Mike Williamson (now unemployed)

[80]

Not sure Williamson has a place as a back up defender. Got to cut your cloth accordingly of course, but tempted to say he's a first team defender or no team at all.

[Ronaldo]

Of course he has a place as a back-up defender.

[80]

He's further than most from ideal when he's just plopped in alongside a random partner for a shortish period of time having not been in serious contention previously, though.

 

There's a few possible justifications for him being a back up defender for us, but in a larger scheme of things I can see better types than him for the role. I say that as someone who wants him as first choice alongside Colo for the foreseeable future and would only swap him for a very large upgrade, mind.

[oldtype]

Officially the fourth best central defender I've seen in a Newcastle shirt.

 

Man, we've had some shit ones

[Benwell Lad]

He's done very well since he arrived at our club and particulary well in the last two very difficult away games when we needed height against route one teams.

Can't we just love him, Colo, Taylor, Sol and everyone else just as long as they give their best and they're wearing black and white ?

 

 

 

 

[oldtype]

He's done very well since he arrived at our club and particulary well in the last two very difficult away games when we needed height against route one teams.

Can't we just love him, Colo, Taylor, Sol and everyone else just as long as they give their best and they're wearing black and white ?

 

 

 

 

 

Agree with that last bit. No point in being overly critical about players who are doing a decent job.

 

When you're not satisfied about Willo, just look back to the good 'ol days of Huntington-Ramage

[quayside]

Officially the fourth best central defender I've seen in a Newcastle shirt.

 

Man, we've had some s*** ones

 

Without going into a counting game I agree with your sentiment. I'm wrestling with the thought that Boumsong was bought for 8 times the price of Williamson.

[Benwell Lad]

Officially the fourth best central defender I've seen in a Newcastle shirt.

 

Man, we've had some s*** ones

 

Without going into a counting game I agree with your sentiment. I'm wrestling with the thought that Boumsong was bought for 8 times the price of Williamson.

 

Pretty perfect perspective.

[ponsaelius]

I thought he was our best player at Brum.

[Punk77]

I thought he was our best player at Brum.

 

Agreed. He won every duel against Zigic. I do not think Tayls would have pulled off the same feat.

[magorific]

I thought he was our best player at Brum.

 

Agreed. He won every duel against Zigic. I do not think Tayls would have pulled off the same feat.

 

No, there's no way Tayls would have coped with a strikeforce which has scored less than a goal a game at home in the Premier League.

I doubt he'd have been bum raped by Jason Roberts, half a dozen Arsenal players and Stevenage this season either.

[ponsaelius]

Idiot.

[magorific]

Idiot.

 

Aye, right.

I didn't even mention Bolton away. Think Taylor would have been forgiven by the sheep-like hate mob on here if he'd been party to that debacle?

 

[Beren]

Colo and Williamson both got raped at Bolton without Tiote in front of them and the anonymous midfield inviting pressure on them time and time again, but by all means continue to single out the player you have an agenda against to suit the purposes of your argument.

[Disco]

Steven Taylor

Goals Conceded/Game  1.55

Shots on Target/Goals Conceded  5.06

Clean Sheets/Game  0.18

 

Mike Williamson

Goals Conceded/Game    1.38

Shots on Target/Goals Conceded    3.97

Clean Sheets/Game  0.25

 

Stats from this season taken from .co.uk so not sure how accurate he stats are.

[Beren]

I know those stats place Williamson in a positive light but isn't Taylor's sample from this season based on, what, five or so games?

[Disco]

Just throwing them out there like. Been wondering who was the more "effective" for a while and actually looked it up for a change.

[Beren]

[magorific]

Colo and Williamson both got raped at Bolton without Tiote in front of them and the anonymous midfield inviting pressure on them time and time again, but by all means continue to single out the player you have an agenda against to suit the purposes of your argument.

 

No agenda with me, just addressing the simple argument - which was started by other people on here - about whether Williamson or Taylor are the better player.

As you should well know, as an administrator, if there is an agenda concerning this subject on this foum, it's against Taylor, at least in part because so many have chosen to swallow the club's side of his contract "saga". That's the club run by liars.

I've made my point re Colo many times (check if you want): he's a fantastic talent - as good a footballing defender as I've seen anywhere - but can be found wanting when met with serious pace and power. Is he our No 1 centre-half? Undoubtedly, and Taylor would be well off realising he will never be half the footballer Colo is.

But, sorry, I won't turn a blind eye to Williamson's frailties, which have cost us goals and points against several teams other than Bolton, and - in my opinion - are more glaring than Taylor's.

Mine's an opinion - an opinion voiced in a thread entitled Mike Williamson.

If it was an agenda, I'd start off a whole new thread.

 

[Beren]

Colo and Williamson both got raped at Bolton without Tiote in front of them and the anonymous midfield inviting pressure on them time and time again, but by all means continue to single out the player you have an agenda against to suit the purposes of your argument.

 

No agenda with me, just addressing the simple argument - which was started by other people on here - about whether Williamson or Taylor are the better player.

As you should well know, as an administrator, if there is an agenda concerning this subject on this foum, it's against Taylor, at least in part because so many have chosen to swallow the club's side of his contract "saga". That's the club run by liars.

I've made my point re Colo many times (check if you want): he's a fantastic talent - as good a footballing defender as I've seen anywhere - but can be found wanting when met with serious pace and power. Is he our No 1 centre-half? Undoubtedly, and Taylor would be well off realising he will never be half the footballer Colo is.

