Joleon

[Ted Hughes]

Who is this shit hot , young, fast as fuck CB we are in for who can play a high line, take defensive risks, pass like a sweeper and win everything thrown at them?

[youtube]WmruI2zlg7k[/youtube]

But not just yet.

[PrezIke]

Who is this shit hot , young, fast as fuck CB we are in for who can play a high line, take defensive risks, pass like a sweeper and win everything thrown at them?

kurt zoma?

[PrezIke]

i wish some of us would resist taking criticisms of lescott or support of him as personal attacks that appear to lead to people's points of view being misrepresented. this is a discussion forum. we all have differing views, but to slag people off here as dumb/naive seems a bit harsh when they are providing evidence to support their claims, if you ask me.

frankly i have read words being put in people's mouths, i.e claiming centre backs need to be AMAZING with the ball, or that some of us critique his game because of how he 'looks' rather than what actually occurs, and then use stats about his passing percentage to back this claim.

this is how to lie with statistics 101.

he is a decent passer of the ball, but his lack of skill with the ball at his feet is not something people are making up, despite the stats. his passing numbers are likely high because he makes simple passes. great, so he won't do anything stupid, but say what one wants about demi or komps...while they make mistakes, and demi is a freakin' stop gap player so no one is saying he is that good, but he fits more into the style of play pellers is trying to incorporate and develop.

that's the point, and the fact that lescott rides the bench more often than not should tell us enough. yes, with those mistakes from vinny and demi we put ourselves at risk in defence, but that is clearly something the engineer is okay with taking when he has the offensive arsenal he has at his disposal, especially when we are mostly healthy. sure, we will give up goals that way, but with central defenders that are comfortable pushing the ball forward the style of the team is more consistent, and also leads to opportunities to score, which any manager wants with their team...to increase/maintain cohesion.

i think lescott is a good defender, who is quite strong. he's good in the air, a good tackler, and is fast enough. yet, his weaknesses are directly in contrast to our style of play. to me that's why he sits, whether we like it or not. put lescott on slower tempo/less fluid teams and he would be playing regularly and performing well i gather.

[Im_Spartacus]

i wish some of us would resist taking criticisms of lescott or support of him as personal attacks that appear to lead to people's points of view being misrepresented. this is a discussion forum. we all have differing views, but to slag people off here as dumb/naive seems a bit harsh when they are providing evidence to support their claims, if you ask me.

frankly i have read words being put in people's mouths, i.e claiming centre backs need to be AMAZING with the ball, or that some of us critique his game because of how he 'looks' rather than what actually occurs, and then use stats about his passing percentage to back this claim.

this is how to lie with statistics 101.

he is a decent passer of the ball, but his lack of skill with the ball at his feet is not something people are making up, despite the stats. his passing numbers are likely high because he makes simple passes. great, so he won't do anything stupid, but say what one wants about demi or komps...while they make mistakes, and demi is a freakin' stop gap player so no one is saying he is that good, but he fits more into the style of play pellers is trying to incorporate and develop.

that's the point, and the fact that lescott rides the bench more often than not should tell us enough. yes, with those mistakes from vinny and demi we put ourselves at risk in defence, but that is clearly something the engineer is okay with taking when he has the offensive arsenal he has at his disposal, especially when we are mostly healthy. sure, we will give up goals that way, but with central defenders that are comfortable pushing the ball forward the style of the team is more consistent, and also leads to opportunities to score, which any manager wants with their team...to increase/maintain cohesion.

i think lescott is a good defender, who is quite strong. he's good in the air, a good tackler, and is fast enough. yet, his weaknesses are directly in contrast to our style of play. to me that's why he sits, whether we like it or not. put lescott on slower tempo/less fluid teams and he would be playing regularly and performing well i gather.

If its all about having a footballing defender surely the simple answer is to put yaya at cb alongside Vinny?

