A question for Pete (Moderator)

[ca 1]

Pete,

There have been a lot of comments & opinions on this board about Thomas Helveg recently.

Just wondered what your thoughts are on the subject.Is he still getting used to the different pace, is he good enough for the English Premiership, where would you play him, how do you rate him against other players in that position,where does he fit in once Francis & Charlton return, and what are his plus''s and minus''s in the games he''s played.

Would really be interested in your thoughts as I just can''t make my mind up about him.

cityangel.

 

 

 

I hope that you had a great Xmas and behalf of all the posters would like to say a big thankyou to you and the other moderators for all the hard work you put into this site.

[Pete Raven 276]

Cityangel,

I imagine the following has been covered by other posters on this forum before but as you asked for my opinion on Helveg then I shall duly oblige.

Firstly, I can''t remember the last time one player provoked such a divide amongst City fans and, the Hucks saga apart, as much debate on this forum.

I think when you sign foreigners there is a danger that it will take them a while to get used to the English game, but a player with as much experience as Helveg''s will eventually get used to it. The only way to adapt to the Premiership is to play games. We''re starting to see the improvement with Jonson as he racks up more minutes on the pitch and I believe we''ll see both he and Helveg improve over the next couple of months (injuries permitting) as they get more time on the pitch. Remember, it isn''t just the foreigners who are struggling to adapt to life in the Premiership - the same applies to a lot of the players who won the First Division last season.

There is a vast difference in the way the game is played over here and in Italy and players have struggled with the switch in both directions (remember Gazza and Ince in Serie A? No, neither do I...) If you watch a Serie A game (be warned, it''s not the most thrilling league) Italian teams take it as given that possession will be theirs in their own half and it only gets hectic in the final third (this could explain Helveg''s sloppy pass at Chelsea).

Helveg''s problem is his reputation - City fans expect him to perform and when he doesn''t the spotlight is shone upon him that much greater than the majority of the Norwich team because of who he is. Make no mistake, he is the biggest signing this club has made in recent history, and I think that''s where the problem lies. 10 years in Serie A, Champions League winner, five major international tournaments, captain of his country - City fans aren''t used to having a player with that much to his name. So when he under-performs it is dwelled upon more than it should be compared to other players who haven''t had the best of games.

He is also being played out of position, but is coping well considering. He has played most of his career at right-back or central defence - note how good he is in the air and the fact that he made more tackles than any other defender during the Chelsea game. I think against Bolton he found a position he could get used to - the defensive midfielder along with Safri, with Bentley creating all three goals. Any one of those three players deserved man of the match during that game.

The only times he''s played in a position he''s used to were against Crystal Palace where some of his passes down the wing and into the box were what we''d come to expect from a player who has been described as the best passer of the ball at the club, and against Manchester United where he was short on match play and was facing Ryan Giggs who yesterday tore the whole Villa defence to shreds. Would any other City player have fared better? I think not.

We have seen flashes of what he can do but also some shocking errors. But I''m confident that with more time on the pitch and in his natural position either on the right or in the middle of the back four then we''ll start to see what all the fuss is about. Time and patience is the key but, with over half the season gone, it''s not something we have a lot of. I''d even be happy with a central midfield of Francis and Helveg.

Thanks for the recognition. May I also offer my thanks to all posters for keeping this forum as lively as it is. Happy New Year!

[ZLF 271]

An excellent summary Pete and I fully endorse your view that HE will live up to our expectations and even more so when he gets into HIS postion.

The sooner either Flem or Eddie makes way the better as he is clearly the best defender and tackler at the club (the chelsea game was not the first where he has made most tackles - even in the Everton game I think he was equal top tackler with just 45 mins on the pitch).

It is that vision and ability to read a game that sets him apart - he just needs the miles on the pitch to get himself fully adjusted to the pace of the game which will help him remove the chelsea style errors from his game.

He has far less to learn to become an effective defender in the prem than either Eddie or Flem if only people would open their eyes to it.

OTBC

[westoncanary. 0]

Eddy was skinned yesterday by Downing, but then who hasn''t this season? 

[ca 1]

[quote]Cityangel, I imagine the following has been covered by other posters on this forum before but as you asked for my opinion on Helveg then I shall duly oblige. Firstly, I can''t remember the last time ...[/quote]

Pete,

Thanks for all the time and effort you put into your reply which I found very imformative.

You explained the Helveg situation as you see it really well and some of the points you make about our expectations and him playing out of position got me thinking that we all need to be perhaps a little more patient with him. Only worry I and probably others have is, will we run out of time before Helveg and Jonson become fully accclimatized to the Premier but then as you say they are not the only two with that challenge ahead of them. We can only wait and see.

cityangel