Didn't mean to be overly picky. Just pointing out why I wouldn't have him as MOTM.

As for the wider point of your post, I always try to judge players on the basis of what I have seen. And up until his recent spell in the team I have rarely (not never) seen enough to convince me he deserved to be playing. Roy seems to have had the same opinion.

However, as I posted on the match thread maybe I have underestimated the impact of confidence or lack of for him. He had a truly terrible debut (FDB's bizarre selection may have contributed towards that) but from game 1 for us his confidence may well have been low. Some players might bounce back quicker from that, ideally they would, but it does seem like playing regularly has had a very positive impact on his mentality. In the past he has looked completely overawed to me but the last couple of games he has looked far more confident on the pitch and like he is starting to believe in himself.

The only reason he was not MOM for me was that I gave it to goalkeeper for fantastic triple save.

Jairo is growing into a reasonable LB option. In the right team, trying to play a certain way, he could work as a CM. I hope the club sees him as a good future candidate. He is young and capable.

Stunning wasn't it

I saw Jairo play for u23s a few times last year... he was shit... I mean extremely very ****in shit. Even the Uber positive Bright called him out in commentary. To think Jairo has been performing this well for the last 3 years and RH has ignored him, is at best ill informed... at worst agenda driven.

There have been two players I’ve seen play for u23s that have left me cold at how utterly shit they were... Jach and Jairo.

It seems the penny has dropped with Jairo and he is being rewarded with games

And of course Mutch!

I never really saw Mutch for u23s.... but he is a disgrace... wage thief

I always remember his lazy square pass across our back line against a very young Bristol City u23 side, that was intercepted and scored from....we lost 0-1!

i wouldn’t have said **** but he didn’t show anything of what we have seen in his recent matches. He was steady, composed and comfortable but coasting tbh. I don’t mean lazy, just doing what was needed. Would say Roy etc were pretty much always at the home games streamed keeping an eye on them.

Did well in the first half an hour up against Pepe then showed his ability going forward as the game went on. A slick passer, MOM for me.

Taken time to adapt, but still a young lad, some players need a run of games to find their form. As Roy has said he has been a model professional and we haven’t made it easy for him! I like the lad and think he will be a mainstay for years to come, although I would like to see him in the middle of the park

He was lazy. Very lazy. Lazy in physical effort and the way he played... when he lost the ball he made very little effort to get the ball back. He always tried Hollywood balls... as if to try and show how good he thought he was.

Mark Bright said in comms... that Roy had told him to work harder without the ball and he was clearly upset the JR was strolling through games

Yep, he seemed to play at 50%... it must have been hard for him... Ajax to our u23s... but he needed to give 100% to prove RH wrong... not stroll through games not trying.

He seems to have got his act together... if he keeps on with the basics (hard work/fitness/attitude) he has the talent to be a fukkin awesome player.

You've written him off based on nothing and apparently being 'fat' which turned out to be an over large shirt. It's almost as if young players need developing and time especially when moving abroad with a new language and not knowing anybody FFS.

Maybe he was just disillusioned and felt isolated in a different country without family or many friends. I guess the big thing is he's pulled himself together and is taking his chance. I think a number of other clubs will be taking notice as well and wouldn't be surprised if there was interest in the summer.

Considering he hadn’t played in a year I’ve been impressed with him over the past month. Seems to be improving defensively and going forward in the left back role each week.

I (like you) don’t know the reason. I will only judge performances ... when he plays well... I’ll say so... when he plays shit... I’ll call it.
He was shocking for u23s... so was Jach... who never made the first team.. and never will (in my opinion).
I am just countering the argument put forward by some that he has been performing like this for three years and RH has been ignoring him.

I wasn't calling you out, just pondering why the performances may have been so different between now and then.

I also agree, he had chances to impress but didn't take them before. Thankfully something seems to have shifted, and he's looking like the player we hoped he could be for us.

He looked shattered for the last 10 minutes

I didn't take it as calling me out... there could be loads of reasons why he wasn't putting the effort in...
Homesick
200k a month being young and living in London
Lonely

The frustrating thing watching him play for u23s, was it was quite clear... he has brilliant technique... he just wasn't doing the basics (which any pro can do)