Allardyce On Left Backs

[LouReedwalkonthewildside]

I think the negativity on Martina on this board and toffeeweb over the past few months is blown out of proportion. He is obviously an easy target because he came for free and was a Koeman favourite at his old club.

Firstly I'll say he makes mistakes, he'll miss a clearance or a header and it'll lead to a goal. But I think he's defensively very solid for most games and there are some games where he's good for 75 minutes, and he'll have a brain fade for 10-15 minutes. Other teams also much prefer to target Jonjoe Kenny's side rather than Martina's, because he's easier to get past. Martina has good size, isn't slow and can read the play better. He also puts in a much better effort and appears to give a s*** on the pitch as opposed to mercs like Schneiderlin who walked into the team on reputation. In fact, I'd even go so far as to say, Martina's a better signing than Sigurdsson because he was 45m cheaper and can play in the first 11. He's also just a backup/squad player, and Baines is out at the moment.

Anyway I think people should give him a chance.

Don't know what games you've been watching mate, but Martina is targeted by nearly every team we play because they realise how poor he is.

"He can read the play better" you're deffo on a wind-up now, he is absolutely terrible at reading the game, his positional sense is that bad it's great for a laugh if you're on a downer.

 

[toffee-L]

Don't know what games you've been watching mate, but Martina is targeted by nearly every team we play because they realise how poor he is.

"He can read the play better" you're deffo on a wind-up now, he is absolutely terrible at reading the game, his positional sense is that bad it's great for a laugh if you're on a downer.

I don't agree with @arbok that Kenny is easier to past than Cuco or that we're over-exaggerating how bad Martina is (he's awful), but he's not wrong that teams have targeted Kenny over Cuco. Away at Bournemouth they exclusively targeted Kenny with Fraser - and minced him. Away at Spurs, Kenny was the prime target for Son (yes they did attack Cuco's flank as well but not as heavily). Manchester United tried to find pockets in behind our midfield but when they did attack the flanks it was usually Martial against Kenny.

I believed going into January that we needed to sign fullbacks for both sides. I know Kenny is young but he hasn't been good enough and I think he needs a loan in the championship to toughen and smarten him up. Throwing him to the wolves every game in the Premier League isn't the right way to improve him. Martina is obviously a lost cause and how he hasn't been replaced is bordering on criminal negligence in a football sense.

 

[LouReedwalkonthewildside]

I don't agree with @arbok that Kenny is easier to past than Cuco or that we're over-exaggerating how bad Martina is (he's awful), but he's not wrong that teams have targeted Kenny over Cuco. Away at Bournemouth they exclusively targeted Kenny with Fraser - and minced him. Away at Spurs, Kenny was the prime target for Son (yes they did attack Cuco's flank as well but not as heavily). Manchester United tried to find pockets in behind our midfield but when they did attack the flanks it was usually Martial against Kenny.

I believed going into January that we needed to sign fullbacks for both sides. I know Kenny is young but he hasn't been good enough and I think he needs a loan in the championship to toughen and smarten him up. Throwing him to the wolves every game in the Premier League isn't the right way to improve him. Martina is obviously a lost cause and how he hasn't been replaced is bordering on criminal negligence in a football sense.

Kenny defensively I've always thought wasn't great, but his game is all about his forward play, now it looks like Allardyce has told him not to cross the half way line, he's become less effective.

 

[Pabbers]

Kenny defensively I've always thought wasn't great, but his game is all about his forward play, now it looks like Allardyce has told him to not cross the half way line, he's become less effective.

Shocked that people dont see this.....clearly stifled by instrcutions.

 

[LouReedwalkonthewildside]

Shocked that people dont see this.....clearly stifled by instrcutions.

Deffo mate.

 

[toffeeblue9]

Didnt he break his ankle in the august? you need to give a certain degree of leeway to someone coming back from injuries like that, i dont expect well see the best of coleman till next season for example

He was out for about 6 weeks at the beginning of that season with ligament damage

There was a game where he was so bad (I have a feeling it was against Blackburn) that the Fulham manager dragged him off in the first half

The basic problem with him is that he simply can't defend and (allegedly) his attitude has been lacking

Great left foot, can cross a ball and good from set pieces but on the slow side and how he's got to this age on £30k per week with a Premier League club yet be as defensively poor as he is beggars belief

But - I do get the argument that he can't be as bad as Martina (I think he can actually, potentially even worse, but not by much)

 

[Nymzee]

Kenny defensively I've always thought wasn't great, but his game is all about his forward play, now it looks like Allardyce has told him not to cross the half way line, he's become less effective.

I don't think this has ever really been the case from watching him since England U17's.

 

[Michael Tsui]

Kenny defensively I've always thought wasn't great, but his game is all about his forward play, now it looks like Allardyce has told him not to cross the half way line, he's become less effective.

He isn't. He is more of an old-school full back, 70% defending and 30% attacking. Nowadays its the reverse, and the amount of defense is usually reduced to "stop the winger from running inside, and try to block crosses".

