BFTG Stevenage

[ReadingGlasses]

My feet are firmly on the ground regards expectations. I’m just enjoying young hungry players wanting to wear the shirt and Selles trying to give us an identity.

If we can win more games than we lose and the players give their all I’ll be happy.

Similar here. For me the main achievement this season would be for the team to still exist and not have been relegated again. However beyond that, if they could manage to become a side which tries hard and plays a decent style of football then that would be great. A promotion campaign is necessary at some point in the future, but for now just getting a feel good atmosphere back would be a really nice change.

So far I have been pleasantly surprised at what Selles has been saying and doing, although we've been burnt in the past by managers who say the right things but can't live up to it, so am a bit wary. And there's the constant black cloud of ownership screw ups on the horizon. But, for the first time in ages I can feel the faintest hints of optimism.

[Snowball]

Christ you lot are excitable.

Why is that a crime?

[Sanguine]

I've not got to a game yet this season, but how on earth is an 18 year old Tyler Bindon, who first arrived in this country a few weeks back, producing brilliant performances as a starting centre-back in a tough and physical League One? Is he that good? Do we have a real find on your hands?

How rare is an 18 year old first choice CB at all!?

[Hound]

I've not got to a game yet this season, but how on earth is an 18 year old Tyler Bindon, who first arrived in this country a few weeks back, producing brilliant performances as a starting centre-back in a tough and physical League One? Is he that good? Do we have a real find on your hands?

How rare is an 18 year old first choice CB at all!?

Even rarer that his mate alongside him at the back is just a year older

They’ve been very impressive

[Sutekh]

I've not got to a game yet this season, but how on earth is an 18 year old Tyler Bindon, who first arrived in this country a few weeks back, producing brilliant performances as a starting centre-back in a tough and physical League One? Is he that good? Do we have a real find on your hands?

How rare is an 18 year old first choice CB at all!?

Even rarer that his mate alongside him at the back is just a year older

They’ve been very impressive

Not intending a comparison but wasn't Rio Ferdinand a regular for the Hammers at 18 back in the mid 90s? So it does happen even at the highest levels.

[Snowball]

I've not got to a game yet this season, but how on earth is an 18 year old Tyler Bindon, who first arrived in this country a few weeks back, producing brilliant performances as a starting centre-back in a tough and physical League One? Is he that good? Do we have a real find on your hands?

How rare is an 18 year old first choice CB at all!?

Even rarer that his mate alongside him at the back is just a year older

They’ve been very impressive

But don’t get excited….

[Snowflake Royal]

I've not got to a game yet this season, but how on earth is an 18 year old Tyler Bindon, who first arrived in this country a few weeks back, producing brilliant performances as a starting centre-back in a tough and physical League One? Is he that good? Do we have a real find on your hands?

How rare is an 18 year old first choice CB at all!?

The difference between Abbey and Binden and our other recent CBs is that they have the pace to be in the right place and recover from errors.

For years now we've had slow CBs who couldn’t hold a line, manage their position or chase down because they were slow... or they were just plain shit.

Holmes is very handsy in the box, because he doesn't have the acceleration and poise to go with good movement. He goes in late because he can't stay tight high up because he'll get rolled and beaten, he can't cover the fullback channel vs someone quick.

Abbey and Binden don't have to worry about any of that. They have more time for everything on the ball too.

[Sanguine]

Not intending a comparison but wasn't Rio Ferdinand a regular for the Hammers at 18 back in the mid 90s? So it does happen even at the highest levels.

Yeah I did think of Rio. There can't be many though, and arguably even less so in the lower leagues where the game is more physical.

Impressive stuff from Bindon and Abbey.

[Hound]

I've not got to a game yet this season, but how on earth is an 18 year old Tyler Bindon, who first arrived in this country a few weeks back, producing brilliant performances as a starting centre-back in a tough and physical League One? Is he that good? Do we have a real find on your hands?

How rare is an 18 year old first choice CB at all!?

The difference between Abbey and Binden and our other recent CBs is that they have the pace to be in the right place and recover from errors.

For years now we've had slow CBs who couldn’t hold a line, manage their position or chase down because they were slow... or they were just plain shit.

Holmes is very handsy in the box, because he doesn't have the acceleration and poise to go with good movement. He goes in late because he can't stay tight high up because he'll get rolled and beaten, he can't cover the fullback channel vs someone quick.

Abbey and Binden don't have to worry about any of that. They have more time for everything on the ball too.

