I'm going to take some consolation of the fact that Leicester are surprisingly handy and have a couple of players that Martinez should be watching like a hawk, Arsenal & Chelsea have undeniably improved this year and Palace have done what they do best... win at Goodison, as they have done in 4 out of 6 Premiership visits.
However, I just can't get over how badly Distin has fallen from grace, he worked wonders alongside Stones at times last season so I just don't get it, has the summer finally forced the effects of old father time on him?.... I was at the Wolfsburg game and it was a privilege watching Stones defend so well against some decent, pacy opposition, with him at CB alongside Jags I'll be less inclined to drink bleach.
What scares me most is that scoring first is no longer sufficient. Oh sure conceding first on the road is no longer the death sentence it was, but at least back in the day we had CB captains who led through equal fear and respect, Dave Watson immediately springs to mind. Without him we'd have ended up like Sheffield Wednesday, and if any other player didn't put a shift in, he'd ballock them long before Walker/Royle/Kendall/Smith ever could.
David Weir kind of the same, still doesn't get the recognition he deserves I feel.
Phil Jagielka was our best defender during our days when he WASN'T captain, it's just a shame he had to play under that negative Manc cricketer, who is really only famous for once crunching Ronaldo and apparently "turning our season around".
I think Jags is far too nice and mild-mannered to be a captain, ditto Baines. We need a captain who is a complete and utter barsteward like Roy Keane. Barry is the closest we have to meeting that description, but he's still not in the same league of barstewardy as Keane.... we need, as Brick Top describes, a NEMESIS as captain....
"A righteous infliction of retribution (on Gerrard et al) manifested by an appropriate agent personified. in this case, by a horrible kant!"
15 goals conceded in our last five home games.... that's three goals condeded every home game. It's disgraceful, and as much as I welcome the "evolved" football Martinez has brought to GP, I don't think we ever had that sort of home record under Moyes.... it's just not good enough.
I also think people are out of order for slating Howard so much, he was dynamite against Wolfsburg, easily in his top 5 games for us over eight years. McCarthy is a victim of his own success, he'll be fine, We miss Barkley.... a lot.
My concern is defence, we are relying on Stones staying fit to stay in the Premier League. Have we ever been in that situation before?
