Forum | Esquerdinha and his usage by stevec

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Esquerdinha and his usage 09:12 - Dec 30 with 5255 views

Think the consensus is, not ready for this level and inclined to agree.

Horrible stats; 7 games, 2 wins, 5 defeats, goals for 10, goals against 20!

That said, I’d question how the manager is using him, he’s been flung into many games where, if anywhere in this league, there was a fair chance we could get a proper spanking.

We’ve got RND who looks the part, why play the young lad at Coventry, Boro, WBA, Ipswich?

He should be out on loan, hard to see what he’s gaining from this other than an inferiority complex.

Esquerdinha and his usage on 16:38 - Dec 30 with 1363 views

corse

promising but not ready yet. its ok to give him minutes when we need to rest the key players. hope to see more of him towards the end of season as we are not going down and without a biblical size miracle we wont be in the play offs.

Esquerdinha and his usage on 16:48 - Dec 30 with 1327 views

HammersmithR

I thought he was absolutely garbage last night. He played the other week and got hooked during the game due to being so poor. He’s not even been in the squad in recent weeks and got chucked into a night game at West Brom. Makes no sense. Could have put Field at left back. We also started with a centre mid at right back and a centre back who hasn’t played for 2 months. You could see last night’s result as soon as the side was announced. JCS played one game. Lasted until half time and has done his vanishing act again. I can’t believe he was given a new deal this year when he literally is never available except once a month.
I just wish we played players in their actual positions. Don’t start me on why with all our attacking players we started with Field in the number 10 role last night!

Esquerdinha and his usage on 17:25 - Dec 30 with 1253 views

Northernr

Esquerdinha and his usage on 16:48 - Dec 30 by HammersmithR

It's never a good sign when you're in the pub beforehand and not only could none of us around a table of eight agree on what shape and style it would be, but we all ended up being wrong because none of us had "Sam Field's going to play up front".

Esquerdinha and his usage on 17:33 - Dec 30 with 1224 views

mart_Goblin

Esquerdinha and his usage on 15:25 - Dec 30 by EN_Ranger
Esquerdinha played quite well at Bristol City earlier this season, I would think he’s ok as back up left back learning his trade, but as others have said - just throwing him in randomly in random back 4s at random away games isn’t going to help. Get him a loan, but let’s not write him off just yet - everyone looked crap last night

Yes agreed.

There have been moments and times when bringing him on would have been ideal .
Last 20 minutes v Leicester. Last 15 v West Brom.
With experienced players around him , settled side and perhaps most important , the pressure off to a degree.

Esquerdinha and his usage on 17:36 - Dec 30 with 1207 views

Northernr

Esquerdinha and his usage on 17:33 - Dec 30 by mart_Goblin
Yes agreed. There have been moments and times when bringing him on would have been ideal . Last 20 minutes v Leicester. Last 15 v West Brom. With experienced players around him , settled side and perhaps most important , the pressure off to a degree.

Completely agree.
This is why I was angry about the Plymouth debacle.
As predicted, none of those kids have been seen since.
Performatively slinging in a load of 16 year olds for 45 minutes of getting their arse handed to them by a League One side and that's it for the season does nothing for anybody.

Esquerdinha and his usage on 17:39 - Dec 30 with 1188 views

Lblock

Esquerdinha and his usage on 16:48 - Dec 30 by HammersmithR

What is JGS available for once a month?

No idea what you’re referring to but it can’t be professional association football at first team level.
He makes Matty Rose look like Hercules.

I’ve no idea how these things work but if possible all parties should be sitting around a table and discussing “career ending insurance”.
Currently his ample wage is nothing but a drain on the club and the ability to plan short and medium term. I’m sorry but his name is edging towards the bin labelled “SWP and other wasters” for me.

Cherish and enjoy life.... this ain't no dress rehearsal

Esquerdinha and his usage on 17:42 - Dec 30 with 1175 views

Northernr

Esquerdinha and his usage on 17:39 - Dec 30 by Lblock

The chance for that discussion probably sailed when they piled in with a lovely new contract because he'd completed 30 games in a season for the first time in his life 18 months ago.

Esquerdinha and his usage on 17:58 - Dec 30 with 1139 views

HammersmithR

It defies belief the board sanctioned a long term deal to someone who is never available. Make it make sense! Sam Field basically plays these when he does in any position except his actual position of centre mid!

