Jon Russell

As long as Russell is nearer to their goal than ours he’s an excellent player. No average or meh about it. The nearer he gets to the defensive zone the worse he gets.

 

We were a better side last season with him playing that role than we were with Connell playing it when he got back fit.

It was also a different scenario as we didn’t have Nwakali or Craig or anyone to fill in last season. I don’t know who would have played there if Russell didn’t.

 

I'm not sure it's correct to say ' he did it'...as though he was a key player at Huddersfield, just 20 odd games including sub appearances in his time there before they released him.

 

Absolutely spot on I can't get my head around the negative comments about him.
He can't defend .
But he is bloody effective going forward.
11 goals from Midfield ,and the fans wanting shut.
Hope we hang on to him

 

On current form, he's by far the best midfielder we have.

 

Don't forget he was very much involved in their play off campaign, highly rated ,until the next coach came in and didn't rate him.

 

The doesn't tackle is myth l @YT posted stats after the games and often he made more tackles than connell who plays in a defensive midfield role.

 

He’s just not very agile & doesn’t have much acceleration so if a smaller more nimble player reacts quicker he’s had it. I don’t think he’s slow when he’s actually sprinting & he didn’t get caught out as much when playing as a holding midfielder as the game was mainly in front of him & he positioned himself better.

 

He's the definition of a luxury player. If you have a solid defence and a couple of midfielders who will run through brick walls for you, and you have the luxury of selecting an attacking midfield player who is not expected to provide any defensive cover, he can be very effective in the final third.

We haven’t got that and we've lost more games than we've won. If we continue to play Russell without a solid foundation we'll continue to lose more games than we win. With what we've got, we need the player in Russell's position to offer something going forward (which Russell does) but also to provide something when we don't have the ball. Opposition players stroll past Russell and we're left completely exposed.

 

Sam Cosgrove was very much involved in our playoff campaign last year to be fair. We all rated his performances.

Russell has talent and in some ways we are lucky to have him - though he isn’t one to roll his sleeves up and dig in when things aren’t going his way.

He needs one or two behind him to do his running and defending; and he can only be effective in games we are on top of. He’s a bit of a luxury - at this level we ought to be able to afford that luxury but too often this season we couldn’t carry him.

Nowhere near our worst performer and his end to the season is much better than the team’s as a whole - but you have to consider his limitations with his attributes.

As I say, i’d keep him - especially if Phillips is sold as expected. He’d be an already in the door replacement and we could bring in a different type of midfielder, to cover the areas described.

But an assertion that he’s the ‘best player at Oakwell for years’ is absolutely ridiculous. He isn’t a patch on DKD on this year’s squad - in a mid table team he’s made league one team of the season; and you couldn’t make much of an argument that he was better than any of Cole, McAtee, Phillips or Kane last season either.

He’s had a good season by his standards but don’t get carried away. Adam Phillips is deemed to have had a poor season by many - yet has more goal involvements from midfield than Russell for example, and from fewer appearances.

 

He had 2 good games in the play offs. 2 good games in 2 seasons here. Is up there with one of the worst strikers I've ever seen wear a barnsley shirt. I doubt he will get a contract at Stockport either.

 

I normally agree with Dyson but we are so far apart on this one.

The lad has the best football brain at the club in my opinion. Russell in a better team with better footballers excels.

Anyone who has played at a decent level of football would love him in your team as his awareness is the best at the club. Little thru balls to a striker with pace (something we currently don’t have) would make him an even better player. He has bags of ability.

He isn’t lazy but I get he can come across that way due to his gliding style.

Definitely not a DCM.

I’ve enjoyed watching him play this season. Definitely someone to build a midfield around. A couple of runners in midfield alongside him is what’s needed.

I can see why some suggest he’s a luxury player. Sometimes you need one tho if you want to succeed.

Wasn’t Adam Hammill a luxury player albeit a different style and position?

 

Hammill was the first name on the team sheet...not a luxury.

 

Different position and different style.

Hammill was fantastic at being a luxury player. He did things that other players couldn’t.

I think Russell does things that other players in his position can’t.

Tbh….with one being a winger and the other more central it was probably a bad comparison to make.

There’s also a reason why Adam didn’t cut it anywhere else in his career.

Barnsley gave him the freedom to do what he does best. We protected his defensive frailties very very well with probably the best midfield we’d had since the late 90s early 00s.

 

Tbf I didn't make the comparison.

 

I was on about myself mate regarding that

 

Another Russell attribute is his finishing. Rarely misses when in on goal and he passes the ball into the net, doesn’t try to smash it in. Reckon he could actually play up front. Decent in the air, strong enough to hold it up and a good finisher.
Obviously his defensive capabilities are non existent but at third tier level no player will have it all. Needs his contract extending for me but doubt that’ll happen.

 

Stop talking sense ,it's not called for on here.
Pretty much agree with everything you say.
Certainly not the best player in years ,but he as had a good season, now he is further up the field.
Agree about rolling his sleeves up, I don't mind carrying him if he gets the goals he as got from midfield.
AP will be moving on ,I can see him going to PNE .

 

Phillips is a good player on his day in league one probably too good for this league. My only moan about him is he seemed to have downed tools since january. His performance v Shrewsbury last week was like he didn't want to be there, him and conor have obviously had words he got dropped again yesterday.
I doubt Phillips will be here next season same with dkd. I think Russell will attract interest apart from those I doubt anyone else will.

 

However I disagree in the comments about Sam Cosgrove being instrumental in our play offs .
He had more off games than good.