Mike Williamson (now managing MK Dons)

[Dave]

Who said he is 'top class' btw?

[JH]

Fair enough still should be entering his prime.

 

How old was Woodgate when we signed him...? He was a quality defender long before the age of 27.

If Williamson was top class, he would have been signed up by a top 4 side ages ago - its not as if they are brimming with quality CBs anyway.

 

Williamson fits the mould for an Ashley-owned NUFC - cheap, reasonable value for money, but nowhere near being a top class defender ; lacks pace and prone to holding in the box.

 

If Williamson was a top class defender, as a British player it wouldn't have taken him until the age of 26 to be playing in the Premiership

 

Exactly.

 

Aye, like that Titus Bramble and Andy O'Brien playing in the Premier League when they were young. Top class defenders there like.

[Colocho]

Fair enough still should be entering his prime.

 

How old was Woodgate when we signed him...? He was a quality defender long before the age of 27.

If Williamson was top class, he would have been signed up by a top 4 side ages ago - its not as if they are brimming with quality CBs anyway.

 

Williamson fits the mould for an Ashley-owned NUFC - cheap, reasonable value for money, but nowhere near being a top class defender ; lacks pace and prone to holding in the box.

 

If Williamson was a top class defender, as a British player it wouldn't have taken him until the age of 26 to be playing in the Premiership

 

Exactly.

 

Aye, like that Titus Bramble and Andy O'Brien playing in the Premier League when they were young. Top class defenders there like.

 

Irrelevant.

[Dave]

Fair enough still should be entering his prime.

 

How old was Woodgate when we signed him...? He was a quality defender long before the age of 27.

If Williamson was top class, he would have been signed up by a top 4 side ages ago - its not as if they are brimming with quality CBs anyway.

 

Williamson fits the mould for an Ashley-owned NUFC - cheap, reasonable value for money, but nowhere near being a top class defender ; lacks pace and prone to holding in the box.

 

If Williamson was a top class defender, as a British player it wouldn't have taken him until the age of 26 to be playing in the Premiership

 

Exactly.

 

Aye, like that Titus Bramble and Andy O'Brien playing in the Premier League when they were young. Top class defenders there like.

 

Irrelevant.

 

As is arguing he's not top class and comparable to Jonathan Woodgate.

[JH]

Fair enough still should be entering his prime.

 

How old was Woodgate when we signed him...? He was a quality defender long before the age of 27.

If Williamson was top class, he would have been signed up by a top 4 side ages ago - its not as if they are brimming with quality CBs anyway.

 

Williamson fits the mould for an Ashley-owned NUFC - cheap, reasonable value for money, but nowhere near being a top class defender ; lacks pace and prone to holding in the box.

 

If Williamson was a top class defender, as a British player it wouldn't have taken him until the age of 26 to be playing in the Premiership

 

Exactly.

 

Aye, like that Titus Bramble and Andy O'Brien playing in the Premier League when they were young. Top class defenders there like.

 

Irrelevant.

 

Not really. Shatters this "taken until 26 to play in the Premier League so he's not top class" illusion. Implies that the likes of Andy O'Brien are better because they played in the Premier League at earlier ages.

[Cunning_Linguist]

Bring Back Albert.........

[Colocho]

Fair enough still should be entering his prime.

 

How old was Woodgate when we signed him...? He was a quality defender long before the age of 27.

If Williamson was top class, he would have been signed up by a top 4 side ages ago - its not as if they are brimming with quality CBs anyway.

 

Williamson fits the mould for an Ashley-owned NUFC - cheap, reasonable value for money, but nowhere near being a top class defender ; lacks pace and prone to holding in the box.

 

If Williamson was a top class defender, as a British player it wouldn't have taken him until the age of 26 to be playing in the Premiership

 

Exactly.

 

Aye, like that Titus Bramble and Andy O'Brien playing in the Premier League when they were young. Top class defenders there like.

 

Irrelevant.