Esquerdinha and his usage on 18:08 - Dec 30 with 1119 views

Northernr

Esquerdinha and his usage on 17:58 - Dec 30 by HammersmithR
It defies belief the board sanctioned a long term deal to someone who is never available. Make it make sense! Sam Field basically plays these when he does in any position except his actual position of centre mid!

I mean never feel sorry for footballers earning more in a month than most are getting in a year, but he's another one I don't think we've treated very well. Get's absolute dog's abuse on socials as well. Really unfair.

Esquerdinha and his usage on 18:14 - Dec 30 with 1090 views

CateLeBonR

Esquerdinha and his usage on 10:53 - Dec 30 by simmo

He's not good enough for the Championship, miles off in fact, but there's been too much focus on individual performances last night. There were some absolute stinkers - but the performance and result is completely at the managers door.

Esq shouldn't be playing, it should be Field as backup to RND. He especially shouldn't have been asked to play in a makeshift back 4 that is 75% changed from 3 days ago alongside Morrison, neither of which have played a minute of football for weeks on end,

The fact you decide to / have to rest RND and choose to play his best replacement in Field as a fckin striker instead of the multiple more natural attacking options, all so you can stubbornly stick to your 2 'striker' system, has absolutely fried my brain.

It sounds like an ambitious manager highlighting areas he thinks need strengthening just before a transfer window. Goalkeeper, left back, right back, left centre-back, striker.

Esquerdinha and his usage on 18:28 - Dec 30 with 1045 views

davman

If the club is serious about developing these kids, they should be out on loan instead of doing sporadic minutes off our bench or in the cup games.

Esquerdinha is not ready. That is clear. He is, however a talent and has "growing space". Let him grow for a season at a L2 club for the rest of the season instead of winning another Dev Squad Cup.

Same as Bennie, Sutton, Akindeleni, Smith, Wilkie, Pearman, etc., etc.

I know Sutton is off warming Morecambe's bench (is he that good???), but the rest of them (aside from Smith) are wasting their time sitting in the Dev Squad at the moment.

The club should have done it with Armstrong and they should have done it with Kolli. It worked really well with Eze, Chair and maybe Cooper, but aside from Kelman, they do not seem to have pushed too hard recently.

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Esquerdinha and his usage on 18:51 - Dec 30 with 996 views

Dono77

Esquerdinha and his usage on 10:32 - Dec 30 by daveB
As a club we can't bang on about the development club and then when we have a promising kid never pick him. No issue at all with him playing last night and he did fine, neither brilliant or awful. I hope he ends up getting another 5-10 games before the end of the season I'd much rather we made those changes last night than in the FA Cup

You must have been watching a different player than I one i saw..his lack of effort to get back after losing the ball, which happened frequently, told me hes miles out of his depth at this level..it was his fault that we ended up going behind. Got to the halfway line, gave the ball away, watched his man then run down the wing whilst he jogged back, which led to dunne having to come across and clear the ball for a corner. 60 secs later its 1 nil.

In the second half he looked unfit and just waddled around doing a very good impersonation of paal when he was heading towards the end of his contract.

Unfortunately we created this mess..relying on larkeche to be our only senior left back who imo isnt good enough for this level to play 46 games with no back up told us everything. Luckily for us RND became available and we got him in. Hes been superb for the most part. Even RND at 50 percent is better than esqueedinha..

Esquerdinha and his usage on 19:34 - Dec 30 with 931 views

Pdog

Its interesting how the players you mention went straight to EFL clubs off the bat. I assume thats because they already had some 1st team games under their belt which gave the loaning club more confidence (Lloyd another one). Or with players like Chair / Eze you could see even in the DS they were already EFL standard?

Most of the current DS squad are taking National League level loans, needing to earn the right for an EFL job.

With Esquerdinha’s 1st team exposure, that should be enough for a L2 club short on LBs to take a punt.

[Post edited 30 Dec 2025 19:35]

Esquerdinha and his usage on 19:35 - Dec 30 with 929 views

Northernr

Esquerdinha and his usage on 19:34 - Dec 30 by Pdog

[Post edited 30 Dec 2025 19:35]

I'd love to see that lad at Grimsby Town. "Bring" as the kids say.

Esquerdinha and his usage on 22:15 - Dec 30 with 748 views

daveB

Esquerdinha and his usage on 16:48 - Dec 30 by HammersmithR

The manager seems to see Morgan as a right back now, he hasn't picked him in midfield since pre season. Even if you put Field left back that's 3 of the back 4 changing, I'm not sure that would have given us a better chance.

