Micah Richards

[Butterfingers]

28 minutes ago, lexicon said:

Play a CB alongside another actual CB and he doesn't seem so bad. Beggars belief really.  Or not. 

Great - All our problems have been resolved. We'll stay up no problem. The secret is just to keep Richards on the bench-It was all his fault that Lescott was playing so poorly.

[WooJung]

55 minutes ago, lexicon said:

An utter shambles yet didn't concede, combined with a pretty tight second half where we looked organised and reasonably composed for a change. 

I'm sorry but didn't concede doesn't mean much, a team they could create and miss 25 sitters  and that could result in the opposing team not conceding, does that make it ok for the defenders to allow the opposition clear goal chances, as long as their attackers fluff them? And say they only had one shot on target from midfield and that resulted in a goal à la Shelvey against us, would you then blame the defence?

[Texas_Mike]

Right back..... right back ......  right back...... Come on Remi

[OutByEaster?]

Right back in at centre half please!

 

[Xela]

Someone's agenda against Richards is embarrassing, yet quite amusing 

He's been our best defender this year (not a great achievement but still) and we've kept clean sheets with him in the team. He's much better than Clark and Lescott have been this year

Delighted to see Okore back and playing well

Edited December 5, 2015 by Xela

[OutByEaster?]

For me, our best two defenders this season have been Hutton and Richards - there's no way I'd move Richards to right back and ruin both of them at a single stroke.

 

[Butterfingers]

4 minutes ago, OutByEaster? said:

For me, our best two defenders this season have been Hutton and Richards - there's no way I'd move Richards to right back and ruin both of them at a single stroke.

 

I'd agree

What I would be prepared to do is trying Richards at LB, Hutton RB. This wouldn't "ruin" them.

Its all about finding what fits best for the team

 

[OutByEaster?]

You'd take our most effective centre back and move him into a position he's never played and isn't naturally suited to?

 

[OutByEaster?]

For me what fits best for the team is finding the right CB to play next to him (and in my opinion that's Okore) and the right left back to give us some sort of solid back four. We're in enough trouble as it is, why would we want to mess about with the bits of the team that work?

 

[Stevo985]

Okore was good from what I saw today. Lescott was shakey still, got bailed out twice by guzan.

Richards and okore could work

[dudevillaisnice]

As long as Calamity Clark isn't involved

[Butterfingers]

28 minutes ago, OutByEaster? said:

29 minutes ago, OutByEaster? said:

I want something that works.

Our defence doesn't look capable of keeping a clean sheet, no matter who is playing.

We have no LB so what do we do? Persist with Richardson?

I think that it is at least worth a try to put Hutton at LB (something we've done before), Richards at RB and have a look at the central pairing who played today.

It's not about putting the best player in his best position, it is about fielding the best back 4 that works for AVFC

 

 

 

[OutByEaster?]

I think we keep what works and then look at what we can do with what isn't working. We have two positions that we look okay in at the back - right back with Hutton who I think has a shout for our best player of the season, and right centre back with Richards who has looked okay in a pretty poor back line.

Next to those two we've got two problems - Clark has looked shaky, Lescott whilst he hasn't had much time hasn't impressed and Okore is just back - of those three, I'd take Okore right now.

Then at left back, we have a number of players in the squad capable of playing there - Amavi, who is injured, Cissokho who is on loan, Bennett who is on loan, Richardson who isn't great, Bacuna who isn't great and Ilori and Crespo who can both apparently play there but I've never seen.

I wouldn't move Hutton, because I think we lose something at right back when he doesn't play there and because he's not a good left back - that's taking one strength and making two weaknesses.

I wouldn't move Richards to left back, because in so far as I'm aware he's never played there, I wouldn't put Sanchez there for the same reason and I think both are equally likely.

This desire to move Hutton and Richards doesn't seem to me to make sense if the aim is to make the back four better - it only seems to make sense if the aim is to move Richards and Hutton for the sake of it.

For me, of the left backs available, I'd probably pick Richardson - but it's like a choice between milk that's three days off and milk that's four days off. We need a left back in January desperately, whether that's one of our own back from loan or a new one.

 

 

[AntrimBlack]

We need Richards back. Lescott was very poor.

[DCJonah]

Just watched the chances again.  Well done Lexicon, spot on as always. 

[New_Jersey_Villa]

5 hours ago, Xela said:

Someone's agenda against Richards is embarrassing, yet quite amusing 

He's been our best defender this year (not a great achievement but still) and we've kept clean sheets with him in the team. He's much better than Clark and Lescott have been this year

Delighted to see Okore back and playing well

Excellent post.

[lexicon]

I get why some people mistakenly rate him so highly, he's very visible and his athleticism/strength makes him look impressive and he uses them well to win the ball, if his man is directly in front of him. What they're failing to realise is that defending is about containing, marking and positioning - doing those 3 well so most of the time you don't need to do anything last ditch or flashy. He can't do any of those things nearly well enough. 

