Just watched the highlights of yesterday again. Hammond is our unsung hero imo. Total commitment to the cause!
Despite many people's assertion that he's the worst player in Saints midfield, he continues to be picked, and he continues to be team captain. Nigel isn't picking him out of defiance. It's because Hammond is a fine footballer, with drive and ambition to spare. Whilst he isn't at the top of the technical tree, he's actually very good in certain areas. He shields the ball extremely well. Opposition players would be doing very well to get the ball off him. Whilst his vision might not be in Spider's bracket, his long and short passes are extremely good. His interceptions are timely, because his positional sense is good, and his tackling is tigerish, if sometimes a little over ambitious. Plus, he gives the so-called 110%, every game. I can't think of a better player in the Saints squad to have as team captain.
Delano had a great game yesterday and drove our midfield along beautifully Ok he hasn't got the silky skills of Snidders and Corky but he appears to be the gaffer and his commitment to the cause can't be in doubt He also had two good long distance shots that the keeper had to produce fine saves to keep out Great game Deano!
Know he was a defender, but look at Tony Adams...a leader for Arsenal for years but no one suggested he had silky skills. A wholehearted player, just like our Deano or our Delano as DarkLord likes to call him
Players like Deano are crucial. Never the best skill wise, but break up play and get some tackles in. Every successful team has a player like this. The only exception maybe is Barcelona but they are on a different planet to the rest of us!
I must admit to having had reservations about Dean, but I think he's surprised a few people this season including me. He shows great energy making himself available across the pitch and does a lot of fetching and carrying for the others. And when we are away from home where we come under more pressure, he is the only one in midfield who gets "stuck in".
Still prefer Chaplow over him if only for his adaptability in use of right side of midfield and goals he scores. Dean always gives his all and though not one of my favourites he is the type of player that all major teams seem to have at the heart of their engine. Depending on who we are playing, I can't see Chappers and Deano working side by side as they are very similar in the way they fight for the cause. IMO.
If I could be bothered I'd go back through the July threads and check which people were saying he needs to go as he wasn't good enough.... but I can't. There were lots though. I said back then and will say again, he is our Nobby Styles. Without him, England may never have won the World Cup.
I will admit to saying something similar this season, but he has come good when needed and I suggest a stay of execution. Still prefer Chappers but Dean has come good for us again and begs me to wonder whether he had been playing whilst less than 100%. Some things are never released to the media. Lallana and his lower standards of late spring to mind.
At the game yesterday, there were two players who's commitment was shown when they were attacking our end. First, Jos gave away a free kick, then flung himself at Harewoods shot and blocked it. The second example was also on the highlights, and summed Deano up - tracked a player through midfield and made it to the pullback first to put it out for a corner, fantastic tracking and commitment. Also a word for Lee Holmes - looked very sharp, nippy and direct when he came on.
Nice thought, but Nobby Stiles was largely a killer of creation. Back then, he man-marked players out of the game. If Alf Ramsey wanted an opposition player to have a quiet game, then Stiles didn't give that player a sniff. Hammond drives the team on and dominates sections of the pitch. I'm not actually sure we have one single player who can do the Stiles job because it can be played around to home advantage, with modern tactics, by drawing that man-marking player way out of position, and creating massive spaces to exploit.