[MilnersJaw]

i wish some of us would resist taking criticisms of lescott or support of him as personal attacks that appear to lead to people's points of view being misrepresented. this is a discussion forum. we all have differing views, but to slag people off here as dumb/naive seems a bit harsh when they are providing evidence to support their claims, if you ask me.

frankly i have read words being put in people's mouths, i.e claiming centre backs need to be AMAZING with the ball, or that some of us critique his game because of how he 'looks' rather than what actually occurs, and then use stats about his passing percentage to back this claim.

this is how to lie with statistics 101.

he is a decent passer of the ball, but his lack of skill with the ball at his feet is not something people are making up, despite the stats. his passing numbers are likely high because he makes simple passes. great, so he won't do anything stupid, but say what one wants about demi or komps...while they make mistakes, and demi is a freakin' stop gap player so no one is saying he is that good, but he fits more into the style of play pellers is trying to incorporate and develop.

that's the point, and the fact that lescott rides the bench more often than not should tell us enough. yes, with those mistakes from vinny and demi we put ourselves at risk in defence, but that is clearly something the engineer is okay with taking when he has the offensive arsenal he has at his disposal, especially when we are mostly healthy. sure, we will give up goals that way, but with central defenders that are comfortable pushing the ball forward the style of the team is more consistent, and also leads to opportunities to score, which any manager wants with their team...to increase/maintain cohesion.

i think lescott is a good defender, who is quite strong. he's good in the air, a good tackler, and is fast enough. yet, his weaknesses are directly in contrast to our style of play. to me that's why he sits, whether we like it or not. put lescott on slower tempo/less fluid teams and he would be playing regularly and performing well i gather.

Problem is his replacement Nasti is worse all around than him.

[john@staustell]

he is NOT a decent passer of the ball not in a million years. And Nastasic is much better on the ball and much quicker.

You cant get by at this level anymore with a 'last ditch defender' type who is unable to play football at th e evel of the other 9 outfield players.

In fact until this match I'd forgotten how bad he is.

[carl_feedthegoat]

he is NOT a decent passer of the ball not in a million years. And Nastasic is much better on the ball and much quicker.

You cant get by at this level anymore with a 'last ditch defender' type who is unable to play football at th e evel of the other 9 outfield players.

In fact until this match I'd forgotten how bad he is.

He is brilliant at those 5 yard passes sideways and backwards...no player passes it back and sideways more than him .....no one player in the world of football !!!

Like Barry , I want him gone and replaced asap...and obviously City and Pelligrini feel the same.

I do have reservations about Nasty as I thought he would be perfect but he has fucked up just as much although hes a far better player than Lescott...........I think we will buy someone else either in Jan or the summer.

[Nick]

he is NOT a decent passer of the ball not in a million years. And Nastasic is much better on the ball and much quicker.

You cant get by at this level anymore with a 'last ditch defender' type who is unable to play football at th e evel of the other 9 outfield players.

In fact until this match I'd forgotten how bad he is.

He is brilliant at those 5 yard passes sideways and backwards...no player passes it back and sideways more than him .....no one player in the world of football !!!


Garcia?

You want Barry replaced? he's tearing it up for Everton, and if he was here, would mean Garcia never steps foot on the pitch.

We could play Barry/Fernie/Yaya away from home in a 5 man midfield and actually win at some tough places.

[carl_feedthegoat]

he is NOT a decent passer of the ball not in a million years. And Nastasic is much better on the ball and much quicker.

You cant get by at this level anymore with a 'last ditch defender' type who is unable to play football at th e evel of the other 9 outfield players.

In fact until this match I'd forgotten how bad he is.

He is brilliant at those 5 yard passes sideways and backwards...no player passes it back and sideways more than him .....no one player in the world of football !!!


Garcia?

You want Barry replaced? he's tearing it up for Everton, and if he was here, would mean Garcia never steps foot on the pitch.

We could play Barry/Fernie/Yaya away from home in a 5 man midfield and actually win at some tough places.

People forget how Barry deteriorated towards the end.......some players just need a new adventure so good luck to him..Lescott will do well for another team..just not ours.

