The Mail Bag
Ossie
Comments (15)
I think it's about time Leon Osman was given the credit he deserves. So often I hear apathy, or groans and moans from some sections of support whenever his name is announced on the teamsheet. While Arteta and Cahill rightly win plaudits, I think Osman has contributed almost as much to our recent successes.
Every time he gets on the ball, he is looking to create something. His touch is often sublime, he can see a clever pass or through ball that many others cant, he tracks back well, and often scores some superb and crucial goals.
He's been our best player so far this season (not saying that much, admittedly), even playing on with a troubling knee injury, and carrying on against Hull despite dislocating a finger during a piece of typically tenacious battling on the right wing.
The only thing against Leon is his stature, which he cant do anything about. I'm not suggesting he gets booed every week, I know he's very popular amongst some fans, but a lot of blues I speak to are not impressed with him, but I think he's very important to our present and future.
Nathan O'Hagan, Posted 25/09/2008 at 15:41:12
Comments
Note: the following content is not moderated or vetted by the site owners at the time of submission. Comments are the responsibility of the poster. Disclaimer
I honestly believe if he?d been blessed with pace and bit more height/strength he?d be a regular international, he has everything else an attacking midfielder needs.
He’s an average player at best, very tidy on the ball but should never be allowed to play centre mid, and to be perfectly honest should only be a squad player.
He was a breath of fresh air when he moved centrally, he gave us that creative influence in the middle, linked well with Arteta and Pienaar and really got up and down the pitch all day.
It?s a shame he?s having an op soon, I was looking forward to seeing Arteta, Osman and Pienaar working in tandem again and causing people problems. Hopefully he?s not out for too long.
He has absolutley no pace and against good midfield players he looks slow. If you don?t believe me watch him on saturday - yes he?ll do a couple of shimmies in midfield because the RS will allow him to, but I bet he neither threatens the goal nor creates a single chance for us. Against decent opposition he is a little boy lost so yes I groan when his name is called out, but sadly he?s become one of DM?s sacred cows, but thats another issue. I actually think people give him the benefit of the doubt because hes a local lad, if he was foreign he would be slated to high heaven.
He hasn’t to be honest, he didn’t last season due to his broken toe and having to fill in other positions (on the wing, as a second striker).
When he’s played on the wing I agree, he doesn’t play well, his lack of pace is there for everyone to see and he doesn’t get involved enough.
Against better teams in his natural position ( centre midfield) he would give a good account of himself against anyone.
You obviously didn’t see him against Portsmouth in the 3-1 win last season, he and Cahill bossed the game against big 6ft plus players so your argument is bollocks to be honest.
Our best performance of the season last year (Fiorentina) Osman was arguably man of the match. He was excellent, he made things happen and battled hard. That was in a 4-4-2 and his performance against Portsmouth was in a 4-4-2.
Any of the top 10? He played well against the likes of City, Porsmouth, Spurs, Aston Villa etc last season. I was there and in his natural position he’s gives a good account of himself no matter what the opposition.
People go one about Tim Cahill, the goalscoring midfielder who scored a whole 10 goals last season. Ossie scores 7 goals which isn’t far off and he’s a waste of space despite the fact that he created more than Tim and he scored his goals from a deeper position. What a terrible player, what a waste of space.....not.
People judge him too much on his games as a winger, I often agree with the critisism he gets from that position. As a centre midfielder though the critisism is completely unjustified, name me a game where Osman has looked awful and lost in a centre midfield position. I doubt anyone could to be honest. He doesn’t, he’s a very good player in that position.
His head is usually the first to go down and although he tracts the runs of the opposition he rarely musters a challenge and when dispossessed he will often go to ground waving his arms to the ref. Personally I don?t see him as a starting eleven player more of a squad option. The draw back with him is that he cannot play in a 4-4-2 formation in the middle as we tend to get overrun and he?s totally ineffective in a wide position thus making him a luxury we can ill afford.
Ossie is pure class.......tremendous balance, he’s able to turn and keep hold of the ball on a sixpence, has immaculate control, his technique is brilliant, can use both feet, can dribble and go past players, has the vision to pick out passes and create opportunties, works unbelievably hard and can win the ball better than most players of a larger stature and............. he scores goals !!!!
I honestly think Ossie is a class act, his all round game is really good, and whenever he has the ball I expect good things to come from it.....he’s a little gem, and I have admired his game since he was a youngster, and his loan spell at Derby just confirmed his potential could be fulfilled. He has done fantastically well to make himself a regular first team player for the Toffees, and I truly believe he is easily good enough to merit a place in the England squad atleast......
He?s not good enough for the Everton I want to see.... that means he?s not good enough for a team that has ambitions of challenging the top four.
2 years ago I thought he was a decent stop gap till we got more quality in but he?s still 1st choice which in my opinion isnt good enough.
He?s not as good as Arteta or Pienaar down the sides & as stated already he isnt good enough, never mind big enough to be a top level premiership midfielder.
As I have already said. He is a tidy little footballer, who grafts hard & should noway be discarded altogether, but if you think he?s any better than that then your deluded &/or have become so used to mediocrity from the blues that your used to it.
-sm.jpg)
-sm.jpg)
-sm.jpg)
1 Posted 25/09/2008 at 16:55:50
Report abuse