Macca speaks!

But that's because it really was a one-off for Elmo and he's been one of our best players overall. If McShane did that kind of thing once he'd get the same treatment as Chester, Bruce and Elmo who've also made big mistakes once.

 

McShane would get crucified if people saw him doing what I saw Elmo doing the other day!

 

Elmo has been leaving his man to run beyond him into space a lot recently. The Davies goal springs to mind as a big problem coming from it. He's not getting as much stick for it though because people know he's been carrying an injury.

Chester has been terrible for making mistakes this season. It doesn't help that he seems to have to play as the right sided CB regardless of who is alongside him so he's constantly up against the bigger striker (as the opposition intentionally do it knowing we won't swap our defence around), he's mistiming jumps for challenges all the time. It only takes teams to start playing a nippy striker to work off the bigger one properly (ie flick ons rather than bringing the ball under control) and they'll start getting clean through. McShane's are being more costly/looking more costly, but Chester is making far more.

 

We best sell him in January then!

 

Why? I was responding to comments from people making out Chester wasn't making mistakes. Find a player at this level that doesn't make a lot of mistakes when opponents target their weaknesses.

 

Can I refer you to my earlier comment:

 

You can't just leave that one hanging, gonna have to explain now.

I think there's a difference between making mistakes and having your weaknesses exploited. If you're not fast enough to catch a striker it's not a mistake, it's unavoidable. Mistakes are avoidable and Chester avoids them. He might not be tall enough to cope with the high balls and have to time his jump perfectly to stand a chance most of the time, but it's not really a mistake or something he can be criticised for.

 

There's also a difference between not being fast enough to catch someone and making a poor tackle because you're not fast enough to catch them so getting yourself sent off for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity. If Chester were timing his jumps right and being beaten in the air then that would be his weakness being exploited. When he's mistiming his jumps and going under the ball because he's under pressure as a result of them targetting his weakness then it's also a mistake.

 

But which is it that's often happening? The mistimed jump or a reasonable jump made impossible by the height difference? Hard to answer I guess.