[Albion] "Oi Stephens get it forward"

[A1X]

What's the differentiation between forward and sideways? If Stephens is on the half-way line and passes it to a full back 2 yards inside the opposition half but who is stood on the touchline, does that count as forwards or sideways?

 

[Thunder Bolt]

I'd rather believe the evidence of my own eyes thanks very much. When the going gets tough, Stephens invariably HIDES with sideways and backwards passes

You look and then you form an opinion. Your opinion is not as good as a professional footballer. Sorry.

 

[Guinness Boy]

You could get anything from those stats, Stat.

For example, the team (in the other 14) with the most prolific forward passer are bottom. Stephens is the fourth best midfielder at it in our team (and so he should be at CDM). Leicester are in the "other 14" but are currerntly butchering some of the "big 6". Grealish isn't very good after all (apart from against us).

People will see what they want to see. I like Stephens. He has a job to do, break up play, win the ball back and ensure we keep it. Might be even better if he wasn't so fond of a good night out though

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

You look and then you form an opinion. Your opinion is not as good as a professional footballer. Sorry.

Nonsense. We've all seen generations of players and managers come and go. Most of them are far too close to the action to see things with any kind of objectivity

 

[Stat Brother]

I knew you weren’t, Muzza and Stephens often on your radar.

Whilst Locadia was promoted and liked.

My opinion on Stephens did a full 180 a while ago.

Jnr was playing holding midfielder like he was auditioning for a FIFA skillz highlights reel.

We spent the first half, in th Championship, only watching DS.

He didnt put a foot wrong and crucially for my point did so without a single piece of 'flair'.

When he doesn't play it always looks like he's missing.

But the 'doesnt pass forward' guff is the biggest load of nonsense peddled on here.
Which has a high bar to clear.

 

[Weststander]

You look and then you form an opinion. Your opinion is not as good as a professional footballer. Sorry.

This.

Hughton, Potter (and Dyche) rate Stephens, plus by all accounts he’s consistently rated as invaluable by all his team-mates. Inherently that carries far more weight than a minority in the crowd who loath the sight of any player starting for us.

 

[Ninja Elephant]

Stephens is unquestionably our finest central midfielder in the last 30 years. There can't be any argument about it - look at the number of games he's played and the level they've been played at. He is a key player in our midfield and when he plays well, the team plays well. If he were to leave us we'd be far weaker for it, and he'd be a good player for whichever Premier League club picked him up.

If you're in doubt about his willingness to pass it forward, just look at the Knockaert miracle goal from last season. Argue with that.

 

[Stat Brother]

You could get anything from those stats, Stat.

For example, the team (in the other 14) with the most prolific forward passer are bottom. Stephens is the fourth best midfielder at it in our team (and so he should be at CDM). Leicester are in the "other 14" but are currerntly butchering some of the "big 6". Grealish isn't very good after all (apart from against us).

People will see what they want to see. I like Stephens. He has a job to do, break up play, win the ball back and ensure we keep it. Might be even better if he wasn't so fond of a good night out though

I see 556 completed forward passes from a player who only passes the ball sideways and backwards.

 

[Sarisbury Seagull]

I know you can’t stand Stephens in the team or at our club.

But in our magnificent wins at Watford, at Arsenal, over Spurs, and so much more besides over the last 5 years DS was a key performer, outstanding. He’s a quality DM. Until we upgrade on that specialist role, he’s the best by far.

The others lack bite, power, positional sense and concentration to achieve that. They have other creative talents.

Calm down, bit of an OTT response, think you took the bait more than anyone.

Stephens is a good squad member and has been a good servant, never said otherwise. I just don’t rate him as a starting player in probably the most important position for us in the top division.

Makes me laugh, last season I posted a load of stats showing how poor he was in that position and compared to other similar players and was told stats don’t mean anything. Now a rather meaningless, contrived stat about forward passes by players playing for the bottom 14 clubs, where he doesn’t actually excel in the table anyway, is being used to highlight that he is actually a good player. Strange.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Nonsense. We've all seen generations of players and managers come and go. Most of them are far too close to the action to see things with any kind of objectivity

Players have their own choice of favourite player. Sean Dyche tried very hard to prise Stephens away from us, and he isn't exactly close to the action at Brighton.

