smiler watch on OS on free view Warney & Scotty telling us how our recruitment works. I'm not knocking the chairman. We are working to a budget. We still have a club starting next season on level terms unlike some sides.
Newell has played over 140 Championship games, ran defences stupid the last time we were in League 1 and is coming up to his best footballing years (age wise). He will be a massive loss!
Hibs have signed a very, very good footballer, the class of player the Millers needed to keep to get back out of League 1.
The only 'Silver lining' is the fact he turned down the other League 1 clubs that were also after him.
I must have missed something. I can't remember Newell having a run of games even in league 1 were he ran defences stupid. Last season only in home games he could come on & put the odd quality cross in. He simply wasn't up for it. Mattock must have been player of the last season cause he never had a left winger good enough to link with. Checked when Warnock was manager. Do we all agree he was an above average championship manager? He started Newell in the 1st 3 games when he took over, then on the bench for the rest of the season. Warnock kept us up, any coincidence?
A lot of what Gwru is saying is correct. I am a big fan of Joe Newell, but he is a luxury player and has to be used in a wide left position where he is given license to get forward and make telling crosses. One thing he cannot do is track back and be used in a way that both Warnock and Warne wants wide players to do.
Warnock did start off with Newell as Gwru said, but i believe Warnock realised we couldn't get points in a 4.3.3 or 4.4.2 formation. So what he did was play a 4.1.4.1 formation with Halford in front of the back four and the middle four not venturing forward much but keeping things as tight as possible for as long as possible. Anybody who went to Hillsbrough or saw the home game against Middlesbrough will know what i mean. This meant Newell was sacrificed on the left for somebody who would work hard wide, tackle and on occasions get in the box. Warnock gave this role to Derbyshire who performed wonders for him.
I did think Newell was really good last time in div 1 especially in the last four/five months. In the championship last season we again reverted to 4.1.4.1 or a 4.5.1 with the wide players expected to graft, tackle and frustrate and this is not Joe's style. He had a few cameos when he came on as sub and made an impression but they were far too few in my opinion.
I would love to see Joe do well at Hibs and if he is given a free role wide and not expected to defend too much i believe and hope he will do well. I also think that our style has hindered Williams as well who has also had a mediocre season for us after a bright start. Neither of them could tackle a good dinner never mind a marauding footballer.
