What I'm saying is the claim that he's mediocre at best is rubbish.
To say he's mediocre at best implies that he's never good, and occasionally adequate.
I'm not going to argue that he's Cafu but overall he is a very good footballer.
You can argue that the likes of Long had the beating of him but also that he's had the better of Zaha on nearly every occasion over the last 10 years.
True, he cant cross, he never could, even at Sligo and his throw ins frustrate me (that's more a coaching issue, not a player one).
But he's a player who at 34 and after a serious injury, knows his limits and what he's capable of. (hence taking the ball to the byline and cutting back rather than lofting a cross in).
He's a very good defender,
he's a very good game manager,
he's good at link up play when the right players are around him.
He's been good through countless managerial changes and player changes in front of him and beside him. Think of some of the dross he's had to mop up for.
He's also a very good on field captain.
He swings between mediocre and excellent. (very occasionally poor)
So to say he's mediocre at best is rubbish.
He's excellent at best.
I honestly cant believe the stick he gets.
He gets the stick because it's what he's shown lately. Not the last 5 games, the last several years.
He's adequate currently and literally no one is begrudging his greatness from the past. Great that he's got Zaha in a lock, not great he got beaten often. We can't have someone with clear limitations start, as much as davek wants, at least not every single game and/or all the time. He's currently deputising.
Sure, he's played beside some dross, but he's also been part of that dross like. Great to blame Michael Keane for last season, but Coleman was consistent part of the same clown defence. I know, some of it boils down to tactics, but I'm 100% sure it wasn't just that as individual errors piled on every game.
Age 34 he's not great and honestly the whole "with the right players" - yeah, and Michael Keane was also great for Ancelotti as we played to all of his strengths and around him, imagine? We can't do that for mediocre players, as is shown by Michael Keane being phased out.
He was excellent at best. Back in the day.
He's currently mediocre, at best. An average PL right back, and a very crap captain when it comes to captaining on the pitch, but that's a whole different ball game. Again, not the "calling up Tarks to tell him how it is", the "he hides from this responsibility on the field instead of being in the ref's ear for everything like
EVERY CAPTAIN IN FOOTBALL".
To say he's excellent on his day currently means he's bossing the right side, he's joining the attack, he's running aots blocking shots - he can only do 1 of those things, he's limited, therefore mediocre currently. Never forget his accurate passes to literally no one or the opposition from the last few games, but we won so it's okay. Very good at D-FENSE currently, but so was Tony Hibbert and no one ever tried to convince anyone he was excellent after his injury; we all knew the limitations and were prepared for them. When Coleman (ironically) came along is when we saw how an actual RB plays, which is bizarre in itself as he was a RW first before joining us as a RB.
Phil Neville had CR7 in his pocket btw. Phil Neville was an average footballer, at best. Just like Seamus currently is.
If anything - mad props for having longevity and being in the game still, but he's not what he was and hasn't been for such a long time.
**Fully agreed on his crossing ability being nonexistent or "hit and hope" most the time though. How a pro footballer, with his level of professionalism, never learned to cross properly/consistently is well beyond me, honestly. Not even as a comment of dislike or whatever, just honestly confusing lol
Absolute model pro and deserves a lot of plaudits and future possibilities, with us especially, but not on the pitch soon, hopefully.
I'm also aware we probably won't agree, but opinions and that, innit.
Also "Patterson would start, but he's not"... Fairly sure injured players don't play mate. Same argument as Davek for last year - "if Patterson is good why is he not starting"... when the lad had a knee operation lol
