was the word from the training ground yesterday.
Good news in my book as i think he will continue to improve. Certainly have no problems with his committment, and the spell he was in the side in the new year i thought was our best part of the season.
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I like reading his Icons blog....... he comes across as a guy who just loves to play football, full of enthusiasm (and sometimes naivity.....).
He's strikes me as the kind of pro, maybe, who'd have a kick around with the local kids in the park after tea.
That's exactly what i see. The naivity aspect is endearing, but perhaps that is something he has to work on a little. Having been 'got at' a couple of times for us and Scunny last season, this is something opposition will try to exploit in future.
Youga and Basey - two young hungry, talented players - competing for the l/b berth is what we need next season
Gareth Barry like, springs to mind...
Now just because he's got the same initials! ;-)
http://www.cafc.co.uk/newsview.ink?nid=32412&newstype=n
It's strange - I was thinking that. There seems to be quite a lot of anti- Thatcher stuff on here and I personally don't have a problem with him and don't understand it.
I know he has a thuggish past at other clubs and he didn't do us any favours with his rash lunge on Bentley last season but when he keeps his temper in check he is a decent player IMO.
Nothing too fancy but not a liability either and I do understand Pardew choosing him over Youga and Basey when he felt he needed `older heads' in defence. Also a pretty good crosser of the ball - not something that can be said of our so-called wingers - unless you choose to include Varney as a winger. I personally consider him a striker but he does put in a good cross too when he moves out wide.
We are all entitled to our opinions though!
I can't recall any particular game where he has been turned inside out or had a nightmare game. I can think of plenty of occasions when our other defenders have though! In fact probably all of them at some time or other!
Away at Blackburn, got turned inside out and then clogged the opponent as he went past .....once, twice.
2 Yellows = 1 Red.=10 men.
We collapsed woefully after that.
But that was last year in the Prem (and I did mention the Blackburn incident)- and we are not there now and I was primarily talking about the current and coming season where we are now - in the Championship.
I'm not saying he is an essential requirement for next season and if he goes I have no problem with that either. Given his age he is clearly not the future, it's just that I don't personally think he has done any worse that anyone else to get the kind of criticism reflected in some of the comments.
On the other hand - I completely understand the criticism leveled at Thomas!
A fullback without pace is just begging to get exploited by his opponent, which draws team mates out of position to cover for him - and the team can rapidly lose it's shape on the park.
And when his opponent goes past him, that's when Thatcher can't catch him legally - but catches him anyway he can .....