23 Oct 2017 16:16:24
Klopp says we need leaders. Passion? I say we need players who just love defending. Not failed midfielders, or ball playing centre backs.

I don't want to hear after January "there was nobody available". I can name 4 affordable centre backs who are born defenders, quick enough to play a high line, good in the air, and have good organisational qualities; off the top of my head.

They don't need to be world class on the ball. Robert Huth, Wes Morgan, John Terry, Nemanja Vidic, Gary Cahill, Martin Keown, Tony Adams and Ricardo Carvalho have league winners medals because they are defensively minded, reliable and give 100%. Not because they can go past people and play line splitting passes. You get the odd freak such as Hansen, Ramos, Hummels, Ferdinand or Kompany who can play as well as they defend, but it is normally one or the other. Carragher was no Agger, but Agger was no Carragher

Danny Batth. Angus MacDonald. Sean Morrison. Jamaal Lascelles.

I don't care if they aren't the best ball players in the world. Gomez and Matip can play a pass. However they both need someone next to them who will rip them to pieces for losing concentration or lazily trotting back.

We can't go on having Firmino as the only player who read the game well enough to get back onto the goal line. He's our number 9 for god sake!

1.) 23 Oct 2017
23 Oct 2017 16:47:48
Hilarious.

2.) 23 Oct 2017
23 Oct 2017 17:08:59
Bold selection there MK. I have only seen Jamaal Lascelles play, though I would love to hear ED's feedback on how Danny Batth, Angus MacDonald and Sean Morrison play.

On a sidenote, we have 2 months till the transfer window opens. I'd go for Matip / Lovren and Gomez in the staring role till then and see how they perform given a consistent run.

{Ed001's Note - Danny Baath is not very good, most Wolves fans would not pick him in their team! He is a trier but lacks genuine ability. Sean Morrison I have not really seen enough of to judge to be honest. Is MacDonald the Barnsley centre back? The one they got from the Conference? Otherwise I don't know him. If it is him, he looks a very decent defender to be honest. Not seen enough to see if he is ready to step up to the Prem though.}

3.) 23 Oct 2017
23 Oct 2017 17:11:35
Good post mk.

4.) 23 Oct 2017
23 Oct 2017 17:49:27
We have needed defenders for 5yrs and nothing has been done about it save for 1 high profile tapping up. I do not expect the situation to change in january. I know ed1 will say we have been trying and there is no quality etc but i can't believe there are not better options than the ones we have been lumbered with for so many years.

5.) 23 Oct 2017
23 Oct 2017 18:32:07
The only one of those I’d take is Lascelles, the rest are piss poor! I take issue with your comments on Ricardo Carvalho, he was superb on the ball and a brilliant defender, he made John Terry a better defender.

6.) 23 Oct 2017
23 Oct 2017 20:13:29
3 defenders have been bought in 18 months for less than 15mil total. That is not enough. You can't get the quality you need to win the league for that sort of money. Who looked at klavan and thought "he'd be good, I think it's his lack of pace and positional sense that will make him a success in the premier league"? Without trying to sound racist (I'm really not) it's a case of a German underestimating the English. Yes I did just equate klopp with Hitler. I love klopp but that was a piss poor signing. It means millions of fans putting their hopes on an under 21 player, gomes as we have no viable options bar gomes, who looks small for a cb still. Who is scouting for us? Because aside from mane and salah the signings have been a little underwhelming so far. I think the ox will come good and wijnaldum is okay. Okay the signings have been okay (u turn) but karius, klavan, matip and Robertson are pretty shocking signings for a team with European cup ambitions. Robertson will come good I reckon.

I don't get why gibson wasn't bought in the summer. We could of definitely got him, good relationship with hendo I would guess. VVD in January. Do we still think we are VVD s first choice? I dunno. You look at the teams around us and they all have high class cbs and GK. It is no surprise we have fallen behind. You know our back line is poor when moreno is the stand out performer in the line. In fairness to moreno he has been good lately and sometimes excellent.

Matip header that set up Ali was an amazing header. for a cf! What was he doing? That should've been put out for a corner znd the ref would have probably blown the whistle before they could take corner. I could moan forever about Sundays performance. I think our top four chances are slipping away. I said spurs was a massive game for us but after losing Huddersfield is massive. If we lose then klopp will genuinely start to be questioned. I hate it but it's a fact and if we fail to get out of our group in ucl and are outside the top six come Xmas I think he might be gone.

I think he should be given time but I also think we have fallen behind spurs, man utd and city. We have underperformed and we have a top player running his contract down. We have a star player who doesn't wanna be here. We have highly limited options at the back and we have three keepers all playing. We have played more players in goal than we have at centre forward. That is effing ridiculous.

Come on klopp, prove me right as I have always been in your corner! Show the doubters why we think you a world class manager! You're a good guy but you need to be ruthless. These are highly paid professionals not you nieces and nephews.

For f*** sake. pick a keeper and stick with him. *hint hint* it ain't mignolet.

We did well to finish fourth and klopp was told he had 200 Mil to spend! Last summer was the time to spend it as we had a bit of draw being in ucl. It's going to be even harder next summer if we don't get fourth.

7.) 23 Oct 2017
23 Oct 2017 20:55:07
BTW, how sad that only nine games in and I am aiming for fourth. I'm sorry but there is NO WAY we are winning this league. Third seems ambitious.

8.) 24 Oct 2017
23 Oct 2017 18:28:36
Thanks for the reply ED 001! Yes, Angus MacDonald plays for Barnsley.

{Ed001's Note - he has only just come up from non-league footie, he might not be the best choice in the position we are in. He would almost certainly need time to adjust to the Prem.}

9.) 25 Oct 2017
25 Oct 2017 16:57:59
Lascelles looks tempting, I got to say. Aside from defending well at Newcastle, I think he has exactly the kind of attitude that's missing in our dressing room.

The problem is he's got little Prem experience, only 25 apps or so, and is playing in a deeper defensive line than we use (although the FBs do push on a bit so he has to do some covering) . Ideally I'd like him to stay at Newcastle for another bit and develop his game more, but we need a central defender now and I suspect someone will come in for him in the next 18 months.

Do we take the risk that he steps up? I'm not sure.