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Midfield holding role and Nicky Butt


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I'm sick of hearing of all this talk about holding midfielders and attacking midfielders. It seems to be an obsession with fans today. madras knows what I'm talking about as we've mentioned this several times over.

 

Why are you sick of it? it's pretty obvious that there are players who are better at defending from the centre of midfield and ones that are better at going forward.

 

Please, justify why it makes you sick and what terminology we should be using.

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I don't mind Butt in the holding role as long as he is supported with a bit of pace either side or ahead of him.  Butt is slow, but he still can read the game and close a man down or make a great tackle to break up play.  His game tends to turn s*** when he realises that nobody else is attacking from midfield so he takes it upon himself to play it forward.  Problem is that he is dump at forward passes, long passes and long shots.  Sure, he has his moment where he does get them right, but 80% of the time he fails to make decent forward passes/shots.

 

I don't know if that is the case anymore.  31 year old Nicky Butt might have made up for his lack of pace with his intelligence and distribution, but 34 year old Nicky Butt is all but finished IMO.  Next stop is Oldham or retirement. 

 

A successful "holding midfielder" is really just a good midfielder who can defend a bit and plays closer to his back four.  The same essential qualities that make a good midfield player at this level still have to be there.  The fact that Butt can't run, can't pass and generally looks past it won't be remedied by reclassifying him.

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I don't mind Butt in the holding role as long as he is supported with a bit of pace either side or ahead of him.  Butt is slow, but he still can read the game and close a man down or make a great tackle to break up play.  His game tends to turn s*** when he realises that nobody else is attacking from midfield so he takes it upon himself to play it forward.  Problem is that he is dump at forward passes, long passes and long shots.  Sure, he has his moment where he does get them right, but 80% of the time he fails to make decent forward passes/shots.

 

I don't know if that is the case anymore.  31 year old Nicky Butt might have made up for his lack of pace with his intelligence and distribution, but 34 year old Nicky Butt is all but finished IMO.  Next stop is Oldham or retirement. 

 

A successful "holding midfielder" is really just a good midfielder who can defend a bit and plays closer to his back four.  The same essential qualities that make a good midfield player at this level still have to be there.  The fact that Butt can't run, can't pass and generally looks past it won't be remedied by reclassifying him.

 

That's essentially what the thread is about. If we agree that Butt's main strength is his ability to snuff out danger - and a lot won't agree with that either - the main problem still remains that the rest of his game is poor. No engine, no box to box running, no passing, no shooting ability no vision. So many qualities missing in such a vital position. There must be a better option, but everyone seems to go with the safe option and we keep looking second best every time.

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IT is seriously depressing looking at Nicky Butt compared to the other holding midfielders in the Premiership not to mention the rest of the footballing world. I mean watching Carrick, Mikel, and Hargreaves effortlessly intercept the ball and spray picture perfect passes to attacking players, or watching Essien and Mascherano getting in the way of everything and providing that extra drive. I mean can't we get in players with at least some of these atrributes. Hell we could even take Zokora off of Spurs hands. He may be a bit s***, but at least he will run around put some effort in, and DO SOMETHING, unlike Butt who just loses the ball and then makes ridiculous tackles.

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Coloccini would get my nod, but if fit and available I'd probably keep him at the back and play Barton and Guthrie, as don't know if I'd trust Cacapa, Bassong or Taylor to defend well enough.

 

Butt has driven me nuts for at least a year or so - and to think he was True Faith's player of the season last year... :rolleyes:

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Guest timmy boy

In hindsight, how sexy would it have been if Tymochuk had been signed when we were linked with him under SBR?

 

Yeah he looks class, well out of our league now.As some one mentioned we missed out on Diarra, hes looking superb for Pompey.Great engine,skillful,puts his foot,good passer.We truly missed the boat on him.

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Has anyone ever questioned why we are not linked with Appiah who plays in this position, is 27 and a free agent desperate to come to the PL?

 

Why hasn't anyone else been linked with him would probably be the better question.

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Has anyone ever questioned why we are not linked with Appiah who plays in this position, is 27 and a free agent desperate to come to the PL?

 

Why hasn't anyone else been linked with him would probably be the better question.

 

They have, West Ham for one, he apparently wants 50K a week but he is a quality player and just what we need, I would be more than happy to give him a punt.

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His knee's are meant to be a bit gammy but even if we got him until 01/01/2009 with a view to longer it would be start. All subject a tough medical of course.

 

Interesting, I didn't know that...... well in that case maybe give him a miss, we have enough players on the injury table, no point buying another.

 

Shame as he is just what we need, very combative and great engine

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His knee's are meant to be a bit gammy but even if we got him until 01/01/2009 with a view to longer it would be start. All subject a tough medical of course.

 

Interesting, I didn't know that...... well in that case maybe give him a miss, we have enough players on the injury table, no point buying another.

 

Shame as he is just what we need, very combative and great engine

 

Fenerbahce claimed Appiah was suffering from asthma only for further tests to show the player had developed blood clots in his leg which could have ended his career.

 

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11095_3090960,00.html

 

Loads of bits & bobs if you key "Appiah knee" into google

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