Right Back Position

[Darth Vadis 150]

Against Newcastle, Wisdom looked fairly solid however what he lacks is a drive to get forward on the attack.

Russell Martin has recently come good in right back and I think he missed out due to an injury but I''m sure he''ll be back in AN''s mind for the Palace game.

Ivo Pinto simply cannot defend whatsoever and isn''t as quick as we thought he would be when he first signed. At this stage of the season we need a RB who can defend first and foremost and Ivo isn''t that player.

Steven Whittaker.

Who would you play against Crystal Palace?

[Move Klose 303]

Martin or wisdom in my book.

[FenwayFrank 2,456]

Whoever plays will have to look after Zaha or Bolasie so I''d play Wisdom

[Daz Sparks 1,146]

In the home fixture, Whittaker had a torrid time against Zaha.

[It's Character Forming 1,160]

I thought we''d got rid of Whittaker?

Anyway for an away game where we need to be solid, it''s Wisdom, no contest.

[mrs miggins 0]

It''s a good question and I think the answer depends on who we play at RM; if its Redmond then I don''t think we can play Pinto there as well and will have to opt for either Martin or Wisdom, yet if we play Howson/Dorrans/VOO at RM or if we go 5 (or 3) at the back then Pinto is the perfect person to play that RB/RWB slot as he''s our most attacking player, as well as our fastest. As I''ve said all season though, I think our best back 4 is Martin at RB, Bennett at CB and Olsson at LB and for me that hasn''t changed.

If we stay up I think we will need to buy an upgrade on Martin at RB (though there are more pressing areas though first). Personally I feel Bennett has been exceptional with Klose next to him and Olsson has returned to the form that he was in in his first season with us (which is good.....because he was $hit last season).

[GJP 79]

Bennett wasn''t very "exceptional" when he let Mitrovic beat him to the header for their 1st goal.

It was certainly in our favour that Mitrovic started on the bench because he showed he''s a handful.

And that is the thing with Bennett. He''s good when it''s easy (like just having Cisse to mark between him and Klose) but when the questions get asked he tends to come up short.

[Number 9 0]

[quote user="Darth Vadis"]Against Newcastle, Wisdom looked fairly solid however what he lacks is a drive to get forward on the attack.

Russell Martin has recently come good in right back and I think he missed out due to an injury but I''m sure he''ll be back in AN''s mind for the Palace game.

Ivo Pinto simply cannot defend whatsoever and isn''t as quick as we thought he would be when he first signed. At this stage of the season we need a RB who can defend first and foremost and Ivo isn''t that player.

Steven Whittaker.

Who would you play against Crystal Palace?[/quote]

I pressed the quote button Daft Vadis, I almost pressed the report button to try and get some help for you.

Whittaker is not a Premier League player, he struggles in the Championship for goodness sake.

He''s not going to train on to get the pace and football brain that he needs. It''s passed him by, we have moved on.

[GJP 79]

Clearly he does not struggle in the Championship.

He was probably the best right back in the league alongside Simon Francis of Bournemouth when we got promoted.

[mrs miggins 0]

GJP wrote the following post at 04/04/2016 9:55 PM:

Bennett wasn''t very "exceptional" when he let Mitrovic beat him to the header for their 1st goal.

It was certainly in our favour that Mitrovic started on the bench because he showed he''s a handful.

And that is the thing with Bennett. He''s good when it''s easy (like just having Cisse to mark between him and Klose) but when the questions get asked he tends to come up short.

-----------------------------------------

Have to agree with that as well, but overall I think he''s been exceptional as has Klose since he''s come in. Indeed he should''ve done better and it was also unfortunate that it flicked off his head and over Ruddy but he was fantastic in the last match not just defending, but also his distribution was great as well (which often people don''t give him credit for). Also he showed that his positioning was fantastic, yet that doesn''t get shown on the highlights.

What I''ve noticed is that our CB''s now play a lot closer (no pun) together unlike Martin and Bassong did which also helps.

[Jools 584]

[quote user="Darth Vadis"]Ivo Pinto simply cannot defend whatsoever[/quote]I wish you''d have run that by the scouts before we signed him.Are you sure he''s not taking time to settle? I reckon he could come good.I would, however, field Wisdom against Palace.

