John Stones

[Khalekan]

I really don't see why you would say that. We can all see the talent that he has, but equally we can all see the mistakes and errors he makes and those mistakes will be magnified at City.
I do not see where he has improved as a defender in the last two seasons and that ultimately is what he will be judged as.

+1

 

[Saint Domingo]

Laughable some of this. How quickly people forget those occasions he effortlessly shut down some of the league's top marksmen or most of 14/15 when he was our standout player. Once the Martinez effect wears off he'll go back to being awesome. All this 'he doesn't have a football brain' is ridiculous. If we can keep him we must.

 

[BlueToff]

Lets just get rid. Every summer we can't plan because of him wanting out. It will be the same next season, if he had another bad season and makes more mistakes then his value will drop and he will be 24 and just another defender.

We could get 2 quality players, one who can defend and head the ball. Stones will suit city rather then us as he will do less defending

he wanted out for about a week at the end of last summer.

all is agreed this summer already. if nobody matches our valuation he stays - he has happily accepted that.

he has many improvements to make as a defender, but he's 22 years old!! Defender's hit their prime at around 30.

People are claiming he 'hasn't improved in two years'. Obviously, this is bullocks, considering he wasn't a first-team regular two years ago and, only a year ago (after a superb 14/15) the champions were after him.

He oozes class and will only get better (at defending). Anybody writing him off is an imbecile.

 

[DownOnTheUpside]

Last night, basically the same side as last season played out a drab, but creditable draw at Old Trafford gains a squad widely be tipped - by a Manu loving media - to be champions elect or very, very close to it.

John Stones played between his fellow Barnsleyman Mason Holgate and RFM, and but for a couple of glaring aerial errors, he continues to look a cultured, ball-playing footballer.

But, is he a defender or a midfielder?
This question was posed last season in a front page article, and needs to be re-visited.

Stones oozes class when on the ball and especially in space where he can stretch his legs and move forward with positive intentions in his mind.

Stones looks less comfortable when needing to combat a big, strong, aerial threat... and there will be much stronger aerial threats this season than Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Stones seems to enjoy timing a tackle, but part of that art is positioning and this too is an area within his game that needs a little attention.

John Stones, despite being tempted by or pushing for a big money move to Manchester City and Pep Guardiola might actually be better advised to stay at Everton and learn more from the new manager Ronald Koeman. He was a classy, ball-playing defender and if anyone can correct the imperfections within John Stones, surely it's Koeman and not Guardiola who is best placed to do so.

At City, where after spending hugely on their new manager and two or three new players already, the pressure to win and consistently to justify that kind of outlay, will be enormous and if Stones were to be a part of that, would that pressure really help him iron out the flaws in his defensive game?

There will be increased pressure surrounding Everton this season too, but Stones knows Everton and in my opinion, would be better advised to stay and work with Koeman as a regular first team player rather than chancing his arm with ?City and possibly ending up as a bit part player.

be interested to know how much koeman is involved in day to day training, he seems to be very active on the touchline

 

[BlueToff]

Laughable some of this. How quickly people forget those occasions he effortlessly shut down some of the league's top marksmen or most of 14/15 when he was our standout player. Once the Martinez effect wears off he'll go back to being awesome. All this 'he doesn't have a football brain' is ridiculous. If we can keep him we must.

The job he did on Costa last year a perfect example.

People slate him mate and whatever, it happens. But he's class. Will miss him when he's gone but equally so we'll get good money for him and will hopefully get a quality replacement in.

Him and Williams would make a fantastic pairing, so it's a shame if they never got to play together (should we indeed sign Williams).

People also forget the lad is 22. He is more often than not tasked with leading the defence as Jags has been out (and in a Roberto Martinez team to boot...)

 

[BlueToff]

Stones was pretty terrible, last night. Yes, he had his moments, but as a defender, you cannot make the mistakes he keeps on making. Luckily Funes Mori and, especially, Holgate were really good against the mancs.

pretty terrible?

no... he wasn't... at all.

he made two errors in the first half and one after the interval. Not major errors, simple miss-judgement of the ball (in a pre-season friendly). Didn't result in a goal as, unlike under RM, we were defending as a unit.

Disgraceful the stick the lad gets on here.

I can understand the constructive criticism and that is valid, but everything is such hyperbole when it comes to most of the criticism.

 

[BlueToff]

Sell. 40m would be robbing City.

wrong

 

[BlueToff]

If you think John Stones is in anyway a better defender than Ashley Williams you are just wrong.

they'd be superb together.

