I really cannot understand the criticism of Calvin from some quarters. Very few, if any of the critics actually clarify what he is doing wrong. To me he is a monster and I was really happy that he scored this evening and don't forget, he was voted player of the season last year.
I like Bassey. But this game, he was consistently out of position. On Burnley's goal he should be setting his line off of Andersen. He was a foot or two back. When the through ball came Bassey responded way too slowly.
He did the same thing on a bad back pass from wilson. We were just lucky then Burnley wasn't able to get the shot off.
Bassey can be a really good player, but he also has defensive lapses that lead directly to goals.
Quote from: Peabody on December 13, 2025, 09:16:43 PMI really cannot understand the criticism of Calvin from some quarters. Very few, if any of the critics actually clarify what he is doing wrong. To me he is a monster and I was really happy that he scored this evening and don't forget, he was voted player of the season last year.
I always say what the problem is. He is wreckless. He is selfish... His run taking on burnley single handed was brilliant but rather than lay off the ball for a virtually certain good attempt he just had to have a wild slash at the goal which was bound to miss.
He takes way too long to release the ball when in possession at the back.
That is what is wrong with him
Despite all that I love him, he is a genuine character and if he thought a bit harder about the game he would be a way better player.
He does a lot of good things every game he plays and that's a fact!
His weakness is, there are times he gets caught in the wrong position and leaves opponents unmarked.
Not ideal as a defender but he's not world class so errors will be made.
Overall he is a very decent PL player and that's also a fact!
Consistently wins his personal battle, strong, quick and enjoys his football. Scored today and we won. Not his finest performance, but for me he's the stronger defender in our CB partnership.
Like all centre backs, more commanding when we win the battle of midfield.
Mmmmmmmm well I'm in the minority here just as well I'm allowed not to follow the hoard.i thought he was good overall tonight.
Quote from: Carborundum on December 13, 2025, 10:02:08 PMConsistently wins his personal battle, strong, quick and enjoys his football. Scored today and we won. Not his finest performance, but for me he's the stronger defender in our CB partnership.
Like all centre backs, more commanding when we win the battle of midfield.
I think the issue is in the partnership, they don't seem to be complimenting each other's games well.
Bassey is a positive player, but when he tries to win the ball up the field it leaves a lot of gaps which collectively we fail to cover. His positioning can be poor at times, and on the ball he's not so confident. But he's incredibly strong and does well in duels which is probably why Marco is a big fan.
Personally I love Bsssey, brings some charisma into our team, everyone saying how bad he was today but I didn't notice it plus he was carrying a little knock
We have been wanting a swashbuckling physical monster CB for a decade. Kind of personality you need on a mid table side.
Your question wasn't about our opinions of Bassey, rather what he did wrong yesterday. I thought his positional play was poorer than usual and his speed of anticipation & reaction was slower than usual. The whole back line looked disjointed, uncoordinated and it seemed to me that Bassey played a significant part in that.
However, Robinson was obviously very rusty, was down on his usual pace, was poor in the tackle and misplaced several passes. Overall Jedi did not look match ready and this may have been a mitigating factor as to why Calvin looked so poor yesterday.
I thought he was good yesterday, I think against the lower and mid table sides he is more than comfortable. It's against the excellent sides with individual great players he is found wanting. He is only young, a few more years and I think he will dominate.
We're gifting the opposition goals. There's something wrong with our defending as a whole so I think it's harsh to single out one player, although I do think our player of last season, Bassey, isn't playing as consistently as he did last season.
Bassey fully plays with his
Heart on his sleeve, and that is really all
i can ask for as a fan.
I much prefer him at left back where he has greater (and safer!) impact going forward. He is a fine competitor but a loose cannon. In the short time that Cuenca has played I cannot remember a single big mess-up. Please correct me if I am wrong.
Just give Jorge a proper extended chance. Marco are you reading this?
I think he's good, the only thing I wish he would change is the size of his shorts. :slap:
I've always thought he'd be excellent in midfield
Pros: strong, wins one to ones, enjoys going forward, great team spirit, scores a couple
Cons: terrible passer of the ball, gives the ball away all the time, positional sense lacking, not the best in the air for a cb,
Personally I think he's a bit of a liability. He's got a terry Angus aura about him, fans love him as he's a character. If I was cuenca I'd be chomping at the bit to play.
I blame myself, I had him in my FPL team all season, then I took him out this week because of AFCON coming up.
