John Stones 2016-17 | Vital Football

John Stones 2016-17

Skoorb

Skoorb

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It seemed to me (& some others based on the posts in the international break thread) that John Stones came in for more than his fair share of stick during the England v Scotland WC Qualifier on Friday.

The commentators, desperate in their desire to witness an upset seems IMO to give the Scots players a free pass on anything wayward that they did but constantly highlighted how poor the England players were. For example - at one point Anya made a complete dogs breakfast of an attempted cross but it was dismissed with a chuckle and zero criticism as if he was a plucky guy for having attempted such an audacious skill.

But John Stones's efforts to play the ball from the back seemed to be regarded especially by Glenn Hoddle, The Master of Hindsight, as an outrageously un-pc thing to do. All centre halves are required for it seems is to hoof the ball forward, leave the pretty stuff to the likes of Lallana, and kick or foul people if they seem likely to score. Even mistakes by some England players were ignored when it suited the narrative - Lallana at one point in the second half got caught in possession, showing a gross lack of awareness, but all this received was a pantomime like "behind you" and a chuckle from the commentator. :013:

Finally however Sam Wallace from the Telegraph has broken from the herd and spoken in defence ( :062: ) of Stones's style.

About time. What do you think in VMC? Do you hanker for a more agricultural defender or are you pleased City has a young defender who is prepared to take risks?

"Watching John Stones can be an unnerving experience, but he is a risk-taker and we must accept that"

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2016/11/11/watching-john-stones-can-be-an-unnerving-experience-but-he-is-a/
 
Hart, Stones & Sterling Player Ratings v Scotland

England cruised past Scotland in last night’s World Cup qualifier at Wembley Stadium 3-0 last night but how did we rate Manchester City’s Three Lion representatives.

http://www.manchestercity.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=573842

John Stones

John had a couple of twitchy moments but nothing worth reporting.

One can see he’s head and shoulders (no pun intended Joe) above the other England defensive line –up. Cool, calm and collective on the ball sums John up.

One can see Pep Guardiola’s coaching style oozing out of Johns game. It’s just a pity the likes of Kyle Walker and Gary Cahill can’t follow suit.

Verdict – 7.2
 
There's a wider argument that this is what is wrong with British football. Both the 'hoof it' mentality and the denigration of (particularly young) talent. Having said that, i think it's reasonable to expect a different level of performance from someone who plays for Derby County and someone who plays for a team who reached a CL semi final last season. Yes, i know John wan't here when we did that, but that is the level of quality expected from our players.

Personally, i love to watch football the way John plays it, and think he is in the hands of the perfect manager to bring out the best in him. He can be one of the best in the world, if he's willing to learn, and I've seen nothing from him to suggest he isn't :048:
 
As mentioned elsewhere, Glenn Hoddle doesn't seem to think Stones is getting better

http://zapsportz.com/even-at-the-age-of-22-john-stones-is-at-the-crossroads-of-his-career-glenn-hoddle-agrees-with-me/
 
Glen hoddle management stats

Total April 1991 July 2006 games 532 won 209 drew 156 Lost 167 %39.29


Not a great career in management and his comments do not help. It is down to Southgate to coach how the player play.

 
I get what you're saying Buzz, but at the end of the day, nothing he says is going to impact John's development under Pep.
The quote "it’s almost like the over-indulgent father who never reprimands his son, who consequently never learns appropriate boundaries of behaviour" comment just shows a total lack of knowledge and/or observational skills, as Pep is renowned for 'bollocking' players who don't do what he wants, and we've already seen John on the receiving end of some such bollockings in the short time they've been together. 'One of the most respected pundits in the business' [sic] should know this. But then, the man is a balloon.
 
I totally agree, but the lad is only 22 and maybe looks at all the papers print about him, it seems also that a lot of various media outlets have picked up on the stupid comments by this twat but I hope he ignores it and Pep and Southgate tell him he is doing his job the right way.
 
Hoddle's negativity on Friday was disappointing and whilst England didn't set the world alight I would have preferred him to be more supportive and positive on players in the England team. He seemed to spend all his time nit-picking and finding fault. I don't expect gushing praise and ignoring any mistakes but FFS try and see the positives. :013:
 
Buzz Lightyear - 14/11/2016 20:22

I totally agree, but the lad is only 22 and maybe looks at all the papers print about him, it seems also that a lot of various media outlets have picked up on the stupid comments by this twat but I hope he ignores it and Pep and Southgate tell him he is doing his job the right way.
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He doesn't strike me as your typical 'thick footballer', and I'm pretty sure that Pep being here was no small part of his decision to sign for us. He strikes me as a lad who knows who is going to be most beneficial to his career. And I'm pretty sure listening to a radge like Hoddle :044: , isn't high on his list
 
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