Smalling & Stones - Better that Dunk? ..Discuss

[Miximate]

Currently our England Centre back pairing...

Based on this seasons performances to date, I cant see there being much difference

I accept that LD hasn't been up against premiership strikers but he has handled everything thrown at his this season from some pretty decent Championship sides

 

[oldboyroy]

only when dunk plays in the premier league would he even get looked at for possible England team

 

[Da Man Clay]

only when dunk plays in the premier league would he even get looked at for possible England team

Quite rightly too. The step up is massive.

 

[Berty23]

On a cricket board I frequent I made the point that I would pick four of the Brighton team in the Man U side - not to say we are great but to show how bad they are. Dunk, Duffey, kayal and knockaert for centre backs fellaini and lingard.

 

[nwgull]

Let's not discuss, eh? It's delusional, even by NSC standards.

If no one else replies, we can just let this thread quietly drop off the page and pretend it never happened.

 

[Napper]

Pretty sure if you had Smalling or Stones in our team they would be contenders for player of the season and PFA team of the year.

The gap is to large to know (yet)

 

[Prince Monolulu]

Not a great fan of Smalling or Stones, but the difference in quality of the opponents they face week in week out is a world apart from The Championship.

 

[OvingdeanSeagull]

On a cricket board I frequent I made the point that I would pick four of the Brighton team in the Man U side - not to say we are great but to show how bad they are. Dunk, Duffey, kayal and knockaert for centre backs fellaini and lingard.

That's a good shout. Not 100% sure about the rest, but Knockaert is easily better than Lingard and I wouldn't say it's even particularly close.

 

[Nixonator]

Smalling is absolutely woeful, but the fact he plays in 1st division and the fact he plays for Newton Heath are both major factors in keeping Lewis very far from the England team.

 

[JBizzle]

Smalling is absolutely woeful, but the fact he plays in 1st division and the fact he plays for Newton Heath are both major factors in keeping Lewis very far from the England team.

I agree in part. Playing for Man United is a huge gift for Smalling but the defining part is "playing in the Premier League". Dunk is fantastic, yes. How would he deal with Aguero? Or Costa? Or at an international level, Suarez? Or Messi? Or Neymar?

Answer? No idea.

He's un-tested. Until he's playing regularly in the Prem, it's impossible to compare with established top flight defenders.

 

[bn1&bn3 Albion]

As little as I rate Smalling and Stones, comparing 2 premier league and international defenders to a player who's never played higher than the 2nd division is laughable.. Dunk is brilliant for us and I don't doubt that he will play premier league football at some point in his career but he is not that level yet.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Reckon Dunk will be sold to a Premier League club at some point for a relatively modest fee. Then subsequently sold on to a bigger Premier League club for a MASSIVE fee.

 

[BensGrandad]

Currently our England Centre back pairing...

Based on this seasons performances to date, I cant see there being much difference

I accept that LD hasn't been up against premiership strikers but he has handled everything thrown at his this season from some pretty decent Championship sides

When were they the CB starters as when I last watched England it was Cahill and Stones.

 

[Pavilionaire]

I'm 48 and can't remember a time when we had such a paucity of decent centre backs.

 

[beefypigeon]

Stones is a great prospect, very good player in my opinion.

Smalling I'm not as convinced on, but he isn't bad.

As others have said, the difference between them is Dunk hasn't played at the top level. The gulf in quality between the championship and premier league is pretty massive, and there are other established centre backs such as Cahill and Jagielka that he'd have to prove himself better than before even having a chance of challenging the likes of Stones/Smalling.

 

[Stat Brother]

Reckon Dunk will be sold to a Premier League club at some point for a relatively modest fee. Then subsequently sold on to a bigger Premier League club for a MASSIVE fee.

There was a time when I also firmly believed that to be the likely scenario, but not any more.
Certainly not while he keeps renewing contracts.

Obviously he has a 'sell for' clause included, but I reckon that figure is now way past relatively modest.

As and when he goes, it'll be to a Premier League stalwart for a sum of money impossible to turn down, both contractually and professionally.


All that's assuming LD doesn't get ALL his ambitions met, playing for the Albion.

 

[mothy]

I'm 48 and can't remember a time when we had such a paucity of decent centre backs.

I assume you mean in England & not at the AlbIon

 

[Pavilionaire]

I assume you mean in England & not at the AlbIon

Correct. Christ, when you go back a few years we had Rio, Sol and Terry. The likes of Woodgate and Ledley King weren't even getting a sniff of a game yet both of those are miles better than what we have now.

 

[Not Andy Naylor]

Let's not make Smalling out to be something special in any way. He was released by Millwall and went to Maidstone before Fulham took a chance on him and for some reason Manchester United bought him. I've never thought he was particularly good and am always pleased when I see that he's in the Manchester United team because I think it makes it more likely that they will lose.

Stones has the potential to be a top-class central defender but he's a long way short of it at the moment. Principally because he's not very good at defending yet, which you'd think would be a disadvantage for a central defender, but of course these days it's all about being comfortable in possession. Will Guardiola improve him as a defender, or concentrate on his more constructive side? We'll see ...

 

[fleet]

This season - Dunk for England