Jump to content

Centre Back Situation

Slugger

By Slugger,
in The Saints

 Share

Recommended Posts

Slugger

Slugger

Posted
Posted

We currently have VVD and Fonte clearly first choice, we then have Yoshida and Gardos behind them but in no way pressuring them for a start. Jack Stephens probably next in line.

 

1. Do we need to bring in some proper competition for VVD and Fonte or are we happy with what we have?

 

2. Are Yoshida or Gardos 3rd CB quality for a team with European aspirations, especially considering that with EL games the 3rd choice will feature a lot this season?

 

3. Would our season be majorly affected if either Fonte or VVD missed upwards of 10 games this season?

 

Interested in how people view this position depth and quality wise.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
max_saints

max_saints

Posted
Posted

Yoshida is good enough to be 3rd choice CB.

 

Posters on here keep suggesting Yosh is not good enough to be backup but never actually say who is better than him and would be content with sitting on the bench most of the season. Caulker? lol

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Jai27

Jai27

Posted
Posted
We currently have VVD and Fonte clearly first choice, we then have Yoshida and Gardos behind them but in no way pressuring them for a start. Jack Stephens probably next in line.

 

1. Do we need to bring in some proper competition for VVD and Fonte or are we happy with what we have?

 

2. Are Yoshida or Gardos 3rd CB quality for a team with European aspirations, especially considering that with EL games the 3rd choice will feature a lot this season?

 

3. Would our season be majorly affected if either Fonte or VVD missed upwards of 10 games this season?

 

Interested in how people view this position depth and quality wise.

 

I'm fairly happy with it. I actually think Yoshida is fantastic cover (although I know i'm in the minority with this opinion) and Gardos showed flashes of quality before his injury. Assuming it takes a few months for Gardos to get back up to speed with a series of U21's matches under his belt then there is the possibility of bringing in another CB. However I just can't see us signing anyone better than Yoshida who's happy to be 3rd choice.

 

That leaves Stephens, Turnbull and McCarthy. Obviously all are unproven at this level but considering the noises the club have been making about bringing through youth again i'd expect to see them training with the 1st team much more and ready to be called upon if needs be.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Baird of the land

Baird of the land

Posted
Posted

Having 2 internationals(Gardos & Yoshida) as cover seems reasonable to me. Unless we need to ship one of them out i don't really see the need to bring in more competition. Given how set the first choice 2 centre backs are i think we'd struggle to attract anyone of higher quality than these 2 anyway.

Equally I'd like to see Stephens given an opportunity at some point personally in one of the cups or group games to try and prove himself.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Alanh

Alanh

Posted
Posted

No need for any additional players this season. The extra matches are a chance for us to blood the likes of Gardos, Stephens and Turnbull to see if they have what it takes to become Fonte's replacement in a couple of seasons. Next summer, or the one after (if / when we sell VVD) is probably the time to be bringing in a new player.

 

Agree with St Ash's comment about strengthening the spine, but believe that the Wanyama and Mane replacements are the really important ones this summer.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
MarkSFC

MarkSFC

Posted
Posted

I think we do need to look at getting a new CB, ideally a left footed one. It's not as important though as getting a really good DM and Mane replacement. I think we might see a loan in this position to give Gardos and Stevens a bit of breathing space and then next summer make a permanent signing of neither have proven themselves good enough to oust Fonte. VVD will play 2-3 more seasons then go not just the one people seem obsessed with.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Link to comment
Share on other sites
buctootim

buctootim

Posted
Posted
Not seen a lot of Gardos but I'm ok with Yoshi being 3rd choice. We wont get much better just to sit on the bench anyways we should be introducing the young CB's we already have over a (what would surely be) journeyman.

 

Wouldnt it make more sense to get a top class replacement for Fonte and keep the cover spots for academy products?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
JRM

JRM

Posted
Posted

We are allowed to play 4 over - aged players in the rebranded JPT that Saints are entering this year so another good chance to give the likes of Gardos and Stephens more games, i think the current 4 centre backs are fine, plus Bertrand can fill in there as a back 5

Link to comment
Share on other sites
RobM

RobM

Posted
Posted

I don't think it'll be long before Fonte becomes a real concern. Last season he had moments where he looked like his head wasn't in the game and made more errors and bad decisions than in all his years before combined. Maybe this year he will be better, with a new manager in place and hopefully an improved Cedric alongside, but if not I'd like to see us sign a real top-class CB to replace him.

 

This year we should be fine. We have enough CB's as cover so if we sign anybody, it should improve the first-11, IMO.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
VectisSaint

VectisSaint

Posted
Posted
We are allowed to play 4 over - aged players in the rebranded JPT that Saints are entering this year so another good chance to give the likes of Gardos and Stephens more games, i think the current 4 centre backs are fine, plus Bertrand can fill in there as a back 5

Actually we are allowed to play 5 over age players, though the definition of u21 is different to the usual rules (21 or under on June 30), so some u21 players (in terms of the PL U21 League), would not be classified as u21 for the EFL Trophy. Also there are only 3 games in the group stage, it is not home and away, so number of potential games is still relatively small.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
david in sweden

david in sweden

Posted
Posted (edited)

The key question here is not how many CB's we have .....but how many of them can stay fit and in-form.

