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Right Back To The Drawing Board?
There was an interesting thread on smallheathalliance.com concerning the issue Blues have surrounding the right-slot. With Stephen Carr not likely to make the game, Jonathan Spector out for a while yet and now Will Packwood having picked up an injury which way do Blues go?
The truth is once Carr is not in the team Blues are a little bit short on specialist right-backs; Spector can play there but I think he sees himself more as a midfielder, Packwood is by trade a defensive midfielder and the other person to play there in pre-season Jack Deaman is really a centre-back playing out of position when slotted in to the full back berth. There is also Hayden Mullins who did a decent enough job against Barnet, Chris Burke who played there for a few minutes last season to help Blues out of a bind and then Curtis Davies and Pablo Ibanez who had unsuccessful moments there against Leicester City.
I think the most probable cause of action will be that Mullins slots in at right-back again. Blues do have a surplus of midfielders and it would be easy to either put Morgaro Gomis into Mullin’s defensive midfield position or even potentially put Ambrose there from his slot wide left. I thought Mullins had a decent enough game when he had to move across and he’s old enough and wily enough to know what he’s got to do; he may not be massively blessed with pace but I think he’s got enough positional sense to be able to work around that.
As much as I was pleased to see Will Packwood given the nod against Barnet I don’t think he would be given it again in a league situation – it would be too big a jump up for him and I think even if he was fit Lee Clark would be looking at other options before giving the American teenager a go. For this reason I think Jack Deaman also has to be ruled out; he did okay in pre-season but I don’t think he’s that comfortable as a full-back; he’s too tall and he’s not pacy enough to be able to play the position effectively.
I’m also dead against either Pablo or Curtis Davies being pushed out into the full back position. Davies looked shaky against Barnet in the first thirty minutes (as he did against Antwerp) and I don’t think playing him out of position would help him out any in getting back into the groove. Pablo looked lost out at right back against Leicester last season and he’s not looked too clever in pre-season either, giving a penalty away against Antwerp and generally being rusty. I saw the comment that Ibanez needs a few games to settle in at centre-back and I think that’s bob on – if Blues are to make a good start we need players to be on the ball as it were from the get go.
Playing Chris Burke at right back would be a tremendous waste of one of our most effective attacking options. I accept he could probably play the position fairly well but I’d much rather have Burkey up the right end of the pitch winning games for us than covering the centre backs.
Although Clark has been fairly insistent that his transfer business is done I wonder if this is a position that Blues are light in – particularly as off the top of my head I’m not sure I can name a right back that will play regularly in the development squad. I know Blues have had at least one lad on trial there and I hope that with a regular reserve team having to be played Blues maybe pick up one or two lads who could possibly push through in time to come in positions like this.
We’ll have to wait and see for Saturday to see which way Lee Clark jumps but my money is on Mullins should Carr not be fit. It could be interesting to see how that affects midfield as I don’t think Gomis has had the best of pre-seasons and I think Ambrose and Morrison would be a bit too powder puff for this division.
Tags: Chris Burke, Curtis Davies, Darren Ambrose, Hayden Mullins, Jack Deaman, Jonathan Spector, Morgaro Gomis, Pablo Ibanez, Ravel Morrison, Stephen Carr, Will Packwood
27 Responses to “Right Back To The Drawing Board?”
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I think it will be Mullins slotting in there, or even Gomis. I can’t really see any other options.
What about getting Danny Higginbotham on loan from Stoke for defensive cover .
How about gordon? He’s a left back, but could he play there? would rather a full back there than ibanez or davies
i think we maybe have look at the loan market.
They say hindsight is a wonderful thing & in hindsight maybe we should have signed Peter Ramage who played well for us last season & who was a free agent. Beggars belief that knowing the situation with Carr & Specter that this is the one position that hasn’t really been addressed
Totally agree. He was exactly what we need…
Should of signed peter ramage, would of been excellent cover for the back line!
I no its not ideal but could we go 352? As you say we have an abundance of midfielders??
Gomis would get my vote, let the preferred midfield settle into their rhythm by getting game time. Gomis probably won’t be first choice in the middle but has enough experience to read the game from the full back position and has a bit of pace when needed.
How about burke at RB, leaving the right wing to Redmond, who has looked more confidnt there than on the left
from what i’ve seen of him Packwood is going to be invaluable in the league this season. he certainly has what it takes. It is a pity he picked up an injury against Barnet! Deamon has looked useful too,but i don’t know if he could play full-back?
Well the Addicks will know just how to get at us then! My recollection of Gomis slotting in at full back last term was the stuff of nightmares. From what the article says it has to be Mullins but Burke could play there with Redmond in front of him. I would be looking for a loan in the short to medium term as I suspect that the injury to dear old Stephen Carr may become a recurring theme. I hope not but injury has dogged him of late.
Whoever we play there will be targeted by Charlton – just as Barnet did Packwood. I’d play the strongest option, who for me, is Mullins. I’d then bring Gomis into the middle. I thought RavM had a good game on Tuesday night but played far deeper that I expected. If what we hear about his footballing ability is true (he certainly looked very comfortable on the ball), I’d like to see him picking the ball up in the hole and hurting teams. Playing anyone else alongside him, Ambrose/Elliot would hold Rav from getting forward.
think it will be mullins & if carr struggles with injury we are short in the right back position but where i think we are short on is an out &out left sided midfielder yes we can play redmond ambrose or wade elliott there but i feel we need a natural left footer in the stan laz mode.
Would Ben Gordon be an option? That is if he is up to match fitness.
Hancox could make a decent out & out left sided midfielder. He has pace & can shoot.
Just seen the ‘third kit’. WTF is going on? It’s PINK!. Is someone having a laugh? And what’s with the pink BCFC badge on the black away shirts? Since when did pink become a BCFC colour?
It will be Mullins. Spector is not injured but hasn’t had a pre-season. He was on the bench versus Antwerp I believe. We need defensive cover desperately as an injury to any defender would leave us very short on numbers. By comparison we have lots of strikers and midfielders.
I think they’re trying to attract more girls with this pink kit
Jazzy
Spector was on the bench for Antwerp but I have been led to believe he is injured and still isn’t as close as he could be to match fitness.
As previously stated we are in NEED !!!!!!! of a couple of more signings its a long long road ahead !!!!
KRO 1875 SOTV
Tamuff – I don’t think we are and I doubt very much we will sign any one else
Almajir mate we will see as happens every season
I’m afraid to say, the pressure on the right hand side (along with the left), Carr’s injury problem, and probably a season of injury and inexperience ahead …is F**K ALL compared to a PINK shirt.
What the holy christ ….which feckin eejit thinks I’m gonna wear that??????
please,please get rid of the pink lets have the yellow back.
I couldn’t care less if our third shirt was Claret and Blue so long as the players wearing it give 100%, win games and get us promoted! Some people are so precious…
Its not the shirt that bothers me.. its the colour of the badge. Pink.. who sanctioned that one, bloody idiot.
…and if on the day we gain automatic promotion to the Premier League again we HAPPEN to be wearing the pink shirts (and you can see the Red Tops headlines now: ” Blues in the Pink”)…will anyone really give a monkeys? No.
Drop it and move on. Quickly. Nobody is forcing u down the club shop. They’ll just be in the bargain bin for a tenner as none of the Tilton at least will be exercising their masculine rights to wear pink.
Happy to be proved wrong of course… ;0)