And Hey-Presto he scores a goal. :slap:
I've been holding back on picking Harry Wilson, so you can thank me for that.
Watched the MotD highlights and it did underline how his positioning causes us a lot of problems. He's not occupying the left central zone for the first which is how they slide it into space. For other chances he wanders a little bit forward and then tries to hurry back. It's like he goes walkabout.
Definitely needs to get more discipline positionally.
As
@vancouver says though, I think he's the kind of personality you need in a midtable team. But defensively he has been a bit of a liability at times lately.
I think he lacks discipline defensively, he just let's himself slip out of position which leads to massive space and gaps. That was his biggest concern tonight.
Obviously love that he gets forward, but that was one of the most selfish takes I've ever seen. It's a free goal if he passes it.
Quote from: hopper on December 14, 2025, 12:05:58 PMWatched the MotD highlights and it did underline how his positioning causes us a lot of problems. He's not occupying the left central zone for the first which is how they slide it into space. For other chances he wanders a little bit forward and then tries to hurry back. It's like he goes walkabout.
Definitely needs to get more discipline positionally.
As @vancouver says though, I think he's the kind of personality you need in a midtable team. But defensively he has been a bit of a liability at times lately.
But we need our defenders, CBs at least, to defend first and foremost. Not to bomb forward and leave huge gaps for counterattacks. Maybe my view on CBs are a bit old school but defenders should first and foremost defend.
Quote from: demeant0r on December 14, 2025, 12:24:50 PMQuote from: hopper on December 14, 2025, 12:05:58 PMWatched the MotD highlights and it did underline how his positioning causes us a lot of problems. He's not occupying the left central zone for the first which is how they slide it into space. For other chances he wanders a little bit forward and then tries to hurry back. It's like he goes walkabout.
Definitely needs to get more discipline positionally.
As @vancouver says though, I think he's the kind of personality you need in a midtable team. But defensively he has been a bit of a liability at times lately.
But we need our defenders, CBs at least, to defend first and foremost. Not to bomb forward and leave huge gaps for counterattacks. Maybe my view on CBs are a bit old school but defenders should first and foremost defend.
My post critiques exactly how his positioning is a liability, not praising him bombing on for counters, so I'm slightly confused at your reply? Him pushing high to try get the ball back in an advanced position cost us the game against Palace as well.
Didn't see the whole game but watched 10 minutes of extended highlights, for me we seemed to play like we had five at the back but with only four. The fullbacks pushed up so the CB's were pulled across to cover leaving either a big gap between them or a big gap at the back post. This happened even for the first Leno save were Anderson move over to cover Tete.
Quote from: hopper on December 14, 2025, 12:32:56 PMQuote from: demeant0r on December 14, 2025, 12:24:50 PMQuote from: hopper on December 14, 2025, 12:05:58 PMWatched the MotD highlights and it did underline how his positioning causes us a lot of problems. He's not occupying the left central zone for the first which is how they slide it into space. For other chances he wanders a little bit forward and then tries to hurry back. It's like he goes walkabout.
Definitely needs to get more discipline positionally.
As @vancouver says though, I think he's the kind of personality you need in a midtable team. But defensively he has been a bit of a liability at times lately.
But we need our defenders, CBs at least, to defend first and foremost. Not to bomb forward and leave huge gaps for counterattacks. Maybe my view on CBs are a bit old school but defenders should first and foremost defend.
My post critiques exactly how his positioning is a liability, not praising him bombing on for counters, so I'm slightly confused at your reply? Him pushing high to try get the ball back in an advanced position cost us the game against Palace as well.
Sorry my post wasn't a critique at you praising him for the counters, just a comment at how bad he has been this season. It's like he wants to play the box-to-box role but he's stuck being a defender. Maybe he's been instructed to do this by Marco but it has got to stop. It's costing us goals.
Quote from: demeant0r on December 14, 2025, 12:39:12 PMQuote from: hopper on December 14, 2025, 12:32:56 PMQuote from: demeant0r on December 14, 2025, 12:24:50 PMQuote from: hopper on December 14, 2025, 12:05:58 PMWatched the MotD highlights and it did underline how his positioning causes us a lot of problems. He's not occupying the left central zone for the first which is how they slide it into space. For other chances he wanders a little bit forward and then tries to hurry back. It's like he goes walkabout.
Definitely needs to get more discipline positionally.
As @vancouver says though, I think he's the kind of personality you need in a midtable team. But defensively he has been a bit of a liability at times lately.
