Cheadle_hulmeBlue
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- 27 Oct 2012
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- 16,889
completely disagree with that. He’s a huge part of the team/squad
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5 | John Stones - 2024/25
- Thread starter jimharri
- Start date
Eccles Blue
Well-Known Member
I must have watched it at least 30 times now. I just love JBs face when Joe starts singing 'Johnny, Johnny Stones' it's enough to brighten any one's day. :-)We need him to stay fit. Big season for him.
The Joe hart clip of stonesy scoring is great, give it a watch if you ain’t seen it.
Respect to hart!
Eccles Blue
Well-Known Member
He was on the bench, he wasn't picked as first choice granted, but if he had been chosen he would have managed a full game!!Stones hasn’t managed a full game for us this season yet, and even when Rodri went off against Arsenal, he only came on for 12 minutes and even then more as a nuisance in the box- a good one as it happened. Despite what he’s done in the past, I’m just not sure we can currently risk the present version in midfield, certainly not against a top opponent and certainly not with Ake already out injured.
Eccles Blue
Well-Known Member
Huge, huge, huge. :-) ;-)completely disagree with that. He’s a huge part of the team/squad
Still don't quite understand how we completely binned off Stones at right-back after winning the treble. Feels like Pep promised the Earth to Walker when he convinced him to stay. Rico and Stones should rotate for first choice right-back going forward.
Gabriel
Well-Known Member
If he had, it would have been at the risk of further injury, which is probably why he has remained on the bench. I’m not criticising Stones nor indeed any other player. They’ve been asked to play too much football for far too long and the excessive demands are taking their toll. Stones, Ake, Rodri, and de Bruyne would play every minute of every game, to be sure, but their bodies can only give so much.He was on the bench, he wasn't picked as first choice granted, but if he had been chosen he would have managed a full game!!
Eccles Blue
Well-Known Member
Agreed but I just felt that saying he hadn't played a full match was disrespecting him when he is not the arbiter and doesn't choose the team.If he had, it would have been at the risk of further injury, which is probably why he has remained on the bench. I’m not criticising Stones nor indeed any other player. They’ve been asked to play too much football for far too long and the excessive demands are taking their toll. Stones, Ake, Rodri, and de Bruyne would play every minute of every game, to be sure, but their bodies can only give so much.
Everyone knows that I can't stand any 'criticism' of John Boy and am immediately going to spring (there's a laugh with my state of health!!!) to his defence. :-)
Gabriel
Well-Known Member
Yes, you do seem to be John Stones' 'patronus charm', affording full protection whenever he's mentioned, even uncritically. :-)Agreed but I just felt that saying he hadn't played a full match was disrespecting him when he is not the arbiter and doesn't choose the team.
Everyone knows that I can't stand any 'criticism' of John Boy and am immediately going to spring (there's a laugh with my state of health!!!) to his defence. :-)
For those involved in the summer, the club has clearly pursued a policy of bleeding them slowly into the blood and thunder of the season, yet three have picked up non-contact injuries. Food for thought. For that reason alone, I think they need to be especially mindful with regard to how much Stones and Walker are asked to play.
What a ridiculous statement
He had been below Akanji, Ake and Dias in the pecking order for a while and it's hard to argue against that given the availability issues that have persisted for a long time.
Yes, for about a month and a half during the treble winning season, it was a tweak that rejuvenated us and got us over the line. But by the end of the treble season, it had already stopped working.It won us the treble, mate. You can see why people might be interested in trying it again.
I don't want to see Akanji anywhere other than RB/CB/LB because he doesn't move the ball quickly or intelligently enough to justify holding down a DM/CM role, but Stones has done and can do again.
Neither Stones nor Akanji are great on the ball. Frankly, contrary to popular opinion Akanji is in fact better than Stones at cosplaying a midfielder. But neither is good enough.
Lewis is the only defender who is good enough to be a legit DM/CM. The others aren't.
I hope and expect it will be Gundogan and Kova with Lewis starting a lot more at RB but getting moved inside while Akanji plays slightly wider on the right.
Rodri's absence is a problem there are no great answers to... But some answers are better than others.
Centerback pushed inyo midfield is one of the weakest answers in my humble opinion. Whether it's John or Akanji.