http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2012/jan/24/lilian-thuram-jonathan-woodgate-full-back Tony Pulis, who seems to have an aversion to orthodox full-backs, sent out Stoke City for their FA Cup third-round victory over Gillingham with the former England centre-halves Jonathan Woodgate and Matthew Upson at right- and left-back respectively. Indeed he has persevered with Woodgate in the old No2 role despite evidence that suggests the defender is wholly unsuited to the task. Although Woodgate's effort and commitment cannot be criticised, he does not have the mobility or mentality to cope with a winger attacking down the outside. Little wonder, then, given his years of experience in the middle, that he has not conquered his instinct to drift inside and seek the false security of a centre-back's support, leaving space for the opposition wide man to exploit. Without the pace and inclination to run beyond halfway with the ball, there is little, too, that he offers in attack. Even when Pulis has selected Ryan Shotton, a bona fide right-back, to cover Woodgate on the right side of midfield, Stoke have continued to look open there and opposition managers have targeted that flank as City's achilles heel. Woodgate tries his best but the sooner the manager recognises that the former Tottenham Hotspur centre-back is a fish out of water in that role the better for Stoke and the player's chances of ever re-establishing his credentials in the position in which clubs have paid over £36m to deploy him. Pulis's policy has worked in the past and Gérard Houllier won a treble of League Cup, FA Cup and Uefa Cup for Liverpool in 2001 with a back four of Markus Babbel, Stéphane Henchoz, Sami Hyypia and Jamie Carragher. More often, though, the qualities an out-and-out centre-half brings to the full-back position are outweighed by the flaws exposed when asked to fill a position out of step with his temperament and technique. In 1993, against Norway, Graham Taylor selected Gary Pallister as the left-sided of three central defenders to cope with the aerial threat of Jostein Flo. But England came under such sustained pressure that the left wing-back Lee Sharpe was forced to tuck into midfield, leaving Pallister operating as the left-back long enough to look hopelessly flat-footed in the role.
I'm pretty sure the only reason Woody is at RB is to keep him in the team. Shawcross and Huth are the preferred CB's, but now Woodgate has proved he can play again, he needs to be getting games, else someone else will come and pick him up. He knows he's only got a couple of years left, so wants to be playing as much as possible. So in all, some poor management in overcrowding one position with "first teamers", but I'm pretty sure anyone who's seen a game of football can see he is not an ideal RB.
