Hi, Just wondered what people's opinion of Fonte was this year? He's been brilliant for us over the past two seasons and a major player in winning us consecutive promotions. However I feel that he simply isn't up to Premiership standard and I believe that he is at fault for at least half the goals we have conceded this season. What does everyone else think? Fonte in or out?
I think he's been our best defender. I was really annoyed with him yesterday for conceding that penalty just as we were getting back into the game, but generally I think he's been solid. Fonte in.
He's had a mixed season so far I think it's fair to say. Good games against Villa and Fulham but his stupidity yesterday could have cost us a point.
He's not really the problem, imo. Neither is Hooverbag, or Yoshida except when he's forced to play left back. The problem is that Clyne is our only Full Back up to the task at this level.
When he's started with Yoshida, he's played well. He didn't start off the campaign great but he was still better than Hooiveld. Yoshida's done okay but he is by no means a full back. I'd personally play Fonte and Yoshida as centre backs; I don't like the idea of playing Yoshida LB when Fox is unavailable when we have a LB in Reeves on the bench. Playing a first choice CB at LB means we then have to start a back up CB in Hooiveld, who doesn't have a great partnership with Fonte. I'd go with this: Clyne Fonte Yoshida Reeves (if Fox is unfit).
I was slightly worried about him going into the season, and the first three games only compounded those worries, nothing particularly wrong against City but not solid, then Wigan he might have been slightly unlucky not to have been given a foul, but either way he got mugged off by Kone to secure the game for them, and then United he completely left RVP free for their winning goal. I was seriously doubting him around then, but since then, apart from the debacle that was the Arsenal game where everyone was just as **** as each other, I have been fairly impressed with a lot of his play and he hasn't made an error until that horrible moment yesterday afternoon. I think his position is fairly locked-in right now, it's the other spot up for grabs, and in that boxing match between Hooiveld and Yoshida, despite Yoshida being a bit jelly-legged, Hooiveld has basically slipped and knocked himself out on his own knee.
Can't say I've exactly been impressed with him so far, and under usual circumstances I'd be questioning his place in the team. But the rest of the defence has, by and large, been so bad that actually Fonte has arguably been our best defender so far. Hardly a compliment though.
There is an alternative to Reeves (and Shaw, for that matter). I know he's hardly Adkins' favourite player, and one would question if he's even good enough as Championship LB (not that he was really given a chance to prove himself one way or the other), but Ryan Dickson is still registered with us.
That's a good call. I personally think he's better at both attacking and defending than Harding was for us and Harding's not doing too bad for himself, playing regularly for Forest who have promotion aspirations.
Fonte seems better with Yoshida next to him than Jos. Yoshida needs to stay at CB though. Clyne and either Shaw or Reeves at this point for FB.
Yes that's certainly an issue. Personally been pleasantly surprised for the most part but the penalty yesterday was utterly stupid, and he had a lot of hairy moments last season too which makes me think there are more to come...
