As a nation we don't appreciate good footballers

The 'how good you are' to 'your market value' is not a linear relationship. You only have to be slightly better than the next man to have double the market value.

 

If all 11 players [did that] passed to a player in a red shirt 10-20 yards away from themselves 95% of the time, I wouldn't complain

 

Teams need different types of footballers - you need the ones that do they spade work but you also need the creative types of players. As professionals they should all be able to look comfortable on the ball and be able to pass.I agree that as a country we never really appreciated players such as Hoddle and le tisser - you could even put frank worthington into that category too - never got enough caps. These types of players are the ones you should be building teams around - hopefully we can do this with players like jack Wiltshire

 

Butterfield is excellent. Hope he signs.

McNulty is more comfortable on the ball than most central defenders at this level and that's a definite plus. But he has to knuckle down and work on his defending. It's no good being able to pass the ball from the back if you can't get the basics right and all too often in the second half of last season it was the simple defensive situations that let him down. Doesn't mean I think we should get shut, but there is definitely room for a lot of improvement.

 

I can't remember the conversation but I'm sure I meant no offence by it. If I sounded offensive then I apologise.

 

Look at Redders. He could do it all in midfield. Could take it off the oppo's forwards at the edge of our box, then either carry it 40 yards before laying it off, or he would look up and send it 40 yards or so to one of our forwards. Scored freely, including free-kicks. As you say, why do midfielders have to be "specialists within the position" nowadays?

 

I wasn't offended and I paraphrased what you said, I don't recall the exact detail but it was about conceding goals by playing football in your own half, I said I'd take that as a consequence of us trying to play the game right and I think your point was sometimes you have to clear your lines.

But you did say I'm mental (quite rightly so)

 

Dare I say, I dare, it's because some of them aren't very good footballers but can run a lot and tackle