Congratulations to Jon Russell

For your call up to the provisional Jamaica squad.
https://www.barnsleychronicle.com/a...ussell has,Steve McClaren's squad this summer.

 

BuT hE dOeSnT tAcKlE

 

Taken from the chronicle - Russell was the second highest scorer for the Reds, with a goal glut in April and May, while he netted the joint third most goals from outside the box in division. He made the most tackles and blocked the most passes of any Barnsley player.

 

Best player after DKD last season. Rate him highly.

 

Yes my comment was taking the piss. Good player who's had a great season. Call up we'll deserved.

 

So he likes ginger cake ehh lol, is that why he gets to play for Jamaica.

 

What it doesn't talk about is the majority of those blocks/tackles come after he's miscontrolled it or misplaced a pass.

 

Aye congratulations I suppose but I still think he's pants. Having said that we may now get a 5 million quid bid for our international so, on second thoughts, well done Jon youre an absolute star and Jamaica should think themselves jolly lucky.....

 

I used to like Old Jamaica.
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

 

Great news for him, well.done!

 

The Rum chocolate bars? Mmmmm

 

That and being a Jamaican citizen.

 

Being called up to play international football by Schteve McLaren isn’t that much of an endorsement of a footballer’s abilities. Nicky Shorey, Kieran Richardson and Joseph Barton esq. played for England under him…

The stats say Russell makes tackles and blocks. And of course he does. Never said any different.

My eyes tell me (and many others), though, that he’s a defensive liability, that he runs through treacle out of possession, and avoids going in for 50/50’s.

He’s very good on the ball in the final third, he had a better second half to the season than pretty much anyone else in the squad; we are fortunate in some ways to have him - and if he didn’t have the faults I described we wouldn’t have him.

But the faults exist; him being called up by Jamaica proves nothing to the contrary.

 

Saying that he "avoids going in for 50/50s" is not detailing a fault - it's performing a footballing character assassination.

 

You may believe so - but I maintain that it is true. I saw it in nearly every game last season.

I actually rate him highly as a player - when in possession; but thought at times last season we were too poor to be able to carry his defensive inadequacies. It wasn’t necessarily his fault other players had poor seasons, underperformed in some games, or just plainly aren’t good enough - but if you are in a midfield three you can’t shirk responsibility. Phillips and Connell might have played very poorly at times but they could never be accused of not putting in a shift. I saw comments about Phillips downing tools - I didn’t see that at all. Russell though has little interest in the other side of the game.

My view is that if we were a better side overall he’d be less of a liability and more of an asset.

My issue with him is that I don’t believe he fully applies himself. It isn’t just his languid running style either - he just isn’t as committed off the ball as he is on it.

That isn’t why he’s selected in the team though. I make no claim that he adds no value to the team. It wouldn’t be difficult to put a highlight reel together for him for last season. But it is, in my opinion, the case that you have to play a system - and other players - to both accommodate him and do his defending for him.

If Phillips and DKD both leave I’d love him to stay; play him as a ten and take away some responsibility further back. But in a three we suffer and if we went to a midfield two with him as one of them it would be suicidal.

 

There may be a deal of merit in your explanation. And it is good to read a post with thought applied to it.

But your assessment is that he deliberately chickens out of competitive tackles. Won’t tackle rather than can’t, or can’t be bothered.

Can’t say I’ve noticed it myself.

I’d more inclined to say that tackling is not his foremost virtue, rather than concluding that he concentrates on looking after himself, to the potential detriment of the team.

 

In fairness I didn’t actually say that. He may not chicken out so much as choose not to engage feeling it to be the better option.

I’d argue he was wrong in that a lot of the time - but still.

I also don’t accuse him of always consciously avoiding making such challenges - his natural reaction seems to be passive in such situations. Too passive in my view.

He does make block tackles and interceptions - but there have been many, many occasions where he was a strong favourite to win a ball had he gone for it, not even really a 50/50, probably at least 60/40 in his favour, where he didn’t even make the challenge. Honestly, pick a game or two from last season, watch the full game back rather than highlights. You wouldn’t have to watch too many to find an example of it.

Like I say, he has plenty of worth elsewhere. No comparison - but Paul Scholes was a terrible central midfielder in terms of positional discipline and defensive duty. Says it himself, and Gary Neville laughs about how much he used to scream at him. But he was unplayable on the ball. Rated as the best by many contemporaries.

Russell isn’t in that league - and we certainly have no Roy Keane or Michael Carrick to play with him. But you could cover it by utilising him differently.

I just don’t think you can play him as a central midfielder in either a three or a two.

 

Definitely.

 

It’s still available

 

It would appear that they still make it.