Why Claridge?

[BensGrandad]

Your're making things up again, BG, as is your way. MM has said NO SUCH THING. Source that quote of yours, please. MM has repeatedly said he regards Virgo as one of the best targetmen in the division.



Until you have a satisfactory explanation for that, open you eyes and stop running down one of our best players.

:

He has said in interviews that Virgo is a natural centre back who will one day possibly captain the side.

I have NEVER heard him say that he is a natural targetman.

I am not running down one of our up and coming players but not be any stretch best players. I also appreciate his limitations which obviously you dont so perhaps you would be better off sticking to the egg shaped ball at The Madjeski instead of trying to browbeat your way through an argument with complete ignorance.

 

[London Irish]

I also appreciate his limitations which obviously you dont so perhaps you would be better off sticking to the egg shaped ball at The Madjeski instead of trying to browbeat your way through an argument with complete ignorance.

Yep, you stick to "arguments" like that - very persuasive!

It's stunning that you claim to follow the Albion closely yet you've missed the countless, yes countless, quotes from McGhee saying that Virgo plays like a striker, not a defender up front. Oh well.

But you are renowned for your weird views of Albion players, aren't you? You think Danny Cullip is uesless and should be offloaded by Albion, which sums up your knowledge of football I think.

I guess you must have been very happy Cullip was suspended for Burnley last week. He'll be back tomorrow, sorry about that.

 

[BensGrandad]

.

For me, Burnley was the opportunity to judge how good Steve Claridge was at this level, and the manner in which he was physically outmuscled by the Burnley defenders proved to me he is no replacement for what Virgs can do for the team, sadly.

With comments like that I wouldn't even allow my 9 year old grandson to get in an argument with you because he would win hands down.

Claridge did all that was expected of the man who was brought in to win the ball. hold it up and then lay it off, in most cases to the oncoming midfield players for them to thread back through the defence to create goalscoring chances. This he did very succesfully.

Unfortunately much as he laid the ball back the midfield was unable to do their bit and the ball didnt come back through the defence. MM admitted that he was given no protection by the ref against Burnley and should have been given a lot more free kicks.

The times that we missed Virgo and Cullip was when we were defending set pieces as per their goal and in attacking situations from our set pieces which Virgo would go up for even if he played as a defender, his best position. Cullip would also have pushed forward for these to help create more trouble in their box.

Virgo was sent off at West Ham following a bad late tackle that as a defender he would possibly have got away with.

I have said that Cullip has not cut the ice at this level as he is being exposed as a poor header of the ball. He gets up wins the ball but does not direct it in any given direction as per Steve Foster when he was here or more recently Simon Morgan. I would not fault Cullips tackling and endeavour but his distribution again leaves a lot to be desired with 'spoon' clearances that just go up and to nobody in particular. When you are watching the game watch how Butters heads a ball usually to a player not just up in the air.

Unfortunately you adopt a holier than thou attitude that you are right and everybody else who doesn't agree with you is an idiot. Football is about opinions hence you get succesful managers with a set of the same players that had been failures with the previous managers and vice versa. In our case a classic example is Adam Virgo who SC didnt rate and sent him out on loan to Exeter and I would suggest that had he remained as manager Adam Virgo would not be here now or about to leave on a free.

I would be grateful if you could give me one example of a radio interview or when it was printed in The Argus that MM said Virgo was a natural striker or played like one.

There are numerous of when he has said on a postmatch interview that Virgo is a natural centre back and will possibly one day be the club captain.

The floor is yours I shall look at this tomorow and continue our discussion then if you wish.

 

[London Irish]

So let me get this straight. We missed Cullip at set pieces last Saturday, yet he is a poor header of the ball who does not cut the ice at this level.

That's certainly hedging your bets there. Any explanation for your capacity to hold completely opposite views in one brain?

As for my holier-than-thou attitude who thinks everyone I disagree with is an idiot, can I suggest you'd be on slightly firmer moral ground here if you didn't come out with stuff on this very page like "stick to egg chasing as you couldn't win an argument with a nine-year-old because of your complete ignorance etc etc" Opposite views emerging from the one BG brain again. Ah well.

As for watching Butters heading the ball to players not up in the air - did you see the goal we conceded against Burnley? Your timing is immaculate as ever BG I can only imagine what you'd have said about Cullip if it was his header ballooning around the six-yard box that led to Blake's goal. I'm a big fan of Butters but Cullip needs no defensive lessons from him.

