Reem

[perry geyton]

Ream used to be a liability but last season he suddenly looked like a new player. He has been impressive this season too, which I honestly didn't expect. His lack of pace is a problem of course but as long as other players (mainly Robinson) are aware of this and provide the necessary defensive cover it seems to work.

We will probably concede a couple of goals due to Ream's lack of pace this season but all CBs make mistakes and so far he has been rock solid. I'm a bit worried that he seems to almost injure himself every time he needs to make a last ditch tackle though. He's not getting any younger and I'm not sure we can expect him to play a full season at this level. But then again, he has proven me wrong before.

Makes me wonder if it was really all about coaching and that Ream simply stayed loyal to whatever the manager told him to do. Like those seasons when he repeatedly tried to dribble his way out of the box under pressure and looked totally incompetent as a result. His decision making under pressure has certainly improved! His positioning is much better too. It's been a while now since he got beaten by a long ball behind the defence, which used to be a problem in the past. It certainly looks like Silva has found a way to get the best out of Ream without exposing his weaknesses (pace + aerial duals). Or maybe Ream has simply learned from his mistakes.

I used to feel sick every time I saw his name on the team sheet but now I'm a converted Ream fan!

Always been a liability? Under Slav he was our player of the season so I'm not sure where that comes from

Reams problem  came from our midfield not covering well enough, Seri and Anguisa etc...

Now with Jao and Harrison in that role it's a different story

[Andy S]

I think Ream has always had it in him to be a good player.His distribution from the back has always been his main strength. It was only under Parker that his defending became a problem. However the better players we are able to bring in the better we look. I'm not sure Ream would last a whole season but as the World Cup is coming up that will surely help him. There is no doubt that he has been a good servant to the club

[McBrideOfFrankenstein]

A major publication performed an analysis several weeks ago concerning the changing roles of Tosin and Ream under Silva.  The article posited that when Fulham was last in the PL, the midfield was significantly more open, leaving the two CBs constantly exposed.  The consequence was that Tosin's athleticism was much more important, and Ream's lack of athleticism was a much greater problem.  Under Silva, with Palhinha and Reed providing cover, the CBs are exposed far less.  As a result, the prerequisites for a Silva CB are positioning, awareness, and overall intelligence.  These are Ream's strengths, along with his passing skills.  Occasionally, one sees Ream's lack of athleticism exposed, but as one commenter noted, it is less of a problem with Robinson on the cover than with a replacement.

Which publication?