The Recent Criticism of Tony Hibbert and Leon Osman…

McBain · July 28, 2009

You can call my post dung. I laughed actually. I stick by it though.

Hibbert just isnt good enough.

Heres a list of right backs. My challenge to the forum is to make a list from best to worst.

Arsenal- Sagna, Silvestre, Clichy, Song, Traore
Villa- Young, Bouma
Birmingham - Quedrue, Ridgewell
Bolton- JL Samuel
Burnley- ?
Chelsea- Cole, Bosingwa, Beletti, Ferrera
Fulham- Konchesky
Hull- Zayate
The [Poor language removed]- no one (maybe Johnson)
City- Richards, Zabaleta, Kompany, Onouha, Bridge
United- Brown, Neville, Evra, Fabio, Rafael
Pompey- Primus, Kaboul, Belhadj
Stoke- Faye, Griffin
Sunderland- McCartney
Spurs- Hutton, Bale, Chimbonda
Hammers- Lopez, Collins
Wigan- Figueroa
Wolves- ??

StDomingosGringo · July 28, 2009

I'll leave that challenge to the guys who've got time on their hands at work :blink: The wife is starting to give me the "you've been on that forum since you came home" eyes.

DENNIS STEVENS · July 28, 2009

McBain said:
You can call my post dung. I laughed actually. I stick by it though.

Hibbert just isnt good enough.

Heres a list of right backs. My challenge to the forum is to make a list from best to worst.

Arsenal- Sagna, Silvestre, Clichy, Song, Traore
Villa- Young, Bouma
Birmingham - Quedrue, Ridgewell
Bolton- JL Samuel
Burnley- ?
Chelsea- Cole, Bosingwa, Beletti, Ferrera
Fulham- Konchesky
Hull- Zayate
The [Poor language removed]- no one (maybe Johnson)
City- Richards, Zabaleta, Kompany, Onouha, Bridge
United- Brown, Neville, Evra, Fabio, Rafael
Pompey- Primus, Kaboul, Belhadj
Stoke- Faye, Griffin
Sunderland- McCartney
Spurs- Hutton, Bale, Chimbonda
Hammers- Lopez, Collins
Wigan- Figueroa
Wolves- ??

Not good enough for what - to be first choice right-back? If so I agree. But would you rather buy a replacement right-back or a replacement defensive midfielder & return Neville to right-back (we know he'll be in the team). Whichever it is, Hibbert is perfectly adequate cover. If we were to sell him I doubt we'd raise much cash & were we to spend that (& more) to bring in a better right-back as well they may not be too keen on being back-up to Neville.

McBain · July 28, 2009

DENNIS STEVENS said:
Not good enough for what - to be first choice right-back? If so I agree. But would you rather buy a replacement right-back or a replacement defensive midfielder & return Neville to right-back (we know he'll be in the team). Whichever it is, Hibbert is perfectly adequate cover. If we were to sell him I doubt we'd raise much cash & were we to spend that (& more) to bring in a better right-back as well they may not be too keen on being back-up to Neville.

Id buy a real right back. Neville can Neville off to the bench.

DENNIS STEVENS · July 28, 2009

McBain said:
Id buy a real right back. Neville can Neville off to the bench.

But we know Moyes will have Neville in the team somewhere. That being the case, I'd rather he was at right back - despite having a good season in midfield, it's not really his natural position. I'd also prefer Moyes to spend his pennies on a better defensive midfielder & a right-side midfielder.

DENNIS STEVENS · July 29, 2009

ooops!

Goat · July 29, 2009

Somebody else somewhere made a decent point somewhere else, sorry for not recalling who, but they may have a point.

The point was that with a proper Right Midfielder or even a "better" player infront him, Hibbert wouldnt be THAT bad. Defensively his game is normally spot on, he got spanked in the Cup Final, but Osman gave him no help what so ever.

Ive said it, but I dont believe Osman and Hibbert are really that bad. They are average, hard working, commited, but just lacking a little in terms of being a step up from normal. Seperate they can do a decent job, collectively they are shocking.

Osman, is not and willl not be able to play RM properly, thats not his fault, hes ok in the middle, he can play a bit there, he hasnt got as much defensive duties, but on the wing, hes awful, he drifts in all the time and leaves spaces. Pienaar on the left drifts inside, but he always seems to be infront of Baines and holds his touchline better.

So for me, 1 of them need replacing within the first team, possibly both, I would hate to see either leave, as ive said they good honest players, who appear to love the Club. And on their days can play wonderfully well. But they are a weak link within our team. I think of most other postions and I think yeah, they are good, I like them, then I look at the right hand side and I think, rope, razor blade, cliff.

So on reflection, Leon and Tony, you not that bad, your just not that good, but I love you both.

Welton Toffee · July 29, 2009

MikelsGoat said:
Somebody else somewhere made a decent point somewhere else, sorry for not recalling who, but they may have a point.

The point was that with a proper Right Midfielder or even a "better" player infront him, Hibbert wouldnt be THAT bad. Defensively his game is normally spot on, he got spanked in the Cup Final, but Osman gave him no help what so ever.

Ive said it, but I dont believe Osman and Hibbert are really that bad. They are average, hard working, commited, but just lacking a little in terms of being a step up from normal. Seperate they can do a decent job, collectively they are shocking.

Osman, is not and willl not be able to play RM properly, thats not his fault, hes ok in the middle, he can play a bit there, he hasnt got as much defensive duties, but on the wing, hes awful, he drifts in all the time and leaves spaces. Pienaar on the left drifts inside, but he always seems to be infront of Baines and holds his touchline better.

So for me, 1 of them need replacing within the first team, possibly both, I would hate to see either leave, as ive said they good honest players, who appear to love the Club. And on their days can play wonderfully well. But they are a weak link within our team. I think of most other postions and I think yeah, they are good, I like them, then I look at the right hand side and I think, rope, razor blade, cliff.

So on reflection, Leon and Tony, you not that bad, your just not that good, but I love you both.

Good points well made there (y)

The Baines/Pienaar combo down the left is awesome, we need something like that on the right as well, and clearly Ossie/Hibbo won't provide that. Both decent players though and would be excellent players to have on the bench.