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Antonio role: The cat is out of the bag

Manchester United v West Ham United - The Emirates FA Cup Sixth RoundDavid Gold appears to have given the game away over Michail Antonio’s future suggesting strongly that he will again be at right back when the season starts.

Many of course are going to be vert unhappy to hear it but the co chairman has made it clear where the manager sees the former Nottingham Forest wideman’s role.

A regular debate has arisen over the subject among fans with most appearing to believe that Michail should remain on the right side of midfield but with the arrival of Sofiane Fegouhli and the likely loan of Gokhan Tore, those days seems to have been ruled out.

And DG has dropped the heftiest of hints that is likely to be the case  even giving news of the manager’s views on the subject.

He doesn’t go all the way in saying so  but declares in his From the Boardroom column on the official site: “He is always a threat and is capable of scoring the winning goal.

“Slaven has said to me that he is one of the best right backs in the country as he gives you that extra scoring option.”

DG adds: There are not many full-backs in the Premier League who can score the goals that Michail is capable of and that makes him an exceptional player.

“I am sure a lot of clubs would love to have that option of seeing a full-back score the goals that Michail produced last season and it adds a new dimension to any team.

“I remember saying to him that his time would come and to score the winning goal against Tottenham will endear him to the fans forever!

We all remember his goal celebrations and that shows the character he has. We hope to see many more celebrations whether it be as a winger or an attacking right back.”

 

 

About Hugh5outhon1895

Hugh Southon is a lifelong Iron and the founding editor of ClaretandHugh. He is a national newspaper journalist of many years experience and was Bobby Moore's 'ghost' writer during the great man's lifetime. He describes ClaretandHugh as "the Hammers daily newspaper!" Follow on Twitter @hughsouthon

18 comments on “Antonio role: The cat is out of the bag

  1. Don’t get me wrong, I love Bilic, but I honestly cant believe what they are doing to Antonio.

    He is so threatening going forward, defenders have no idea what he is going to do (partly because I believe Antonio doesn’t even know). He scores goals, and would of scored a lot more than he did if he was at rm all season. Defensively he is lacking as he just wants to get forward.

    Yes you can play anyone at rb, but at the end of the day if their mentality is to attack it is hard to change that!

  2. How long will he accept it playing at rb?
    I know his dribbling skills are not the bes. He often barges his way past opponents, but he has such power and goalscoring ability that he could be wasted at rb.
    I hope Slav knows how to improve his defending by about 50% or he will get despondant and think about leaving.

  3. Agree with what both of you say, I don’t think he is a good right back and is worse than Byram in the position, he also scores more goals than the players we have bought in as a right winger, Feghouli has silky skills and is world class but I think Antonio is also that, he looks cruder but he is highly effective because of it, players find it impossible to defend against him.

  4. First and foremost; Antonio is a winger, winger, winger!!
    If he is forced to be playing (reluctantly so), at RB, then we may have another player (after Sakho), asking for a transfer leave.
    In addition, he is not a particularly good RB, and his talents (enormous!!) are an attacking player.
    I am really starting to wonder about our ‘fabulous’ Slav. In the last 8-9 matches of last year’s EPL, he made some really questionable decisions concerning starting line-ups (aside from his insistence of playing Antonio at RB). First he had (or still has) this nearly unshakeable belief that Andy Carroll was our no.1 striker (ahead of Sakho?!). As a result, if had been thinking clearly, we could have finished in 4th position. So we were lucky that Man Utd did us a favour, after limping home in 7th position.
    Sakho and Valencia (who did so well under Sam Allardyce, of all managers!!) have been essentially ignored by Bilic. So we have lost Sakho, Valencia, and Tomkins, without . I used to support the axiom, ‘that in Bilic we trust’, but am now starting to question! Should he insist to continue with Antonio at RB, he will live to regret it. Why don’t we give Sam Byram a fair go, and allow Antonio to play where he should be (up front!). I am starting to have serious concerns about our up-coming season? CL play??
    5-6th? Mid-table mediocrity unless our club does a proper reality check!