 

[MikeH72]

I was happy to give him the benefit of the doubt in those first couple of months due to being left an absolute disgrace of a squad to work with by Ronald Koeman. However, the failure to identify and bring in a left back or even a left sided player of any description, along with the frankly insulting attempts to pull the wool over our eyes regarding how good Martina is, have not done him any favours at all. He has to be held as accountable as Walsh if we end up balls deep in the [Poor language removed] these next few weeks.

 

[Yarrgh]

It is an absolute disgrace. Walsh has had since last summer to draw up a list of targets, in a position we are desperately short of cover. If we can’t find a left back (as allardyce says in this window) then maybe Walsh needs replacing with someone who can. Just what does Steve Walsh do with his time? Apparently looking for left backs is not one of the answers.

I hope there would be a list with replacements/ improvements for every position. Hell, there should have already been a list before Walsh got here with all this for him to modify/ update.

I am truly nonplussed by the absence of a decent left back not being in place last summer, given we only had Baines entering the twilight of his career, and why Garbutt isn't registered boggles my mind - even if the manager doesn't rate him and doesn't have any intent to play him, it at least negates any drop in his value if he were to be sold.

 

[evertonarntwe]

I don't agree with @arbok that Kenny is easier to past than Cuco or that we're over-exaggerating how bad Martina is (he's awful), but he's not wrong that teams have targeted Kenny over Cuco. Away at Bournemouth they exclusively targeted Kenny with Fraser - and minced him. Away at Spurs, Kenny was the prime target for Son (yes they did attack Cuco's flank as well but not as heavily). Manchester United tried to find pockets in behind our midfield but when they did attack the flanks it was usually Martial against Kenny.

I believed going into January that we needed to sign fullbacks for both sides. I know Kenny is young but he hasn't been good enough and I think he needs a loan in the championship to toughen and smarten him up. Throwing him to the wolves every game in the Premier League isn't the right way to improve him. Martina is obviously a lost cause and how he hasn't been replaced is bordering on criminal negligence in a football sense.

are you sniffing cement?

do you remember spurs 1st goal? the right back aurier or whatever he's called had space to land a ryan air flight down the right because cuco the clown left that much space open


not saying Kenny is world class or anything but I'd rather have Kenny playing at left back with a fridge freezer strapped to his back than cuco the clown

people don't over egg how bad he is, he is just that bad

 

[MikeH72]

are you sniffing cement?

do you remember spurs 1st goal? the right back aurier or whatever he's called had space to land a ryan air flight down the right because cuco the clown left that much space open


not saying Kenny is world class or anything but I'd rather have Kenny playing at left back with a fridge freezer strapped to his back than cuco the clown

people don't over egg how bad he is, he is just that bad

Tell you what is over-egged, how well he's played whenever we don't get beat/get a good result. I've concluded that half the fanbase don't actually watch him as they become oblivious to the fact that the opposition have had 200 chances from crosses from the right flank that he's turned his back on.

He's genuinely never performed at above a 5/10, he can't because he doesn't have any ability. As long as he just does the absolute basics and we manage to keep the ball away from that area of the pitch enough to not cause us damage, it looks to people like he's had an amazing game.

I'm by no means a "WE'RE EVERTON WE SHOULD BE COMPETING AT THE TOP" fantasist, but we HAVE to be doing better than him. It's disgraceful that a situation has been allowed to go on where a player that wouldn't be first choice for ANY Championship team, is playing for us week in week out, and now to make matters worse our manager is trying to pretend he's actually good at things.

 

[evertonarntwe]

Tell you what is over-egged, how well he's played whenever we don't get beat/get a good result. I've concluded that half the fanbase don't actually watch him as they become oblivious to the fact that the opposition have had 200 chances from crosses from the right flank that he's turned his back on. He's genuinely never performed at above a 5/10, he can't because he doesn't have any ability. As long as he just does the basics and we manage to keep the ball away from that area of the pitch enough to not cause us damage, it looks to people like he's had an amazing game.

absolutely gets me down lad

we don't get beat and all you see from some of these fans is OH MARTINA WAS BOSS TODAY NO 1 GOT PASSED HIM, 10/10 PUT SOME SICK BALLS IN AS WELL

he honestly makes me want to punch myself in the fod repeatedly every single game, I don't even dislike him either but he just has ZERO ability, absolutely nothing in his locker to suggest he is even professional, im convinced he won a gameshow in his country and his prize is to play in the prem

 

[windymiller]

Layun, one of the left-backs that weren't available, has just joined Seville on loan until the end of the season. Had PL experience with Watford as well

 

[Big Fat Sam]

Pickford, throws it out to Kenny, played back inside to Williams, forwards to Schneiderlin who turns, passes back to Holgate who finds Gueye. There's no movement so the ball goes back to Holgate who sprays it wide for Martina. His first touch is with his right, his body shape changing from forward-facing to infield-facing, meaning he literally cannot make a forwards pass. The ball ends up back with Pickford after 90 seconds of possession where the ball hasn't even crossed the halfway line, or even worse to with one of our players under pressure who then goes on to lose it before we concede yet another silly and easily-preventable goal.