Williams - a strong presence, a natural leader. Organised and physical. Good in the air and decent on the ball.

Stones - oozes class on the ball, great in the tackle. Lacks positioning which comes with age. Never going to be the strongest in the air but that's why you pair him with a player who is.

 

[Nyhus]

pretty terrible?

no... he wasn't... at all.

he made two errors in the first half and one after the interval. Not major errors, simple miss-judgement of the ball (in a pre-season friendly).

No major errors? Really? I would call most of the errors he made, major errors. If not for Holgate, Stones would have let united through on goal more than once lst night. The mistakes he made should not be made by any PL defender in a top ten side.
I dont get why some feel the need to brighten up the Stones situation. Yes, he's been good in the past, and will more than likely become good in the future, but right now, and the past 6-8months, he is/has been a mistake waiting to happen. Which sucks, because he also shows flashes of brilliance. But he is a defender, and at the moment, a pretty bad one. Good footballer, bad defender. Might come good, might be sold, Im happy either way.

 

[BlueToff]

No major errors? Really? I would call most of the errors he made, major errors. If not for Holgate, Stones would have let united through on goal more than once lst night. The mistakes he made should not be made by any PL defender in a top ten side.
I dont get why some feel the need to brighten up the Stones situation. Yes, he's been good in the past, and will more than likely become good in the future, but right now, and the past 6-8months, he is/has been a mistake waiting to happen. Which sucks, because he also shows flashes of brilliance. But he is a defender, and at the moment, a pretty bad one. Good footballer, bad defender. Might come good, might be sold, Im happy either way.

John Stones is not a 'bad' defender.

Phillipe Senderos was a 'bad' defender, as was Per Kroldrup.

 

[Nyhus]

John Stones is not a 'bad' defender.

Phillipe Senderos was a 'bad' defender, as was Per Kroldrup.

Bad defender might not be the best description, but lets just say he seems to lack some defensive instincs, at times, and that usually manifests in the worst way possible for Everton.

 

[BlueToff]

Bad defender might not be the best description, but lets just say he seems to lack some defensive instincs, at times, and that usually manifests in the worst way possible for Everton.

Yes and yet he's 22-years-old and will improve.

Look at Smalling, who makes more mistakes than I've ever seen Stones make. He's supposedly England's best.

Cahill the same. Jagielka always had an error in him.

It's the nature of the position. We take it for granted how good he already is and (understandably) demand more, but when you take a step back and look at it objectively he's one of the best around for his age and has at least 7-8 years until, as a defender, he reaches his prime.

I know it's about the here and now but if people can't see the talent (defensively and otherwise) he has due to a few mistakes then I despair...

 

[TheFinnFan]

Would like to hear proper info about this situation. It is starting to bother me a bit.

 

[Jacko93]

No major errors? Really? I would call most of the errors he made, major errors. If not for Holgate, Stones would have let united through on goal more than once lst night. The mistakes he made should not be made by any PL defender in a top ten side.
I dont get why some feel the need to brighten up the Stones situation. Yes, he's been good in the past, and will more than likely become good in the future, but right now, and the past 6-8months, he is/has been a mistake waiting to happen. Which sucks, because he also shows flashes of brilliance. But he is a defender, and at the moment, a pretty bad one. Good footballer, bad defender. Might come good, might be sold, Im happy either way.

Some people assume that Holgate covering is something that he just did of his own volition. It could just as easily be that Stones only stepped up for the ball in the knowledge that Holgate would in fact be covering, you know, with them doing stuff in training. Yes he missed the ball on the odd occasion, but he seems to be taking calculated risks, which would say to me that they are not major mistakes at all, but slight misjudgemnts which you can easily allow for in preseason. It also says to me that with Holgate there Stones has a confidence in him.

Jusst another viewpoint, for balance

 

[jal123]

I hate the fact the transfer window goes into the start of the season, how is the manager supposed to plan for Spurs and beyond when he doesn't know if his 'star men' will be here or not?
Should stop on August 1st and then they've at least got a week to be certain who plays in the opening game.

Anyway, I think he'll stay now, although I find City weird that they're arsed over £10m here but are throwing money round like Mayweather in a titty bar on their other targets.

Him and Williams (assuming this gets done) would be solid as a rock next season, and could even go 3 at the back with him in the centre of Williams and Jagielka, as a ball playing defender type, like we used to see in Serie A.