Stephens job is to protect the defenders, break up play and try to find openings to get the ball going. Players don't always make openings for themselves, so it can be hard to play the ball safely, so it has to be passed around. As has been said, when he spots an opening, like Knocky at Selhurst, then he passes it accurately.
We miss him when he isn't playing.

 

[Sarisbury Seagull]

You look and then you form an opinion. Your opinion is not as good as a professional footballer. Sorry.

But when Paul Merson or Mark Lawrenson or Alan Pardew offer an opinion, they don’t know what they’re talking about according to most on here?

Footballers don’t always know more than non-footballers about the game. That is a fact.

 

[Weststander]

Calm down, bit of an OTT response, think you took the bait more than anyone.

Stephens is a good squad member and has been a good servant, never said otherwise. I just don’t rate him as a starting player in probably the most important position for us in the top division.

Makes me laugh, last season I posted a load of stats showing how poor he was in that position and compared to other similar players and was told stats don’t mean anything. Now a rather meaningless, contrived stat about forward passes by players playing for the bottom 14 clubs, where he doesn’t actually excel in the table anyway, is being used to highlight that he is actually a good player. Strange.

You’re on Stephens like a ton of bricks every time he plays and we don’t win.

I do agree about that stat though. Meaningless in this context.

My liking of DS as an Albion player is simply that he’s the only CM who can play the defensive/pivot/sitter role, he adds power to an otherwise lightweight midfield, and that over and over again in 6 years he’s quietly played that role to the letter. Featuring in almost all our successes.

Until such time that we upgrade (but we could also say that about most starting positions), he’s the best we have in destroying opposition creativity down the middle and protecting our CB’s.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

But when Paul Merson or Mark Lawrenson or Alan Pardew offer an opinion, they don’t know what they’re talking about according to most on here?

Footballers don’t always know more than non-footballers about the game. That is a fact.

They weren't playing in the same team as Dale Stephens, nor were they training with him daily.

 

[Guinness Boy]

I see 556 completed forward passes from a player who only passes the ball sideways and backwards.

I see a hyperbolic and exaggerated hypothosis based on your continued campaign against your fellow fans.

 

[Surf's Up]

Forwards, but in which half of the pitch

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Players have their own choice of favourite player. Sean Dyche tried very hard to prise Stephens away from us, and he isn't exactly close to the action at Brighton.

Stephens job is to protect the defenders, break up play and try to find openings to get the ball going. Players don't always make openings for themselves, so it can be hard to play the ball safely, so it has to be passed around. As has been said, when he spots an opening, like Knocky at Selhurst, then he passes it accurately.
We miss him when he isn't playing.

Some of us do, some of us don't. Personally I far prefer Stephens off the starting line-up because it promises to be a far more positive midfield. But each to their own eh?

 

[Stat Brother]

I see a hyperbolic and exaggerated hypothosis based on your continued campaign against your fellow fans.

Despite me comfortably sitting on the fence re Stephens even adding my own criticism to his playing style.

 

[Justice]

It's WOULD HAVE FFS

'Dale would have took him out'

Na think he would of

 

[Icy Gull]

I'd rather believe the evidence of my own eyes thanks very much. When the going gets tough, Stephens invariably HIDES with sideways and backwards passes

You didn’t watch the second half of the WHU game then? He basically took over Dunk’s role as captain in the second half and was an inspiration, without him in the team we would have come away with a defeat imo.

My eyes tell me that Stephens definitely doesn’t hide. Shame he’s unlikely to be playing tomorrow, that a lot of steel missing from our midfield.

He did lose form for a while but he’s been playing well most of this season.

 

[Garry Nelson's Left Foot]

I know you can’t stand Stephens in the team or at our club.

But in our magnificent wins at Watford, at Arsenal, over Spurs, and so much more besides over the last 5 years DS was a key performer, outstanding. He’s a quality DM. Until we upgrade on that specialist role, he’s the best by far.

The others lack bite, power, positional sense and concentration to achieve that. They have other creative talents.

It's such a simple and obvious point. Yet many seem to fail to grasp it. If we play with a DM Stephens is our best option. Often (not always but often) when we don't play with a DM or with someone else filling in the role it's clear we miss Stephens.

He's struggled at times this season not because he's an inherently bad player but due to how open our style of football is under Potter. It's exactly the same for the defence.