But we need our defenders, CBs at least, to defend first and foremost. Not to bomb forward and leave huge gaps for counterattacks. Maybe my view on CBs are a bit old school but defenders should first and foremost defend.
My post critiques exactly how his positioning is a liability, not praising him bombing on for counters, so I'm slightly confused at your reply? Him pushing high to try get the ball back in an advanced position cost us the game against Palace as well.
Sorry my post wasn't a critique at you praising him for the counters, just a comment at how bad he has been this season. It's like he wants to play the box-to-box role but he's stuck being a defender. Maybe he's been instructed to do this by Marco but it has got to stop. It's costing us goals.
Yeah, it's absolute chaos. That all action thing is his game, and loved him last season. But we need to score 2 or 3 most weeks to win a game. We must be so much fun for opposition front lines to play against. You've got Andersen who turns as fast as a cargo ship, which leaves lots of space. Or you'll have Bassey going walkabout and leaving tonnes of space himself. Thankfully our full backs are pretty good at compensating for this.
I find them as a pair the inverse of Hughes and Hangeland who knew how to complement each other. It's like as a pair they're still learning each other's names.
Spurs game was a notable exception to this though, where they were both pretty heroic.
Looking forward to Cuenca time.
I think CB is one of those rare positions in football where you are half of something. We had it with Hughes and Hangeland. I don't see it with Andersen and Calvin. I'm honest I'd prefer to see Issa and Calvin.
AFCON is going to force Marco (or his replacement) to make some changes. I hope Cuenca seizes his chance.
Don't understand the criticism of a player whose positioning and lack of attention caused one big chance and two goals??
Not sure what to make of this post.
Quote from: I Ronic on December 14, 2025, 02:46:57 PMI think CB is one of those rare positions in football where you are half of something. We had it with Hughes and Hangeland. I don't see it with Andersen and Calvin. I'm honest I'd prefer to see Issa and Calvin.
AFCON is going to force Marco (or his replacement) to make some changes. I hope Cuenca seizes his chance.
"His replacement", you think Marco is out before AFCON (and a replacement signed as well)? On what basis can you imply that? Absolutely no chance!
Bassy was very poor yesterday. Marked no one on the first goal leaving Robinson on an island to cover two. I think Robinson should have covered inside to force a harder pass and ball out wide, but THATS NOT HIS JOB. He covers the wide spaces and did not react to Bassy's mistake in time.
Quote from: Twig on December 14, 2025, 04:16:25 PMQuote from: I Ronic on December 14, 2025, 02:46:57 PMI think CB is one of those rare positions in football where you are half of something. We had it with Hughes and Hangeland. I don't see it with Andersen and Calvin. I'm honest I'd prefer to see Issa and Calvin.
AFCON is going to force Marco (or his replacement) to make some changes. I hope Cuenca seizes his chance.
"His replacement", you think Marco is out before AFCON (and a replacement signed as well)? On what basis can you imply that? Absolutely no chance!
I've no idea. Marco has yet to sign a new contract. Reportedly due to investment in the team. Club say they want him to stay. With the Window opening begining Jan to the begining Feb. AFCON finishing on 18th Jan. It's a bit of a crunch moment don't you think?
Effusive praise for Calvin this morning on.......Talk Sh*te. Well faint praise if it comes from them but it shows opinion varies. I think he did ok and spent a lot of effort supporting a not ready Antonee. Generally his gung ho style is often what we need.
Quote from: I Ronic on December 14, 2025, 06:42:02 PMQuote from: Twig on December 14, 2025, 04:16:25 PMQuote from: I Ronic on December 14, 2025, 02:46:57 PMI think CB is one of those rare positions in football where you are half of something. We had it with Hughes and Hangeland. I don't see it with Andersen and Calvin. I'm honest I'd prefer to see Issa and Calvin.
AFCON is going to force Marco (or his replacement) to make some changes. I hope Cuenca seizes his chance.
"His replacement", you think Marco is out before AFCON (and a replacement signed as well)? On what basis can you imply that? Absolutely no chance!
I've no idea. Marco has yet to sign a new contract. Reportedly due to investment in the team. Club say they want him to stay. With the Window opening begining Jan to the begining Feb. AFCON finishing on 18th Jan. It's a bit of a crunch moment don't you think?
so fed up with Marcos contract I will wish him well if he goes but I'm not worried and can see rosineior coming in.
