[Albion] The undropable Dale Stephens

[Weststander]

The combination of Mooy, Bissouma and Pröpper has looked our best midfield to me this season. I’d rather stick with that. Bissouma and Stephens were equally crap today.

It’s a mixed picture.

Bissouma played no part in the two stellar performances in taking apart Spurs and Arsenal, our CM imperious. Propper has had several poor performances, but on his day is quality.

Alzate and Mooy have been the consistent performers.

 

[dazzer6666]

While Stephens wasn't good no one could touch Bissouma in shortness today. If someone compiled a video of all of his actions today you'd be embarrassed to even have thought anyone could be even close to as shit he was.

I’m not going to get into an argument about degrees of shitness. They were both pisspoor excuses for PL footballers on 50k a week.

 

[Pevenseagull]

Give and ooops .... shit

 

[Swansman]

It's a bit frustrating to know that the optimal Stephens replacement currently is running around in no man's land watching Steve Coopers ugly hoofball-Swansea. The club is absolutely broke and needs to sell a player right now if they want to keep their cat 1 academy. 4 or 5 million pounds and we would have Matt Grimes in the midfield. Dirty, beautiful opportunity.

 

[BensGrandad]

I think for the near future our midfield will contain Stephens Propper and Mooy made up with either Alzate,Bissouma, Gross and when he is back and fit March.

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

Stephens had a shocker today.

But he always does for the first match back from being out of the side.

Now he has got his usual first-game-back-shiteness out of his system, he'll be fine vs Everton.

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

It's a bit frustrating to know that the optimal Stephens replacement currently is running around in no man's land watching Steve Coopers ugly hoofball-Swansea. The club is absolutely broke and needs to sell a player right now if they want to keep their cat 1 academy. 4 or 5 million pounds and we would have Matt Grimes in the midfield. Dirty, beautiful opportunity.

Sing him up, Tony !

 

[spanish flair]

Um, re Button, who's the sub 'keeper on the bench, in the match day squad ?

Yes you are correct, what I meant was Button the only one not started a Premier League game this season

 

[spence]

Stephens had a shocker today.

But he always does for the first match back from being out of the side.

Now he has got his usual first-game-back-shiteness out of his system, he'll be fine vs Everton.

There is a lot of truth in what you say about Stephens missing games

 

[Nixonator]

Oh what a surprise a Dale bashing session.

Using a player like Stephens means he is a conduit to the team's performance. It's a limited role for a limited player, not necessarily a bad player.

If we play well, he plays well. If we play badly, he often frustrates. Without movement - he will look ponderous, take unnecessary touches, overly recycle possession and make errors trying to force things.

With some of the exasperating incompetance and lack of effort on the pitch yesterday, the fact people are once again honing in on Stephens as a scapegoat instead of many other, quite frankly gutless performances, is indicative of the same old predisposed opinions.

 

[Easy 10]

Oh what a surprise a Dale bashing session.

Using a player like Stephens means he is a conduit to the team's performance. It's a limited role for a limited player, not necessarily a bad player.

If we play well, he plays well. If we play badly, he often frustrates. Without movement - he will look ponderous, take unnecessary touches, overly recycle possession and make errors trying to force things.

With some of the exasperating incompetance and lack of effort on the pitch yesterday, the fact people are once again honing in on Stephens as a scapegoat instead of many other, quite frankly gutless performances, is indicative of the same old predisposed opinions.

Cobblers. Plenty of players have received a rightful slagging today, and Stephens - as a senior player and captain - is very much fair game amongst them. Because when he stinks, BOY does he stink. And today, he went and did "costly stink" as well. A player of his experience should be able to stamp his mark on a second division, second string team, and he failed. He wasn't alone in that, but he is the type of player who SHOULD be setting the tone, taking control and leading the team. He did none of that.

When the team is playing shithouse, he never stands out to pick us up. Instead he hides, and becomes part of it. Thats not captain material I'm afraid.

 

[doogie004]

Right, I think most of us get his role. Let’s leave aside anyone who thinks Dale should be compared to Gross or whatever.

That aside, all those qualities you’re listing he’s failing at. And not just today, but at the higher PL level.

“Keeping hold of it” - he constantly loses the ball.
“Looking for passes into the attacking players” - nearly all our moves that breakdown end with him?

I’m surprised NSC is divided on this as where I sit nearly everyone curses out Dale during a game. It’s like a tradition at this point.

