Danny Guthrie

[Guest malandro]

Guthrie’s a jack of all trades and a master of none. He’s a continuity player - somebody who makes himself available to receive the ball and then moves it on.  Cantona might have called him a water carrier. It’s not a glamorous job but can be very important in the right set up. Unfortunately for him he’s been played out of position too often and his confidence is being eroded. It’s like he’s forgotten what his strengths are and doesn’t know what he’s supposed to be doing anymore.

 

I’m fairly certain Guthire would have looked a lot better if he’d been playing for Swansea today.

 

[TRon]

 

A lot of people are using this as a defence: "he was still the 2nd best midfielder out there today"

 

How does that excuse his performance? Jonas has played with the same lumbering statues but he still usually manages to hold defenders off and move it forward. Guthrie has a real problem holding the ball under pressure and for a central midfielder that's a worry.

 

Jonas is a left winger, Guthrie isn't.

 

On the many occasions I've seen him lose the ball he's usually been in a fairly central position. He doesn't really stay wide, he comes inside and ends up clogging the centre. I don't blame him for that, but once he's there you would expect him to hold possession better.

[Mick]

 

On the many occasions I've seen him lose the ball he's usually been in a fairly central position. He doesn't really stay wide, he comes inside and ends up clogging the centre. I don't blame him for that, but once he's there you would expect him to hold possession better.

 

I agree that he comes inside, that just makes putting him on either wing even more stupid.  It doesn't help him that he comes in to the middle and nobody is moving for him, we had nobody creating space today but Swansea players had no problem finding plenty.

[TRon]

 

On the many occasions I've seen him lose the ball he's usually been in a fairly central position. He doesn't really stay wide, he comes inside and ends up clogging the centre. I don't blame him for that, but once he's there you would expect him to hold possession better.

 

I agree that he comes inside, that just makes putting him on either wing even more stupid.  It doesn't help him that he comes in to the middle and nobody is moving for him, we had nobody creating space today but Swansea players had no problem finding plenty.

 

The Swansea players were working harder all over the pitch. That's my main beef with Guthrie, I didn't see him busting a gut on or off the ball. The only one I saw running hard for 90 mins was Routledge - and he's the winger who's by definition supposed to be lazy!

 

 

[Guest Heneage]

He's got the same problem Jonas has really. No movement.

 

When he picks the ball up he often only has 2 players ahead of him, the strikers. When you compare this to the antithesis of no movement, Arsenal, you can see why he struggles so much. He has two real options, pass to the strikers who will be doubled up on by central midfielders and centre backs, or back to Nolan and Smith who will inevitably hit it long, go back to the defence or give him it back.

 

We saw his potential at home to Cardiff, when he played with 2 wingers who came for the ball drifted inside and played out wide, they had options in terms of where they could pass the ball, and it opened Cardiff up. I acknowledge it was a poor Cardiff side who were depleted in the midfield.

 

I appreciate what Ashley has done, but think we still need vast overhauls in the summer. We have two wingers, Joans and Routledge, when we lose one, we become so horrendously lopsided. Taylor is a more traditional wideman, who won't really beat his opponent, but can put some decent crosses in.

 

IF we get promtoed, we need to decide quick what style and formation we want to play, be it 4-4-2 or 4-5-1 etc. We then need to asses what players we have that can fulfill the roles. Guthrie for me would work well in a 4-5-1 or 4-3-3.

[macca888]

Guthrie = Average championship standard player at best................................would suit someone like a Barnsley or a Sheffield Wednesday type team.................................Thinks he is better than he really is....................lacks pace, physique, awareness and fitness.

 

We should sell him as soon as possible and be happy to get a million quid because he isnt even worth that.

[Guest firetotheworks]

For journeymen, see Routledge.  I'll judge Guthrie when he gets a season in centre mid, rather than being played out of position for best part of 16 months.  Just as I wouldnt judge Ranger on playing on wing for same period.  For the record, despite his deficencies he's put more in than Smith and Nolan put together since the turn of the year.

 

A lot of people are using this as a defence: "he was still the 2nd best midfielder out there today"

 

How does that excuse his performance? Jonas has played with the same lumbering statues but he still usually manages to hold defenders off and move it forward. Guthrie has a real problem holding the ball under pressure and for a central midfielder that's a worry.

 

When I said that, it wasn't an excuse, it was highlighting how bad Smith and Nolan were and have been.

[The Prophet]

Guthrie = Average championship standard player at best................................would suit someone like a Barnsley or a Sheffield Wednesday type team.................................Thinks he is better than he really is....................lacks pace, physique, awareness and fitness.

 

We should sell him as soon as possible and be happy to get a million quid because he isnt even worth that.

