I have little sympathy for him. In truth, he has a whirlwind 15 weeks when he arrived, after that he was just ok until twitter chat of Williams started, why he saw an uplift in form. That suggests it’s was more of an effort/application matter than anything else (unless there was a spurious and coincidental injury)
Realistically, Myler was (and I’d argue still is) a superior half/pivot (whatever they’re called these days, numbers 1,6,7) than Austin. Myler has a better pass selection and is a calmer influence in the line, in my opinion.
Austin, when passing, always looks rushed. Which is a huge criticism of a half back. I remember Jason Smith coming over to Hull and Everton waxing lyrical about how much time he had on the ball. In truth, they all have the same time, it’s just how quickly they digest what is happening around them.
This was one of my criticisms of Bridge at 6. He actually COULD do everything. But could he do everything at pace, under pressure… no. Austin is an expensive Bridge, who also couldn’t displace Myler.
That said, buying marquees should not be a fast and loose process. In football terms, Leeds Utd had a really good crack isn’t he 90’s and early 2000’s when they spent big and bought names, shortly after they disappeared into the abyss of misadministration. We can’t let that become our fortune by replacing lagging journeymen another
