03 Aug 2020 17:50:34
Guys some great views as always it's clear that whatever standpoints people take we all care passionately about avfc
A couple of observations from me, firstly I am not sure why all the negativity about Stones, whilst he may have had a rocky 12 months I think that is probably down to as much as how he has been managed as much as anything else for me a quality centre half who is still in and around the England set up for £20 million is a bargain particularly when you think that clubs interested in Joe Worrall a good young centre half at Forest have been quoted £12 million and he has no prem experience whatsoever. Ask yourselves would you rather have Mings Konsa and Engels challenging for the 2 centre half slots or Mings Konsa and Stones.?

Secondly is it only me that thinks left back is a problem area? Targett if fine going forward but can't defend and Taylor can't do either so if Targett is going to be first choice we need some back up. There is a young left back at Wigan called Robinson he was targeted by no less than AC Milan last summer but I think the deal fell through because he failed a medical (injured knee I think) he has been back playing this season and given Wigan's performance since lowdown he is clearly part of a unit that knows how to defend. Seems to fit in with us looking to develop young players and given Wigan's current predicament probably wouldn't cost the earth either
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1.) 03 Aug 2020
03 Aug 2020 20:14:12
John, I totally agree about Stones. If we bought him, what would you think about playing 3 at the back with Stones in the middle, Konsa to the right and Mings to the left?
However, if we stick with conventional full backs Robinson is a good shout for the left slot. Already capped 7 times for the USA national team, so must have something, I would think and at 22 has his best years to come.


2.) 03 Aug 2020
03 Aug 2020 20:34:15
Mark I have always liked 3 at the back and to be honest it might better suit Guilbert and Targett however if we play 3 5 2 or 5 3 2 then I think that the role of the midfield is critical and I think if our 3 were Luiz McGinn and Grealish then we will have the same problems in terms of creativity ie too much reliance on Jack unless we sacrifice one of the other two for someone more creative.


3.) 03 Aug 2020
03 Aug 2020 21:08:34
What if Benrahma and say Buendia were our 2 new wing backs. There would be plenty of creativity and pace then, don’t you think? The likes of Guilbert, Targett, Trez, Elmo, El Ghazi could all be back up, if we were to keep them all.


4.) 03 Aug 2020
03 Aug 2020 21:25:39
Bloody hell Mark that’s an ambitious call I think we would as you say have pace a plenty I would just worry about Buendia and Benrahma’s defensive capabilities when we didn’t have the ball but it would be great fun watching us going forward 😁😁.


5.) 03 Aug 2020
03 Aug 2020 21:48:29
Benrahma is capable of working hard. I don’t think he would be any less effective than Targett when it comes t defensive duties. Buendía is young and hard working, and you could always bring Elmo or Guilbert on if the going gets tough.


6.) 04 Aug 2020
04 Aug 2020 06:17:56
Saying Taylor can't do either is harsh and just plain incorrect. We were far more solid when he came in, he has a habit of reading the danger before it becomes a problem rather than reacting after the fact like Targett.
If anything I'd say he seems to play better in the prem than the championship, maybe due to pace of the game.
I think left back is ok now that the system has been tweaked, options that would genuinely improve us are too expensive or going elsewhere. I'd take Amavi back but he was so similar to Targett that I can't see a reason to.


7.) 04 Aug 2020
04 Aug 2020 12:36:15
Should brought benrahma last year now your looking 30 plus.


8.) 04 Aug 2020
04 Aug 2020 18:53:25
rk the beauty of this site is it’s all about opinions however when I watch Taylor be it live or on highlights too often you could put a cricket pitch between him and who he should be marking and, although he’s a full back I would like to think he scores or provides an assist every now and again l don’t know the stats if I am honest but I don’t think he would feature high on either measure that said I do think he puts a shift in but his best days are behind him and in my opinion he certainly isn’t premier league class.


9.) 04 Aug 2020
04 Aug 2020 19:20:03
For me he cuts off the space and tracks runners better than anyone we've had there since Warnock (Cissokho was ok) . You don't need to be within 30cm of a player to do your job defensively, it's actually more likely to get you turned in those areas.
Left backs are extremely hard to come by these days, most of them are wingers shoehorned in there which is perhaps why people get unrealistic expectations of attacking contributions.
Real full backs throughout history have had the lowest goal/ assist output bar goalkeepers. Taylor may not provide any incisive attacking threat but he does provide support to keep the ball with our attacking players who can do something (he's even started to try crossing although maybe best he doesn't) .
Targett is the polar opposite. Gung ho going forwards but reading of the game is non existent. They both offer options and the money it takes to grab a comprehensively better all rounder in that position is crazy and competition for their signature makes them harder to get.


10.) 04 Aug 2020
04 Aug 2020 20:23:48
If he was that good at tracking runners you wouldn’t be able to get a cricket pitch between him and the opposing winger.


11.) 04 Aug 2020
04 Aug 2020 20:59:02
He is only that far when he is enticing the crossfield ball, which he normally cuts out because he's expecting it.
As I already stated, being tight to a man for the entire match doesn't get you the ball back, you actually need to show a pass sometimes knowing you have it sussed.
I'm not saying he's a world beater but there's no realistic options out there that are actually better.
The Wigan player is a red card waiting to happen every week, Arrons is not in budget and is being tracked by Bayern. I like Rico Henry but not enough to waste funds that are better used elsewhere.
Primary focus is extra CB to cut out Engels and Hause, MF to replace Hourihane, WF or 2 and a striker that can link up play and score 15+ goals.