Black Country Seagull
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Scouting report: Tommy Elphick, Brighton and Hove Albion
Brighton's Tommy Elphick has good strength, confidence on the ball and, most importantly, the ability to read the game
It was not the greatest start to a game by one of the players I've been to watch. Tommy Elphick began by getting too close to his opponent on the edge of the 18-yard box, was rolled and then lucky not to concede a dangerous cross.
This was followed by him losing the Leyton Orient man he was supposed to be marking from a corner, which could have proved costly had the delivery been right. Then, to compound his early misery, he chested a ball down and just whacked a half-volley forward to no one in particular, not even giving his team-mates a chance to chase the ball down as it rolled out of play in a move more reminiscent of a rugby game.
Thankfully things got much better for Elphick as he hardly put a foot wrong from then on, regaining his composure to such an extent that in the end he was the standout defender in the game, especially in the Brighton defence. This was encapsulated in one particular incident when, having to judge where a dangerous cross would be played to, he was the only one - and this included his fellow defenders and Orient's two forwards - to position himself in exactly the right place to clear. Everybody else had guessed wrong.
Elphick has good strength and against Orient he won everything in the air, bullying a smaller centre-forward by putting his arm over his shoulders and not allowing him to jump. As the game wore on he became more confident with the ball as well, getting it down and finding team-mates or leaving the ball in corners, turning defenders and causing them to chase back and kick the ball out under pressure.
At all times he stayed on his feet, particularly in one-against-ones, so well that in one instance he actually took the ball off the man who was running at him, such was the difficulty his opponents had in trying to get round him.
He started to win the ball in front of the centre-forward - even when he was second-favourite to get to the ball, he still affected the man in possession.
Furthermore, he seemed to be the one who made the right decisions in the game, unlike his fellow centre-half never losing his man, and was quick to identify situations that needed addressing, either staying with his opponent or releasing himself to close the ball down.
He's not the sort who looks for others to do his job for him and his pace and strength meant that he rarely needed cover. Because of this he wasn't afraid - unlike most centre-halves - to follow his man, even into wide positions, not blindly but when the opponent posed an obvious risk. Many centre-halves don't like being pulled out of the centre.
Elphick has progressed through the youth ranks at Brighton where he made his debut in April 2007 against Doncaster Rovers, and such was his impact in his first year he was named player of the season. As you're probably aware, I don't always agree with fans but on this occasion I think the Brighton supporters' appraisal is spot-on.
How he rates
Age 21
Born Brighton
Position Defender
Height 5ft 11in
Weight 11st 7lb
From Youth team
Heading 9/10
Tackling 8/10
Passing 8/10
Pace 8/10
Strength 8/10
Team responsibility 9/10
Awareness 8/10
Valuation £400,000
Brighton's Tommy Elphick has good strength, confidence on the ball and, most importantly, the ability to read the game
It was not the greatest start to a game by one of the players I've been to watch. Tommy Elphick began by getting too close to his opponent on the edge of the 18-yard box, was rolled and then lucky not to concede a dangerous cross.
This was followed by him losing the Leyton Orient man he was supposed to be marking from a corner, which could have proved costly had the delivery been right. Then, to compound his early misery, he chested a ball down and just whacked a half-volley forward to no one in particular, not even giving his team-mates a chance to chase the ball down as it rolled out of play in a move more reminiscent of a rugby game.
Thankfully things got much better for Elphick as he hardly put a foot wrong from then on, regaining his composure to such an extent that in the end he was the standout defender in the game, especially in the Brighton defence. This was encapsulated in one particular incident when, having to judge where a dangerous cross would be played to, he was the only one - and this included his fellow defenders and Orient's two forwards - to position himself in exactly the right place to clear. Everybody else had guessed wrong.
Elphick has good strength and against Orient he won everything in the air, bullying a smaller centre-forward by putting his arm over his shoulders and not allowing him to jump. As the game wore on he became more confident with the ball as well, getting it down and finding team-mates or leaving the ball in corners, turning defenders and causing them to chase back and kick the ball out under pressure.
At all times he stayed on his feet, particularly in one-against-ones, so well that in one instance he actually took the ball off the man who was running at him, such was the difficulty his opponents had in trying to get round him.
He started to win the ball in front of the centre-forward - even when he was second-favourite to get to the ball, he still affected the man in possession.
Furthermore, he seemed to be the one who made the right decisions in the game, unlike his fellow centre-half never losing his man, and was quick to identify situations that needed addressing, either staying with his opponent or releasing himself to close the ball down.
He's not the sort who looks for others to do his job for him and his pace and strength meant that he rarely needed cover. Because of this he wasn't afraid - unlike most centre-halves - to follow his man, even into wide positions, not blindly but when the opponent posed an obvious risk. Many centre-halves don't like being pulled out of the centre.
Elphick has progressed through the youth ranks at Brighton where he made his debut in April 2007 against Doncaster Rovers, and such was his impact in his first year he was named player of the season. As you're probably aware, I don't always agree with fans but on this occasion I think the Brighton supporters' appraisal is spot-on.
How he rates
Age 21
Born Brighton
Position Defender
Height 5ft 11in
Weight 11st 7lb
From Youth team
Heading 9/10
Tackling 8/10
Passing 8/10
Pace 8/10
Strength 8/10
Team responsibility 9/10
Awareness 8/10
Valuation £400,000
