You have to be pleased for Robert Snodgrass whatever you may have felt about him in the past.
He suffered after Slaven Bilic brought him to the Hammers and played him out of position before letting him clear off to Villa for a season.
That he had a top campaign at Villa Park and has now returned to deliver some fine pre-season form for us, is a tribute to himself and the manager Manuel Pellegrini.
Watching him last night in the Betway Cup Final you have to ask how the former manager could have got him so terribly wrong enticing much abuse of him along the way.
To put things in perspective let’s remember that last night’s opposition, Mainz, are a pretty decent Bundesliga outfit who finished 14th in the competition last season – their tenth at the top level in Germany.
At this stage of pre-season it was an ideal game for the Irons as they build towards Liverpool and there were moments when they had few answers to Snodgrass’ runs and certainly the assist for Tony Martinez’s goal.
That the Scot then produced an identical second run to the by line and jinked his way down it before delivering a second ball for the same player showed this is a guy with lots of technical ability – Pellegrini is an admirer of such players.
His set pieces are obviously another bonus and his ability to find a pass and space in which to deliver penetrating runs down the right has been impressive and a real bonus.
It seem crazy now to see him as anything other than a valuable member of an ever deepening Hammers squad so to Mr Steve Bruce who was hoping to take him back to Villa permanently two words: “Forget it.”
Congratulations to Snoddy a bloke who is best described as a proper British pro! I’m pleased for him.
COYI
He has looked solid in pre-season, hard working and honest is how I would best describe him, will reserve judgement until PL starts on where any of the players are but they are certainly working harder than any preseason I have seen and hopefully the double session will continue through the season so that we do reach a level above previously COYI !!!
I have absolutely no problems with Snodgrass . He suddenly became a poor player under Bilic with no real reason behind it . Common denominator ; Bilic .
He is looking better as the games come . Common denominator ; Pellegrini .
We’ve had a problem for years, playing people outside their best position but that’s ofetn ben to cope with injuries to a thin squad; so it can’t be simplified as managers’ stupidity. I think Snoddy has been in that bracket. Someone’s already mentioned that Masuaku is fantastic if we don’t try to use him as LB. Antonio is magic at RW but so is Snoddy – and Yarmelenko. So is it better to leave out two of the three mentioned or ask them to play out of position? Tough call. Of the three, I think Robert’s the only one who has demonstrated midfield capablity. Open to correction – as always 🙂
Decent squad player for me, and no more.
Bilic didn’t like him for some reason. Personality clash or something with either Bilic or dicks maybe? Can’t understand why he was played out of position then shipped out to the championship. My feeling is Bilic wanted a payet replacement and wasn’t happy when Sullivan gave him Snodgrass instead. I think he deliberately played Snodgrass in payets position on the left to illustrate his point to Sullivan that Snodgrass was no dmitri payet replacement. Meanwhile Antonio has stated several times that his preferred position is on the left wing as he played for Nottingham forest. so Bilic played Antonio on the right. To make it work all Bilic needed to do was put Antonio on the left and Snodgrass on the right. Stubbornness and pride came before a fall as far as Bilic was concerned.