Lewis Holtby - Sold

[DaSpurs]

Hannover are falling apart and their draw kills them. I don't think Mainz are in the clear either, just like Stuttgart and to some extent Hamburg and Freiburg they have a few 6 pointers left in their draw

Stuttgart still have Freiburg, Mainz, Paderborn and Hamburg - 4 of the bottom 5 teams and have no games V top 4. If they cant get out of that then they deserve to disappear without a trace.

Could be a fascinating last few rounds.

Yeah agreed, should be a fun run-in (but I suspect ultimately not so much for me, as I think Hamburg will descend).

Stuttgart has the class and the lightest schedule, so I think they'll survive (big game though on the last day with Stuttgart/Paderborn). Freiburg has grit, but we'll see if that holds them out this time. They've been the "roller coaster" team, as they'll win and emerge from the relegation zone but then hit a rough stretch and go right back down. We'll see if they can last. Hamburg have some winnable games remaining, but IMO are the worst team in the league. Not the least talented, but are without a doubt the worst team. Paderborn just picked up a big win that may save them. Mainz and Hannover are interesting as they're each better teams, but Hannover in particular has a really tough stretch remaining. Hoping and praying they continue in their collapse as I think that's about the only hope Hamburg has (and of course beating Freiburg and Stuttgart in the head to heads), but we'll see.

Shame, as I was really looking forward to watching Hamburg when the new TV deal starts in the US next season. As things stand, that looks unlikely

 

[faymantaray]

Just came across this crazy video.. wow. Sorry if already posted. Whataguy..

 

[SandroClegane]

Anyone think that maybe Holtby wasn't a great character in the lockerroom? It's great that he has the passion he does towards the supporters and the game but he might be a distraction to other players...

 

[Syn_13]

Just came across this crazy video.. wow. Sorry if already posted. Whataguy..

I'd love to know what that was all about. I wonder what the fan had said to him and what the result of it was.

 

[UpTownSpur]

Anyone think that maybe Holtby wasn't a great character in the lockerroom? It's great that he has the passion he does towards the supporters and the game but he might be a distraction to other players...

No, I always thought he seemed a fantastic character to have in a team, just felt he lacked a little something as a footballer, which is a shame.

 

[Lufti]

Just came across this crazy video.. wow. Sorry if already posted. Whataguy..

Sorry dude, I had to

 

[Spurger King]

Anyone think that maybe Holtby wasn't a great character in the lockerroom? It's great that he has the passion he does towards the supporters and the game but he might be a distraction to other players...

No, I always thought he seemed a fantastic character to have in a team, just felt he lacked a little something as a footballer, which is a shame.

There were a few ITK reports that suggested Holtby was quite childish and irritated a lot of the players and staff.

Imagine if they'd worked with Gazza!

 

[Syn_13]

There were a few ITK reports that suggested Holtby was quite childish and irritated a lot of the players and staff.

Imagine if they'd worked with Gazza!

I wonder how true that is. The way I see it, although he's hasn't quite settled, he's been no worse than some of the dross we've had that can play in the positions he plays lately. Plus, he isn't afraid to get stuck in and presses a lot on the pitch, so I'd have thought Poch would like that. Perhaps he does have a personality that just rubs people up the wrong way.

 

[Spurger King]

I wonder how true that is. The way I see it, although he's hasn't quite settled, he's been no worse than some of the dross we've had that can play in the positions he plays lately. Plus, he isn't afraid to get stuck in and presses a lot on the pitch, so I'd have thought Poch would like that. Perhaps he does have a personality that just rubs people up the wrong way.

I always take ITK with the proverbial pinch of salt, but wasn't Holtby one of the players that got a ticking off from Sherwood at his first team talk? I seem to recall him turning up late (or something like that) and Sherwood blacklisting him.

Personally I thought Holtby was a little too much of a headless chicken, but I did like his tenacity and he's clearly got some talent.

 

[prawnsandwich]

http://www.hsv.de/en/season/meldungen/bundesliga/april-2015/0-1-hsv-lose-to-late-penalty-in-bremen/

 

[DaSpurs]

From watching Holtby a lot this year, I can't help but wonder if the ITK about his demeanor irking people holds some plausibility. He just has a very... eccentric and "buzzing" persona to him, and just interacts a bit excessively at strange moments, which his teammates respond with somewhat awkwardly. Instance today in which he ran up to say something to Rafa shortly after getting up (from the ground after being fouled) to take a free kick, and the way Rafa responded was the way a parent responds to his child and beckoned him away.

I could just be seeing things with that ITK in mind, but to me it did look bizarre. Just a very enigmatic and eccentric person, and I could see how some folks could be put off by it, especially when they're around each other as much as football clubmates.

 

[SandroClegane]

No, I always thought he seemed a fantastic character to have in a team, just felt he lacked a little something as a footballer, which is a shame.

How someone acts on the field might not translate to his character in the dressing room. You can be an extremely hard worker and show passion for the team while still being a poor trainer and poor locker room presence. I don't know if that's the case but you don't send a player on loans to relegation fodder teams two seasons in a row unless something's going on, because he has the quality.

 

[DaSpurs]

How someone acts on the field might not translate to his character in the dressing room. You can be an extremely hard worker and show passion for the team while still being a poor trainer and poor locker room presence. I don't know if that's the case but you don't send a player on loans to relegation fodder teams two seasons in a row unless something's going on, because he has the quality.

May not mean necessarily personality issue, could be as simple as him wanting guaranteed starting time.

 

[mano-obe]

I loved it when he done them through balls at Spurs or spotted a pass, sometimes players weren't even on the same wavelength as him (happens a lot with Eriksen) . Suddenly he turned into a Michael Brown player, hacking at players, running around like a headless chicken, all the finesse from his game seemed to disappear completely. I never know what happened to him really, maybe they thought he was lightweight and wanted more from his game? Either way I could never work out what happened!

 

[CornerPinDreamer]

I loved it when he done them through balls at Spurs or spotted a pass, sometimes players weren't even on the same wavelength as him (happens a lot with Eriksen) . Suddenly he turned into a Michael Brown player, hacking at players, running around like a headless chicken, all the finesse from his game seemed to disappear completely. I never know what happened to him really, maybe they thought he was lightweight and wanted more from his game? Either way I could never work out what happened!

We bought too many players and our managers haven;t been able to figure out how to use him .. am really hoping Poch brings him back and Lewis agrees to ..