[Albion] Dale Stephens? Really??

[banjo]

Joke du jour surely.

 

[Kaiser_Soze]

Next game you go to, take a few minutes to solely watch Stephens. Ignore the rest of the game and don't take your eyes off him. I once did the same while watching Claude Makelele. Absolute midfield masterclass.

 

[HitchinSeagull]

1 he controls the tempo of the game
2 he bridges play between defending and attacking
3 he plays more forward balls than gets credit for he might also give the ball away with those passes but not as often as you clearly think
4 his game management is fantastic
5 has a fabulous understanding with the 2 cbs and the more attacking players
6plays selflessly to the benefit of the team

I suspect there’s plenty more to his game but you get the point I hope

Excellent post and highlights many of the things he brings to the team, Cantonas 'water carrier' description of Deschamps seems applicable. He allows the rest to have the ball and show their skills, an essential player.

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[Cozzy]

Stephens primary job for the Albion is DM with emphasis on the Defensive ... he can and does pick some beauty passes and mixes up with some safer side and backward passing just like any other good player and although not perfect as he does sometimes pick the wrong option he does a darn good job of his role. I would actually like to see him as the one sitting in front of the back 4 allowing more forward momentum from the other 2 CM's but thats just my opinion. I doubt he will ever score a ton of goals , prob never reach double figures in a season but he is there to stop other teams and be a catalyst for forward play rather than a goal scorer.
He has off days like all of us but I rate him highly and think we would struggle to find a replacement at less than £20 million

 

[SussexSeahawk]

Am sure the OP doesn't rate Sergio Busquets either.

 

[seagullwedgee]

One thing I do know, from freely available information on performance analysis, Dale’s VO2 max capacity improved by a further 9%, which is a huge huge gain, since the point st which he buckled down and decided to stay, when we rejected the offer. In short, he knew he needed he to increase his physical capability at max stress to be at PL potential level, and he responded magnificently. To me as a non scientist, this is visible in his play. His engine was good before, it’s magnificent now. I love the bloke, and the way the club efffvtivrly said ‘stick with us, trust us, work with us, we will make you sensational ‘ and he is.

 

[Geestar]

Look at our record in the Premier League when he doesn't play. That should tell you all you need to know.

What is that record?

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[Mellotron]

I don't understand the (mostly English) obsession with GET IT FORWARD. Such a basic, simplistic misunderstanding of how football works. Sideways and backwards doesn't always = bad. Quite often it's the right choice, and is also often due to lack of realistic options ahead, rather than negativity on the part of the passer.

 

[turienzo's lovechild]

Didn’t bother watching the Man U game when he completely bossed one of the most expensive players on the planet for 90 minutes then no?


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[sussex_guy2k2]

The only criticisms I have of him are that he doesn't hit the target enough considering the amount of chances he has from range and considering how well he can hit the ball. And that there are times when he seems to not want to play the ball into space to utilise what pace we have in attack i.e. through Izquierdo last season.

Despite those minimal criticisms, the guy is the absolute boss of our side and we're a substantially worse team without him.

 

[The Large One]

When Beram Kayal won fans' Player of the Season in 2015/16, his fellow pros in the Championship rated him sixth in the division, and Kayal nowhere. His fellow pros at the Albion rated him only behind Lewis Dunk last season as their top pro (in a move by the players which I can't dismiss as being designed to show how differently professionals and fans consider the qualities of any given player).

'Non-cognoscenti' indeed.

 

[Beanstalk]

Constantly slows the game down, resulting in loss of impetus and attacking opportunity
Is ponderous on the ball, looking simply indecisive
Instinctively passes backwards or sideways, rarely forward
Frequently misplaces even the simplest short passes, to howls of anguish from the crowd
Wastes shooting opportunities through poor technique – eg spectacular Row ZZ example against Fulham

​

He often, at home, dictates the tempo of the game, especially when teams are pressing us high. By slowing the game down he reduces the chance of the opposition having the opportunity to counter. (Point One)
His first touch is marvelous and he rarely, if ever, gets caught on the ball. He is a calm presence and is able to open the pitch up by moving the ball from one side to the other thus creating space going forward. (Points Two and Three)
With 84% he had the teams highest pass accuracy. So he doesn't frequently misplace passes, he is statistically our best passer. (Point Four)
His shot accuracy is poor. Only 11% which really is his only disappointing trait. However, he scored some absolute beauties for us in the Championship and can only imagine it's a matter of time until he gets one right. Law of averages and all that. (Point Five)

[MENTION=103]Gilliver's Travels[/MENTION] I hope that this dispels your worry that Dale isn't very good. He's a highly competent Premier League midfielder who we are lucky to have and would be considerably worse without.

