Hanlan’s OK and it’s not his fault that we often try and play him in a role he’s not suited for (target man), but you’d think they could attract better given their profile and resources.
He has the physical qualities to be an attacker who sits on the centre forward ready to pick up a flick on or through pass. We never seem to play that tactic and he never seems to perform that role. Phillips played it more in 45 minutes than Hanlan has in many games and looked dangerous as a result.
Hanlan on form is very good player. I think he lacks confidence and doesn't fit into our system , which is a shame because he has shown flashes of brilliance. I agree with @TheAndyGrahamFanClub that he is a "second striker". Not a 10, not a winger and not a centre forward. I think he would be good in a pairing with a Scott Kashket type player.
The final straw for me was when we were losing to Sunderland at Wembley, he burst down the wing, looked a real threat, got the crowd on the edge of their seats.....shaped to square it or hook one into the far post........then hit a shot like a 7 year old in a playground playing with a slightly unravelled rolled up sock straight to the keeper at the near post.
Some good posts here. Mustard has produced some breathtaking moments, but @thecatwwfc's comment above about being the slightly wrong fit for the system looks spot on. He does seem to be a player who needs the right club to thrive, and I hope he finds it (and makes us some money!).
We don’t seem to be able to accommodate that kind of striker. No doubting the qualities of Hanlan and AAH2.0 but they don’t seem to be able to fit into our teams. And with AAH2.0 rumoured to be going for big bucks maybe the player is not the problem.
Aah2 was a youth prospect who never got picked under a manager who has now gone, Hanlan was an established player, has had lots of opportunities and seems to be half the player he was a couple of years ago.
I'm quite a critic of Hanlan but I will say that we don't play to his strengths. AAH2.0 was absolutely a rough diamond but a rough diamond that hit the ground running at Wimbledon and never looked back so he wasn't that rough. Both players are quick and powerful and look for a particular ball 'round the corner' or over the top for them to run onto. All too often we by-pass the midfield who are capable of creating that ball (under GA and MB). I will say with the most creative midfield we have had in my memory it would be a waste to continue this by-pass and look to create this kind of opportunity for a Hanlan or an AAH2.0 type player. The knock it up to the big man and see what happens cannot be our only tactic.
I really want his career with us to take off but so far all I can say is that line that was on so many of my school reports, disappointing but I’m sure he does his best.
I think we nailed it with Hanlan when he had a spell as the left of 3 attackers. Unfortunately for him Mehmeti then blew up and made that position 100% his own.
Never liked him on the right, and He'll never be a target man.
Off a big man as 2nd striker like you say then.
But slightly bemused how you'd see it working with him and a Kashket type.
He's not someone who'll thread the ball through, and he's not someone who will head it on for him.
I said a Kashket type because I think Hanlan would be better finding little pockets made for him by a tricky little striker. It hasn't worked with Vokes' flick ons and through balls so not sure I follow that idea either. Which leads us back to the point.....what the hell is he?!??! Haha
I remember thinking midway through his first season with us (after his goal at home against Oxford) that Hanlan would be a good target for a shrewd championship club, so it’s a shame he hasn’t really been able to build on that positive start to life at AP.
I do think he’s someone who could get 10 goals a season regularly in the right system, which is probably playing as a second striker with a traditional target man next to him, or in the middle of front 3 with wingers who drag defenders away from him. On the few occasions we’ve played him in that second striker role here, the service into Vokes often hasn’t been good enough and therefore there’s been even less for Hanlan to work with.
That said - I also think like many strikers in L1 and L2, Hanlan is just a little inconsistent, who can and will go through periods of looking unstoppable and then have 3 or 4 shockers in a row. That’s just the nature of how he plays and I don’t think we can reasonably expect that to change.
He feels too good for L2 level but Wrexham clearly have ambitions to go higher (and likely already have a wage bill higher than us), so I’d more than understand if Brandon felt the time was right to seek a move. He seems like a distant third in this pecking order and at this stage in his career he’ll want to be a weekly starter. You’d imagine we’d get more than the £150k-odd we paid for him, so not bad business all round.
Personally I think GA saw Hanlan as the sort of player he could mould into Uche mk 2.
For whatever reason, style of play, coaching or natural limitations or whatever that never happened and Hanlan remains a little too one dimensional to add much more than the occasional sparks of footballing skill in the type of football we play.
Shame as it always feels he could (perhaps should) have been a standout striker for us.
(I know he’s not left but I really can’t seeing hit any prolonged form regardless of any system we play.
’Anywhere near’ £150k feels like a low bar for a 26 yr old L1 striker with pace, and to a club like Wrexham who have not been shy in spending where they feel necessary. My reasoning for suggesting we’d get more is that I’d also be very surprised if the club let him go for a loss, given he’s still involved in the first team picture and therefore we haven’t been planning to sell him.
Comments
Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie as the new Chairboys owners…scenes!
To be fair, I have heard some footballer being less intelligent than the characters those two recently played.
’’My job is Football. I kick ball”
I'm seeing more parallels with MK Dons...
-They took Wimbledon for a ride
-Life in plastic etc etc
Margot is a Fulham fan anyway
Wrexham interested in Hanlan. Could be a good move for all parties if true
Hopefully they don't discover from this site that 500k is the magic number that will secure him.
I find that an odd one.
Hanlan’s OK and it’s not his fault that we often try and play him in a role he’s not suited for (target man), but you’d think they could attract better given their profile and resources.
But if it works out for both parties then great.
