Heitinga

[Southcoastffc]

Does anyone know why Heitinga came off on Saturday?  I hope it wasn't injury.  I think he's had a very good half-season for us (Amorebietta on the other hand is one of our weak links in my opinion).

15 more points to go.   049:gif  049:gif  049:gif  049:gif  049:gif

[copthornemike]

He pulled up with an injury

[Rudolph]

Does anyone know why Heitinga came off on Saturday?  I hope it wasn't injury.  I think he's had a very good half-season for us (Amorebietta on the other hand is one of our weak links in my opinion).

15 more points to go.   049:gif  049:gif  049:gif  049:gif  049:gif

The weak link is Hangeland.

[Craven Mad]

Does anyone know why Heitinga came off on Saturday?  I hope it wasn't injury.  I think he's had a very good half-season for us (Amorebietta on the other hand is one of our weak links in my opinion).

15 more points to go.   049:gif  049:gif  049:gif  049:gif  049:gif

The weak link is Hangeland.

Brede's undoubtedly made a number of mistakes this year, but I'd try to defend him by saying that he's not a natural RCB, he's a LCB. So he's out of position. Also, he wants to be the defender who pushes up and challenges the opposition whilst his partner drops deeper to mop up (like he did with Aaron for years). Amore has taken his slot at LCB and is now the one pushing high. So breed is playing out of position, in a role he's not as good at.

I think we made a mistake in buying 3 centre backs (Hang, Amore, Heit) who all want to push up, as it's left us exposed at the back. You need one to play high, one to drop deep. Also, the prem is moving towards a big challenging defender and a leaner/quicker clean-up defender - we only really have to former..

This isn't to say that Brede shouldn't be doing better (the mistake to allow Grant Holt a header from the far post has nothing to do with tactics, that was terrible marking and timing...) but many of our issues are not necessarily his fault, and scapegoating someone who has been as loyal to us a Brede feels a tad wrong.

Just my respectful opinion, though.

[horse1031]

Watching him walk around after the game it looked like he was OK.

[RaySmith]

Hangeland was in The Observer  Team of the Day based on opta stats.

[Macedo]

Hangeland was in The Observer  Team of the Day based on opta stats.

Thats Hillarious. .
Wonder who their reporter was..The Hairy Bikers maybe..

[cmg]

Watching him walk around after the game it looked like he was OK.

Now we know who did the Mitroglou medical.

[Arthur]

(Amorebietta on the other hand is one of our weak links in my opinion).

The weak link is Hangeland.

Brede's undoubtedly made a number of mistakes this year, but I'd try to defend him by saying that he's not a natural RCB, he's a LCB. So he's out of position.

Having conceded 74 goals at an average of more than two-a-game (with our record, so far, under FM - of having let in 16 in seven matches - being no better than before), the problem cannot lie at the feet (or head) of just one player. Hangeland has been far from at his best this season, but I doubt it has anything to do with his playing right-centre-back; as a predominantly right-footed player, this must surely be as straightforward a positional switch as there can be. (I thought he played well, overall, on Saturday; his one mistake proved costly, it's true. On another day, however, Holt's header doesn't go in and Hangeland's performance gets rousing acclaim.)

Bluntly, either our defenders are all - or nearly all - sub-standard and/or the root cause lies somewhere in the organisation, understanding and togetherness of the team.