 

[The Large One]

1 he controls the tempo of the game
2 he bridges play between defending and attacking
3 he plays more forward balls than gets credit for he might also give the ball away with those passes but not as often as you clearly think
4 his game management is fantastic
5 has a fabulous understanding with the 2 cbs and the more attacking players
6plays selflessly to the benefit of the team

I suspect there’s plenty more to his game but you get the point I hope

7. His 'off the ball' work - when we have the ball AND don't have the ball - is often lauded by pundits who hitherto hadn't seen him play.

 

[el punal]

This is a question for those of you with a deep knowledge of the technicalities of the game. We are told regularly that Dale Stephens is an absolutely pivotal member of the team, first name out of the hat, a real players' player, etc, etc.

What we non-cognoscenti will actually see is a player who:–

Constantly slows the game down, resulting in loss of impetus and attacking opportunity
Is ponderous on the ball, looking simply indecisive
Instinctively passes backwards or sideways, rarely forward
Frequently misplaces even the simplest short passes, to howls of anguish from the crowd
Wastes shooting opportunities through poor technique – eg spectacular Row ZZ example against Fulham

​

And yet… And yet… People in the know really rate the guy.

Anyone care to explain why?

I can’t I’m afraid, but I think Chris Hughton might be able to help you with your query. Give him a ring, I’m sure you’ll get a satisfactory response.

 

[Neville's Breakfast]

Next game you go to, take a few minutes to solely watch Stephens. Ignore the rest of the game and don't take your eyes off him. I once did the same while watching Claude Makelele. Absolute midfield masterclass.

Great advice. When you focus on Dale your next thought is what would happen if he weren't there to break up play, be an outlet for passes from defenders and spread the ball to the wingers. I love the turn he does to make space when being pressed. I also agree with the poster who mentioned the season BK was Player of the Season when it was Dale who was pivotal.
Perhaps the OP also needs to watch a re-run of the Man Utd game from a couple of weeks ago if still in any doubt. Best midfielder on the pitch.

 

[dazzer6666]

Glad NSC is still able to surprise and delight with the occasional thread. Incredible.

 

[Nixonator]

This is a question for those of you with a deep knowledge of the technicalities of the game. We are told regularly that Dale Stephens is an absolutely pivotal member of the team, first name out of the hat, a real players' player, etc, etc.

What we non-cognoscenti will actually see is a player who:–

Constantly slows the game down, resulting in loss of impetus and attacking opportunity
Is ponderous on the ball, looking simply indecisive
Instinctively passes backwards or sideways, rarely forward
Frequently misplaces even the simplest short passes, to howls of anguish from the crowd
Wastes shooting opportunities through poor technique – eg spectacular Row ZZ example against Fulham

​

And yet… And yet… People in the know really rate the guy.

Anyone care to explain why?

You're either fishing or you don't understand football. That and your post is littered with inaccuracies.

Embarassing either way.

 

[Greg Bobkin]

I can't figure out if this is a w@anky analogy or a good one, but if you think of the team as a human body, then Stephens is the heart. You might not see what he does, but without him we'd be fooked. He's the link between people in all the different areas – defensive, fellow midfielders and attackers – but that doesn't mean he can (or should be expected to) do everything perfectly – he has his limits, just like the other players. To continue the analogy, not the most aesthetically pleasing – compared with the flair wingers such as AK – but arguably the most important 'organ' in the 'body' of BHAFC.

I didn't fully appreciate Bridcutt and what he brought to the team, but I LOVE Stephens who seems to do everything that Bridders did, but better.

 

[nwgull]

David Burke's finest bit of recruitment: £500K for Stephens after we'd just sold Bridcutt for £3M.

 

[erkan]

Next there'll be a thread about "Why does Hughton keep picking Solly March..?" ...

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