 

Aye flog him. We're just swimming in quality central midfielders at the moment.

[Ronaldo]

Guthrie = Average championship standard player at best................................would suit someone like a Barnsley or a Sheffield Wednesday type team.................................Thinks he is better than he really is....................lacks pace, physique, awareness and fitness.

 

We should sell him as soon as possible and be happy to get a million quid because he isnt even worth that.

 

[macca888]

prophet

 

transfer window is closed. I meant flog him in the summer along with Smith, Butt and Nolan and replace them with players who have a basic idea on how to stay fit, can pass and move and create something because this lot havent got a fucking clue. By the way, we can still play Barton there when he is back.

 

Try a midfield of Routledge, Hall, Barton and Jonas...................at least we would have some passion, pace, creativity and fitness

[The Prophet]

You think we'd ship four central midfielders and replace them all in one transfer window? I'd like to think it's possible but it isn't.

[Yorkie]

I didn't see the game today but my general opinion of Guthrie, is that he's good with the ball at his feet, and little else. He's got a reasonable footballing technique, and fairly decent vision (which is wasted with our static frontline), and - to be fair - an excellent shot on him. But that's sorta all he's got in his locker in my opinion. He just fades in and out of games alarmingly quickly; i don't know if it's a mental or a fitness thing but his engine is generally wank. I just wanna see him in the centre with an energetic box-to-boxer, who'll run all day, and Guthrie can do what he's good at. Either sitting back and knocking a forward pass here and there, or loitering in the opposition's half with a view to arriving late/pinging a long-ranger now and again.

 

He's so not a winger it's untrue. Just another in a long line of recent squad players who are wrongfully used to an epic standard.

[Ronaldo]

He's a real footballer, we don't have many in the centre of the park. I for one am very thankful that we have him, not that we use him to anywhere near full effect.

[Yorkie]

Aye, he is, he's an actual footballing footballer and i like him a lot. He just doesn't impose himself anything like as much as he should do. He's not someone you have in the team to do your legwork; and like i say, i don't know if that's a fitness issue or what - but he just won't run into the ground for 90 minutes. He's not got anything like the pace or stamina to do so. I'd sooner stick him up off the frontman than put him on the wing. He can deliver a decent ball - that's about all he's got for the wing.

 

Some things are so simple yet so complicated. I'm bored of us shoving square pegs in round holes.

[macca888]

Prophet

 

We dont need to buy 4 central midfielders. Just a couple of decent ones with ability and vision would be nice.

[The Prophet]

Which means it would be daft selling all of the current crop. Guthrie may be nothing flash but he's better than anyone else we currently have in that position hence why he's worth keeping for the time being at least.

[macca888]

Prophet

 

So, what you are actaully saying is you would be happy to keep Guthrie in the side in the PL next season? You rate him higher than Barton as a footballer?

 

IMO opinion, to survive in the PL next season, we are going to need players of greater all round quality and fitness than the likes of Smith, Butt, Nolan and Guthrie.

[Guest firetotheworks]

Where's the Smith thread btw? It's no excuse for Guthrie, but he's the least of our worries in that midfield.

 

1. He's the best we have available

 

2. Despite this he's playing out of position.

[The Prophet]

I don't know about the side but I'd certainly keep him in the squad.

 

And as far as Barton goes he was absolute wank before his injury. I suspect Hughton will use him as a wide man anyway.

[Alberto2005]

Decent player who's playing shit. We must keep him though.

[ElDiablo]

As someone said earlier, if he was playing for Swansea today he'd have looked 10x the player. The movement and showing for the ball is generally shocking all around him when he picks it up.

[macca888]

Advocating going back to the PL with the same players that took us down in the first place would be a mistake. Granted, Guthrie has been played out of position most of the time but I worry about his lack of bite and fitness to play a major part in the centre of midfield. He was given plenty of opportunity in the middle last season and failed to really impress. There again, who did impress last season. Perhaps keep him as a squad member but we need better, fitter and more influential players than him playing in the centre wek in, week out.

[TRon]

The only position I can see him making his own is as a holding midfielder where he can be excused walking about like a spectator most of the match. In this division he could probably set up our play better than Smith or Butt from there. The only worry would be whether he would be bullied and knocked about because he's quite feeble on the ball.

[Jayson]

He should be playing in Nolans position every week. Neither of them are very good at moving off the ball, but i imagine Guthrie would get better at it playing next to someone who bothered to move themselves.

[David28]

I think Guthrie still showed that he is twice the player Nolan or Smith is. Once in the second half he moved from his left midfield position into the centre, had to played the ball and after he played he moved to be free and unmarked.

That's basic football that everyone should do but unfortunately Smith and Nolan seem not to care what happens as soon as they played the ball away.