[Van wink 2,994]

I like Pinto going forward and if we play three at the back there is a place for him IMO.

I know AN likes to change things depending on the opposition but I really hope he keeps the same back four, Wisdom was as good as I''ve seen him, Klose and Bennet are our best centre half pairing, there is an understanding there and I think Klose is better with a traditional type centre half along side him. After Saturday there is no competition for the left back position.

[norfolkbroadslim 223]

Culverhouse

[Thecanaryfan 0]

It''s tough to call for me. It''s a position we have covered in numbers, with 4 players who each on their day can put in a shift.

I think it is harsh to claim Pinto cannot defend. He has looked very impressive of late and I was disappointed to see him dropped to the bench.

And unlike most on here, I also rate Whittaker. And would be quite content to see him return to the fold though I don''t see that happening .

I guess with the likes of Bolasie to deal with, Wisdom will be the man to get the nod, though I wouldn''t be surprised if Martin starts. As terrible he can be as a CB he has looked much better at RB.

[morty 0]

Martin''s not going to start.

[Thecanaryfan 0]

"Martin''s not going to start."

Is this all you have to contribute Morty? Why not express yourself and explain why?

[Guest]

Wisdom looked solid on Saturday. No qualms about him starting at Palace.

But as others have mentioned, Martin had finally settled into some kind of form at right back, before getting injured.

So it''s nice for AN to have a choice of positive options for once.

[morty 0]

[quote user="Pyro Pete"]Wisdom looked solid on Saturday. No qualms about him starting at Palace.

But as others have mentioned, Martin had finally settled into some kind of form at right back, before getting injured.

So it''s nice for AN to have a choice of positive options for once.[/quote]I thought it was his best game for us, he was excellent[Y]

[Mr Apples 1,317]

Wisdom for me.

Also, there was an interview in the Sunday Mail with Whitts where he pretty much said he''d already played his last game for City.

Apples

[Trevor Hockey's Beard 526]

[quote user="Mr Apples"]Wisdom for me.

Also, there was an interview in the Sunday Mail with Whitts where he pretty much said he''d already played his last game for City.

Apples[/quote]

Thank goodness for that.

Against anyone with pace he looks like one of the traffic cones they use in training.

[Mr Apples 1,317]

It''s that new hair that''s weighing him down...

Apples

[It's Character Forming 1,160]

It used to make me wince to see him backing further and further away from the attacker on his flank to avoid getting done for pace, just embarrassing.  Technically Whitts was our best full back and excellent going forward, but such a lack of pace is a fatal flaw in the Prem, because other teams work it out, simply put a pacey player up against him and cause us massive problems for the whole game.  A player like Martin who has decent speed is better despite not being such a good technical player.

[BroadstairsR 2,138]

Whittaker has been a decent player for the Club.

He cost us nothing and has played a useful part throughout, but especially in the play-off games. He has always been more than useful going forward.

I am slightly surprised at his sudden demise at Carrow Road but at 32 he''s not going to get any quicker.

He still retains his international place and probably has a couple of seasons ahead of him in lower leagues or back in Scotland.

No complaints from me, although not even the smallest of fees will be forthcoming as I believe his contract is up in the Summer.

[mrs miggins 0]

He (Whitts) always tried his best, just glad that AN finally realised he wasn''t good enough. Will do well for a championship club or perhaps he''ll want to play back in Scotland.

[YorkshirePudding 0]

Martin''s not going to start."

Morty you simply cannot make such a claim

...until Friday evening

[morty 0]

[quote user="YorkshirePudding"]Martin''s not going to start."

Morty you simply cannot make such a claim

...until Friday evening[/quote]He was wearing a knee brace at the U21''s game last night, with two weeks out quoted.So yes, I did.

[morty 0]

[quote user="YorkshirePudding"]Martin''s not going to start."

Morty you simply cannot make such a claim

...until Friday evening[/quote]But I see what you did there[;)]

[Alfie54 76]

Thought Wisdom played really well. Hopefully Alex won''t be tempted to replace Jarvis with Redmond, defence and mid midfield looked solid

[mrs miggins 0]

But Jarvis is a bit $hit

[morty 0]

[quote user="mrs miggins"]But Jarvis is a bit $hit[/quote]He wasn''t on Saturday, and if Pinto isn''t really in consideration, we''re kinda short on options.