Passes into attacking players [emoji81][emoji81][emoji81][emoji81][emoji81][emoji81][emoji81][emoji81][emoji81][emoji81]most go sideways or backwards I’ll give u keep possession always a red card waiting to happen and since he been left out we’ve taken 5points ? . Bloom wants top ten until we replace Stephens Propper and gross that’s not going to happen


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[John Byrnes Mullet]

Stephen's is simply bloody awful.

 

[Icy Gull]

He has suffered a dip in form, he has not become a shit player and a liability that we need to replace FFS

Maybe losing his place after suspension has knocked his confidence?

 

[Originunknown]

Disgraceful performance with the armband.

 

[Swansman]

He has suffered a dip in form, he has not become a shit player and a liability that we need to replace FFS

Maybe losing his place after suspension has knocked his confidence?

I think Duffys increased play time has been a bad thing for Stephens.

What you want to as a doc when you get the ball is to either play it back to the defenders, or turn if you have the opportunity. The first 20 minutes or so one of their midfielders will almost always pressure you, but once you've made the easy pass back to defence a few times, they won't bother pressuring you and you can start turning with the ball.

With Duffy in defence the simple back pass becomes complicated. I like Duffy but you really don't want to see him with the ball with his feet, chased by a striker. Stephens know this and so tries for more complicated solutions, which really isn't his thing.

Yesterday each time he got the ball facing his own goal he must have panicked. You want to put Bong, Duffy or Button in a pressured situation? No, so you try to do complicated shit and fail. That's why he was better in the first half with another defender on the pitch: options were still bad but at least he had plenty.

 

[Couldn't Be Hyypia]

I think Duffys increased play time has been a bad thing for Stephens.

What you want to as a doc when you get the ball is to either play it back to the defenders, or turn if you have the opportunity. The first 20 minutes or so one of their midfielders will almost always pressure you, but once you've made the easy pass back to defence a few times, they won't bother pressuring you and you can start turning with the ball.

With Duffy in defence the simple back pass becomes complicated. I like Duffy but you really don't want to see him with the ball with his feet, chased by a striker. Stephens know this and so tries for more complicated solutions, which really isn't his thing.

Yesterday each time he got the ball facing his own goal he must have panicked. You want to put Bong, Duffy or Button in a pressured situation? No, so you try to do complicated shit and fail. That's why he was better in the first half with another defender on the pitch: options were still bad but at least he had plenty.

Really interesting perspective.

 

[Seasider78]

I think Duffys increased play time has been a bad thing for Stephens.

What you want to as a doc when you get the ball is to either play it back to the defenders, or turn if you have the opportunity. The first 20 minutes or so one of their midfielders will almost always pressure you, but once you've made the easy pass back to defence a few times, they won't bother pressuring you and you can start turning with the ball.

With Duffy in defence the simple back pass becomes complicated. I like Duffy but you really don't want to see him with the ball with his feet, chased by a striker. Stephens know this and so tries for more complicated solutions, which really isn't his thing.

Yesterday each time he got the ball facing his own goal he must have panicked. You want to put Bong, Duffy or Button in a pressured situation? No, so you try to do complicated shit and fail. That's why he was better in the first half with another defender on the pitch: options were still bad but at least he had plenty.

That would hold some water if SW actually aggressively pressed but they didn’t so any of those outlets were options. Also Duffy had nothing to do with the constant balls played over players and out of play

I think the easier explanation is Dale is in a bad patch of form and looks nervous and uncomfortable on the ball at the moment

 

[big nuts]

I thought he was having a decent game yesterday until he was dispossessed late in the first half. The mistake forced Button into a really good save. From that moment forward he was really poor.

Still with close to 200 appearances for us he has been one of our best players for many years. One of our best ever signings and probably just below Bruno, Dunk & Murray in terms of best and most influential player of the past decade.

 

[Machiavelli]

The combination of Mooy, Bissouma and Pröpper has looked our best midfield to me this season. I’d rather stick with that. Bissouma and Stephens were equally crap today.

I agree with you here as is often the case, but I do have my doubts about Bissouma's attitude, whereas you can't question Stephens'. Bissouma seems a bit like NSC, with extremes of emotions. He trudged off the pitch slowly when his number came up yesterday, and hadn't done anything to warrant staying on the pitch. He can light things up, but he goes missing too much in games, which you could also level at Trossard, although he plays further up the pitch, and you need more consistency from your deeper players. I'm also not entirely convinced that he ever covers that much ground (I'd be interested in seeing the stats on this, especially compared with our other midfielders).