:

Parkin didn’t play Championship standard football in the last 10 years & I’ll be willing to bet anyone that no one in his physical condition ever does so again.

Ten years in conditioning & nutrition in football is an absolute life time, I struggle to think of a less relevant comparison.

If Britton took him as a template (he won’t, by the way) he wouldn’t even play league football now.

Akinfenwa scored against us last season 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Physically, he's a throwback - he reminds me a bit of Trevor Morgan in the way he moves. Football's moved on a bit since Trevor's day though. 

The lad can score goals no doubt about that but, watching that recent U23 game, he didn't strike me as the type to develop into a hard running, pressing, athletic footballer - which is what even strikers have to be these days.

Conway, Bell, Janneh all have what it takes in this regard. Ironically Britton might just be a better pure goalscorer than all of them but that isn't enough these days. Who knows, perhaps there's still time for him to develop into a Chris Martin type - hardly super athletic himself - but personally I'm not sure he'll be given the time to do so here.  

He's good enough to have a career as a footballer but probably needs to go well down the pyramid to kick-start it. I suspect he knows that - next stop Torquay Utd? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

45 minutes ago, Roadrunner said:

Just love the honesty the club are giving the fans this season. So know we know and so does Louis. It is all down to you Louis. How much do you want it?

Yep. It comes from the two news guys at the helm, RG and of course Nige.

Very different from the days of smarmy Ashton and LJ - a refreshing change at long last.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

38 minutes ago, Merrick's Marvels said:

Physically, he's a throwback - he reminds me a bit of Trevor Morgan in the way he moves. Football's moved on a bit since Trevor's day though. 

The lad can score goals no doubt about that but, watching that recent U23 game, he didn't strike me as the type to develop into a hard running, pressing, athletic footballer - which is what even strikers have to be these days.

Conway, Bell, Janneh all have what it takes in this regard. Ironically Britton might just be a better pure goalscorer than all of them but that isn't enough these days. Who knows, perhaps there's still time for him to develop into a Chris Martin type - hardly super athletic himself - but personally I'm not sure he'll be given the time to do so here.  

He's good enough to have a career as a footballer but probably needs to go well down the pyramid to kick-start it. I suspect he knows that - next stop Torquay Utd? 

The other thing to consider is the development of the more physical type player.  In some cases their ability in age group Football can mislead because the “bigger” player can get away with things due to size….and then it all evens out.  I remember watching Rooney as a youth, when physically he was a man.  He also had great talent and harnessed that to forge a fantastic career.  A year before I watched a guy called Lee Croft play for England in the Victory shield.  He was another schoolboy in a man’s body, and dominated.  Was at Man City, and touted as the next Michael Owen. Did play a lot for Norwich, but career drifted downwards.  An example of not quite being good enough (relatively) when age / size no longer matters.

Having watched a bit of Britton in u23s (and 19 first team minutes) although he is physical, I don’t think he scores goals because of his physicality, I don’t see him physically bully u23 opponents, he scores goals because he is very good positionally / instinctively.  He gets chances, lots of them.  But I don’t think it’s because he’s bigger, because as u23 quite often he’s not bigger, so I don’t think “flat track bully” is appropriate.  He might’ve been at u18s or school stuff, but I’d say size is no longer part of the real equation for him.  He scores goals on merit.

He is happy to put himself about, which is a bit of a rarity at u23 level, but he’s no Keinan Davis, he’s not powerful, strong.  As you say he’s a bit of a throwback, and if any of you played with or against his dad, he’s very similar to him (Geoff).  As we saw against Brentford, he ain’t afraid of letting his centre-half know he’s about.

So I say we wait and see what happens with him.  There is no real rush for a player like Louis to be ready now, he’s 20.  He might need a bit longer than a whippet type striker.  He knows where the net is….and therefore I’d give him that time.  The fact that clubs like Stoke, West Brom (Wolves too I think) have shown interest means I wouldn’t be too keen to decide a lower-league fate for him yet.  But he has some work to do.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, DaveF said:

Akinfenwa and Parkin's physiques are incomparable.

Akinfenwa is in insane shape, incredibly fit. 

Parkin was not.

100%.

Akinfenwa can bench press the equivalent of his own body weight, Parkin looks like a bloke who has just come out of an “all you can eat” place having been locked in there for a month.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...