Skerritt 0 Posted March 24, 2013 Personally I think he is one of the best players we have and to see him sitting on the bench seems a bit disappointing.The options with Whittaker are-- Putting him into right back but with Martin playing so well, I doubt that would happen.-Putting him into centre back but with Turner and Bassong performing well, that seems unlikely.-Putting him into left back which seems a decent idea as although Garrido has an excellent delivery into the box, he rarely uses it and normally seems a bit of a liability when defending around the area. Whittaker is also excellent and powerful going forward and seems a bit better defensively. I think Garrido is an excellent player, but he seems the weakest link in our defence.-Putting him in one of our holding midfield roles which could work as he is good defensively and is good and powerful going forward, however with Tettey soon returning, Johnson consistently playing well and Howson performing against sunderland. This again seems unlikely.-Lastly, we could put him right mid and keep Snodgrass at left wing we offers an excellent option defensively and still offers a lot going forward.The unbeaten run really took off when Whittaker and Tettey came into the team so I am hopeful that when they come into the team again, we can recreate that kind of form. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stig 0 Posted March 24, 2013 The teams current form is keeping him out of the first team, and that''s alright by me. Yes he has a lot to offer the team, there''s no doubt about that at all. But why upset the balance we have at the moment? I think you''re right about Garrido being the weaker link in our defence, but that isn''t saying much when he is also doing really well. I think Whittaker could take on Turner''s position after his little doosy of a back pass that ultimately started the chain of events? But even that is grasping at straws. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Morisons Prozac 0 Posted March 24, 2013 You say Garrido is a liability around and in the box but how many penalites and freekicks has he given away? Not very many I think. I would play Whittaker instead of Howson until Tettey is fit. as he''s more of a defensive player Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
smooth 114 Posted March 24, 2013 Whittaker put in a great cross, and looked capable out wide, his goal this season showed his calibre going forward. He was expected to win games at rangers and that is what he brought when we were on our run. For me I do not have any hesitation in replacing Martin with Whittaker. I think he is a stand out player and many of our goals during our dire run where down the left flank. I think Martin is a great player for us, but I would star,t Whittaker ahead of him.I do also agree he can certainly be played in that midfield role. For me one of our best players and certainly should be in the first 11 till the end of the season. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
star_manic 0 Posted March 24, 2013 i really would like to see Whittaker given a run at DM to see what he can do there. if, as i suspect, it would be significantly better all round than either Tetty or Johnson, and i did say all round, then it could solve a problem for next season. we should be looking to play only one DM, thus opening up an attacking option with an extra attacker, either mid-field or striker. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mr Jenkins 0 Posted March 24, 2013 He''d be starting on the right of midfield for me on Saturday with Snoddy on the left. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Salopian 1 Posted March 25, 2013 It''s sad to see a (Scottish) international player sitting on the bench, but at the moment it''s difficult to replace Martin, who is playing very well. Wrost of all, if we need him to replace anyone in the back four he may be lacking match sharpness. He can play anywhere accross the back, even LB, but I can''t see him crossing as well with his left foot. He can also play in the midfield, and has a good shot over 25 yards. If Tettey doesn''t come back as expected, or is disappointing, I agree that Whittaker would not let us down in the midfield. He seems to read the game well. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zak Van Burger 0 Posted March 25, 2013 Russ Martin just withdrawn from Scotland squad with injury no further details at the moment. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ZLF 261 Posted March 25, 2013 I have no doubt that he is capable but dont think we should be looking to get him into the side at teh expense of positional experts or martin who is doing well and keeping whittaker out of the team on merit. Its great to have some genuine competition for positions Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GJP 79 Posted March 25, 2013 Good player but he''s just got to bide his time until someone (Russsell Martin) is off form, injured or needs a rest. Don''t get this thing about playing in midfield, seems short-sighted to me. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GJP 79 Posted March 25, 2013 [quote user="GJP"] (Russsell Martin) [/quote]To be fair I believe he usually spells his name with 1 less "s". Share this post Link to post Share on other sites