I know there are plenty on here who think he will/should. At 6'3" and age 19, Caulker is taller and quicker than Garry Monk. But Garry is the captain, a role model, has experience on his side and a longer working relationship and understanding with Ashley Williams. A tough call for Brendan? Personally, I would stick with Monk.
Do you know what, a few weeks ago i'd have said Caulker 100%, but lets face facts - how well have we been doing with Monkey in defence? In fairness he's been doing a great job imho. good topic
We are not having any problem containing teams, we are not being beaten, we are losing - we lost to Arsenal and ManU as a result of stupid mistakes of our own making not defensive breakdowns with the other team in posession. Our trouble is creating at the other end. Although having said that, Norwich exposed us badly in the air; Caulker addresses that problem. I think I'm on the fence right now, a few weeks ago, like Swansman, I would have said Caulker 100%.
Caulker has to come back in , Monk has done ok but i think we need to protect him more than caulker in terms of our positioning on the field, the gap between defence and midfield i feel needs to be closer when monk is in the team, with a quicker defence it perhaps would be possible to move our midfield 3 closer to the attacking 3rd . Im pleased for Monk though,nice to see him playing his part and doing well ,he will be needed but Caulker should go straight back in when fit IMO.
I think Monk is a much better defender than Caulker, he just doesn't have the pace or the aerial threat to deal with certain players. Hernandez was one of those players that I didn't think Monk would be able to cope with, but he did. I think for Villa at home, I would be tempted to drop him because if Bent and Agbonlahor play, him and Rangel will be tested all game by their pace, but if we play a high line (unlikely I know) I would play Monk because his positioning and his main attributes, organisation and leadership, make our defensive line alot tighter than when Caulker plays.
Play both of them and drop Ash. I'm ducking right now. Caulker has been out for a while and might need a game or two to get up to pace. I'm wondering if Buck might keep him back and give him a few minutes a time in games we are winning comfortably. Just hope we have a few of them.
Monk has proved some on here wrong, he has played a captains roll to a tee and well deserves his place as our leader on the pitch. Caulker should be used as and when required, the back 4 have been a rock and as long as they are fit then that should be our main defence, monk especially has brought his experiance to bare and his leadership is second to none, Williams when he is captain tends to not play that well and that is why we need an old hand like monk to bring some stability at the back......
I don't think anyone should just walk in they need to prove that they are capable, he didn't feature in the reserves against Chelsea tonight so I don't think he will go straight in to the first eleven on Sunday , though could be wrong of course. In regards to who is the better person on pitch , it has to go to caulker , I am sorry dai and maybe others, monk has experience yes, but he lacks pace and has said so, on certain games we need that pace more than experience.
pace is not much of an issue as a defender jager,,,and monk has proved he has what it takes anyway....and he is ours, caulker is on loan and should be used if needed and at the moment in time he is not needed.....
Well if he is not needed, why is he with us ? Sorry pace is very much needed in all parts of the field, caulker is faster and taller than monk, and that is very much needed at our club at the moment . Monk has gained his right to play, but he can't play every game as his age is showing, sorry he is no ash and be on the pitch for every minute, caulker will get his chance, will prove his worth and keep his position, sorry being a loan player has nothing to do with it, Brendan will choose his players on merit, not if we own or loan them.
loan players are a stop gap and nothing else. monk has proved himself and caulker will have to wait to fill in as he was brought in to do in the first place, he is a good player to use when needed and as it stands he is not needed in the starting line up, he will come on at some point and that is why he joined us as a replacement and cover for that eventuality.....
I disagree with you, its not relevant if a player is on loan at our club, a player plays if he is worthy to do so, like Borini last season, or Gomez a few seasons ago and Williams when he first joined us, they played on merit. If Caulker comes back and proves his worth I do think that Monk will be dropped onto the subs bench.
why was caulker brought here on loan in the first place jager....if you an remember that then you would know why... Monk will only be dropped if he needs to be dropped for whatever reason and the same goes for the other players. it wont be long before tatey gets a game.....
I agree with Jager , pace is crucial for a defender especially at this level ,Monk has done well but with villa coming to town on Sunday think we will need caulkers height to deal with Heskey and pace to deal with their wide men, Villa look like a very workman like team and will play their percentages very well .We havent been exposing Monk to pace and i think the team/midfield has been protecting him from it ,caulker to play for me if fit
The same reason as any other loan player, we need choices at every position on the pitch, Martinez summed it up that we need at least two player for every position on field, and being in the premier league we need more than two in certain positions. As I said if Caulker comes back in and proves his worth Brendan will drop Monk to the bench, like he did for Tate at the start of the season, I am not against Monk at all, I questioned whether he should have a place, in some games he has proven that he is a good option, at his age though Dai he will be a squad player as he can't keep up.
so monk has not coped, he has as much pace as anyone and his experience is a bonus. funny how he has made it in the team of the week TWICE......not bad for an old timer innit....
superswan, i agree that monk is the better defender, but he hasn't got as much pace as anyone else. His lack of pace is something that is obvious even if you just watch the games on TV. He's excelled this season, but long term there is a chance we could convince Caulker to stay here, so he is not just a squad player.
He doesn't have as much pace as anyone though mate, he struggles and it shows , and as I said he earned his right to play, it doesn't mean that we shouldn't consider Caulker for the position. There is no sentiment in the game, we can't choose someone just because of his name, or what he has done for us in the past. When Caulker comes back he will get on the field its that simple, if he is good enough he will be first 11 no doubt about it.
What i dont understand here is that a few games ok Caulker was the best thing since sliced bread, monk has done ok stepping in to cover but he is in no way the answer !! its almost embarrasing to see how slow he is and with some of his late tackles he has been lucky not to get booked/sent off , if the swans had a poor reputation with refs i truely beleive he could have walked by now. Off the top of my head ,his block on hernandez near the half way line was reckless,but he knew he had to do it because there was no way he could have caught the player he was lucky not to get booked,and when you get booked then you are a target for the opposition, the only reason he hasnt been exposed is because the team is set up to protect him ala Sousa formula
