de jong or barry???

[Niall Quinns Discopants]

Personally I think Barry has been, and will again be a crucial part of our side. Even in this 'dip' he's had, there have been some great performances in among them like last week against Chelsea. He looks lacking in pace and urgency sometimes but he has an exceptional passing range, which I thought despite being below par yesterday, he still offered. He's also our best set-piece deliverer.

The problem is that he and Ireland just don't seem to have hit it off. When de Jong plays, he tends to stay hovering around in our half of the field which allows Ireland to roam and wander, and basically do what he does best. But because Barry is a little more 'box to box' than de Jong, it prevents Ireland from focusing on attacking. In that sense I think de Jong actually brings the best out in both of them...so it's not just his influence but the influence he has on the rest of the team that make him crucial to our success. I'd go with de Jong and Barry for games like Chelsea, where they were so impressive, and de Jong with Ireland for the games where the onus is more on us to attack.

Long story short- de Jong playing every game with either Barry or Ireland alongside.

fully agree with this.

Playing Ireland with Barry reveals one of the few real weaknesses in Ireland's game. Something I noticed early on in his career when he was playing with Barton. On paper he looks like perfect player to play in classic two central midfielder partnership but in reality for some reason if he has another ball player beside him he looks bit lost occasionally. Ireland has however proved that he can learn stuff and improve himself and I'm hoping that at some stage they concentrate on this in training ground.

De Jong, while excellent ball winner, offers nothing going forward and always needs a playmaker in front of him. Barry at his best can do both on reasonable level while not being master of either.

[villain]

Related: How would you feel if Brum kept Joe Hart permanently?

cheers

I like Hart, he's a decent keeper, and Birmingham are putting together a decent run of form. However, convention prevents me from saying anything positive about that rabble, so I'll have to end my comments there.

[lets all have a disco]

Some good posts them Villain stick around if your gonna contribute good stuff.

My only gripe with Villa is,

I hate being there in the away end,cant we go back behind the goal? pleeeaaasee,my neck hurts in the new area.

Now if you could please email Randy and get it sorted oh and put O'Neil in a nice little bag ans shipped to Manchester you'll make my year.

[sky_blue_stew]

Personally I think Barry has been, and will again be a crucial part of our side. Even in this 'dip' he's had, there have been some great performances in among them like last week against Chelsea. He looks lacking in pace and urgency sometimes but he has an exceptional passing range, which I thought despite being below par yesterday, he still offered. He's also our best set-piece deliverer.

The problem is that he and Ireland just don't seem to have hit it off. When de Jong plays, he tends to stay hovering around in our half of the field which allows Ireland to roam and wander, and basically do what he does best. But because Barry is a little more 'box to box' than de Jong, it prevents Ireland from focusing on attacking. In that sense I think de Jong actually brings the best out in both of them...so it's not just his influence but the influence he has on the rest of the team that make him crucial to our success. I'd go with de Jong and Barry for games like Chelsea, where they were so impressive, and de Jong with Ireland for the games where the onus is more on us to attack.

Long story short- de Jong playing every game with either Barry or Ireland alongside.

fully agree with this.

Playing Ireland with Barry reveals one of the few real weaknesses in Ireland's game. Something I noticed early on in his career when he was playing with Barton. On paper he looks like perfect player to play in classic two central midfielder partnership but in reality for some reason if he has another ball player beside him he looks bit lost occasionally. Ireland has however proved that he can learn stuff and improve himself and I'm hoping that at some stage they concentrate on this in training ground.

De Jong, while excellent ball winner, offers nothing going forward and always needs a playmaker in front of him. Barry at his best can do both on reasonable level while not being master of either.

This is the problem, Barry is halfway between DeJong and Ireland as a player, and therefore as part of a two man central midfield is a difficult one. Villain's comments are interesting on Barry's tendency to drift - certainly adds weight to the idea of picking him when he's showing form, or at least making him a prime candidate for substitution if the team isn't functioning well. Central mid is the most important role on the pitch, so we have to get that balance right. Picking Barry for the tougher big 4 games certainly seems a good call to me (providing he's on form on the day), but he always had a reputation for being a steady eddy consistent player. Funny how these portraits can be so different from fan's perspectives!

[villain]

Some good posts them Villain stick around if your gonna contribute good stuff.

My only gripe with Villa is,

I hate being there in the away end,cant we go back behind the goal? pleeeaaasee,my neck hurts in the new area.

Now if you could please email Randy and get it sorted oh and put O'Neil in a nice little bag ans shipped to Manchester you'll make my year.

The seats in the lower North Stand are terrible, though - just cheaply plonked down on the old terracing when it was converted to all seater, cheapest option possible. Impossible to sit in even if you want to (good old Doug, dinosaurs like him and Swales seem a lifetime ago).

They're flogged off really cheaply now (which explains the pissed up teenagers in that bottom corner goading the away fans whilst the rozzers film them for 90 minutes).