Young Centre Backs

[emb]

I'm sure it will help that Stones gets a run-out for England tonight. Should bring his match sharpness along a bit more.

Was hoping Jags might get a little more match practice, at the expense of the national side. Alas.

Not entirely convinced of the merit of Stones getting game time if he's being played out of position.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Was hoping Jags might get a little more match practice, at the expense of the national side. Alas.

Not entirely convinced of the merit of Stones getting game time if he's being played out of position.

More for his fitness than anything else.

 

[FTY]

Galloway wasn't ready for MK

 

[Bilko]

Too early to be writing off Jags,he had a stinker on Saturday,confidence has taken a knock over the summer,that's temporary.I don't believe our back four falls apart overnight, Albion will be the perfect fixture to get the season running

 

[mightymoyes]

I'm sure it will help that Stones gets a run-out for England tonight. Should bring his match sharpness along a bit more.

playing right back though. should only be there as last resort.

 

[Saint Domingo]

playing right back though. should only be there as last resort.

Cue the kopite media who will try and ruin his international career on the back of playing one game out of position. Would Terry or Ferdinand ever have been put at full back to fill a gap? No. No doubt Chambers who is actually a full back will see a starting centre back slot before Stones purely because he plays for Arsenal.

Stones will be the best of all of them and should be in our starting line up never mind Englands.

 

[bluestevon]

I think being picked for RB for England is revealing. It shows that outsiders looking in agree with those of us who aren't convinced whether Stones actually is a CB; his positional sense is wayward and at international level he'd be exposed even more than he is in the PL. Mind you, RB isn't his position either. For my money he'd look more at home further up the field in, say, Barry's position. A less aggressive player than Barry but someone suited to taking the ball off the defence.

Unless Galloway or Browning are outstanding, I believe we should be looking at buying in two CBs in the next 12 months. I'd defo go back for Van Dijk - though he'll be CL eligible again by then and I believe we've missed our window of opportunity on him.

Dave i think it's more a sign that Hodgson is absolutely clueless, remember this is the same Hodgson who brought Konchesky to the rs as a fullback

Huge difference playing stones a s a rb due to coleman being injured and having only hibbert as an alternative, and choosing out of all the english players to wedge in stones at rb

 

[bluestevon]

I don't think it's as simple as saying Jags is playing poorly lets drop him, because he's the captain. It gives Martinez an incredibly tough decision to make, an he'd have to play poorly for at least another 10 games before he'd be forced into changing him.

Distin, although unspectacular has been slightly more reliable this year and his confidence at least doesn't seem entirely shot.

We'll persist with them as they've by turned gash overnight but I'm not sure these two are enjoying themselves at the moment and I doubt they're looking forward to the next game.

Barry and McCarthy haven't been great so far at offering them protection though either, it's a central problem above all else.

Mate if Martinez is ambitious and as good a manager as we all hope/believe he is, it won't take him a further ten games of the sort of performances Jags has put in this season before he makes a change, he's not an idiot as the tail end of last season showed when he almost certainly was keeping Jags return to the first team delayed due to the partnership between stones and distin working so well (bollox about it being to make sure he was 100% and all the not jeopardizing his world cup by a re-occurrence of the injury guff spouted - the derby showed that he was willing to rush players back if he felt they were vital as did a few other occasions)

 

[bluemangroup]

I think its an over reaction.

The start of the season always throws up mad results and not just with us. Just look around you get strange scores all over Europe.

We wont concede 6 every week or even 2. They have just been on a bad run of form, it wont last.

Stones could do with coming in more i suppose as age is catching up on Jagielka and Distin but they havnt turned to crap just because of a poor run.

And then immediately below

John Stones should be the first centre half on the team sheet.

He hasn't been for the first three games and we've conceded 10.

If he starts against West Brom like he should I bet you we'll keep a clean sheet.

IMO opinion he is the best defender at the club. I've said it before and I'll say it again.

The debate for me is whether to play him for Distin or Jagielka and at the moment you'll have a case for both.

 

[argietoffee]

Jay, post: 2990452, member: 239"]Looking forward to a cup or Europa League game where our back 4 will be all English:

Stones - Browning - Galloway - Garbutt[/QUOTE]
I look forward to the day when we can clone seamus Coleman

 

[davek]

Dave i think it's more a sign that Hodgson is absolutely clueless, remember this is the same Hodgson who brought Konchesky to the rs as a fullback

Huge difference playing stones a s a rb due to coleman being injured and having only hibbert as an alternative, and choosing out of all the english players to wedge in stones at rb

I agree he's not a RB - Hodgson is certainly out of step there. But I wouldn't blame him or anyone else for looking at how exposed he's been as a CB and coming to the conclusion he's not ready/suited to play at the top level in that position. We all like to see ball playing CBs - but he looks ill equipped to deal with the defensive side of that role. I think people are desperately forcing a square peg into a round hole with Stones. He's got a big future ahead of him, I just don't see it at CB. I think Barry started out as a CB and (similar to stone) was used as a FB before it was recognised he was obviously much more suited to a CM berth. I believe that'll be Stones route.

 

[Titus Bramble]

I agree he's not a RB - Hodgson is certainly out of step there. But I wouldn't blame him or anyone else for looking at how exposed he's been as a CB and coming to the conclusion he's not ready/suited to play at the top level in that position. We all like to see ball playing CBs - but he looks ill equipped to deal with the defensive side of that role. I think people are desperately forcing a square peg into a round hole with Stones. He's got a big future ahead of him, I just don't see it at CB. I think Barry started out as a CB and (similar to stone) was used as a FB before it was recognised he was obviously much more suited to a CM berth. I believe that'll be Stones route.

You could be right but a defensive midfielder can be caught out of position just as much as a center half. Either way he's got a lot to learn. He's not a right back though. Fcuk knows why Woy is playing him at all if he doesn't want to play him at CB.

 

[bluestevon]

I agree he's not a RB - Hodgson is certainly out of step there. But I wouldn't blame him or anyone else for looking at how exposed he's been as a CB and coming to the conclusion he's not ready/suited to play at the top level in that position. We all like to see ball playing CBs - but he looks ill equipped to deal with the defensive side of that role. I think people are desperately forcing a square peg into a round hole with Stones. He's got a big future ahead of him, I just don't see it at CB. I think Barry started out as a CB and (similar to stone) was used as a FB before it was recognised he was obviously much more suited to a CM berth. I believe that'll be Stones route.

Dave discounting pre season - as lets face it ours was a joke one anyways, how exactly has stones been exposed playing cb in meaningful games for us? last season think we had a record of 10 wins 1 draw 3 losses with him starting as a cb with 6 clean sheets including Newcastle away, Arsenal at home, United at home and vs a lot of different types of striker - carroll springs to mind in the west ham game when stones dominated him

Its at RB that he's been badly exposed - most notably in the derby game - and leicester this year also

 

[MACCA75]

It's way way too early to want Galloway in the team, like 2 years early.

Jags is a quality defender having a dip in form, it happens. Let's not throw out the baby with the bathwater here.

 

[EvertonFury19]

Part of me wishes Everton had gone after Alberto Moreno, even if he plays LB. Young talent who can take over for Baines down the road or at least give him some time off in European league play.