  5. please sort out the RB situation, get Byram fit & use Antonio wisely. He’s too good a player to be used as a stop-gap & he will eventually tire of being a bridesmaid. Agree with every post above – dangerous going forward, & not the greatest natural defender. I don’t want to see him be scapegoated for conceding goals when he should be naturally further up the pitch.

    if Byram isn’t yet up to filling the role then we need to spend on a RB as it’s as important as the need for a quality striker/s.

  6. Many great players change there positions to move on,he only needs to learn where the defensive line is and that will come and learn to tackle better ,
    He was let down last year because he did not have a right sided Center Half,
    There are not many good Right backs about Byram is still learning and of Slav gets Huchinson of his old side and with Dobson coming through we will be quite strong,
    We just need to make sure when Antonio bombs forward he is covered by who ever is playing in front of him

  7. Its a joke right ?
    We let tonks go ? And replace him with a 27 year old , who can make the same mistakes defensivly , just getting started right winger who would walk into the england set up , he has and proved he will be more than a handfull going forward and on top of that he gets back anyway ! A perfect right sided grafter !
    If this is true I can’t see him wanting to stay , he is no full back , there’s no one at our club who can cover for him if and when he gets forward and gets caught short ! No one has his box to box power !
    What a waste of promising talent ! If true !
    Big mistake IMO .

  8. It look’s like you all got managerials knowledge,like the most in certain site we all love so much..;-),infact,for the moment i was wandering am i on the c&h site or what..

    • WHTID,C&H,much of a muchness these days.Its a shame,i used to enjoy reading the banter amongst the chaps on here.It was refreshing compared to the master tacticians & some inflated egos on WHTID who think they know everything about football.

      • Does that mean you won’t be coming back then , it seems you know better than people expressing their point of view , let’s face it all you do is dig people out for expressing theirs . Do us all a favour find another site if it mugs you off !
        You won’t be missed .

  9. Imagine that every player in our squad start questioning Slav’s decisions like you do?Coy!!

  10. In Slav we trust? I want to, but I don’t any more. Ditto DS. Bacca purchase smacks of desperation and actually PAYING for the privlidge of him coming in acting the big boss?? Swaggering around the dressing room like he owns it? Bet the other players will love that!!….and NOW ‘banishing’ Antonio to RB??? This is BONKERS!
    Next summer when Ginge will prob retire, we are going to miss Tomkins. We could have used this year to properly toughen up Burke, Reece, Samuelson in the Championship, while keeping Tomkins…Europe would have given him more playing time etc….
    Its lunatics have taken over the asylum time.
    OMG…Of course! Our nemesis “Just like my Dreams” is haunting us once again; it’s back to “Have foot, will shoot it off!” time….The REAL West Ham way!!
    Well, of course, that is a bit of an exaggeration, but if Antonio is having his better nature and good attitude p1ssed on. He showed by mistake in an aside that he didn’t want to be playing RB. Of course he doesn’t! He’s a goal machine. We are asking him to play in leg irons at RB!
    He’ll be off; he won’t want to, we won’t want him to, but in the face of such intransigence and outright stupidity, who could blame him?
    “Fade and die” is alive an kicking again….Depressing…Maybe, the failurenomics in our DNA is just too strong for even the greatest of minds like the 2 Davids and Slav….
    But who knows, maybe it will all end happily ever after! I would love to be wrong (as I often am!!)

  11. Maybe you should get back to Wetpants Cometh The Moment.I think you have over done the drama a wee bit too much this time lol

  12. Antonio,RB,NO NO NOOOOOOOOOO

  13. Back to professional ideas and the same amateur actions. If we need a RB buy a RB. Oh we can’t get a decent striker – Adrian’s big and strong we’ll play him centre forward.

  14. Really can’t see him being happy with that at all. Hopefully it’s all smoke and mirrors stuff. Would rather train him up as our “20 goals a season” striker. He’s have more chance scoring 20 than stopping 20 go in at the other end.

  15. Why doesn’t the club/Slav at least tell us WHY they want Antonio as RB? Nearly all the comments above are expressing their dismay; it’s a fair question, isn’t it?

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