[Hutch's Shoulder]

Barry will never return to us. His contract expires at the end of the season and soon he can sign a pre-contract with a team where he is sure of plenty of appearances. From our point of view Pellegrini will look to replace Garcia in the summer with someone who suits the fast paced game he is aiming at better than either of them.

[Slim]

Someone mentioned the idea that he would be heading into a role in the NYFC venture and I think this might well be the case, either as player or a backroom role.

[Ted Hughes]

Like Bobby Moore today Nastasic. I see what everyone means about his passing now. And his pace! Phew. Roadrunner.

[Nick]

i still think jolean > nasti, but i've been saying that for a year plus so im a bit bored of saying it.

at least we kept a clean sheet today!

I wish pelle would stop changing the defence THREE times per game.

[Dubciteh]

Like Bobby Moore today Nastasic. I see what everyone means about his passing now. And his pace! Phew. Roadrunner.

He was very poor I thought. Harsh on lescott who should be playing every game, I can kinda accept if Pelligrini doesn't rate him then fair enough but none of our current alternatives are the answer.

[aaron bond]

Like Bobby Moore today Nastasic. I see what everyone means about his passing now. And his pace! Phew. Roadrunner.

He was very poor I thought. Harsh on lescott who should be playing every game, I can kinda accept if Pelligrini doesn't rate him then fair enough but none of our current alternatives are the answer.

Nastasic is a really poor defender. Apart from 'looking' comfortable on the ball, I really don't know what he brings to the squad. His range of passing isn't really any better than Lescott, it's just unfortunate Lescott 'looks awkward'.

I'm happy to give Nastasic some leeway for his performance today as it was his first appearance in 8 weeks (giving away a free kick in a dangerous position because he doesn't know what to do in a one-on-one situation, or losing his marker at a corner so the opposition striker gets a free header on goal) but he really just performed today as he has done over the last 18 months. Such a waste of money.

[Douglas Higginbottom]

Like Bobby Moore today Nastasic. I see what everyone means about his passing now. And his pace! Phew. Roadrunner.

He was very poor I thought. Harsh on lescott who should be playing every game, I can kinda accept if Pelligrini doesn't rate him then fair enough but none of our current alternatives are the answer.

Nastasic is a really poor defender. Apart from 'looking' comfortable on the ball, I really don't know what he brings to the squad. His range of passing isn't really any better than Lescott, it's just unfortunate Lescott 'looks awkward'.

I'm happy to give Nastasic some leeway for his performance today as it was his first appearance in 8 weeks (giving away a free kick in a dangerous position because he doesn't know what to do in a one-on-one situation, or losing his marker at a corner so the opposition striker gets a free header on goal) but he really just performed today as he has done over the last 18 months. Such a waste of money.

He will be ok and is getting good experience playing for City with Vinnie ( and others).I thought he was ok today just about but that corner where he allowed Chamakh to get the header in was really poor.

[Goataldo]

Like Bobby Moore today Nastasic. I see what everyone means about his passing now. And his pace! Phew. Roadrunner.

He was very poor I thought. Harsh on lescott who should be playing every game, I can kinda accept if Pelligrini doesn't rate him then fair enough but none of our current alternatives are the answer.

Nastasic is a really poor defender. Apart from 'looking' comfortable on the ball, I really don't know what he brings to the squad. His range of passing isn't really any better than Lescott, it's just unfortunate Lescott 'looks awkward'.

I'm happy to give Nastasic some leeway for his performance today as it was his first appearance in 8 weeks (giving away a free kick in a dangerous position because he doesn't know what to do in a one-on-one situation, or losing his marker at a corner so the opposition striker gets a free header on goal) but he really just performed today as he has done over the last 18 months. Such a waste of money.

I thought he was a bit of a dodgepot, as per. I remember one occasion where Palace played the ball over the top and as it was dropping over his shoulder and freaking him out and he was ever increasingly looking like he was going to show him and us up, trying to anticipate where it'd land like he'd just fallen out of a taxi - Vinnie came in like a dad with a kid, and sorted it out. Summed him up for me. Stop over exposing him and play Lescott, boy is cool but chill out on fucking him up with this Big I Am role.

