ToffeeWeb - Season 2007-08

The Mail Bag

Jagielka ? Vast Improvement

I'm sure I wasn't the only person at OT to notice yesterday that Jagielka seems to be becoming more comfortable at CB than before. However, it seems he is getting little recognition at the moment for his contribution to the side.

When he was first thrown into the side as an anchoring midfielder, I felt sorry for him as you could see that it was a position he could not competently fill at the highest level. I became far more relaxed when he was put into CB position at the start of the month but he still was making, very worryingly, basic errors and looked completely out of his depth.

However, in the past couple of weeks he seems to have come on leaps and bounds to what I believe yesterday was best performance in a Blue shirt against our toughest opposition yet. He generally kept Rooney in check for most of the match, and you could see the frustration on Ferguson's face when everything into our box kept getting cleared, no-nonsense style, by most notably Jagielka. If it had been Stubbs playing instead I couldn't have seen us heading for a draw against United.

It also looks like he will be playing this CB position until after the ACN due to the Baines injury with Lescott slipping in next to him. If there is room for improvement, hopefully his passing out of defence will consist of more than "hoofball" against lesser teams than United but if he keeps up these standards of performances I can only see him becoming an increasingly important member of the squad until the season ends.

COYB.
Richard Wallace, Cheshire Posted 24/12/2007 at 16:50:30

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Michael Kenrick

I thought the concensus expressed earlier on here was that he had settled in nicely to the CB role... but perhaps you missed that thread.

Glen Strachan
1 Posted 24/12/2007 at 17:51:15

No big surprise there when just about anybody who watched Sheffield regularly insisted that he was a centre back and little else.

Wingers seem as rare as rocking horse shit these days so can we look forward to seeing Lescott continuing to add his height and authority to the left side of defence and maybe the recovered Baines will get a run wide left in mid field , with Jags staying in the centre of defence ?

Surely worth a try when we get JoYo back from Africa.

Graham Eaves
2 Posted 24/12/2007 at 20:21:10

I like Jags a lot. CB is DEFO his preferred most comfortable position and is the ideal long term replacement for Stubbs

Danny Mullally
3 Posted 24/12/2007 at 20:21:35

IFor me I still don’t beleive that Lescott is gettting the hype that he deserves. He is immense for us, an absolutely vital team memeber both in attack and defence.
I love the way he bombs forward down the left, is a threat from set-pieces, and also he is coming on leaps and bounds defensively. I know people sing his praises but for me this lad is the best defender we have had at Goodison since the glory days.

Peter Pickles
4 Posted 25/12/2007 at 10:08:28

Is there a glossary for all these abbreviations. I know what CB means although with mobile phones (gsm) nobody seems to use them any more, jagielka should have word at Carphone Warehouse. But you’ve lost me with OT. And DEFO? Or JoYo. And can someone explain ACN.

Don’t get me started on text messaging (SMS).

Happy Christmas.

Oli Ferns
5 Posted 25/12/2007 at 10:58:40

Peter...get with it mate!! ;o)

OT =Old Trafford
DEFO = Definately
JoYo = Joseph Yobo
ACN = African Cup of Nations

Merry Christmans and COYB!!!
O

Danny Broderick
6 Posted 25/12/2007 at 21:51:20

Glen Strachan, why do you refer to them as ?murderers?? Aside from the fact that it?s Christmas, do you not know any Liverpool fans? Have you not got any mates or family who are Liverpool fans? Are they not just normal people like us? I don?t like Liverpool, but I don?t despise them like you seem to do. I actually like the banter with them.
Gloating about the Heysel tragedy is as bad as singing Munich songs to Man U. After the death of Rhys Jones I hoped the derby atmosphere would get back to how it was, i.e. proper rivalry, not hatred, but this seems to be lost on you.

Brian Garside
7 Posted 26/12/2007 at 21:50:51

I would play JY+JL at CHalf +Valente at LB. More ballanced,solid +constructive.