I'm obviously wrong judging by what others are saying but for me it was Varane, Saito & Kone who were a far bigger issue last night than the players who came in. All 3 of them on a sponsored give the ball away and then jog back failing to retrieve the situation.

We've been poor away from home the last few games so I wasn't against trying something different, try Field as the advanced number 10 with a high press similar to what he did at Oxford.

He was let down by the two behind him and had to keep dropping deep.Poku needed a start, I've seen plenty calling for him to start so if not last night when?

All well and good saying loan out Esquerdinha but he's here as a back up left back so we shouldn't be afraid to play him every now and then. If he's not good enough then fine at least we know and don't hang onto him for years.

I'd much rather us try something different after recent away games in the middle of a 4 game week than experiment in the cup games. It clearly didn't work but I didn't think it was anywhere near as bad as Norwich and Boro where we played a lot more of the "normal" starting 11.

I still say if Poku scores that chance at 1-1 we win the game and the mood would be very different to the same team selection. The 2nd goal changed the game and we were second best after that.

Esquerdinha and his usage on 23:10 - Dec 30 with 653 views

stainrods_elbow

Esquerdinha and his usage on 10:53 - Dec 30 by simmo

Agree with this. As one or two other posters were calling for, he should have played Field at LB, with Dunne and Morrison/Cook at CB. Unless Mbengue has an injury, his omission was stupid. Smyth should also have started over Saito. We might still have lost, but I think we'd hav been more stable and coherent.

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Esquerdinha and his usage on 23:12 - Dec 30 with 661 views

numptydumpty

Esquerdinha and his usage on 22:15 - Dec 30 by daveB

I doubt he was bought to play any games this season, apart from an occasional sub appearance.

I know RND was brought in after Larkeche's injury, but I feel that might have been the plan anyhow.

Yes and he is thrown in with a weaker team all round also and in general against teams where , on form, we are less likely to be competitive. Hung out to dry a little bit for me. He is 19 years old. First time away from family and in a foreign land, million miles away from his native Brazil, no real knowledge of the English language when he got here also. Am guessing all his experience being in Brazil previously, he is playing as Brazilian left backs perform anyhow.

Feel its harsh to call him out myself. Been badly mismanaged for me.

Esquerdinha, I see personally as a wing back or an attacking wide man. His attacking qualities and pace are much superior to his defensive abilities. Don't know if others agree with this assessment. It appears obvious to me but perhaps not to our coaching staff.

I was completely astonished to see Field as a ten. Or second striker. In a five a side knockabout on Xmas day, yes , but in an actual eleven a side championship league game away at a rival - think Julien must have had too much Vino with his Xmas Turkey !!!

[Post edited 30 Dec 2025 23:17]

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Esquerdinha and his usage on 23:46 - Dec 30 with 625 views

daveB

Esquerdinha and his usage on 23:12 - Dec 30 by numptydumpty

[Post edited 30 Dec 2025 23:17]

I just think with Esquerdinha how long do you wait to give him a chance. He's been here a year now and is 19, do we wait a few years?

Apart from the Ipswich game he's been fine so far, the whole point of the investment to the academy and development squad is that if you get injuries or players need a rest you can have players to come in and cover, learn and eventually become regulars. It might end up that he's not good enough like others before him which is fine but would rather see him get a chance than do what we did with Travelman with loans around the world and no prospect of ever making it here

Esquerdinha and his usage on 00:56 - Dec 31 with 573 views

VancouverHoop

Esquerdinha and his usage on 23:46 - Dec 30 by daveB

He's been here 10 months. In the first-team squad only since August. I'm guessing that if Larkeche's injury hadn't been as serious as it is he'd still be in the development squad. No question we need another experienced LB, but that's not Esquerdinha's fault.

Esquerdinha and his usage on 06:46 - Dec 31 with 479 views

numptydumpty

Esquerdinha and his usage on 23:46 - Dec 30 by daveB

He has been thrown in at the deep end.

If you follow your logic at how long we wait. He was signed as a development squad player as have many before him.

Look at Adamson, four years older, Bennie, Pearman, Kolli, Tuck, Tylon Smith. In fact all the above are older than Esquerdinha and also either English or from English speaking nations also. And yet all have hardly played or not played at all.

