http://www.sortfootball.co.uk/1/post/2012/01/ryan-shawcross-is-he-international-class.html
World class defenders are hard to come by, particularly the young and talented technically gifted players. Stoke fans have often tipped Ryan Shawcross as being a future England defender to possibly replace Rio Ferdinand at the heart of the defence, however questions still lie around the Stoke defenders confidence and consistency at that level.
Ryan, as a quiet but confident assured player on the pitch for Stoke has tasted the success of being called up for the full England squad even though it came on the back of the most unfortunate circumstances having been sent off for a late tackle on Arsenal’s midfielder Aaron Ramsey which left the youngster with a broken leg. Since that call up Ryan Shawcross hasn’t been seen in it again. However, he has come back solidly from the setback of the red card and the abuse and criticism from football fans for an unfortunate tackle which seriously injured a fellow professional. Questions still linger over whether the broken leg on Ramsey has dented his self-confidence as his form dipped towards the end of the 09/10 season and since then he has failed to hit the heights that he was reaching during games leading up to the tackle. However, in the 2010/2011 season Shawcross took the captaining which shows how highly the Stoke hierarchy rate him. Furthermore, on the pitch Stoke have gone from strength to strength having achieved safety in the Premier League again and also reaching the FA Cup final. Ryan Shawcross has been pretty much an ever present in Stoke’s astonishing achievements. Some would argue that him being pivotal in Stoke’s success therefore justifies him getting a call up. However, from studying his overall performances in the past 2 seasons, critics would argue he has been a shadow of the player he was before the Aaron Ramsey controversy.
Ryan Shawcross may need to move from Stoke City to improve his chances for an England call up. In a way Stoke City are a hindrance to his progress as a player, for example whenever he gets the ball now he looks up instantly to hit the long ball for a striker opposed to playing the ball out of defence which is something he did when he first joined the club in 2007. He also lacks the concentration required at the highest level as this season he has lost his marker on several occasions to cost his side crucial goals, for example losing his marker for key goals in the carling cup game v Liverpool and the home defeats by QPR and Newcastle. A final criticism would be that as a captain he hasn’t really lead in a way that most captains do. He doesn’t seem to be vocal enough for a captain and his although often he has been consistent enough, he is never a standout player and is often been carried by his defensive partner Robert Huth.
Overall, I believe that if Ryan Shawcross can get back to the form he was showing in 2009/2010 then he can force himself into the England scene again. However, from recent showings it looks like maybe he isn’t the player that Stoke fans and many people thought he would become. Even the most diehard Stoke fans would have to admit that he is only a midtable Premier League player from his showings over the past 12 months.
World class defenders are hard to come by, particularly the young and talented technically gifted players. Stoke fans have often tipped Ryan Shawcross as being a future England defender to possibly replace Rio Ferdinand at the heart of the defence, however questions still lie around the Stoke defenders confidence and consistency at that level.
Ryan, as a quiet but confident assured player on the pitch for Stoke has tasted the success of being called up for the full England squad even though it came on the back of the most unfortunate circumstances having been sent off for a late tackle on Arsenal’s midfielder Aaron Ramsey which left the youngster with a broken leg. Since that call up Ryan Shawcross hasn’t been seen in it again. However, he has come back solidly from the setback of the red card and the abuse and criticism from football fans for an unfortunate tackle which seriously injured a fellow professional. Questions still linger over whether the broken leg on Ramsey has dented his self-confidence as his form dipped towards the end of the 09/10 season and since then he has failed to hit the heights that he was reaching during games leading up to the tackle. However, in the 2010/2011 season Shawcross took the captaining which shows how highly the Stoke hierarchy rate him. Furthermore, on the pitch Stoke have gone from strength to strength having achieved safety in the Premier League again and also reaching the FA Cup final. Ryan Shawcross has been pretty much an ever present in Stoke’s astonishing achievements. Some would argue that him being pivotal in Stoke’s success therefore justifies him getting a call up. However, from studying his overall performances in the past 2 seasons, critics would argue he has been a shadow of the player he was before the Aaron Ramsey controversy.
Ryan Shawcross may need to move from Stoke City to improve his chances for an England call up. In a way Stoke City are a hindrance to his progress as a player, for example whenever he gets the ball now he looks up instantly to hit the long ball for a striker opposed to playing the ball out of defence which is something he did when he first joined the club in 2007. He also lacks the concentration required at the highest level as this season he has lost his marker on several occasions to cost his side crucial goals, for example losing his marker for key goals in the carling cup game v Liverpool and the home defeats by QPR and Newcastle. A final criticism would be that as a captain he hasn’t really lead in a way that most captains do. He doesn’t seem to be vocal enough for a captain and his although often he has been consistent enough, he is never a standout player and is often been carried by his defensive partner Robert Huth.
Overall, I believe that if Ryan Shawcross can get back to the form he was showing in 2009/2010 then he can force himself into the England scene again. However, from recent showings it looks like maybe he isn’t the player that Stoke fans and many people thought he would become. Even the most diehard Stoke fans would have to admit that he is only a midtable Premier League player from his showings over the past 12 months.