 

Not really. Shatters this "taken until 26 to play in the Premier League so he's not top class" illusion. Implies that the likes of Andy O'Brien are better because they played in the Premier League at earlier ages.

 

Not at all.

 

In my opinion, a "good" English CB should be playing for a Premiership club by the age of 25. He was playing in League Two, this time two years ago.

[TRon]

He hasn't been that bad at all. He's a decent defender for a team like ours.

 

I still think he's a decent central defender, just going through a dip in form like most do at some stage.

[Colocho]

He is a decent defender. A great squad player, but not the kind of player that I think is good enough to be a first choice centre-back.

 

A good, proven centre-back is an essential in the summer. Move Campbell on, sign a good CB, Williamson/Taylor battle for 3rd choice.

[JH]

Fair enough still should be entering his prime.

 

How old was Woodgate when we signed him...? He was a quality defender long before the age of 27.

If Williamson was top class, he would have been signed up by a top 4 side ages ago - its not as if they are brimming with quality CBs anyway.

 

Williamson fits the mould for an Ashley-owned NUFC - cheap, reasonable value for money, but nowhere near being a top class defender ; lacks pace and prone to holding in the box.

 

If Williamson was a top class defender, as a British player it wouldn't have taken him until the age of 26 to be playing in the Premiership

 

Exactly.

 

Aye, like that Titus Bramble and Andy O'Brien playing in the Premier League when they were young. Top class defenders there like.

 

Irrelevant.

 

Not really. Shatters this "taken until 26 to play in the Premier League so he's not top class" illusion. Implies that the likes of Andy O'Brien are better because they played in the Premier League at earlier ages.

 

Not at all.

 

In my opinion, a "good" English CB should have be playing for a Premiership club by the age of 25. He was playing in League Two, this time two years ago.

 

That's an incredibly random thing to say though - there's no substance to that comment/age limit at all. Why does there have to be an age limit?

 

Not every decent player is scouted and realised before they hit 25 - there isn't enough scouts in the world.

 

Look at someone like DJ Campbell. He was playing non-league football when he was 23/24 and in the Premier League at the age of 29, he has a record of just under 1 in 3 (2.75) this season - that's a good record for a 'decent' PL striker. 

 

I'm not saying he's a world beater, but Williamson is certainly good enough to be playing for us right now.

[Colocho]

Of course there isn't an age limit, it's my personal opinion. What's so random and irrational about saying that by the age of 25, a "good" player should have played/be playing top-flight football?

[Ikon]

Drogba, Bierhoff and Klose  weren't exactly class when they were 24-25 were they?

[Guest GeordieBatistuta]

I'm a big fan. Obviously he's going to look a bit out of his depths sometimes, but he's a decent player who has held his own pretty well against some of the best strikers in the league, especially since its his first time in the Premier League.

[Guest axel]

Fair enough still should be entering his prime.

 

How old was Woodgate when we signed him...? He was a quality defender long before the age of 27.

If Williamson was top class, he would have been signed up by a top 4 side ages ago - its not as if they are brimming with quality CBs anyway.

 

Williamson fits the mould for an Ashley-owned NUFC - cheap, reasonable value for money, but nowhere near being a top class defender ; lacks pace and prone to holding in the box.

 

If Williamson was a top class defender, as a British player it wouldn't have taken him until the age of 26 to be playing in the Premiership

 

Exactly.

 

Aye, like that Titus Bramble and Andy O'Brien playing in the Premier League when they were young. Top class defenders there like.

 

Irrelevant.

 

Not really. Shatters this "taken until 26 to play in the Premier League so he's not top class" illusion. Implies that the likes of Andy O'Brien are better because they played in the Premier League at earlier ages.

 

Not at all.

 

In my opinion, a "good" English CB should have be playing for a Premiership club by the age of 25. He was playing in League Two, this time two years ago.

 

That's an incredibly random thing to say though - there's no substance to that comment/age limit at all. Why does there have to be an age limit?

