2021/22 Nathan Patterson

[roy vernon]

I'd honestly give him a try against West Ham, we're conceding for fun away from home, so he will hardly weaken us defensively, conceded 9 in our last 2 away games,. I just feel that his pace would give opposing teams something to think about. I'd also play Godfrey at left back and bring in Branthwaite alongside Keane in a back 4. If nothing else we would have pace down either flank, which would give West Ham something to think about.

If it doesn't work out, the probability was that we would lose this game anyway and it would, at least, have given Coleman rest and given Patterson a chance to show us if he really is as bad defensively as @davek would have us believe.

 

[Zeitgeist]

Id start him RWB
He makes players commit, would make things a lot easier for Gordon, open space up completely

Will have a RCB behind him for the supposed defensive weaknesses

 

[blueloon]

Interesting comments from Steve Clarke saying he had no worries playing him as he knows the level ( PL) he is training at and it’s a good level working with PL players. “ As long as he’s doing his work properly on the training pitch he’ll always have enough in his legs to come and play for us. His performance was good for a boy who has had so little football. “
Confirms for me that whatever progress he makes this season then next season he remains at Finch Farm to benefit from our training and the coaching of two of the best full backs to play in the PL

 

[davek]

I'd honestly give him a try against West Ham, we're conceding for fun away from home, so he will hardly weaken us defensively, conceded 9 in our last 2 away games,. I just feel that his pace would give opposing teams something to think about. I'd also play Godfrey at left back and bring in Branthwaite alongside Keane in a back 4. If nothing else we would have pace down either flank, which would give West Ham something to think about.

If it doesn't work out, the probability was that we would lose this game anyway and it would, at least, have given Coleman rest and given Patterson a chance to show us if he really is as bad defensively as @davek would have us believe.

We cant gamble like that. 11 cup finals we have left.

 

[davek]

Interesting comments from Steve Clarke saying he had no worries playing him as he knows the level ( PL) he is training at and it’s a good level working with PL players. “ As long as he’s doing his work properly on the training pitch he’ll always have enough in his legs to come and play for us. His performance was good for a boy who has had so little football. “
Confirms for me that whatever progress he makes this season then next season he remains at Finch Farm to benefit from our training and the coaching of two of the best full backs to play in the PL

TBF, Steve Clarke has the luxury of playing a winger at FB in charity matches - Frank Lampard does not.

 

[roy vernon]

We cant gamble like that. 11 cup finals we have left.

I don't think it's too much of a gamble against West Ham away Dave. We're hardly likely to get anything there anyway, and, our defending can hardly be any worse than in our last two away games, in which we have conceded 9 goals. It also means that, should Ireland not injure him, we keep Coleman fit for the much more important away fixture at Burnley.

 

[Simon baker]

We cant gamble like that. 11 cup finals we have left.

How is it a gamble we have just lost 5 nil and 4 nil away from home. Coleman was equally culpable as Laurel and hardy at Center half

 

[davek]

I don't think it's too much of a gamble against West Ham away Dave. We're hardly likely to get anything there anyway, and, our defending can hardly be any worse than in our last two away games, in which we have conceded 9 goals. It also means that, should Ireland not injure him, we keep Coleman fit for the much more important away fixture at Burnley.

I dont think playing successive games is affecting Coleman.

I highly doubt we'll see Patterson start a PL game. It'd be Kenny in before him.

 

[roy vernon]

I dont think playing successive games is affecting Coleman.

I highly doubt we'll see Patterson start a PL game. It'd be Kenny in before him.

Don't know about that Dave, we already know what Kenny can do and we have seen that it is not good enough, he is ok, but limited. If we rest Coleman for this game, and I hope we do, as we are unlikely to come away with anything anyway, this is the ideal time to try Patterson. Coleman and Kenny are part of the defence that conceded 9 goals, that's nine goals in our last 2 aways.

If I were a suspicious man I would almost think you don't want us to try Patterson, in case he can actually hack it.

 

[davek]

Don't know about that Dave, we already know what Kenny can do and we have seen that it is not good enough, he is ok, but limited. If we rest Coleman for this game, and I hope we do, as we are unlikely to come away with anything anyway, this is the ideal time to try Patterson. Coleman and Kenny are part of the defence that conceded 9 goals, that's nine goals in our last 2 aways.

If I were a suspicious man I would almost think you don't want us to try Patterson, in case he can actually hack it.

He has been tried...and subbed.

It doesn't matter what anyone thinks about this - as entertaining as it is - because we know Lampard is not minded to play Patterson before he'll use Coleman and Kenny.

Coleman will (fitness permitting) face West Ham. Kenny will deputise if not.

I said the other day that Townsend's injury might allow Patterson permanant residency of the sub bench for the remainder of the season, but as a back up to Gordon should he get an injury and Lampard chooses not to switch either Gray or Richarlison over to that side. I could actually get behind that. But this lad is never a defender in a month of Sundays.

 

[Eggs]

We cant gamble like that. 11 cup finals we have left.

