| Sammy Morsy 07:50 - Oct 4 with 1307 views | nrb1985 |
What’s happened here then?
I must confess to not following the wider EFL particularly but his career arc is extraordinary. He seems to have kind of hung around the lower EFL leagues and then peaked around mid table championship before Boro let him go almost for free.
Now, demonstrably in my opinion, he was the best midfielder in league 1 and one of the best in the championship seemingly. Did none of his other clubs see this or has KM just unlocked bundles of hidden potential? [Post edited 4 Oct 2023 8:12]
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| Sammy Morsy on 08:06 - Oct 4 with 1108 views | Bluebell |
What happened was Kieron McKenna!
Same with several other players. |  | | |
| Sammy Morsy on 08:06 - Oct 4 with 1101 views | BseaBlue |
He completely dominated and controlled the game last night. All of the tempo in the first half was him either playing it simple or just taking a couple of touches round his man, driving forward and sending it wide.
Then add in his tenacity, being in the right place at the right time and barking orders at the rest of the players and you have the perfect midfielder.
There isnt anyone else in this league that I would rather have in the centre of midfield than him. |  | | |
| Sammy Morsy on 08:28 - Oct 4 with 920 views | HighgateBlue |
I suppose we know from the likes of Luongo that players can look a little average at one club, before going on to shine at another. And it's happened the other way round too, in terms of players never really clicking here and then going on to do well elsewhere.
I don't know anything about his form at Boro immediately before they let him go, or his relationships with coaches, fans, teammates at Boro. If there's anyone around here who can shed light on that, I think that would be really interesting.
We know that Cook was a real draw for him to come here, having played under him at two previous clubs. However, it doesn't seem that he was loved at Boro and left entirely of his own volition. This local paper article indicates that Morsy was happy to stay at Boro but they wanted to let him go to bring more players in:
https://www.hartlepoolmail.co.uk/sport/football/middlesbrough-fc/why-boro-have-a
Obviously with hindsight that seems crazy. But I suppose you always lake a gamble letting decent players go to try to improve (Greg Leigh for us having just left league one for example - not one that's going to bite us given our own form, but the same could be said of Boro to some extent given their steady improvement in the two years following Morsy's departure).
Part of the answer though must be KMac's impact. In terms of coaching the player, coaching the team, and man-management. He's getting the best from everyone at the moment, and still keeping the wider squad happy and as involved as possible. In that regard, it may be that the only player agonising as to whether to stay at Town next season may be Walton wondering whether to warm the bench in the Prem. A nice position for the club to be in.
In short, my guess would be a combination of:
(1) Boro weren't getting the best out of him, either because of individual form or the system they played;
(2) Their boss had a particular fancy for bringing in new blood at that point; and
(3) Town have got the best out of him and improved him again. |  | | |
| Sammy Morsy on 08:30 - Oct 4 with 906 views | ITFCSG |
It is not only Morsy, ditto for Luongo, who was drifting in and out of teams without making an impact at Sheff Wed or even featuring for Boro, Hirst who failed to score and start for Blackburn as well as many other regulars such as Chaplin, Harness, Burns, Ladapo, Ball et al had fairly standard careers in the lower leagues and perhaps some Championship exposure with lower to mid-table Championship clubs that were subsequently relegated like Wigan, QPR, Rotherham and Posh but nothing of note.
Full credit to McK for bringing out the best of his team which other managers failed to do - and in so doing transformed a group of former League One players into a team at the top of the Championship. | | | |
| Sammy Morsy on 09:41 - Oct 4 with 696 views | RobTheMonk |
Wonderful player. Should never have been in League 1 and on current form, looks like he could play in the Prem! |  | | |
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