 

Gardos was out completely last season and so there is no way anyone can assess his form, but * one or two more long term injuries like that could put us in dire trouble.

 

Competition is good for everyone and planned usage of subs can be a win-win situation for lots of players - especially in a long season.

 

[B]NOTE[/b]:* Those fans who remember Chris Baird's career with Saints saw a raw, homesick 16 year old (from N.I. come to The Dell) and through a series of injuries and loans, waited nearly 5 years for his debut, and just 2 months later played in an FA Cup Final, after which he was forgotten and went out on loan again.

 

After returning, he became 5th choice CB, and only got into the side due to a massive injury crisis in the defence. He took his chance well and was outstanding for a couple of seasons and was voted Saints Fans Player of the Season (2006-07) and surprisingly ended up moving to Fulham for £3 million (no small sum even then).

Despite a stop-start career and loan-outs, Chris has over 70 international caps for N.I. and aged 34 returned to Fulham at the end of last season and played 7 more games.

 

For people like Jack Stephens - making the bench might seem a huge challenge, but (like Baird) being the right man in the right place at the right time can lead to success.

Edited by david in sweden
Link to comment
Share on other sites
New Forest Steve

New Forest Steve

Posted
Posted

Wouldn't be surprised to see Yoshida go before the end of the window ... seem to remember reading an interview with him fairly recently, saying at this stage of his career he needed to be starting more regularly. That's unlikely with us but he's an international and I'd of thought there would be plenty of takers out there who could offer him that.

 

........ Jon Stones replacement maybe ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
st alex

st alex

Posted
Posted

Not really sure we should ever be signing people as 'back up' (unless they're youngsters). Surely if we want to improve as a team we should be signing players who could compete with Fonte and VVD for a starting place. Otherwise we risk diluting the squad down.

 

Would like to see Jack Stephens given some game time but honestly have no idea how capable he would be in the Premier League. Not sure there's too much value in having Gardos here if he just blocks the path to the first team for Stephens.

 

VVD could easily pick up a long term injury and Fonte could easily pick up a few red cards over the course of the season. Would feel nervous if we had to play Yoshi & Gardos together.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Slugger

Slugger

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)
Unrealistic to expect us to bring in a CB. Fonts and VVD will not be happy being anything but first choice. We won't find better back up CB's happy to sit on the bench and just be back up

#urbanmyth

 

We are a 6th placed PL team in Europe.

 

No other top half team would have Yoshida as their 3rd CB.

 

Harsh but true.

Edited by Slugger
Link to comment
Share on other sites
MarkSFC

MarkSFC

Posted
Posted

We do not need a new CB.....didn't you hear, we are selling everyone and playing the U21s?!

 

Seriously though we do; Yoshida is a decent squad player but like others have said if he is to be relied on for more than just a few games we would not be as secure at the back as most teams in the top 10. I think Tomkins for 10m would of been a shrewd buy but really I hope we get a young one who not only puts pressure on Fonte but is better. That makes our CB position strong, and if we want to go far in the cups we need this quality of depth. A left-footed one may make a lot of sense but they are a rare commodity! None of know how good Gardos is or may be and it would be great if he proves us all wrong but right now he needs a bit of development I've unfortunately. Stevens may come good but I think he may end up being a good championship / EPL level player which is a shame. There is a player in the U21s, (A Jones??) who I saw a few times last season and my instinct was that he has the potential, still in his teens I think but I'm sure our resident geeks will correct me! Either way he's at least a season or two away from the first team, 2-3 at least from being good enough to be first choice, so one decent one know is perfect.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Link to comment
Share on other sites
ALWAYS_SFC

ALWAYS_SFC

Posted
Posted
Thats for the scouts.

 

If its crap then which teams from last season's top 10 would happily have Yoshida as their 3rd CB?

 

Who are the better centre backs in these teams then?

 

Should i take your zero response to mean that you realise that you were wrong??

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Slugger

Slugger

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Should i take your zero response to mean that you realise that you were wrong??

Sorry, have you on ignore so didn't see your response until I temporarily changed that.

 

I would say the following are superior players to Yoshida ultimately:

 

Wimmer

Dier

Gabriel

Mangala

Zouma

Jones

Rojo

Lovren

Tomkins

 

The 3rd CBs of Stoke are possibly the same level as Yoshida.

 

I'm fairly certain if Saints released him no top half PL sides would sign him.

