Mills & Ream. Or, "buy a full-back, quick!"

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Said back in November that it'd be nice to borrow Jon Flanagan from Liverpool - a right-back by trade but excelled in the derby against Everton on the left. Mind, he's just returned to training after nearly a month out.

Rodgers, in November: “If he plays like he did against Everton, he is going to get football. I’m a big admirer of Jon because he has just kept persevering. It has been remarkable really, that we haven’t had any clubs come in for him to take him on loan. We would always facilitate his wages. We only had one club come in for him, a League One club. I had to keep him back because I thought I was going to have to play him at Arsenal. He is a young player that needs to play. There have been a couple of enquiries but nothing concrete."

[thebish]

he didn't look very assured out on the right against Leicester...

I didn't see the Leicester game, though someone that did told me he had no answer to Dyer's pace. That's something he hopefully doesn't come up against very often.

So, a flexible defender who prefers full-back but is experienced in the middle ... is captain of a club doing reasonably well (in fits & starts), well rated by that club's fans and he is wanted by many clubs when he comes free.

He joins us and appears to be sluggish and easily exposed as a full back.

Where did this change of form come from then ?

I suspect that he would also have struggled against Dyer's pace whilst playing so awesomely well at Blackpool... I suspect it's no great change...

[Enoch]

he didn't look very assured out on the right against Leicester...

I didn't see the Leicester game, though someone that did told me he had no answer to Dyer's pace. That's something he hopefully doesn't come up against very often.

So, a flexible defender who prefers full-back but is experienced in the middle ... is captain of a club doing reasonably well (in fits & starts), well rated by that club's fans and he is wanted by many clubs when he comes free.

He joins us and appears to be sluggish and easily exposed as a full back.

Where did this change of form come from then ?

I suspect that he would also have struggled against Dyer's pace whilst playing so awesomely well at Blackpool... I suspect it's no great change...

Agreed.

Further, when I've watched him for us he hasn't appeared sluggish.

[LeverEnd]

I've seen him exposed by more than Dyer. He keeps plugging away but teams seem to deliberately attack his side more than the other, or maybe it's just my imagination.

[William the White]

I've seen him exposed by more than Dyer. He keeps plugging away but teams seem to deliberately attack his side more than the other, or maybe it's just my imagination.

If Ream is a full back, Baptiste is world class.

[Lord Kangana]

Has anyone considered Baptiste and Mills at CH and White and Mears at fullback?

4 Right footers though.. Wouldn't work.

Never thought of that!

In principle, though, say if Tierney were back in place of White - a possibility?

[TonyDomingos]

he didn't look very assured out on the right against Leicester...

I didn't see the Leicester game, though someone that did told me he had no answer to Dyer's pace. That's something he hopefully doesn't come up against very often.

So, a flexible defender who prefers full-back but is experienced in the middle ... is captain of a club doing reasonably well (in fits & starts), well rated by that club's fans and he is wanted by many clubs when he comes free.

He joins us and appears to be sluggish and easily exposed as a full back.

Where did this change of form come from then ?

Two months before he joined us, he was in the Blackpool back four that shipped six at Brighton.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Has anyone considered Baptiste and Mills at CH and White and Mears at fullback?

4 Right footers though.. Wouldn't work.

Never thought of that! In principle, though, say if Tierney were back in place of White - a possibility?

A theoretical possibility, but Freedman would have to reverse earlier decisions on Baptiste (not a centre-back) and Mers (persona non grata).

[LeverEnd]

When is Tierney back?

[bobo the clown]

When is Tierney back?

Next season I thought.

[Prufrock]

An article before Xmas said he'd be back before the end, but it didn't sound like by much.