BELLUSCI ... a real tough nut, but with composure thrown in ... takes no prisoners and inspires confidence in those around him ... potential to be a Leeds Legend PEARCE ... current skipper, but he will always be under pressure from Cooper ... a hard working defender, he gets stuck in and gives his all ... prone to mistakes, uses hard work to make up for lack of natural talent COOPER ... this lad looks like he will develop into a cultured defender ... seems calm and assured on the ball, which is a really goog quality to have in a team wanting to play football ... good in the tackle, he should blossom next to Bellusci ... expect him to become first choice ahead of Pearce BYRAM ... we know what this lad is capable of ... last season's injury set him back a lot, and he now needs to step up and show he is back to his best ... a quality attacking full-back who can go all the way in his career barring injury problems... potential Leeds Legend (if he stays long enough) WARNOCK ... in the last season of his contract, and his performances are reflecting this ... has stepped up his game immensely this season, but may well lack the stamina to fly for a full season BERARDI ... just looks the business, now needs to control his Latin temperament ... can become a valuable asset C.TAYLOR ... this kid is going to be immense if he is handled properly ... has pace and a quality left peg, not shy to get forward and put crosses in, fearless in defence ... a potential Leeds Legend WOOTTON ... has had a slow start, but has the potential to develop into a dependable defender ... works hard and gets stuck in, had nobody to learn from so far but Bellusci's influence will help him to grow KILLOCK ... young defender rated by Redders, probably needs another loan season to cement his learning DEL FABRO ... very young, and clearly an investment for the future ... at least we've got him if he shows the potential to become a star Our defence looks so much better than it has for a long while, and once our back four is settled and playing together regularly, we will become very hard top score against
I really disagree with your assessment of Pearce and Cooper. Think Cooper will stay behind him in the starting lineup and for good reason, Cooper has looked OK but Pearce has looked a lot better when I have seen them both. Also Pearce appears to be the only one on the pitch that actually is constantly communicating, this is definitely another factor especially for a defender.
Thanks Josh, understand your point ... for me Cooper is new to the club and the Championship, but has already shown composure and ability ... given time next to Bellusci, I think he will improve tremendously and be way better than Pearce, who is at his peak and is not improving anymore ... at least it's a good headache to have, and nice that we're discussing players rather than just sucking eggs
Not so sure I agree with you, Josh. Pearce may be communicating, but what exactly is he communicating? Doesn't seem to have done us much good of late. He has a lot of weaknesses. You probably didn't notice him doing his scarecrow act (arms wide!) in the penalty box yesterday, when facing an opposition player. If that player had any sense, he would have tried a shot & at least got a penalty! He also ploughs into tackles recklessly, giving away most of the free kicks we've faced just outside the penalty box. I also get very concerned when he defends set pieces in the box. He seems to get embroiled in spats, mostly caused by him hugging players. And let's not mention his inability to prevent attackers from sailing past him unhindered! Liability. I'd place Wooton above him.
I think your dislike of him is overshadowing his positives. He has been very solid for some time now imo.
I wouldn't say I dislike him. I was a fan too. It's just that I've been focussing on him this season, & I don't like what I'm seeing. A number of games ago I hypothesized that he was the common denominator in all our defensive frailties, and I've watched him carefully. Sadly, I've seen the evidence grow before my very own eyes. (90% of the time, he's ok, but the other 10%, he's dangerous. Very dangerous. I remember a number of years ago that Dubious Duberry was getting all sorts of plaudits for being the last man & clearing shots etc. off the line. He did it very regularly, & the rave reviews angered me, 'cos I thought he was a donkey (he was). I focussed on him & realised that it was actually him that wasn't holding the line, playing the opposition onside, which in turn caused the goalmouth anguish. Everyone else was stranded in a line upfield because of him. As I said, donkey. But not always apparent if you're just following the ball (which you have no option but do if you only see matches on the telly).
You could be right WJ but in the boro game and the bradford game I just thought he was much better defensively than Cooper and even on the ball where Cooper was caught a few times. I doubt we'll agree on this one but I will definitely grant you that you do see a lot more when you are there live.
