| Is Saito a future 10? 13:51 - Sep 17 with 2965 views | Jevlar |
Just something I've been pondering this week and keen to see what others think.
Saito's return has seemingly provided us with an improved version of the smiling bundle of joy that we had last year. It's been great to see.
And with Ilias sadly succumbing to injuries of late (very unusual for him) are we seeing the torch being passed to a future number 10?
To be clear - I'm a big fan of Chair and he's a wonderful servant to QPR (got to be about 260 odd games now) and I'm NOT writing him off or forgetting how he creatively carried a weak QPR team for several years on his own but for a player who was barely injured to suddenly being injured frequently (and then throw in the off-field court case) are his better days potentially behind him?
Did this make the club pull the trigger on Saito? |  | | |  |
| Is Saito a future 10? on 15:05 - Sep 18 with 358 views | JordanFoster |
I think if Chair was to move up the food chain he would have gone by now, it doesn't seem it's ever been his creativity or ability to effect games but more his stature that has put clubs off.
He's 28 next month and if it hasn't happened by now then it probably won't but who knows.
That being said, he does seem to be injured a fair bit recently which definitely won't have helped his cause. Either way, I think Saito will stay wide. For me his main strength is getting his defender 1v1 or driving with the ball, both a rarity really as a 10 but can have a field day as winger. |  | | |
| Is Saito a future 10? on 15:12 - Sep 18 with 321 views | Wilkinswatercarrier |
| Is Saito a future 10? on 15:05 - Sep 18 by JordanFoster |
I think if Chair was to move up the food chain he would have gone by now, it doesn't seem it's ever been his creativity or ability to effect games but more his stature that has put clubs off.
He's 28 next month and if it hasn't happened by now then it probably won't but who knows.
That being said, he does seem to be injured a fair bit recently which definitely won't have helped his cause. Either way, I think Saito will stay wide. For me his main strength is getting his defender 1v1 or driving with the ball, both a rarity really as a 10 but can have a field day as winger. |
I could see him, Vale and Chair all swapping places during a game just causing absolute chaos.
Add in Poku and it is a pretty frightening lineup | |
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| Is Saito a future 10? on 16:09 - Sep 18 with 240 views | Addinall |
| Is Saito a future 10? on 14:54 - Sep 18 by francisbowles |
Inside left 10, inside right 8, left half 6, right half 4. |
With those number/positions you are really back to the good old days.
10 Don Mills
8 Cyril Hatton
6 Ivor Powell
4 Albert Smith (I think).
9 My namesake Bert Addinall. [Post edited 18 Sep 16:11]
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| Is Saito a future 10? on 16:18 - Sep 18 with 218 views | kensalriser |
| Is Saito a future 10? on 11:43 - Sep 18 by hubble |
I am another Luddite who struggles with number positions, so I thought I'd provide a map for people like me. They don't all seem to completely tally, but nevertheless, this might be useful.
PS I don't see Saito as a 10 (see, I know where that is now!), better on the wing I think.
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We've been around this block before, but I think the critical flaw in using numbers as shorthand is that they were originally coined for the 2-3-5 formation and their evolution doesn't always make sense in the modern game with its differing and often fluid formations. Likewise, the terminology of 2-3-5 has persisted even though much of it makes little sense now - the full backs were what we would now consider the two central defenders and the centre half was the central midfielder (hence half).
2 Right full back
3 Left full back
4 Right half
5 Centre half
6 Left Half
7 Outside right (right winger)
8 Inside right (forward)
9 Centre forward
10 Inside left (forward)
11 Outside right (right winger) |  |
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| Is Saito a future 10? on 17:14 - Sep 18 with 154 views | VancouverHoop |
| Is Saito a future 10? on 16:18 - Sep 18 by kensalriser |
We've been around this block before, but I think the critical flaw in using numbers as shorthand is that they were originally coined for the 2-3-5 formation and their evolution doesn't always make sense in the modern game with its differing and often fluid formations. Likewise, the terminology of 2-3-5 has persisted even though much of it makes little sense now - the full backs were what we would now consider the two central defenders and the centre half was the central midfielder (hence half).
2 Right full back
3 Left full back
4 Right half
5 Centre half
6 Left Half
7 Outside right (right winger)
8 Inside right (forward)
9 Centre forward
10 Inside left (forward)
11 Outside right (right winger) |
Even when I was a kid (late 50s) the original number/position had evolved. The centre-half (5) had become the "stopper" — ie: last defender. We also began to see the first attacking full-backs, like Blackpool's Jimmy Armfield. That, of course, was still well behind what South American and European sides were doing to the 2-3-5 formation. | | | |
| Is Saito a future 10? on 17:38 - Sep 18 with 111 views | stainrods_elbow |
| Is Saito a future 10? on 15:22 - Sep 17 by WestbourneR |
Intersting post.
First point I would make is that Chair is often referred to as creative. In fact, IMO he's not. He can put a nice ball into the box from out wide or work space in the area to shoot - but he actually has poor vision and little flair. He also dwells on the ball too long to be truly creative. So he has many strengths and does make goal opportunities with his touch and guile, but pure creativity, as I would describe it, is not one.
Aside from him I think we're well covered at 10. I really think Madsen is by far and way at his best as a 10. I also think Dembele is a better 10 than winger.
Below that we have Pearman coming through.
So I'd keep Saito on a wing where his mobility and dribbling are most devastating. He can also roam inside. But he's not best used as a 10 for me.
FInal point - Saito did not come back better this season. He was this good at the end of last season it's just that a lot of our fans had missed it. Hence why the club paid £2.5 million to get him |
I agree with your closing point about it more being a case of Saito picking up where he left off than undergoing some massive summer improvement, but your breezy invocation of Madsen as a potential successor for Chair at 10 has me breaking out in incredulous hives. Sadly, though, there's a feeling of Chair's star having perhaps reached its zenith. (Cue the usual posts about how 'we should have cashed in' etc.) Which doesn't mean, for me, we don't still need him or should be holding onto him - not least for his exemplary dedication to the team and club, regardless of his arguable flaws. [Post edited 18 Sep 17:39]
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