UltimateRadgieGadgie
Subs Bench
This debate’s been interesting: some are convinced he’s already a Premier League full-back, others urge caution, and a few think it’s a step too far. For balance, in the Championship I saw a player who could give the ball away in dangerous areas (see the play-off final - Patto’s ridiculous early save), switch off at times (Plymouth at home springs to mind), and pick up avoidable yellows. On the flip side, he works hard and his delivery can be excellent.
In the Prem so far he’s been better than I’d previously seen without being outstanding. He’s been fine, while still finding his feet, which is understandable for him and for the team. He hasn’t been a liability and I don’t see a case to drop him. The key is not letting one eye-catching tackle disguise the rest of his game, but also not downplaying those moments when you genuinely need someone to stop an attack and aid ours. He’s done well enough, I’m satisfied with him, and I want to see him be part of taking us up a level.
Crucially, he finally has real competition after too long without it, which should push his levels up. Three games is a tiny sample, but on what we’ve seen he’s earning the shirt. Keep him in, let the competition do its work, and reassess with a larger body of evidence.
One more thing: can we drop the weird litmus tests about who’s a “proper fan” just because someone has a different view? It’s reductive and derails the football discussion. Football's not uniform and so it's normal for each person to see different traits to a player, valueing some more important than others.
In the Prem so far he’s been better than I’d previously seen without being outstanding. He’s been fine, while still finding his feet, which is understandable for him and for the team. He hasn’t been a liability and I don’t see a case to drop him. The key is not letting one eye-catching tackle disguise the rest of his game, but also not downplaying those moments when you genuinely need someone to stop an attack and aid ours. He’s done well enough, I’m satisfied with him, and I want to see him be part of taking us up a level.
Crucially, he finally has real competition after too long without it, which should push his levels up. Three games is a tiny sample, but on what we’ve seen he’s earning the shirt. Keep him in, let the competition do its work, and reassess with a larger body of evidence.
One more thing: can we drop the weird litmus tests about who’s a “proper fan” just because someone has a different view? It’s reductive and derails the football discussion. Football's not uniform and so it's normal for each person to see different traits to a player, valueing some more important than others.
