Baxter? How did he do?

GhostOfDixie · August 17, 2008

NeoNaoNeo said:
100 quid he dont get 10.

Bigging him up far too much if youve not even seen him

I have seen him play.

Chang Elephant · August 17, 2008

Rodwell played ok - suffered from having Jags next to him (never a midfielder even as stopgap), and Baines on the other side hiding.

Baxter was good and will have to be played this early on in his career, after all, Neville has to be played and he's not a footballer.

GhostOfDixie · August 17, 2008

Chang Elephant said:
Rodwell played ok - suffered from having Jags next to him (never a midfielder even as stopgap), and Baines on the other side hiding.

Baxter was good and will have to be played this early on in his career, after all, Neville has to be played and he's not a footballer.

Though Baines was at left back, according to City he was.

18{EFC}78 · August 17, 2008

I was in the Family Enclosure and he brightened the place up when he came on, the crowd really took to him and he was chasing down every loose ball. Skillful too and wanted the ball (even had a go at Arteta for not passing to him! At 16!! I like it!). He never looked out of place, was eager and not one bit nervous. Deffo one for the future.

What a different day it would have been if he had put his chance away, but never mind.

He will have loads more chances to score in the future.

He is a nailed on cert to be playing regular first team football in the very near future, if not as of now, due to our current ineptitude in the transfer market and totally threadbare squad.

HalewoodBlue · August 17, 2008

Seemed reluctant to play his game and seemed a bit overrawed to be honest. Should have scored with an easy header

18{EFC}78 · August 17, 2008

Thought it was an excellent debut to be honest. Pity for the kid it was in one of our poorest games in a long time. First half was a disgrace. So many players missing and those playing were out of position. He was one of the bright spots on a very dark day for us blues.

GhostOfDixie · August 17, 2008

18{EFC}78 said:
Thought it was an excellent debut to be honest. Pity for the kid it was in one of our poorest games in a long time. First half was a disgrace. So many players missing and those playing were out of position. He was one of the bright spots on a very dark day for us blues.

Who was playing out of position?

I don't think that is the reason, as they are all professional footballers and if asked to play in a slightly more advanced role then they really should be able to adapt.

Bez625 · August 17, 2008

GhostOfDixie said:
Who was playing out of position?

I don't think that is the reason, as they are all professional footballers and if asked to play in a slightly more advanced role then they really should be able to adapt.

Osman and jags were to start with, Osman is better on the wing and not actin as a centre forward, hes not big or strong enough to move forwad in the center of the channel but out wide he has time and space to run and maybe swing some decent crosses in. FFS he nearly scored (inadvertently) when he was doing this.

Jags dithered a bit too much for me, hes better at center back where he knows to stick to his line and gets shouted at by howard if he [Poor language removed] up.

Just cos they are professional footballers doesnt mean they can play any position, they all have skills and weaknesses and they play the position that uses their skills the most and compensates for their weaknesses.

GhostOfDixie · August 17, 2008

Bez625 said:
Osman and jags were to start with, Osman is better on the wing and not actin as a centre forward, hes not big or strong enough to move forwad in the center of the channel but out wide he has time and space to run and maybe swing some decent crosses in. FFS he nearly scored (inadvertently) when he was doing this.

Jags dithered a bit too much for me, hes better at center back where he knows to stick to his line and gets shouted at by howard if he [Poor language removed] up.

Just cos they are professional footballers doesnt mean they can play any position, they all have skills and weaknesses and they play the position that uses their skills the most and compensates for their weaknesses.

Well yeah, they are professionals and they should be able to adapt to any situation. I mean it wasn't like we were asking the Yak to play left back or Osman to go in goal. You know what I mean? For me all Jags has to do in the interim is defend and lay the ball off to the attacking players. I also don't think Osman is a better winger then he is in the middle. His goals last season just show what he can do from the middle.

Clutching at straws and looking for something to blame. How about blaming Yobo and Lescott, they were the centre backs who were off their game.

GrandOldTeam · August 17, 2008

GhostOfDixie said:
Well yeah, they are professionals and they should be able to adapt to any situation. I mean it wasn't like we were asking the Yak to play left back or Osman to go in goal. You know what I mean? For me all Jags has to do in the interim is defend and lay the ball off to the attacking players. I also don't think Osman is a better winger then he is in the middle. His goals last season just show what he can do from the middle.

Clutching at straws and looking for something to blame. How about blaming Yobo and Lescott, they were the centre backs who were off their game.

Would agree with Lescott.

Harsh on Yobo.

GhostOfDixie · August 17, 2008

Maybe, but certainly Lescott.

Bez625 · August 17, 2008

GhostOfDixie said:
Well yeah, they are professionals and they should be able to adapt to any situation. I mean it wasn't like we were asking the Yak to play left back or Osman to go in goal. You know what I mean? For me all Jags has to do in the interim is defend and lay the ball off to the attacking players. I also don't think Osman is a better winger then he is in the middle. His goals last season just show what he can do from the middle.

Clutching at straws and looking for something to blame. How about blaming Yobo and Lescott, they were the centre backs who were off their game.

Lol you cant just thrust someone into a different role and say your a professional, do it. When you change position in the team everything around you changes. Your positioning needs to change, your aggression needs to change all these things mean that the natural reactions you have playing a certain position dont suit the next. They learn to play these positions by constant practice until its just instinct what to do in given situations, its hard to get that out of someone let alone them adapt to another role.

Hardly clutching at straws everyone but you seems to realise they were out of position, even Moyes knows its just we had no options! Lescott had a bad, Yobo played to his usual quality, would have been a cricket score had he not been in defence.

Makis · August 17, 2008

GhostOfDixie said:
Though Baines was at left back, according to City he was.

He started in midfield but him and Valente switched places around the half-hour mark.

And I agree with Bez, you can't expect a player playing out of position to play well there. Of course any true pro will play where he is told, including in goal, but these guys have trained for most of their careers to play in a certain position. For instance, positioning and movement are very different in CB than defensive mid.

GhostOfDixie · August 17, 2008

Makis said:
He started in midfield but him and Valente switched places around the half-hour mark.

And I agree with Bez, you can't expect a player playing out of position to play well there. Of course any true pro will play where he is told, including in goal, but these guys have trained for most of their careers to play in a certain position. For instance, positioning and movement are very different in CB than defensive mid.

Yeah but its not alien to him.

Bez625 · August 17, 2008

Makis said:
He started in midfield but him and Valente switched places around the half-hour mark.

And I agree with Bez, you can't expect a player playing out of position to play well there. Of course any true pro will play where he is told, including in goal, but these guys have trained for most of their careers to play in a certain position. For instance, positioning and movement are very different in CB than defensive mid.

Thanks and before someone comes out with "But hes played there before" that was in the championship and there is a massive difference, you cant get away with half the [Poor language removed] you can in that league especially in a holding role. Premiership strikers will punish you 9 times out of 10, Yak, Cruz for instances.

If hes desperate to play DM im sure hes more than welcome to join North End or someone and contend against the likes of Akinbiyi week in week out, id rather just see an end to this spell of him in that position as i think he is a good CB (not great tho!).