It was a needs must with Esquerdinha as Larkeche out for the season. And I think RND would have been signed even if Larkeche hadnt got injured. Larkeche wasn't showing good enough qualities in the pre season games anyhow for me to be number one left back.. And at 22, he was sent out on loan for a season away at Dundee. Esquerdinha has been hung out to dry unnecessarily for me and it seems he is more suited as a player further up the pitch anyhow.

If JCS was ever available, he has the ability to play left back and surely this game, if you are resting RND, then play Sam Field at left back and if you want to give Burrell a break, then play Kolli where Field played up front.

We basically decided we would get nothing away at West Brom, and fulfilled the remit.

Think that one was on the manager, very harsh to blame Esquerdinha for me. Give the guy a break, I say. He got no help from Saito on the left also. Was a ridiculous team set up for me.

[Post edited 31 Dec 2025 6:58]

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Esquerdinha and his usage on 07:11 - Dec 31 with 431 views

Rsole

Esquerdinha and his usage on 23:10 - Dec 30 by stainrods_elbow
Agree with this. As one or two other posters were calling for, he should have played Field at LB, with Dunne and Morrison/Cook at CB. Unless Mbengue has an injury, his omission was stupid. Smyth should also have started over Saito. We might still have lost, but I think we'd hav been more stable and coherent.

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Esquerdinha and his usage on 09:57 - Dec 31 with 326 views

TK1

Esquerdinha and his usage on 23:46 - Dec 30 by daveB

But this is exactly what we did with Hämäläinen. At 19, he was getting the odd game for the 1st team and then he went on loan. I think Esquerdinha and Hämäläinen have almost identical playing profiles at the same age: both too slight for Championship defending purposes at 19, both tidy with the ball but too slow to be attackers, both thrown in to Championship games for political necessity nonetheless.

Maybe Esquerdinha would benefit more than Niko H from a season at Kilmarnock, maybe he'd kick on. But physically, I can't see it.

Esquerdinha and his usage on 10:24 - Dec 31 with 268 views

daveB

Esquerdinha and his usage on 06:46 - Dec 31 by numptydumpty

[Post edited 31 Dec 2025 6:58]

I'm not blaming Esquerdinha at all, I thought he did OK the other night

I just think he did well in the Development squad and moved up the pecking order to get his chance, thats what we should be doing. Those other names you mention are in positions where either the first choice has done well and we have other back up or they are not seen as good enough.

If we are going to blame anyone for the other night, in what was a narrow defeat rather than a hiding, I'd point the finger at the likes of Varane, Saito, Kone and at times Madsen who just kept trying to play in our own half and kept giving the ball away to put us under pressue and not allow us to get up the pitch. We wasted so many good opportunites to get a cross in or have a shot by making a sloppy pass.
It seems like the manager is coping the stick for this one but he was badly let down by players who can play a lot better than that

Esquerdinha and his usage on 10:25 - Dec 31 with 265 views

terryb

Esquerdinha and his usage on 22:15 - Dec 30 by daveB

I thought Morgan was by far our best passer of the ball on Monday. Indeed, our only player who passed to a Queens Park Rangers team mate! I also thought that IF we are experimenting upfront, Bennie would have been the logical choice unless Kolli was deemed "fit enough" to start.

Back to Esquerdinha. He was better at West Brom than against Ipswich, but I struggle to see that he is making much progression. I'm not opposed to him being given a run of games to see if he will "learn on the job", but not until we have more than 46 points.

Comparing him with players from my youth, I feel he is more like Bobby Finch than Ian Gillard! Gillard had runs in the team, but he had to play second fiddle to Ian Watson for quite a while.

Esquerdinha and his usage on 10:27 - Dec 31 with 261 views

baz_qpr

I'll repeat what I said on the match thread. If you are playing 4-4-2 its about partnerships, Left back and left wing have to operate as one. especially when playing a high press. Saito had an absolute stinker, along with Varane. You also had a left centre back who has not played there for a season playing a partnership he has not played with before in front of a keeper who has not played there before. Each of them has to have an understanding of where the other will be on the pitch at any given time. Without that understanding they have to take a second to think which slows them down and also leads to mistakes when you are being pressed.

This kid is nothing like Hämäläinen a far better player with much much more talent. Manager has thrown him to the wolves in the last two games. But I tell you what, if he is going to develop he will have learnt more in those two games than in the last couple of years of coaching

Have we learnt nothing from the Madsen redemption arc. Give the lad some space to develop

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