Claridge, I've only seen him in 2 games for us, so my views on him could change very easily if I see him more. But I'm tired of this "the ref didn't protect him" stuff - we've been down this road so often with Leon that I'm not interested. We will never say "the ref never protected Virgs" because there isn't a defender in this division who can physically dominate him in the manner of Sinclair on Claridge, or sadly of countless defenders on Leon. There are only those like Clark Carlisle who supply Virgs with goal assists or those like Repka who get drawn into dumb fouls in danger areas that lead to vital goals.

You want some McGhee quotes, sure - I'll dig 'em all out tomorrow in between my day of egg-chasing viewing. My favourite is the one where McGhee compares Virgo to Van Basten and Van Nistlerooy, which even I think might be a tad OTT

 

[Yorkie]

Knight & Claridge
Knight & Claridge
both together do defenders damage


brought to you courtesy of Tom Hark/Dover




Incidentally see dougdeep's post about McCammon coming in. He knows how to play with Claridge.

 

[BensGrandad]

We missed both Virgo and Cullip at set pieces hence their goal because they both provide a physical obstruction and do not allow the opposing forward to get a clear header on the ball. The goal against Burnley was due largely to a bad flap you couldnt call it punch by Kuipers and the inability of Hinshlewood to get anywhere near the ball probably due to his lack of inches.

I have never doubted Cullips ability to win the ball with his head. What I do get dismayed and anxious over is where the balls go from his head usually to an opponent which has resulted in a number of goals so far this season. The need to be that much better is obvious in this division hence my critisiscm of him.

I think the general consensus of opinion on here is that AT THIS LEVEL Butters is a more accomplished defender than Cullip. Do not get me wrong I believe that DC has proved his ability in the lower leagues alongside Morgan and Blackwell. If I were the manager of Orient or Bournemouth he would be one of the first players that I would go after but not at the moment in The Championship.

I believe that within 2 years our regular central defenders will be Virgo and Hinshlewood.

I have heard most of MM interviews and would re-iterate that I have never heard him describe Virgo as another Van Nistleroy or Basten, I must have missed that one for some reason but I am sure that if it was said by MM it was said 'tongue in cheek' and not meant as a serious statement. If he thought that why would he be saying only last week that he was pleased with Claridge performance but we still need a big target man and why would he still be interested in McGammon if the price was right.

 

[BensGrandad]

LI;

I would refer you to todays Argus where DK says that we hiope to have McGammon before the Rotherham game and also Quincy Owusu Abeyie if Arsenal lose in the Carling Cup and we get get the finances sorted out.


MM says VIRGO IS A DEFENDER and is going to play there and Claridge is 38 years old so WE NEED A TARGET MAN against Rotherham.

 

[Ned Zelic]

I challenge that! But since neither of us can prove it, we'll have to call it our opinions. I reckon Cullip is first name on the sheet - he's 1st choice CB and captain - he an organiser and leader too. Virgo is 100% effort but is edged out by Cullip.

Sorry but Alexis Nicolas is a class above those two players and would certainly be the first name on the team sheet.

 

[BensGrandad]

Quincy Owuso Abeyie is playing for Arsenal as they have Henry Bergkamp Van Persie out injured.

 

[Yorkie]

Quincy Owuso Abeyie is playing for Arsenal as they have Henry Bergkamp Van Persie out injured.

He's not named in today's line-up

Liverpool (from): Kirkland, Finnan, Carragher, Hyypia, Riise, Kewell, Gerrard, Hamann, Alonso, Warnock, Mellor, Sinama-Pongolle, Dudek, Biscan, Diao, Nunez, Whitbread, Potter, Welsh.

Arsenal (from): Lehmann, Almunia, Taylor, Lauren, Cole, Hoyte, Campbell, Toure, Cygan, Senderos, Vieira, Fabregas, Flamini, Pires, Reyes, Ljungberg, Pennant, van Persie, Henry, Bergkamp.

 

[Ned Zelic]

He's not named in today's line-up

Liverpool (from): Kirkland, Finnan, Carragher, Hyypia, Riise, Kewell, Gerrard, Hamann, Alonso, Warnock, Mellor, Sinama-Pongolle, Dudek, Biscan, Diao, Nunez, Whitbread, Potter, Welsh.

Arsenal (from): Lehmann, Almunia, Taylor, Lauren, Cole, Hoyte, Campbell, Toure, Cygan, Senderos, Vieira, Fabregas, Flamini, Pires, Reyes, Ljungberg, Pennant, van Persie, Henry, Bergkamp.

would suggest those line-ups not very accurate as Stuart Taylor is on loan at Leicester.

 

[Yorkie]

That's the BBC for you