Defensive Partnerships

Addickson's God

I never thought Magic was a bad player but his partnership with Fortune clearly wasn't working and Fortunes comments recently perhaps give a clue as to why. Jon admits he prefers the job of sweeping up and I'm sure Magic is the same. I think they both play better with a partner who attacks the first ball, which clearly Sodje is doing. This is possibly why Fortune and Perry never worked but Perry and Herman did.

Ledge

yeah good point. Fortune has looked a lot better with Sodje with him granted.

northstandsteve

I found his comments a bit strange a centre half who doesn't like gettin stuck in,what's the fcuking point.

Carter

[cite]Posted By: northstandsteve[/cite]I found his comments a bit strange a centre half who doesn't like gettin stuck in,what's the fcuking point.

Same here mate, surely if you don't fancy getting your head to a high ball then what are doing at centre half?!

Salad

where did he make these comments?

northstandsteve

programme

kinveachyaddick

Not really that strange.
Lots of the best centre-back partnerships have a player who attacks the ball and one who prefers to read the game and sweep up right back to Jack Charlton and Bobby Moore.

Look at Ferdinand at Man U - looks a different player alongside Vidic (commanding, attacks the ball) then if he plays alongside Wes Brown or someone who is more similar to him in style.

That's why England always looks to play a similar tactic - Ferdinand alongside Campbell (WC 2002) or Terry (these days).

Carter

At Chelsea though I think it is Carvallho who attacks the ball and Terry who sits behind and he doesn't go attacking every aeriel baal for England nor does Rio.

I see what your saying and I agree, what I was getting at though is needs must. If a ball is there to be won, one of the two centre halves needs to be attacking it whether they like doing that or not. Pardew obviously knows this but Boughera and Fortune must think they are both obove doing so.

bingaddick

[cite]Posted By: Carter[/cite]At Chelsea though I think it is Carvallho who attacks the ball and Terry who sits behind and he doesn't go attacking every aeriel baal for England nor does Rio.

I'm not sure I agree with you about Carvalho and Terry. Terry is the towering presence of the two although Carvalho does his share. Watching him for Portugal, he looks an average defender: playing along side Terry he looks fantastic. Its about balance. Nobody is suggesting that Fortune can't or wont head the ball - clearly he can and does. He just plays better when he's with decisive defenders like Costa and recently Sodje. Magic was both too inexperienced and too like Fortune for their pairing to work

ISawLeaburnScore

personally i think magic and sodje is the best centre half pairing at the club in terms of a balanced partnership, but that could be cos i still can't stick fortune!

Carter

They could well be on paper mate, I have nothing really against Fortune I just done feel we are as defensively sound with him in the side. That said, not many of our centre halves bar the one we borrowed off Reading seem to be too air tight.

3 clean sheets in a row we can't drop Jon, but I really hope Magic and the others are breathing down his neck to get a go. Even Paddy dare I say it

ISawLeaburnScore

not saying drop him Carter! Just i think it's only a matter of time with John before he puts in a performance like he did at Watford away last year and undoes all his and our good work. He's always been promising, right from the game he totally did Shearer out of the game and ended up getting him sent off but he's just got that streak in him to commit acts of total madness and in my opinion, it's ticking til the next one!

I agree wholeheartedly with the balance between the go and get it centre half and the more conservative sweeper-upper people are talking about and as you say Carter, "on paper" it's sodje and magic for me, maybe it will sort itself out when the next little rocky patch arises (fingers crossed not any time soon!)

Carter

I think we're agreeing with each other here, Fortune is always liable to do something extraordinarily stupid like following a runner for 40 yards and waiting until said runner is in the box before making the challenge.

Equally he can produce safe solid performances and pop up with a goal or two at crucial times.

I would feel safer with him not feeling untouchably safe in the starting XI (I'm not saying he is in that saftey zone).