[Pretty Boy Lee]

I thought he was a bit of a dodgepot, as per. I remember one occasion where Palace played the ball over the top and as it was dropping over his shoulder and freaking him out and he was ever increasingly looking like he was going to show him and us up, trying to anticipate where it'd land like he'd just fallen out of a taxi - Vinnie came in like a dad with a kid, and sorted it out. Summed him up for me. Stop over exposing him and play Lescott, boy is cool but chill out on fucking him up with this Big I Am role.

Vinny saved a few blushes from some of out players today. That was the most obvious example, but he did the same for nasti and a few others. Worrying,

[Ted Hughes]

Like Bobby Moore today Nastasic. I see what everyone means about his passing now. And his pace! Phew. Roadrunner.

He was very poor I thought. Harsh on lescott who should be playing every game, I can kinda accept if Pelligrini doesn't rate him then fair enough but none of our current alternatives are the answer.

Nastasic is a really poor defender. Apart from 'looking' comfortable on the ball, I really don't know what he brings to the squad. His range of passing isn't really any better than Lescott, it's just unfortunate Lescott 'looks awkward'.

I'm happy to give Nastasic some leeway for his performance today as it was his first appearance in 8 weeks (giving away a free kick in a dangerous position because he doesn't know what to do in a one-on-one situation, or losing his marker at a corner so the opposition striker gets a free header on goal) but he really just performed today as he has done over the last 18 months. Such a waste of money.

I thought he was a bit of a dodgepot, as per. I remember one occasion where Palace played the ball over the top and as it was dropping over his shoulder and freaking him out and he was ever increasingly looking like he was going to show him and us up, trying to anticipate where it'd land like he'd just fallen out of a taxi - Vinnie came in like a dad with a kid, and sorted it out. Summed him up for me. Stop over exposing him and play Lescott, boy is cool but chill out on fucking him up with this Big I Am role.

I thought he had very very little to do, at all, in 90 mins.

When called upon to do that little bit, he was absolutely useless, not just a little bit off, but truly & completely shit awful & considerably worse than Demichelis. As has been mentioned, it has to be taken into consideration that he hasn't played for a while, but the incident you refer to is the same indecisive shit he was getting involved with earlier, when he helped get Joe Hart dropped.

His passing was totally non constructive & a couple of casual lumps up field after we had just made 40 passes, actually almost had me pulling my fucking hair out.

Anyone claiming that this character is a better option than JL & in fact does, ANYTHING better than him, is just down to plain dislike of Lescott imo. He had more problems with Palace, than Lescott did with Suarez. That's a fact & it's not a one off.

Lescott is being forced out, so we are going to keep seeing Nastasic, because he is younger & cheaper .

Hopefully, this is a short term thing & we will use the savings to find someone as good or better than Lescott to replace him.

Meanwhile, I hope Nastsavic, gets his shit together & starts performing to a decent standard, because at present he would be 5th choice for Utd.

[blues2win]

I can't pretend I'm a fan of Lescott. He doesn't just look awkward on the ball; he is awkward on the ball. He's a strange guy. He doesn't use his strength as much as he should and can get shoved off the ball. He also has a tendency to flap under pressure. Personally I can't forget the dreadful mistake against Newcastle the second last match of our League winning season which he got away with and the dreadful mistake against QPR which he didn't get away with. The defence that year was much more solid but it had De Jong and Barry playing in front of it so it's hardly surprising. It's much harder defending under Pellegrini's system and all our defenders are struggling as a result from time to time.

Where Lescott's defenders have a point is that the alternatives aren't playing well at all. I watched Nastasic closely in the second half and he was awful on the few times he was called on. De Michelis actually looks pretty good but is prone to awful mistakes. So Lescott looks solid compared to them. The truth is we need better quality in that position so Lescott will move on and probably do perfectly well for Everton maybe given Distin's age?