Secondly, the centre of defence is a partnership. You need to find the best partnership that you have in the squad, sometimes sacrificing a player who may be thought of as a better CB because he doesn't work well with anyone else. It's incredibly hard to play with someone you can't trust to be in roughly the right place at the right time - and looking at so many of the goals that we have conceded, Richards is throwing the unit out of whack with his poor positional play time and time again. 

[gharperr]

49 minutes ago, lexicon said:

I get why some people mistakenly rate him so highly, he's very visible and his athleticism/strength makes him look impressive and he uses them well to win the ball, if his man is directly in front of him. What they're failing to realise is that defending is about containing, marking and positioning - doing those 3 well so most of the time you don't need to do anything last ditch or flashy. He can't do any of those things nearly well enough. 

Secondly, the centre of defence is a partnership. You need to find the best partnership that you have in the squad, sometimes sacrificing a player who may be thought of as a better CB because he doesn't work well with anyone else. It's incredibly hard to play with someone you can't trust to be in roughly the right place at the right time - and looking at so many of the goals that we have conceded, Richards is throwing the unit out of whack with his poor positional play time and time again. 

see? wasnt so hard to make a solid post without coming across as a  word removed. Im not the most convinced by richards and probably could be convinced but some of the points/posts you made recently have come across cringey how biased against. but ye, solid post

[Butterfingers]

13 hours ago, OutByEaster? said:

I think we keep what works and then look at what we can do with what isn't working. We have two positions that we look okay in at the back - right back with Hutton who I think has a shout for our best player of the season, and right centre back with Richards who has looked okay in a pretty poor back line.

Next to those two we've got two problems - Clark has looked shaky, Lescott whilst he hasn't had much time hasn't impressed and Okore is just back - of those three, I'd take Okore right now.

Then at left back, we have a number of players in the squad capable of playing there - Amavi, who is injured, Cissokho who is on loan, Bennett who is on loan, Richardson who isn't great, Bacuna who isn't great and Ilori and Crespo who can both apparently play there but I've never seen.

I wouldn't move Hutton, because I think we lose something at right back when he doesn't play there and because he's not a good left back - that's taking one strength and making two weaknesses.

I wouldn't move Richards to left back, because in so far as I'm aware he's never played there, I wouldn't put Sanchez there for the same reason and I think both are equally likely.

This desire to move Hutton and Richards doesn't seem to me to make sense if the aim is to make the back four better - it only seems to make sense if the aim is to move Richards and Hutton for the sake of it.

For me, of the left backs available, I'd probably pick Richardson - but it's like a choice between milk that's three days off and milk that's four days off. We need a left back in January desperately, whether that's one of our own back from loan or a new one.

 

 

That is a good argument. I just re-read my posts. I originally stated Richards @ LB. I meant RB, with Hutton on the left. I agree that it is moving two (the best two) to resolve the LB position. If one of Lescott, llori, or Crespo could cover LB reasonably well, then there would be no need to juggle. Bennet is nowhere near good enough and much as I like Bacuna, he can't play LB regularly. I would consider Cissokho if there was a clause to bring him back although I understand it to be a 12 month deal. The downside with Cissokho is that he brings very little once we cross the half way line.

I couldn't even contemplate the thought of Richardson playing and would prefer to see my back 4 given a chance (Richards, Okore, Lescott, Hutton) With Richards in the centre, I'd probavly like to see Lescott given another run next to him. He has been a great player over the years and I have not given up on him yet. He only played for the new manager for the first time  yesterday and probably did enough to keep his place. Harsh on Okore but if the Richards/Lescott partnership didn't work out, he would get his chance again,

[Dr_Pangloss]

5 hours ago, lexicon said:

I get why some people mistakenly rate him so highly, he's very visible and his athleticism/strength makes him look impressive and he uses them well to win the ball, if his man is directly in front of him. What they're failing to realise is that defending is about containing, marking and positioning - doing those 3 well so most of the time you don't need to do anything last ditch or flashy. He can't do any of those things nearly well enough. 

Secondly, the centre of defence is a partnership. You need to find the best partnership that you have in the squad, sometimes sacrificing a player who may be thought of as a better CB because he doesn't work well with anyone else. It's incredibly hard to play with someone you can't trust to be in roughly the right place at the right time - and looking at so many of the goals that we have conceded, Richards is throwing the unit out of whack with his poor positional play time and time again. 

This really sums up my feelings, tremendous athlete, probably one of the best we've had, but not a very good defender at all, he doesn't do the textbook stuff well, it's as though he skipped defending 101. Much rather have him at right back. He'd be a lot more solid than Hutton and has demonstrated, with his numerous runs with the ball out of defence, that he's actually not bad on the ball.