5 | John Stones - 2024/25

[Keeper!]

He must be absolutely gutted today. We love you Johnny Johnny Stones. Sung loud and proud every home and away game

He will be gutted but sadly I think he and the club know it's not unexpected, his body can't handle been an elite athlete.

He has had issues his whole career and it's only going to get worse with age.

 

[mancityvstoke]

He will be gutted but sadly I think he and the club know it's not unexpected, his body can't handle been an elite athlete.

He has had issues his whole career and it's only going to get worse with age.

yeah ....I feel for him. he's blue through and through

 

[Man_City_Loyal]

TV said 17th different back four of the season tonight!

That is a mental stat and not surprised we are f'd

 

[Shazza458]

End of his season probably

 

[RayCTID]

That's a great argument. What else would you consider? It's like people keep moving the post, you criticize a fan favourite and it's "Oh but the stats says otherwise" and then you quote the stats for someone who certain people don't rate and it's "Stats are only a part of the picture". Make your fucking minds up

You can combine both and not be too reliant on either.

 

[chris85mcfc]

that last point isn't strictly true though - look at last season, he was on the bench for 8 of the final 10 league games

Availability due to injury is undeniably a problem but he's spent many many games available and just not being picked

Yeah he was on the bench, because it was the time of the season was too important to risk losing a player after 20 minutes with another injury

He wasn't on the bench because he isn't good enough, it's because he isn't reliable enough

 

[heslops barnet]

He will be gutted but sadly I think he and the club know it's not unexpected, his body can't handle been an elite athlete.

He has had issues his whole career and it's only going to get worse with age.

Have to put sentimentality aside……the club has always been loyal to players with injury problems but there comes a time when you have to say thanks and goodbye

 

[heslops barnet]

Yeah he was on the bench, because it was the time of the season was too important to risk losing a player after 20 minutes with another injury

He wasn't on the bench because he isn't good enough, it's because he isn't reliable enough

Gone are the days when we slipped a sub seamlessly into the side without a detrimental effect on the tactics …….not anymore unfortunately

 

[heslops barnet]

Yeah he was on the bench, because it was the time of the season was too important to risk losing a player after 20 minutes with another injury

He wasn't on the bench because he isn't good enough, it's because he isn't reliable enough

Always room for him in my walking football team Friday mornings and he can be back on the golf course by 1.00 pm

 

[117 M34]

I wonder if he trains.
I remember ledley king was always injured and the story was that to try and keep him for for weekend, he just didn't train during the week

 

[alexmcity]

Yeah he was on the bench, because it was the time of the season was too important to risk losing a player after 20 minutes with another injury

He wasn't on the bench because he isn't good enough, it's because he isn't reliable enough

Stones was on the bench even in the final 2 games, in which Pep could afford to start and lose him. Pep didn't pick him up because he wasn't good enough in that period. Many have a hard time processing how Akanji could bench both Stones and Ake when we were fighting to win 4 in a row, but Pep had no doubts.

Pep decided to start both Stones and Ake in the FA Cup, and we were 2 goals down after the 1st half, which sort of vindicated Pep's decision to go with the Dias and Akanji at CB in the league games. Had he listened to the experts on here, 4-in-a-row might have been lost.

 

[warringtonblue]

I wonder if he trains.
I remember ledley king was always injured and the story was that to try and keep him for for weekend, he just didn't train during the week

Paul Mcgrath was the same

 

[heslops barnet]

I wonder if he trains.
I remember ledley king was always injured and the story was that to try and keep him for for weekend, he just didn't train during the week

And Paul McGrath ?

 

[thegoatsthegoat]

Sadly time to go John, love the man but he cannot be relied

 

[Xhavenjoe]

Paul Mcgrath was the same

Paul McGrath was playing darts down the pub.

 

[warringtonblue]

Paul McGrath was playing darts down the pub.

Still a fantastic player who'd be worth an absolute fortune nowadays. If VVD is £80M, Mcgrath would be well in excess of £100m

 

[ChicagoBlue]

We're 25/26 games into the season. Look at how many Arsenal and Liverpool's best centre backs have been involved in this season in all competitions (excluding the FA Cup for some reason).

Saliba - 34 game (2865 mins)
Gabriel - 35 (2825)

Van Dijk - 35 (3147)
Konate - 28 (2177)
Gomez - 17 (865)
Quansah - 17 (757)

And now compare that to ours:

Akanji - 30 (2357)
Dias - 23 (1673)
Stones - 19 (1091)
Ake - 19 (966)
Khusanov - 3 (234)
Simpson-Pusey - 5 (222)

Liverpool and Arsenal are clearly seeing the benefits of having a fairly settled CB partnership, and in particular, their best player being fit literally all the time. Meanwhile it's telling that for us, the CB who has played the most is the one that probably would be playing the least if everyone was fit.

And, Pep has publicly thanked both Akanji & Ake for playing when unfit, out of necessity.

 

[Xhavenjoe]

Still a fantastic player who'd be worth an absolute fortune nowadays. If VVD is £80M, Mcgrath would be well in excess of £100m

One of the more likeable rags.

 

[heslops barnet]

One of the more likeable rags.

Proper footballer……enough said

 

[Xhavenjoe]

Dias - 23 (1673)
Stones - 19 (1091)
Ake - 19 (966)
Khusanov - 3 (234)
Simpson-Pusey - 5 (222)

There's a good chance Khusanov will have played more minutes than Ake and Stones come the end of the season.