 

He is a good 4th CB I think and seems a very good guy, not disruptive etc. But the drop in quality between Fonte (our 2nd best CB) and Yoshida (our third) is significant.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
ALWAYS_SFC

ALWAYS_SFC

Posted
Posted
Sorry, have you on ignore :lol: so didn't see your response until I temporarily changed that.

 

I would say the following are superior players to Yoshida ultimately:

 

Wimmer- Simmilar to MS

Dier- MIDFIELD

Gabriel- Is he third choice...rotates in and out

Mangala- Really !! been poor

Zouma -Average

Jones- average

Rojo- Fullback

Lovren - inconsistant

Tomkins- LOL

 

The 3rd CBs of Stoke are possibly the same level as Yoshida.

 

I'm fairly certain if Saints released him no top half PL sides would sign him.

 

He is a good 4th CB I think and seems a very good guy, not disruptive etc. But the drop in quality between Fonte (our 2nd best CB) and Yoshida (our third) is significant.

 

MY is a decent 3rd choice

Link to comment
Share on other sites
mattyd

mattyd

Posted
Posted
We currently have VVD and Fonte clearly first choice, we then have Yoshida and Gardos behind them but in no way pressuring them for a start. Jack Stephens probably next in line.

 

1. Do we need to bring in some proper competition for VVD and Fonte or are we happy with what we have?

 

2. Are Yoshida or Gardos 3rd CB quality for a team with European aspirations, especially considering that with EL games the 3rd choice will feature a lot this season?

 

3. Would our season be majorly affected if either Fonte or VVD missed upwards of 10 games this season?

 

Interested in how people view this position depth and quality wise.

 

Sorry to say that neither Gardos or Yoshida are Premier league quality. We have five more competitive games than normal (late entry into League cup included) and need more than cover, we need rotation. We are a rich club and therefore can afford to invest in quality. I would then sell Gardos to recoup a proportion.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Professor

Professor

Posted
Posted

Fully accept that my opinion is only that of one unsophisticated fan but I see Yoshida as an excellent 3rd CB. As said, 20 Prem games last season and in addition a regular full international. With Gardos back from injury plus Stevens and Turnbull CB doesn't look a problem to me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
CHAPEL END CHARLIE

CHAPEL END CHARLIE

Posted
Posted

He seems to have a aquired a band of supporters on here, but I can't be the only saints fan who starts to worry whenever it looks like Yoshida is going to play. Perhaps playing week in and week out he would perform satisfactorily - but right now coming off the bench he looks very much like a 'weak link' to me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
stknowle

stknowle

Posted
Posted
He seems to have a aquired a band of supporters on here, but I can't be the only saints fan who starts to worry whenever it looks like Yoshida is going to play. Perhaps playing week in and week out he would perform satisfactorily - but right now coming off the bench he looks very much like a 'weak link' to me.

 

He's alright, can be good but my instinctive reaction to news that he is coming on or starting is "oh no, I hope he doesn't **** up." :uhoh:

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Patrick Bateman

Patrick Bateman

Posted
Posted
Sorry to say that neither Gardos or Yoshida are Premier league quality. We have five more competitive games than normal (late entry into League cup included) and need more than cover, we need rotation. We are a rich club and therefore can afford to invest in quality. I would then sell Gardos to recoup a proportion.

 

Sorry to say, but Maya phoned me, he said "That mattyd, he's not mongboard quality"

 

Sorry pal

:(

Link to comment
Share on other sites
RobM

RobM

Posted
Posted
He seems to have a aquired a band of supporters on here, but I can't be the only saints fan who starts to worry whenever it looks like Yoshida is going to play. Perhaps playing week in and week out he would perform satisfactorily - but right now coming off the bench he looks very much like a 'weak link' to me.

 

It all depends where he's going to play.

 

Yoshida at RB is a lability.

Yoshida at CB, his actual position, is a decent enough 3rd choice.

 

The vast majority of criticism he received came after performances at RB.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Saint IQ

Saint IQ

Posted
Posted
Sorry, have you on ignore so didn't see your response until I temporarily changed that.

 

I would say the following are superior players to Yoshida ultimately:

 

Wimmer

Dier

Gabriel

Mangala

Zouma

Jones

Rojo

Lovren

Tomkins

 

The 3rd CBs of Stoke are possibly the same level as Yoshida.

 

I'm fairly certain if Saints released him no top half PL sides would sign him.

 

He is a good 4th CB I think and seems a very good guy, not disruptive etc. But the drop in quality between Fonte (our 2nd best CB) and Yoshida (our third) is significant.

 

LOL, the only one's I'd have over Yoshida are Wimmer and Zouma. They play for far bigger clubs so it's understandable they have better options.

 

Mangala, Jones, Gabriel, and Rojo have been dodgy as, so was Lovren until the last 6 months and he was in the FIRST choice pairing with Sahko.

 

Tomkins is now going to be first choice at Palace and Dier played midfield for the whole of last season! :lol:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...