Originally Posted by
DollyLongstaffe
I'm a big fan of Shay's but it's worrying how often he's been the player most implicated when we've conceded in the past several games. Maybe it's bad luck or coincidence, but I also have the suspicion that he gets bored with the side of the game that involves just being a good, solid defender; too often he's caught out of position trying to make stuff happen going forward, or trying to do someone else's job as well as his own. No-one would dispute he's by far the pick of our back 4 in terms of ability, but he needs to be reminded that the first entry in his job description is to be a solid defensive full back.
I tire of Conso's critics not so much because I think they are wrong but because the change they are calling for so obviously isn't going to happen. Whether they are right or wrong about his deficiencies as a full back (and I've gone back and fore on this myself) it's 100% clear that Deek has no intention of replacing him. Saying "our first priority is a left back" may be a defensible opinion but it's also total fantasy because the only man whose opinion really counts thinks it's scheidt.
I remain worried about the centre back position. O'Connor alternates solid performances with Bambi on ice impersonations, and the latter tend to come in bigger games against better opposition. Reynold's form hasn't been consistently good for 2 or 3 seasons now. I remain strongly suspicious that Arnason's signing will turn out to be a blunder by a manager too focused on replacing Hayes and McGinn to have his eye properly on the ball when it came to replacing Taylor. Top players nowadays keep themselves fit - it's not like the old days when players spent the close season playing snooker and gambling and turned up for pre-season a stone heavier. Arnason came on in Europe over 3 weeks ago. I can't see why he shouldn't be fit enough to appear in a game against Ross County over 3 weeks later. I'm remined of Storey, who we were told wasn't getting picked because he wasn't fit when in fact had Deek obviously decided he wasn't good enough.