Helps that Mbengue is rapid and NGW/Carson aren’t slow on either side

Binden looks quick, Abbey looks really speedy

Definitely bailed themselves out a number of times with that speed

Always thought the lack of pace is Holmes and TMc’s major issue and preventing them being anything other than low champ players at best. McIntyre especially can look desperately slow at times

[South Coast Royal]

Not intending a comparison but wasn't Rio Ferdinand a regular for the Hammers at 18 back in the mid 90s? So it does happen even at the highest levels.

Yeah I did think of Rio. There can't be many though, and arguably even less so in the lower leagues where the game is more physical.

Impressive stuff from Bindon and Abbey.

IIRC John O'Shea was only about 17 when he played on loan at Bournemouth as was Rio Ferdinand who followed the same path from West Ham.
Adie Williams was very young when he came into Reading's first team but initially played at right-back which many clubs have done with their young centre-backs early on in their careers (e.g .John Terry).

[ReadingGlasses]

Holmes and McIntyre feel like defensive midfielders who ended up as centre backs by accident.

[Snowflake Royal]

I've not got to a game yet this season, but how on earth is an 18 year old Tyler Bindon, who first arrived in this country a few weeks back, producing brilliant performances as a starting centre-back in a tough and physical League One? Is he that good? Do we have a real find on your hands?

How rare is an 18 year old first choice CB at all!?

The difference between Abbey and Binden and our other recent CBs is that they have the pace to be in the right place and recover from errors.

For years now we've had slow CBs who couldn’t hold a line, manage their position or chase down because they were slow... or they were just plain shit.

Holmes is very handsy in the box, because he doesn't have the acceleration and poise to go with good movement. He goes in late because he can't stay tight high up because he'll get rolled and beaten, he can't cover the fullback channel vs someone quick.

Abbey and Binden don't have to worry about any of that. They have more time for everything on the ball too.

Helps that Mbengue is rapid and NGW/Carson aren’t slow on either side

Binden looks quick, Abbey looks really speedy

Definitely bailed themselves out a number of times with that speed

Always thought the lack of pace is Holmes and TMc’s major issue and preventing them being anything other than low champ players at best. McIntyre especially can look desperately slow at times

Definitely a weakness. I think McIntyre let's his pace be less of an achilles heel, though its a big one when it does really come up. It's why I don't like him at LB much as I think it exposes it more.

I think Holmes manages his pace issue less well than McIntyre in general.

I still think they're both good defenders individually and put them alongside one of Abbey, Binden or Mbengue and they're absolutely fine.

They just can't play together. The only time in about the last 18 months I've been ok with them being a pair was after Posh, when they did fine, the faults were at FB and I thought they deserved a run to see if they could better manage the lack of pace in L1.

[Snowflake Royal]

Also, do think it's funny how much people were insistent we needed experienced CBs to come in and the likes of Dean would be our saviour, then everyone's drooling over two teenagers with basically zero first team experience after 3 games. And what's the difference? They have pace.

[tidus_mi2]

I'd like McIntyre to remain in the squad because he has always been a real asset in the air, feels like he'd remain as a beneficial squad option. Tom Holmes at one point I felt was the brighter prospect but he's 23 now and I'm not sure he's ever going to be more than League 1 quality.

[leon]

Christ you lot are excitable.

Why is that a crime?

It isn’t a crime no. Not sure anyone is saying that.

I’m just too long in the tooth to be getting over excited. We’ve seen false dawns before. We raved about Paunovics start to the season only to call him Clownovic months later. We loved Inces gritty pragmatism only to conclude he was a dinosaur.

[AthleticoSpizz]

Christ you lot are excitable.

Why is that a crime?

It isn’t a crime no. Not sure anyone is saying that.

I’m just too long in the tooth to be getting over excited. We’ve seen false dawns before. We raved about Paunovics start to the season only to call him Clownovic months later. We loved Inces gritty pragmatism only to conclude he was a dinosaur.

you given up on AE too Leon? CBA reading most of it.

However

Agree with this here TB comment of yours btw


…..and here we are, reduced to this

[leon]

Why is that a crime?

It isn’t a crime no. Not sure anyone is saying that.

I’m just too long in the tooth to be getting over excited. We’ve seen false dawns before. We raved about Paunovics start to the season only to call him Clownovic months later. We loved Inces gritty pragmatism only to conclude he was a dinosaur.

you given up on AE too Leon? CBA reading most of it.

