John Stones

[Big Fat Sam]

Cant believe hes getting any criticism for what he did. The people that should be getting slammed are his teammates who decided not to give him an option when he was looking for one.

Disagree. He's a brilliant player but no defender should be doing that sort of showboating in their own six yard box, ever. He should have smashed it up field if he didn't have an option. He has plenty of opportunity to play lovely football; doing that in your own box knowing that Tim Howard is the last line of defence is laughable.

 

[Pienaar'sdisciple]

As ive just said in the other thread, Howard and Besic both gave him an option, Howard held his hands up as if to say "here John" and Besic dropped back to give him an angle for a pass, Howard ended up just standing there and Besic ran off, cos he didnt want the options they gave, he wanted to showcase how fcking amazing he really is.

Howard was just gonna hoof it out and Besic as you say ran away when he realized the pressure was there. Its not showboating, hes trying to play out from the back despite of there being pressure. The measure of great players is how they cope with pressure and as far as defenders go he's as good as they get.

 

[Pienaar'sdisciple]

Disagree. He's a brilliant player but no defender should be doing that sort of showboating in their own six yard box, ever. He should have smashed it up field if he didn't have an option. He has plenty of opportunity to play lovely football; doing that in your own box knowing that Tim Howard is the last line of defence is laughable.

smashing it up the field normally results in us having to defend in a jiffy. Being able to pass the ball out against a pressing team is the sort of stuff we need to encourage not discourage. We see him dribble attackers all the time and he barely ever loses the ball, no idea why it would still make people nervous.

 

[chicoazul]

Disagree. He's a brilliant player but no defender should be doing that sort of showboating in their own six yard box, ever. He should have smashed it up field if he didn't have an option. He has plenty of opportunity to play lovely football; doing that in your own box knowing that Tim Howard is the last line of defence is laughable.

You support Everton not Wimbledon you throbbing cockring of a poster.

 

[toffeejack]

Until it doesn't. (Though I have to admit that Besic's nutmeg was exquisite)

i did chuckle when besic did that thing on his debut v chelsea. But the game was already gone so maybe that was different.

 

[WA Toffee]

Just watched it on youtube. Class.
Sure, he is going to come unstuck at some point and end up costing us a goal, but it is worth it to see a young defender play with such coolness.

He is a star

 

[Khalekan]

There is a time to launch the ball tbh. When you've just dribbled it pretty much onto your own goal line, that is the time.

This.

I thought Carragher was spot on when he said Stones did well up to a point in that incident. He should have got rid of the ball when he had a clear shot out after the first turn rather than turn back into his man again.

 

[Khalekan]

Sure, he is going to come unstuck at some point and end up costing us a goal, but it is worth it to see a young defender play with such coolness.

lol

 

[Khalekan]

Also later in the game there is less time for any mistake to be repaired, especially when we are drawing 1-1 in the 88th minutes would prefer a safety first approach rather than Cruyff turns in the box.

A simple truth.

 

[Blue Cheese]

The kid is so silky on the ball. It's not an exaggeration saying he's the best ball playing defender England have produced. Has heart in mouth moments but He is a joy to watch.

 

[Khalekan]

The tits who were screaming at him as he effortlessly turned away under pressure in the box need to stab themselves in the eye

then again, they are the same "tits" who sat in the Park End watching him make a needless challenge in injury time versus Stoke which allowed Clattenburg to give a penalty to rob us of a point.

Wrong part of the pitch, wrong time in the match to start mucking about like that IMO.

Which is why nearly 40,000 nervous "tits" we're "screaming at him" to clear his lines.

 

[Pabbers]

He is doing my head in a bit, and I feel we wont be much worse off if we sold him, and reinvested the money.

BUT, I have absolutely loved watching him for the last 18 months (last month aside), he has been brilliantly entertaining.

But I support Everton, not just John Stones.

 

[Khalekan]

They'd probably miss.

Last season I was shouting stuff like that at him. This season I'm much more relaxed about it and just enjoy watching him dance around folk Defensively we've been shocking for a lot of the season, but very few of the mistakes made have been down to Stones' ball skills letting him down.

that is a very good point, Wooly.

His ball playing skills are excellent and we haven't conceded due to him being caught in possession this season from what I can recall.

His day job however is to be a centre half and it appears to me he needs to work on other aspects of that role, such as clearing high balls into the box, the Achilles Heel of our excellent young team rather than the eye catching Cruyff turns.

 

[WA Toffee]

then again, they are the same "tits" who sat in the Park End watching him make a needless challenge in injury time versus Stoke which allowed Clattenburg to give a penalty to rob us of a point.

Wrong part of the pitch, wrong time in the match to start mucking about like that IMO.

Which is why nearly 40,000 nervous "tits" we're "screaming at him" to clear his lines.

I can understand where you are coming from, but you can't tell me you don't enjoy it when he starts on a Messi-esque run and makes fools of the opposition?

 

[Khalekan]

I can understand where you are coming from, but you can't tell me you don't enjoy it when he starts on a Messi-esque run and makes fools of the opposition?

lol