I like Bassey's strength,power and total commitment.
However, he seems to struggle to get his big frame off the ground and so doesn't win the amount of headed duels that a centre back should.
Quote from: hovewhite on December 14, 2025, 07:37:05 PMQuote from: I Ronic on December 14, 2025, 06:42:02 PMQuote from: Twig on December 14, 2025, 04:16:25 PMQuote from: I Ronic on December 14, 2025, 02:46:57 PMI think CB is one of those rare positions in football where you are half of something. We had it with Hughes and Hangeland. I don't see it with Andersen and Calvin. I'm honest I'd prefer to see Issa and Calvin.
AFCON is going to force Marco (or his replacement) to make some changes. I hope Cuenca seizes his chance.
"His replacement", you think Marco is out before AFCON (and a replacement signed as well)? On what basis can you imply that? Absolutely no chance!
I've no idea. Marco has yet to sign a new contract. Reportedly due to investment in the team. Club say they want him to stay. With the Window opening begining Jan to the begining Feb. AFCON finishing on 18th Jan. It's a bit of a crunch moment don't you think?
so fed up with Marcos contract I will wish him well if he goes but I'm not worried and can see rosineior coming in.
We all want the Marco contract issue resolved, on that we can agree. However for I Ronic to talk about Marco's replacement being forced to make changes due to AFCON is just plain silly.
Quote from: Andrew on December 13, 2025, 09:31:43 PMQuote from: Peabody on December 13, 2025, 09:16:43 PMI really cannot understand the criticism of Calvin from some quarters. Very few, if any of the critics actually clarify what he is doing wrong. To me he is a monster and I was really happy that he scored this evening and don't forget, he was voted player of the season last year.
I always say what the problem is. He is wreckless. He is selfish... His run taking on burnley single handed was brilliant but rather than lay off the ball for a virtually certain good attempt he just had to have a wild slash at the goal which was bound to miss.
He takes way too long to release the ball when in possession at the back.
That is what is wrong with him
Despite all that I love him, he is a genuine character and if he thought a bit harder about the game he would be a way better player.
To be fair if a was a centre back and ran the lengh of the pitch and a chance of the goal of the season/ goal of my life i might have taken a shot
Quote from: Nero on December 15, 2025, 01:22:08 PMTo be fair if a was a centre back and ran the lengh of the pitch and a chance of the goal of the season/ goal of my life i might have taken a shot
But that sums him up a bit- he could have squared it for a tap in for the completely unmarked Chuk or ESR but he went for glory and himself. What a waste of a superb run. Imagine if Chuk hadn't squared it to Wilson? We'd probably have ended up with a point.
Lets see how much we miss him during Afcon and come back and visit this thread then
Quote from: Andrew on December 13, 2025, 09:31:43 PMQuote from: Peabody on December 13, 2025, 09:16:43 PMI really cannot understand the criticism of Calvin from some quarters. Very few, if any of the critics actually clarify what he is doing wrong. To me he is a monster and I was really happy that he scored this evening and don't forget, he was voted player of the season last year.
I always say what the problem is. He is wreckless. He is selfish... His run taking on burnley single handed was brilliant but rather than lay off the ball for a virtually certain good attempt he just had to have a wild slash at the goal which was bound to miss.
He takes way too long to release the ball when in possession at the back.
That is what is wrong with him
Despite all that I love him, he is a genuine character and if he thought a bit harder about the game he would be a way better player.
A certain goal if he'd passed and 4.1 up would have been much better for the team!
Bassey is such a talent and has improved our backline. Is he perfect? No. But, overall he is improving with time and has a high ceiling in my opinion. He has the physicality, the height, the positioning, speed, and ball handling/passing abilities to succeed at the highest level.
By the way Marco singled out Robinson as the one to blame for the positioning on the first goal
I thought he played well, overall, did lots of good things defensively - and Burnley were dangerous, it wasn't just our poor defending, and ran the length of the pitch after winning the ball.
He saw the space open up and had the guts and confidence to go for it. Unfortunately, he ran out of legs at the crucial moment, and messed up the final ball, but it was brave opportunism that nearly resulted in a goal for us.
Quote from: FishaPrice on December 15, 2025, 06:34:09 PMBassey is such a talent and has improved our backline. Is he perfect? No. But, overall he is improving with time and has a high ceiling in my opinion. He has the physicality, the height, the positioning, speed, and ball handling/passing abilities to succeed at the highest level.
I agree but as a left back.