 

Not every decent player is scouted and realised before they hit 25 - there isn't enough scouts in the world.

 

Look at someone like DJ Campbell. He was playing non-league football when he was 23/24 and in the Premier League at the age of 29, he has a record of just under 1 in 3 (2.75) this season - that's a good record for a 'decent' PL striker. 

 

I'm not saying he's a world beater, but Williamson is certainly good enough to be playing for us right now.

:clap:

[JH]

Of course there isn't an age limit, it's my personal opinion. What's so random and irrational about saying that by the age of 25, a "good" player should have played/be playing top-flight football?

 

Because there's no substance to it at all - It doesn't matter what age you are, if you're good enough then you're good enough.

 

I don't care that no PL team showed an interest in him until he was 25, from what I've seen of him on the pitch this season, he is good enough to play for us right here right now and that's all that matters - not where he played beforehand and why Derby County or Hull didn't sign him a couple of seasons ago.

[Colocho]

Drogba, Bierhoff and Klose  weren't exactly class when they were 24-25 were they?

 

No, but they were playing regularly for top flight clubs.

[JH]

Drogba, Bierhoff and Klose  weren't exactly class when they were 24-25 were they?

 

No, but they were playing regularly for top flight clubs.

 

So?

[Greg]

Decent squad player tbh, happy with him but he isn't as good as some make out nor is he as bad as some make out.

[Ikon]

Drogba, Bierhoff and Klose  weren't exactly class when they were 24-25 were they?

 

No, but they were playing regularly for top flight clubs.

 

Im not sure, but wasn't Drogba around 24 when he played for Guingamp? Were they in the top flight that season?

[JH]

Decent squad player tbh, happy with him but he isn't as good as some make out nor is he as bad as some make out.

 

I see most people saying he's a decent PL defender and that he's good enough to play for us.

 

People aren't exactly nominating him for next year's Ballon d'Or

[clintdempsey]

Drogba, Bierhoff and Klose  weren't exactly class when they were 24-25 were they?

 

No, but they were playing regularly for top flight clubs.

 

Im not sure, but wasn't Drogba around 24 when he played for Guingamp? Were they in the top flight that season?

 

When 24:

 

Drogba played 21 games for Le Mans in Ligue 2, scoring 5 goals.

 

Bierhoff played 35 games for Ascoli in Serie B, scoring 20 goals.

 

Klose played 31 games for Kaiserslautern in Bundesliga,  scoring 16 goals.

 

So going by Colocho's judgement only Klose was worth being given a chance.

 

Age has nothing to do with it. If you're good enough, you're good enough. Simple as that.

[Colocho]

Drogba, Bierhoff and Klose  weren't exactly class when they were 24-25 were they?

 

No, but they were playing regularly for top flight clubs.

 

Im not sure, but wasn't Drogba around 24 when he played for Guingamp? Were they in the top flight that season?

 

May have been in Ligue 2. Pretty sure he banged in 20 goals that season ...

[Ikon]

Bierhoff played in Serie B when he was 24-25 before he moved to Udinese, and imo he was quite "good" there.

 

clintdempsey, just saw your post

[clintdempsey]

Actually, Drogba was given a chance. Guingamp bought him early 2002 and they were in Ligue 1 at that time. My mistake.

[ponsaelius]

Colocho, your argument here is absolute nonsense tbh. If a player is up to the task then they are good enough, regardless of age. Williamson isn't 'top class' but despite your personal vendetta he's also not the anti-christ.

 

Hell, there's a guy playing for Deportivo who played amateur football in France until he was 27 while working as a bus conductor at the same time. Now after a season or 3 professionally in Portugal he's playing in the Spanish top flight for one of the traditional Spanish 'big boys'. Some players simply slip through the net, or don't round their game off to their full potential until much later than others. Williamson has done the rounds in the lower divisions, stepped up to the Championship and is now a more than able Premier League squad player. He's not got the best physical or technical attributes but he reads the game resonably well, plays things safe and has got the best out of his natural ability level.