Russell Martin

[zemas tendon 0]

Ha Ha Ha Most of you on here have not got a clue about football, Can any of you who post on here actually tell me you have played mens football at any sort of level, if you have, how come you have not been snapped up by Real Madrid!!

Another note M louis Jean and D Sutch, and C John, Velasco where much better RB than Martin ever was!!!

[Ray 111]

zemas tendon,

Please enlighten us all. What on earth has having played football at any level got to do with anything, which I have by the way. There are many players who cannot manage nor do they have the ability to spot a player or change tactics, etc. but so what, there are also managers who haven''t played at any serious level, again so what?

The players you list may or may not have been better players, but again what has that got to do with our current team?

Any way. glad our discussions amuse you, it appeasr to have brightened your day.

[Jim Smith 2,317]

He''s not a complete liability at CB, he reads the game well, is mobile and makes good blocks. Actually playing CB at International level (and perhaps in the prem) he may be more suited to because there generally tend to be less long balls and aerial stuff to deal with as most teams try to pass it on the floor.

However, there is no doubt in my mind that (i) he does get caught out in the air a bit too often for a CB and (ii) he is a better rb defensively than Whitaker. Playing him at CB therefore weakens us on two fronts hence I would prefer to play a more aerially dominant CB (such as Bennett) and have Martin back at right back. If Ryan Bennett had stayed fit I hope he would have forced Adam''s hand in this regard through his performances but i also hope that the arrival of 3 new centre backs in the last month also indicates that Adams has recognised this.

[chicken 0]

Sorry Grefstad but that isn''t true at all. International managers know their squad well enough to know who is able to lead the team and who isn''t.

They don''t just make it up when the captain has come off the pitch, it will be part of a contingency plan. As will who will step in after that.

Normally at international level you have several experienced pro''s, some of whom possess leadership skills.

Also this is the first season Martin has been team captain. It was Bassong last season bar the last few games. Reality is that Martin has become a bit of a whipping boy despite solid performances and being a good all round pro.

Possibly one of the best, if not the best right back we have had atthe club in the last 15years or more.

[Mr Jenkins 0]

[quote user="lake district canary"][quote user="Ray"]ldc,

Wikipedia have RB as 1" taller than RM and I trust them more than the Canaries site, who I know for a fact have other facts wrong![/quote]Fair enough. They do seem to have different heights depending on where you look!  I looked on Google - the captions that came up have their heights wrong too.

[/quote]

Most fans look at the players on the pitch. That involves going to watch your team play. It''s great when you see our players run out and perform live, so much better than TV highlights. You can actually see how big they are as well. Forget google and have a look for yourself. Loved your review of the Chelsea game by the way.

[GH9 0]

I certainly don''t think that Russell Martin at centre back is a liability. His positioning is fantastic, and his interceptions and slide tackling aren''t bad either. The only thing that lets him down is his aerial ability, as we''ve seen so far this season, and as proven in the Scotland - Germany game. Yes Thomas Muller has beaten a lot better players than Russell Martin in the air, but do I think that that is a routine cross for someone like Turner or Ryan Bennett.