Isn’t it a 1 million buy out clause😉
He has the physical qualities to be an attacker who sits on the centre forward ready to pick up a flick on or through pass. We never seem to play that tactic and he never seems to perform that role. Phillips played it more in 45 minutes than Hanlan has in many games and looked dangerous as a result.
He would leave with my frustrated best wishes.
I heard £2.5m will secure him.. and we're happy to make it undisclosed.
Hanlan can either be Maradona or an absolute mess. Will spoon a pass and shank a touch, or will take it through everyone like v Weds last season.
I'm unbothered if he leaves
v. Ipswich was his top moment last year
Hanlan on form is very good player. I think he lacks confidence and doesn't fit into our system , which is a shame because he has shown flashes of brilliance. I agree with @TheAndyGrahamFanClub that he is a "second striker". Not a 10, not a winger and not a centre forward. I think he would be good in a pairing with a Scott Kashket type player.
The final straw for me was when we were losing to Sunderland at Wembley, he burst down the wing, looked a real threat, got the crowd on the edge of their seats.....shaped to square it or hook one into the far post........then hit a shot like a 7 year old in a playground playing with a slightly unravelled rolled up sock straight to the keeper at the near post.
Some good posts here. Mustard has produced some breathtaking moments, but @thecatwwfc's comment above about being the slightly wrong fit for the system looks spot on. He does seem to be a player who needs the right club to thrive, and I hope he finds it (and makes us some money!).
Get where you're going but he can't be maradona any more than he can be Madonna.
We don’t seem to be able to accommodate that kind of striker. No doubting the qualities of Hanlan and AAH2.0 but they don’t seem to be able to fit into our teams. And with AAH2.0 rumoured to be going for big bucks maybe the player is not the problem.
Aah2 was a youth prospect who never got picked under a manager who has now gone, Hanlan was an established player, has had lots of opportunities and seems to be half the player he was a couple of years ago.
I'm quite a critic of Hanlan but I will say that we don't play to his strengths. AAH2.0 was absolutely a rough diamond but a rough diamond that hit the ground running at Wimbledon and never looked back so he wasn't that rough. Both players are quick and powerful and look for a particular ball 'round the corner' or over the top for them to run onto. All too often we by-pass the midfield who are capable of creating that ball (under GA and MB). I will say with the most creative midfield we have had in my memory it would be a waste to continue this by-pass and look to create this kind of opportunity for a Hanlan or an AAH2.0 type player. The knock it up to the big man and see what happens cannot be our only tactic.
Yes, thank you
I really want his career with us to take off but so far all I can say is that line that was on so many of my school reports, disappointing but I’m sure he does his best.
I think we nailed it with Hanlan when he had a spell as the left of 3 attackers. Unfortunately for him Mehmeti then blew up and made that position 100% his own.
Never liked him on the right, and He'll never be a target man.
Off a big man as 2nd striker like you say then.
But slightly bemused how you'd see it working with him and a Kashket type.
He's not someone who'll thread the ball through, and he's not someone who will head it on for him.
@StrongestTeam: pure Wendovermanian.
@Malone: it’s actually quite hard to discern just what kind of a someone he is in football terms.
He's a pacy strong runner. Sometimes unstoppable, sometimes can barely control it.
I said a Kashket type because I think Hanlan would be better finding little pockets made for him by a tricky little striker. It hasn't worked with Vokes' flick ons and through balls so not sure I follow that idea either. Which leads us back to the point.....what the hell is he?!??! Haha
Is it a bird, is it a plane……,.
I remember thinking midway through his first season with us (after his goal at home against Oxford) that Hanlan would be a good target for a shrewd championship club, so it’s a shame he hasn’t really been able to build on that positive start to life at AP.
I do think he’s someone who could get 10 goals a season regularly in the right system, which is probably playing as a second striker with a traditional target man next to him, or in the middle of front 3 with wingers who drag defenders away from him. On the few occasions we’ve played him in that second striker role here, the service into Vokes often hasn’t been good enough and therefore there’s been even less for Hanlan to work with.
That said - I also think like many strikers in L1 and L2, Hanlan is just a little inconsistent, who can and will go through periods of looking unstoppable and then have 3 or 4 shockers in a row. That’s just the nature of how he plays and I don’t think we can reasonably expect that to change.
He feels too good for L2 level but Wrexham clearly have ambitions to go higher (and likely already have a wage bill higher than us), so I’d more than understand if Brandon felt the time was right to seek a move. He seems like a distant third in this pecking order and at this stage in his career he’ll want to be a weekly starter. You’d imagine we’d get more than the £150k-odd we paid for him, so not bad business all round.
Personally I think GA saw Hanlan as the sort of player he could mould into Uche mk 2.
For whatever reason, style of play, coaching or natural limitations or whatever that never happened and Hanlan remains a little too one dimensional to add much more than the occasional sparks of footballing skill in the type of football we play.
Shame as it always feels he could (perhaps should) have been a standout striker for us.
(I know he’s not left but I really can’t seeing hit any prolonged form regardless of any system we play.
Their goalie has played a blinder.
You have to laugh at this guy if you think we’re getting anywhere near £150k for Hanlan
‘this guy’ - really..?
’Anywhere near’ £150k feels like a low bar for a 26 yr old L1 striker with pace, and to a club like Wrexham who have not been shy in spending where they feel necessary. My reasoning for suggesting we’d get more is that I’d also be very surprised if the club let him go for a loss, given he’s still involved in the first team picture and therefore we haven’t been planning to sell him.