However

Agree with this here TB comment of yours btw


…..and here we are

I’ve given up on most things tbh

[Millsy]

We've had only 2 league wins ffs: one a solitary own goal and one against 10 men. To go from Selles Out to "ok let's give him some more time" (and for me that's on the back of the excellent cup win and him dropping the liability of Holmes+Tmac and less reliance on Carroll) is reasonable. But to suggest anything else at this point is nuts.

But I do agree (and have always said) that it is certainly an exciting situation being in a lower league with young hungry players. I do enjoy it. But that's very different to suggesting we'll finish above 6th this early on.

Why ignore the fact that the kids have yet to concede
a goal and have scored SEVEN goals in 3 games including
4 away to a Championship side?

I think, also, people are too quickly forgetting or overlooking
how shambolic and depressing things have been during pre-season
and the morale-battering stuff coming from off the field.

Once (if) that dies away and the bad-eggs are gone, and
Savage, Vickers, Elliot, Mukairu, Mbengue get that extra
game time, I can only see the team getting better.

They have won six points from four games (plus they won at Millwall)
(1.5 pg = 69 point season) and they are expected to improve.

They hardly need to improve much at all to make top six

Not ignoring anything, I think that's great and not relying on the Holmes+TMac shitshow is one of the reasons I flipped. But when I was in full on Selles Out mode I understood the need to cheekily shoehorn in the preseason games and his poor record at Southampton because: n.

We all desperately want to believe you of course but n=4, mate: you're trying to extrapolate from four league games (the two wins coming from an own goal and a red card) so early on to suggest we'll be top 6. Is this some sort of statisticians' windup Millsy type shitjoke that's going above my head or are you serious?

Just chill and enjoy the ride. The season is young and we're in no position to be making any sorts of serious predictions at this stage.

[72 bus]

We've had only 2 league wins ffs: one a solitary own goal and one against 10 men. To go from Selles Out to "ok let's give him some more time" (and for me that's on the back of the excellent cup win and him dropping the liability of Holmes+Tmac and less reliance on Carroll) is reasonable. But to suggest anything else at this point is nuts.

But I do agree (and have always said) that it is certainly an exciting situation being in a lower league with young hungry players. I do enjoy it. But that's very different to suggesting we'll finish above 6th this early on.

Why ignore the fact that the kids have yet to concede
a goal and have scored SEVEN goals in 3 games including
4 away to a Championship side?

I think, also, people are too quickly forgetting or overlooking
how shambolic and depressing things have been during pre-season
and the morale-battering stuff coming from off the field.

Once (if) that dies away and the bad-eggs are gone, and
Savage, Vickers, Elliot, Mukairu, Mbengue get that extra
game time, I can only see the team getting better.

They have won six points from four games (plus they won at Millwall)
(1.5 pg = 69 point season) and they are expected to improve.

They hardly need to improve much at all to make top six

Not ignoring anything, I think that's great and not relying on the Holmes+TMac shitshow is one of the reasons I flipped. But when I was in full on Selles Out mode I understood the need to cheekily shoehorn in the preseason games and his poor record at Southampton because: n.

We all desperately want to believe you of course but n=4, mate: you're trying to extrapolate from four league games (the two wins coming from an own goal and a red card) so early on to suggest we'll be top 6. Is this some sort of statisticians' windup Millsy type shitjoke that's going above my head or are you serious?

Just chill and enjoy the ride. The season is young and we're in no position to be making any sorts of serious predictions at this stage.

Have you been up to the ground and watched a game yet ?

[SCIAG]

Holmes and McIntyre feel like defensive midfielders who ended up as centre backs by accident.

They are.

Holmes got injured at about the age when his teammates were firming up their positions. Wasn't sure if he was going to keep playing, and it was very awkward when he returned to the team - he'd gone from being one of the best players to feeling like a black sheep.

Coaches told him he'd be suited to central midfield or centre back. He chose centre back because it would require less running. He was always tall for his age, but he just kept growing, so he probably made the right decision. Was still occasionally playing in midfield and at right back when he broke into the U18s and (then) U21s. We had an absolute shit-ton of good centre backs at the time - Cooper, Keown, Hyam, Dickie, Osho, and to a lesser extent Axel and Jules - so to an extent it was forced.

Similar story with McIntyre but not as dramatic, played in a lot of different positions, was always the standout player in his age bracket (and was usually playing above his age bracket, which at the time the club didn't really do). This is just my view but he would probably have ended up as a midfielder if Guardiola hadn't tried Yaya Toure at centre back, but you could say that about most centre backs his age.