A very interesting thread, guys. Re. Naughton, I saw someone else suggest that Lambert may be benching him as a way of trying to get him off Spurs for a slightly lower price, and (more importantly) so that he drops off the radar of potential rivals to sign him.
well I think the defence have done great this year, look what we have achieved to date and thats with an incredible run of bad luck with injuries. Solid Keeper John Ruddy Solid back 4 Martin Ayala Bennett Tierney (Lets hope they get fit and stay fit) Solid midfield Bennett Fox Howson Surman Solid Forward line Holt Vaughan Solid boss Paul Lambert Solid Chief Exec David MacNally nothing poor about this squad WE ARE PREMIER LEAGUE!
My point in opening the thread (shortly after metaphorically kicking the cat after the full-time whistle) was that as things stand IF we don't keep Naughton and IF Tierney remains injury prone and we don't get more cover in then I think we will have a real problem with the defence next season. Having watched a poor team performance (and again I completely agree that Surman + Hoolahan should not be in the same team and that Fox should be a permanent starter (see one of my previous posts)). I agree that Ruddy has had a superb season and considering how many different defences he has played behind and how many goals he has conceded it is remarkable that he appears to maintain his poise and confidence. I know that we have had significant injuries in the defence and this cannot help but much as I think that Drury has been nothing short of a magnificent servant to the club and Rusty has been fantastic for us for the past couple of seasons I just don't see them as being up to speed as PL full-backs. I think Rusty has looked a far better centre half than right back and thus provides good cover on the bench for a couple of positions but if we had to use him at RB we would be torn to shreds. I do agree with the earlier posts regarding Bennet at RB - he was a revelation and maybe this is something that PL will be working with him on during the close season. Maybe I have over-reacted to a poor performance but how many of you saying so would be happy to see yesterday's defence line up for us at the start of next season? I suspect not many. I am sure that everyone on the board supports the team and club and colectively we are hugely grateful for the contribution that the players in situ have made to getting the club back in the PL but this does not mean that they should be retained or played if they have reached the end of their natural time with the club. My opinion is that neither of yeasterday's full-backs are good enough to play at this level. I could be wrong and may be being disloyal in some peoples eyes but that is my opinion. If PL is playing around with the squad and formation then that is his perogative as manager but then the team have to accept criticism for not performing. We were totally outplayed by a team on a 5 match losing streak who have kept less clean sheets than we have and who are still highly likely to go down. We still have points, place and prize money to play for and, as I originally said I really hope that the season does not fizzle out.
i think we all want a strong squad and want improvements across the board northants. the issue is keeping everyone happy and i fail to see where the current reserves, if you want to call them that, have failed this season? clearly lambert will try and strengthen so not too sure what the argument would be about as we all agree!
Fail for me is harsh word to use I'd say these players at times have struggled. For Me Russell Martin is a squad player but not a full back in my eyes as he has been found out at this level centre back his actually been quite good though. Ward there is something cumbersome about him he can play the ball well which is a massive plus but his decisions let him down, Barnett is purely a championship player, Drury has played well at times I'm in two minds about him but I'd rather invest in future and bring in someone younger.
agree about martin although until the last two games, i think he's been massively improved at right back since opening day. he had bale in his pocket till he moved inside! drury has never let the club down and i'm honestly surprised by how well he has coped. for me, no need to panic and find replacements. also agree about ward and barnett but i think ward is able back up. i think he's worth keeping though i do get annoyed with him from time to time. i just feel to replace either him or whitbread would cost millions and millions and they might not even play! none of these players have let the team down when they've played, even if they have, on occasion, has a poor game. hoolahan was awful but we won't be saying get rid of him because he has a use to the squad. if we sign only one defender this summer i'll be fine with that, but it'll have to be a right back as we can't solely rely on martin
Martin worried me yesterday he looked shaky it wasn't just defensively, I wouldn't say he was our worst player on the pitch though. I think he is more suited to centre back, against Man City who are obviously a great team he was constantly getting drawn in by their players at times it felt like E Bennett was our only player on the right. Two full backs and a centre back for me this season.
i think its harsh to judge him against man city or indeed any of our players - their front four were so on fire i was getting ready to phone the fire brigade! they'd have torn many teams to shreds and actually i think all our players did very well until the final 15 minutes when we collapsed. everyone had an off-day yesterday but against all the teams who we effectively compete against, ie the teams below 6th, none of our players have looked out of place and thats why i don't think they need replacing, especially if they are already only 2nd in the pecking order. of course, if the right guy comes along then thats great - snap them up, but i don't believe it to be a matter of urgency!
Ok, is it even worth going on about this? We all know for certain if there is a problem in any area of the team Lambert will have found it and he will address it in due time. He is not Paul Jewell after all!
So no point ever discussing things then. I agree that there is a need to take an overview of the whole season and we've achieved the main objective. There are weaknesses in all areas and I would hope for at least 5 new additions
I think at the time, Lambert probably hoped to sign one of both of them. Even without that, we needed to have as strong a team as possible out every game as we had a lot to play for. This season it is now just league position (which granted, carries financial benefits) to play for. For the first time under Lambert, we have the chance to plan a little for next season and look at players and whether they are up to it or not.
Not just the Man City game, Spurs, Wolves and Wigan not writing him off as a player just I don't think he is a capable full back at this level. We're up against stronger opposition players which are quicker and highly skilled we need equal that by having capable defenders. To be honest with you their concentration levels are what really pisses me off they have 10 odd minutes where they switch off are half when their just not in it, once in a while I accept you have off days but there is way too much inconsistency for me to ignore.
