Massimo Luongo is the best midfielder in the championship

[Tarbie]

Jesus. It's like dealing with a love struck teenager.......

I was about to same the same. I like Luongo, but the Love In going on in this thread is embarrassing.

Nas, I will just say that me and many others on here all said last season that we weren't getting the best out of Luongo cos we played him too defensively. You argued at the time that wasn't the case, and he was one of the best defensive midfielders in the league.

I think I even said a few times that I saw him as an attacking midfielder. Not a number 10, more of a Frank Lampard type. At the time I was shot down by many, including you!

[West Acton]

I was about to same the same. I like Luongo, but the Love In going on in this thread is embarrassing.

Nas, I will just say that me and many others on here all said last season that we weren't getting the best out of Luongo cos we played him too defensively. You argued at the time that wasn't the case, and he was one of the best defensive midfielders in the league.

I think I even said a few times that I saw him as an attacking midfielder. Not a number 10, more of Frank Lampard type. At the time I was shot down by many, including you!

Very true. Was playing within himself last season different player this. Prob had more shots on target this season then he did whole last

[Tarbie]

Very true. Was playing within himself last season different player this. Prob had more shots on target this season then he did whole last

http://www.wearetherangersboys.com/f...ight=australia

Here is one of the threads. A few who have commented on here may have changed their tune I suspect!

[corbray]

Sorry but I totally disagree with everything said here and so do the statistics. He's always been this comfortable on the ball, he's just done it in a deeper role. He's better than Scowen is at the role they took, he just also happens to be better at attacking than anyone else we've had in recent years.

Just for added proof, Scowen makes 1.6 tackles per game and 1.6 interceptions. Last season and the season before, taking up the same role as Scowen did, Luongo made 3.5 and 2.6 tackles per game while making 1.9 and 1.6 interceptions per game in both seasons prior to this one. Add on to that the fact that Scowen has given away more fouls and blocked fewer shots per game than Luongo did last season and the season before.

This isn't to say Scowen isn't good, on the contrary, I think he's fantastic and he's letting Freeman and Luongo be more attacking (Even though this season still, Luongo is making more tackles, more interceptions, fewer fouls and more blocks so he's in fact still our hardest working defensive player), it's just that Luongo was still fantastic and better than Scowen in that role last season. What I will say is I'd rather us using Scowen and Luongo this way than using Luongo and someone else in our squad in this role.

Scowen is fantastic and he's great at what he does. Luongo is better than him at what he does at it stands, while offering even more. To say that Scowen would be missed more than Luongo is imo very incorrect and will very likely be seen over the course of the season.

stats don't tell the entire story though nass. i'd much rather have freeman, scowen and luongo in midfield than freeman, last seasons luongo and this seasons luongo as scowen pure and simple is better suited to the role than luongo ever was hence why we've started the season so well

[1973 ranger]

Sad thing is it has taken 3 managers 2 seasons to work out he is not a defensive midfielder. I was shot down by Nas last season for suggesting he was no good in a midfield pair. 2 footed who can dribble and pick a pass so clear to see where he is best deployed.

[Rangers77]

Began his improvement when played in a three with Manning and Freeman; now Scowen and Freeman, where he's been better. Was wretched under Jimmy. Especially with Chery as number 10. Clearly that was more Jimmy's fault than his.

[Hitman34]

Would it help if I added an 'IMO' to the thread title?

Please do stan

[dave58]

Anyone who isn't blinkered can see the difference, that Scowen's made , missing cog doesn't lose the ball as much as the other 2 do in the danger areas does all the graft of covering the back4/5 which allows Freeman and Luongo to go forward and play so when/if they give it away further up the pitch doesn't have the same dangerous effect, the reason the team looks better and more balanced and is down to scowen's inclusion, he would be a bigger loss to the team at the moment than both Freeman & Luongo but all 3 doing well at the moment and hopefully they'll show consistency over the next dozen or so games, (3 or 4 games isn't consistency by the way Nas) playing against one of the better midfields Saturday lets se how they fare, over run a bit Tuesday especially 1st half

[CroydonCaptainJack]

Anyone who isn't blinkered can see the difference, that Scowen's made , missing cog doesn't lose the ball as much as the other 2 do in the danger areas does all the graft of covering the back4/5 which allows Freeman and Luongo to go forward and play so when/if they give it away further up the pitch doesn't have the same dangerous effect, the reason the team looks better and more balanced and is down to scowen's inclusion, he would be a bigger loss to the team at the moment than both Freeman & Luongo but all 3 doing well at the moment and hopefully they'll show consistency over the next dozen or so games, (3 or 4 games isn't consistency by the way Nas) playing against one of the better midfields Saturday lets se how they fare, over run a bit Tuesday especially 1st half

[hal9thou]

Its pretty obvious that Mas benefits from current personnel and set up and is playing well. No one would dispute any of that, and tbf to Nas when Mas was struggling there were plenty of people on here who couldn't see a way forward with him. No one likes being reminded how poor their judgement was (about Mas or CW). But......

....... best MF in championship should really be decided at the end of term.

Apart from CW and Mas I disagreed with Naz about allmost everything else but - I like Naz's enthusiasm and I like the way he gets the board going on football matters.

[Cjskinz]

Basically, we'd be lost without Scowen

We'd be lost without Freeman

We'd be lost without Luongo

All excellent and among the best in the league at what they do.

[Shepherds Mush]

Scowen is fantastic and he's great at what he does. Luongo is better than him at what he does at it stands, while offering even more.

If Luongo is a better DM than Scowen then why didn't Holloway say Luongo will be his DM and then go and buy an attacking midfielder instead of Scowen?

Because Scowen is a DM specialist and Luongo is an attacking CM.

[Kevin Mcleod]

Please do stan

But its not just nassers opinion, he is statistically the best midfielder in the division thus far.
Honestly reckon the IMO should of been left off untill he isnt.

[1QPRDK]

But its not just nassers opinion, he is statistically the best midfielder in the division thus far.
Honestly reckon the IMO should of been left off untill he isnt.

Agreed. Might as well put IMO after every other thread title then.

[Stanley]

Please do stan

But its not just nassers opinion, he is statistically the best midfielder in the division thus far.
Honestly reckon the IMO should of been left off untill he isnt.

Agreed. Might as well put IMO after every other thread title then.

Many thread titles don't give such a strident personal opinion as this - not to mention one that has caused so much argument. But whatever, I'll take it off then.

You can never please all of the people all of the time

Or perhaps someone could start a poll on whether the title should contain an 'IMO' or not