I’m fed up of hearing about how great Dan Neil is and what a shame it is that he never got his chance in the Premier League.
Don’t get me wrong: I love Dan Neil and I wish him well for the future. A local lad, a true fan, he came through the ranks, played 200 games, captained the club, and lifted a trophy at Wembley. He lived the dream and will never be forgotten.
But the club are absolutely right to move him on: he’s not Premier League standard. That was obvious last season and it should be obvious to anyone
watching our current midfield. I can’t understand some of the comments I’ve seen from people suggesting he should have had more game time. He’s clearly not better than Xhaka, Sadiki, Diarra, Le Fée or Geertruida, so who should he have replaced? Yes, perhaps he should have started at West Ham instead of the bizarre selection of Trai Hume in the middle, but by then he was already on his way.
I like how ruthless Le Bris is when it comes to team selection. He doesn’t mess around. If a player isn’t good enough, they’re out. Other than Hume, he seems to have no favourites, unlike virtually all our previous managers. I also like the compassion shown by the club to players moving on. We could have kept Neil until the summer and he could have warmed the bench for another 15 games. This way he gets to put himself in the shop window ahead of his summer move. The various tributes from his teammates were also a nice touch.
In the last few years, fans have tended to overestimate some of our players, Neil being one of them. Anthony Patterson is another. Great lad, good stopper, great temperament — but it was obvious last year that he doesn’t command his area and his distribution is poor. Jack Clarke is a good Championship player but I never thought he’d make it in the Premier League as he has one trick — cut inside and shoot — which good full-backs will suss out.
Further back, why did fans go on about Aiden McGeady as if he was George Best? He was Championship quality in a team of League One plodders, but no better than that. My absolute pet hate was Chris Maguire being nicknamed “the King”. What an insult to Charlie Hurley, I thought: Maguire had about one good game in ten and had an arrogance and swagger way beyond his limited talent.
I’m hoping we see a change now with fans properly appreciating top-level talent. You want to see a really good defensive midfielder — look at Xhaka. A mercurial playmaker — look at Le Fée. Defensive titans — look at that back four. A brilliant goalkeeper — Roefs is up there with the very best we’ve ever seen. So thanks Dan, I hope he proves me wrong and establishes himself as a Premier League midfielder, but I think we’ve done the right thing to put sentiment to one side and send him to the Tractor Boys.
Mark Egan (yes, sounding like an old fella from the Clock Stand banging on about Raich Carter)
