RandyWanger
Je suis rôti de boeuf
I thought schools went back already?
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[Albion] Dale Stephens? Really??
- Thread starter Gilliver's Travels
- Start date
Sheebo
Well-known member
- Jul 13, 2003
- 29,287
Shite stat for so many reasons and nothing like ‘Zaha for Palace’ which stretches over several years. In my opinion.
If you’re struggling with why I say that think:
How many prem games did Stephens not play in & also what our win % in the prem is FYI.
Thunder Bolt
Silly old bat
I saw and heard Inigo Calderon call Stephens the best player at the club. That's good enough for me.
Super Steve Earle
Well-known member
You summed it up perfectly. A question from someone with a shallow knowledge, if any, of the technicalities of the game - possibly the bloke who sits behind me. Non-cognoscenti. Yet somehow, people in the know rate the guy. Sadly, something you will never do.
Don't worry, I know you were only fishing so no need to post an outraged reply. You can take mine too with a pinch of sea salt.
We did this at the back end of last season.
Jnr (13) plays in the same position, but obviously being part of the Youtube generation he believes football is all about skillz, tekkers etc.
He played accordingly and was frankly shite.
So we watched Stephens with 3 questions in mind:-
1 - How many times did he win the ball.
2 - How many times was he responsible for losing the ball.
C - How many tricks.
I can remember the numbers but he did have a perfect half, I don't imagine that was just lucky.
As a result, and much to my surprise, Jnr took this on board, cut out the crap, and is now a considerably better footballer.
In defense of the OP, if he sits low down, the full extend of Dale's prowess might not be easy to see.
We spent one game in the top row of the WSU, and Bridcutt was a revelation, something that I never quite got in our usual, considerably lower down, seats.
My tongue was planted in my cheek for the Zaha comparison. The criticism laid out in the intial post seemed ridiculous, so I wasn't taking it entirely serious with my response.
Sheebo
Well-known member
- Jul 13, 2003
- 29,287
Wardy's twin
Well-known member
- Oct 21, 2014
- 8,444
I used to say where I sat when i posted because you do get a much different view of the game play from higher up. I sit in very middle of WSU and you can see passes that should have been played and runs that were made/not made a lot better than from WSL where. I spent the first year at the AMEX. I think the same 'issue' is true of the North & South Stands where you get a good view of some action but the view of the overall game is very limited.
Doonhamer7
Well-known member
- Jun 17, 2016
- 1,284
Dale Stephens role to the team is that you only really notice him when he isn’t playing - this is the best compliment you can give to any holding midfielder.
As for sideways passing - Ray Wilkins (the crab) if you believed the story only ever passed sideways and he didn’t have a bad career
As for sideways passing - Ray Wilkins (the crab) if you believed the story only ever passed sideways and he didn’t have a bad career
Geestar
New member
So how what's our PL record with him? Without him?
Haven't seen any figures yet
Sent from my TA-1020 using Tapatalk
Haven't seen any figures yet
Sent from my TA-1020 using Tapatalk
Lewes Punk
Well-known member
- Feb 11, 2018
- 125
I love Dale Stephens and love watching him play.
I think you have to take a moment to imagine what it's like to do the job he does, to play in his boots. You get the ball off our defender and immediately there's some big athletic ******* like Pogba or maybe Doucoure closing you down. So you have a split second to make about five important decisions (take one touch or is there time for two? Back to the keeper or have I got time to turn and go? Are the full-back in the right place for the simple pass? Can I spot the run the forwards are making? Etc, etc)
So it's a massive testament to DS that he seems to make the right decisions about 90% of the time. And by doing so, he's the pivot of the team, setting the pace and turning defence into attack or slowing things down when our shape's not right at that particular moment.
And all of that even before you get into the technical skill you need to control the ball, pass it short and long, check and change direction, time your runs forward etc etc.
Then there's the defensive job. Again you have a split second to decide when to dive in on an oncoming attacker or stand off. And you know if you get it wrong you might get a red card. That role is all about playing with controlled aggression - being combative but knowing instinctively when and how far you can use it .
So maybe that helps understand what he brings to the team? As you will have gathered, I'm a bit of a fan.
I think you have to take a moment to imagine what it's like to do the job he does, to play in his boots. You get the ball off our defender and immediately there's some big athletic ******* like Pogba or maybe Doucoure closing you down. So you have a split second to make about five important decisions (take one touch or is there time for two? Back to the keeper or have I got time to turn and go? Are the full-back in the right place for the simple pass? Can I spot the run the forwards are making? Etc, etc)
So it's a massive testament to DS that he seems to make the right decisions about 90% of the time. And by doing so, he's the pivot of the team, setting the pace and turning defence into attack or slowing things down when our shape's not right at that particular moment.
And all of that even before you get into the technical skill you need to control the ball, pass it short and long, check and change direction, time your runs forward etc etc.
Then there's the defensive job. Again you have a split second to decide when to dive in on an oncoming attacker or stand off. And you know if you get it wrong you might get a red card. That role is all about playing with controlled aggression - being combative but knowing instinctively when and how far you can use it .
So maybe that helps understand what he brings to the team? As you will have gathered, I'm a bit of a fan.
nwgull
Well-known member
Burke was head of recruitment, so he gets the credit from me where it’s due - he got the blame for all the crap we signed. And Stephens wasn’t in the U21s anyway, but was a regular starter for Charlton, so hardly under the radar.
Thunder Bolt
Silly old bat
I didn't say Stephens was in the under 21s.
played 3
won 0
drawn 0
lost 3
for 0
against 6
win percent 0%
goals per game average 0
points per game average 0
The Large One
Who's Next?
Fully agree.
Also I don't get the point from others about 'you only notice him when he's not playing'.
To coin a phrase from this thread... really? Does the work he gets through really go unnoticed? Evidently so, it seems.
nwgull
Well-known member
I know, sweet-cheeks.
Thunder Bolt
Silly old bat
Yuk!