But, sorry, I won't turn a blind eye to Williamson's frailties, which have cost us goals and points against several teams other than Bolton, and - in my opinion - are more glaring than Taylor's.

Mine's an opinion - an opinion voiced in a thread entitled Mike Williamson.

If it was an agenda, I'd start off a whole new thread.

 

 

Good post. Apologies for lumping you in with other posters who chime in with their rehashed restated boilerplate convictions irrespective of individual performances or, more egregiously, a series of individual performances.

 

My bad though, seriously - this thread is particularly weighed down by such posters, but I was wrong to assume you were one of them.

 

That said, I still can't agree with you about Williamson's shortcomings being more glaring than Taylor's. With so little evidence of Taylor's performance to go on from this season, I can see such a discussion becoming cyclical very quickly - but in the five full games Taylor played this season we conceded 10 goals. [i'm willing to accept that was his "come back" after a long time out, and much of it was paired alongside Sol Campbell against pretty decent opposition.]

 

As my parting shot though, I will say that Taylor at centre-back makes me nervous - he's a hothead, often cheats and doesn't look as an intelligent a player as Williamson - who I think is learning from Colo and showing progress. Perhaps by virtue of all his injuries/time out, Taylor doesn't look to have matured significantly as a defender in his time here. So, without trying to forcibly change your opinion, for these reasons and those stated above for me I'd definitely rank Williamson over Colo - and I'd rate him high enough (relative to a club of our standing) not to bring in another first-choice centre back this summer either.

 

The real world isn't fantasy football (Man City, Chelski etc aside) and realistically, even with a possible £35m war chest this summer - I'd much rather have the three or four signings we bring in be:

 

LB cover

CM 1st team

CM cover

CF 1st team

[Cajun]

I don't think we need two centre mids.

 

We already have Tiote, Nolan, Guthrie and Gosling. One more defensive minded player to cover Tiote should be enough.

[magorific]

Colo and Williamson both got raped at Bolton without Tiote in front of them and the anonymous midfield inviting pressure on them time and time again, but by all means continue to single out the player you have an agenda against to suit the purposes of your argument.

 

 

 

 

No agenda with me, just addressing the simple argument - which was started by other people on here - about whether Williamson or Taylor are the better player.

As you should well know, as an administrator, if there is an agenda concerning this subject on this foum, it's against Taylor, at least in part because so many have chosen to swallow the club's side of his contract "saga". That's the club run by liars.

I've made my point re Colo many times (check if you want): he's a fantastic talent - as good a footballing

 

 

 

defender as I've seen anywhere - but can be found wanting when met with serious pace and power. Is he our No 1 centre-half? Undoubtedly, and Taylor would be well off realising he will never be half the footballer Colo is.

But, sorry, I won't turn a blind eye to Williamson's frailties, which have cost us goals and points against several teams other than Bolton, and - in my opinion - are more glaring than Taylor's.

Mine's an opinion - an opinion voiced in a thread entitled Mike Williamson.

If it was an agenda, I'd start off a whole new thread.

 

 

Good post. Apologies for lumping you in with other posters who chime in with their rehashed restated

 

boilerplate convictions irrespective of individual performances or, more egregiously, a series of individual performances.

 

My bad though, seriously - this thread is particularly weighed down by such posters, but I was wrong to assume you were one of them.

 

 

 

 

That said, I still can't agree with you about Williamson's shortcomings being more glaring than Taylor's. With so little evidence of Taylor's performance to go on from this season, I can see such a discussion becoming cyclical very quickly - but in the five full games Taylor played this season we conceded 10 goals. [i'm willing to accept that was his "come back" after a long time out, and much of it was paired alongside Sol Campbell against pretty decent opposition.]

 

As my parting shot though, I will say that Taylor at centre-back makes me nervous - he's a hothead, often cheats and doesn't look as an intelligent a player as Williamson - who I think is learning from Colo and showing progress. Perhaps by virtue of all his injuries/time out, Taylor doesn't look to have matured significantly as a defender in his time here. So, without trying to forcibly change your opinion, for these

 

 

reasons and those stated above for me I'd definitely rank Williamson over Colo - and I'd rate him high enough (relative to a club of our standing) not to bring in another first-choice centre back this summer either.

 

The real world isn't fantasy football (Man City, Chelski etc aside) and realistically, even with a possible £35m war chest this summer - I'd much rather have the three or four signings we bring in be:

 

LB cover

CM 1st team

CM cover

CF 1st team

 

Prior to the last couple of months, I'd have happily seen Taylor come back in at right-back, as I think he's a solid bet there. But Simpson has more than earned his place now.

Personally, I'd love to see us buy a top-class centre-back. Gary Cahill or Hangeland would be great, but

that's fantasy stuff.

[Mick]

I don't think we need two centre mids.

 

We already have Tiote, Nolan, Guthrie and Gosling. One more defensive minded player to cover Tiote should be enough.

 

An upgrade on Nolan would help the team move on more than cover for Tiote would.

[Cajun]

Gosling might be that player?

 

I'm not even anti-Nolan anyway, he is more than adequate imo and we need to fill other positions before looking to replace him.

[TRon]

There's not much to choose between Taylor and Williamson tbh. Taylor is probably a bit stronger and better able to stand up to a battering, but Williamson reads the game better. Taylor and Colo as a pair used to look all at seas but they have done well this season as a pair, so for me it's whoever has the shirt and has earned it...which is Williamson for now.