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John Stones

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Bluebonic said:
I never actually said i liked him lad? I rate him, there is a massive difference, plus, if you are going to play the grammar nazi, at least play it properly! Calibre is the correct spelling unles you are a Yank, in which case it it spelled caliber! I am not a Yank, i am a scouser, apologies for confusing you :)
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im Irish and have no excuse for not knowing that. you were right.

I probably over reacted to your post but I cant understand anybody wanting that character anywhere near our club.
 

Jonte said:
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Sorry to pick on your post again, Saint Domingo, but I forgot to address this last point before pressing 'post...'.

I've no wish to appear antagonistic, but the view held by many of my fellow Evertonians that our poor defensive displays are solely down to Mr. Martinez's apparent lack of credence payed to the art of defending is wearing a bit thin.

Our defenders are professional sportsmen employed, at great cost, for the primary purpose of defending. By definition, each knows - or should know - where he should be in relation to attackers and co-defenders in a variety of scenarios, whether they be dead ball situations, outnumbered and too high up the pitch when the opposition breaks, or simply one-on-one.

Jags and Baines are journeymen pros; Coleman and Stones benefitted from honing their skills under the master of defence, David Moyes.

Okay, Roberto Martinez may require all his players to consider themselves attackers, even the defenders by playing the ball out from the back for instance, or making themselves available to receive a pass. However, this doesn't excuse them from their defensive roles which, frankly, are fundamentals of the game, and if a player can't adapt his role at this level - isn't this what employers term flexibility these days ? - then questions have to be asked as to their suitability. Harsh, perhaps, but as I've just alluded to, aren't we all adapting to the demands of every day life in what ever role we perform; can't our highly skilled Premiership footballers do the same?

Perhaps it might just be the case that some aren't quite good enough to do so.


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......defending isn't just about marking players at set pieces etc, it's about what the whole team does when the opposition has the ball. It's also about team shape and management throughout a game, particularly when we have a lead. These are tactical issues that players adopt from the training ground. The fact that our full backs are constantly caught 'grazing' upfield and not sitting in is down to the manager. The fact that there is 'no chemistry' is perhaps an indication that the players you highlight no longer buy into the tactics being deployed.
 
Eggs said:
......defending isn't just about marking players at set pieces etc, it's about what the whole team does when the opposition has the ball. It's also about team shape and management throughout a game, particularly when we have a lead. These are tactical issues that players adopt from the training ground. The fact that our full backs are constantly caught 'grazing' upfield and not sitting in is down to the manager. The fact that there is 'no chemistry' is perhaps an indication that the players you highlight no longer buy into the tactics being deployed.
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You're doing an admirable job of defending our defenders, Egg. Fancy a trial for Everton? One or two defenders posts up for grabs.

I'm only joking, Eggs; please don't take offence.

You see, this is the consequence of over complicating what is essentially a simple game: everybody is blinded by science.

I agree that what you do without the ball is as important as what you do when you have it (why can't Lakaku pull his finger out and try closing down the opposition when they play from the back a bit more? This will certainly pay dividends when we play Sakho and co in the forthcoming Derby).

But my gripe is with Messrs. stones and co. Who just can't the basics right: all of the aforementioned including preventing crosses coming in, wingers being continuously allowed to cut inside a la Glenn Johnson (in his role as a 'wing back' whatever that might be), rash challenges in danger areas and the ultimate Cardinal sin of giving the ball away in front of your own goal.

No 'Diamond', 4-4-1-1, 1-3-3-1-2 or whatever the latest footballing fad from somewhere in the known world or elsewhere is ever going to change that, Egg.
 
Jonte said:
You're doing an admirable job of defending our defenders, Egg. Fancy a trial for Everton? One or two defenders posts up for grabs.

I'm only joking, Eggs; please don't take offence.

You see, this is the consequence of over complicating what is essentially a simple game: everybody is blinded by science.

I agree that what you do without the ball is as important as what you do when you have it (why can't Lakaku pull his finger out and try closing down the opposition when they play from the back a bit more? This will certainly pay dividends when we play Sakho and co in the forthcoming Derby).

But my gripe is with Messrs. stones and co. Who just can't the basics right: all of the aforementioned including preventing crosses coming in, wingers being continuously allowed to cut inside a la Glenn Johnson (in his role as a 'wing back' whatever that might be), rash challenges in danger areas and the ultimate Cardinal sin of giving the ball away in front of your own goal.

No 'Diamond', 4-4-1-1, 1-3-3-1-2 or whatever the latest footballing fad from somewhere in the known world or elsewhere is ever going to change that, Egg.
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......no offence taken in the least. I accept individuals are making errors but I also believe we are tactically naive when it comes to defending. I also accept that this is my opinion and I might be wrong.
 

Eggs said:
......no offence taken in the least. I accept individuals are making errors but I also believe we are tactically naive when it comes to defending. I also accept that this is my opinion and I might be wrong.
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I omitted the clause: IMHO :blush:

Thanks for your interest.

Jonte
 
bicycleheader said:
in fairness the grammar part wasnt the main part of the reply or the main reason for my reaction

i just kind of added in for added punch and made an eejit of myself in the process!

lesson learned
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No sweat bud, purely on a personality level, i couldn't agree more! Thenguy is a sleazebag of the highest order! He also happens to be one of the best defenders i have seen. For that reason alone, i think he would be good for stones to learn from! It wont happen anyway, so its all piss in the wind! :)
 

Played very well last night. His leadership is coming along which will help his confidence.

To me though, the best thing about last night was he was defending resolutely AND playing to his strengths at the right time.

Example of the former - that big slide tackle outside the box.
Example of the latter - late on, nipped a little pass round the corner to Barry when under pressure to keep us in possession.

More of that John Stones.
 
Although there were still too many free headers in Everton's box, I thought Stones played well.

It's not the genuine mistakes that bother me. I just don't like it when he deliberately puts a teammate into a difficult position because he doesn't want to be the one who gets rid.
 

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