….has Lampard even got a point from an away game yet? I honestly can’t recall but even before he came we were hardly difficult to beat. Chelsea away probably the last time we dug in and got something. We were in a cup quarter final last time out and got thrashed.

Keep doing the same thing & you get the same outcome. Change is needed. Mykolenko, Kenny and Holgate are higher risk than Patterson.

Personally, I wouldn’t start Patterson at West Ham but surely he has to be a potent substitute to bring on if needed.

 

[davek]

….has Lampard even got a point from an away game yet? I honestly can’t recall but even before he came we were hardly difficult to beat. Chelsea away probably the last time we dug in and got something. We were in a cup quarter final last time out and got thrashed.

Keep doing the same thing & you get the same outcome. Change is needed. Mykolenko, Kenny and Holgate are higher risk than Patterson.

Personally, I wouldn’t start Patterson at West Ham but surely he has to be a potent substitute to bring on if needed.

We've played 3 games away from home under him. Hardly a body of evidence is it?

Let me tell you this: I've never seen a FB play that high up the pitch in my life. Maybe some United FBs in their pomp were allowed to be camped out permananly in the opposition half or Roberto Carlos was allowed to simply form part of Madrid's attack, but we as a team cant be deploying our FBs like that, can we?

 

[roy vernon]

He has been tried...and subbed.

It doesn't matter what anyone thinks about this - as entertaining as it is - because we know Lampard is not minded to play Patterson before he'll use Coleman and Kenny.

Coleman will (fitness permitting) face West Ham. Kenny will deputise if not.

I said the other day that Townsend's injury might allow Patterson permanant residency of the sub bench for the remainder of the season, but as a back up to Gordon should he get an injury and Lampard chooses not to switch either Gray or Richarlison over to that side. I could actually get behind that. But this lad is never a defender in a month of Sundays.

I wouldn't be too sure about that Dave. Don't forget your last big certainty. I remember you gleefully telling us all, after the Digne sale, that 'Benitez is going nowhere, our owner has backed him and given him 100% control.' Benitez was sacked a few days later.

Conceding 9 goals in 2 games may well have convinced Lampard that it is time to try something new.

You have no more idea what his current thoughts are than I do. It's just an educated guess for either of us. One thing you can be sure of though, playing Patterson, is crossing his mind.

 

[davek]

I wouldn't be too sure about that Dave. Don't forget your last big certainty. I remember you gleefully telling us all, after the Digne sale, that 'Benitez is going nowhere, our owner has backed him and given him 100% control.' Benitez was sacked a few days later.

Conceding 9 goals in 2 games may well have convinced Lampard that it is time to try something new.

You have no more idea what his current thoughts are than I do. It's just an educated guess for either of us. One thing you can be sure of though, playing Patterson, is crossing his mind.

Well if that happens it will contradict all that Lampard has said about Patterson...and it wont be me being wrong it'll be a massive u-turn on the part of the manager.

I dont see that happening any time soon.

In the meantime we have to dial this hype down a level of three. He isn't a FB in a million years. As I said above, outside of a handful of top European teams who dont need FBs to be FBs in domestic games - they just play them as attackers - I've never seen a FB play this high up the pitch...and certainly not for Everton.

I think the clue to his development as a FB in that fashion is that he played for one of two clubs in Scotland where FBs could be deployed in that way domestically because, apart from one other team, they could afford to place a FB in the opposition half and hardly have to call upon them to defend as the quality of opposition are so poor. (Tierney took years at Celtic to add both dimensions of attack and defence to his game...and he had seasons in Euro competitions to practice that...unlike Patterson who was hardly in rangers' first team)

He makes no sense to me as a PL FB. And that's what his managers down here have decided too.

 

[Eggs]

We've played 3 games away from home under him. Hardly a body of evidence is it?

Let me tell you this: I've never seen a FB play that high up the pitch in my life. Maybe some United FBs in their pomp were allowed to be camped out permananly in the opposition half or Roberto Carlos was allowed to simply form part of Madrid's attack, but we as a team cant be deploying our FBs like that, can we?

…..not sure what you mean regarding him playing high up the pitch.

I watched him in the Old Firm game and a couple of Scotland games where he was a conventional full back and he defended from the back line. This was also the case in the U23 game he played at Southport where he got a few crucial blocks in his own area.

Do you mean he attacks and can’t get back when teams break? Remember us at Chelsea under Martinez when we were leading late on and our furthest player up the pitch was our RB. One long ball from Fabrigas and we were caught at the back because Baines was also missing on the other side.

Benitez wanted both full backs to ‘stay at home’, Martinez encourage both to attack, usually if one goes forward in open play the other sits in & CBs fill the void. Saying that, Kenny in particular finds himself in no-man’s land, he’s totally out of the game when the ball goes beyond him. Kenny neither defends or attacks to any great degree.

Whilst the continued decision to not give Patterson game time is totally bewildering, I think the biggest issue relating to full-backs was the decision to sell Digne. It’s left us in a right mess, not least because Mykolenko is nowhere near a capable replacement. The team is so much weaker and unbalanced for his absence. Madness.