Is Zat Knight Half as bad as is perceived on here?

[truewhite15]

The game against Everton, which season was it? Last season? He lunges into a tackle, goes down injured, lucky not to be sent off imho. Out for games/weeks/months. If it had been in the area it should have been a penalty, I think it was outside. I don't see all the positional stuff a lot of you see but that incident was bad enough.

I'm not anti-Knight, he could be a decent back-up in the championship, hopefully after Wheater, Ream and Mills. No idea if Mills is any good but I've liked Wheater and Ream so far.

Actually, the challenge you use as a stick to beat Knight with was a fantastic tackle. He made up yards on the attacker before throwing himself into it, getting the ball perfectly cleanly, but it was the angle at which his knee had to be to make the tackle which injured him. Perfectly clean tackle, IIRC, just unfortunate that he got injured.

FYI, I'd have Wheater/Mills and Ream as our CB partnership, only throwing Knight in if absolutely necessary. But credit where it's due, huh?

[TANGODANCER]

It's not so much using sticks to beat Knight with for me, more the frustration of why, at corners and freekicks, he usually reacts about three seconds after everybody else. He's built like an olympic high jumper but consistently jumps like a limbo dancer and is more laid-back than a sun lounger.

[wanderers_on_tour]

This thread has made me realise something...

Ream

Hope they get him on the weights pre season though.

[truewhite15]

It's not so much using sticks to beat Knight with for me, more the frustration of why, at corners and freekicks, he usually reacts about three seconds after everybody else. He's built like an olympic high jumper but consistently jumps like a limbo dancer and is more laid-back than a sun lounger.

Oh, I agree, believe me - most of the Zat-bashing is justified, and he has been largely useless for us. I just didn't feel it was right to criticise him for something he actually did right.

[Prufrock]

It was a fantastic recovery tackle in fairness, a recovery after his own lapse in concentration in letting the world class movement of Victor Anifeckingchebe get the better of him. By world class movement I mean 'ran behind him'.

This is a reckon, and may be bollocks, but our defensive line with Knight involved seemed to read:

LB----------------CB-------RB
-------Knight------------------


Constantly. Wheater got turned a lot, but they were clearly being told to play with a high line. Zat Knight (I fecking hope) wasn't being told to keep playing everyone onside.

[BWFC_Insane]

It was a fantastic recovery tackle in fairness, a recovery after his own lapse in concentration in letting the world class movement of Victor Anifeckingchebe get the better of him. By world class movement I mean 'ran behind him'.

This is a reckon, and may be bollocks, but our defensive line with Knight involved seemed to read:

LB----------------CB-------RB
-------Knight------------------


Constantly. Wheater got turned a lot, but they were clearly being told to play with a high line. Zat Knight (I fecking hope) wasn't being told to keep playing everyone onside.

Nail on head.

[Armchair Wanderer]

It's not so much using sticks to beat Knight with for me, more the frustration of why, at corners and freekicks, he usually reacts about three seconds after everybody else. He's built like an olympic high jumper but consistently jumps like a limbo dancer and is more laid-back than a sun lounger.

Oh, I agree, believe me - most of the Zat-bashing is justified, and he has been largely useless for us. I just didn't feel it was right to criticise him for something he actually did right.

We disagree on the tackle, luckily the ref and everyone else agreed with you.

[truewhite15]

It's not so much using sticks to beat Knight with for me, more the frustration of why, at corners and freekicks, he usually reacts about three seconds after everybody else. He's built like an olympic high jumper but consistently jumps like a limbo dancer and is more laid-back than a sun lounger.

Oh, I agree, believe me - most of the Zat-bashing is justified, and he has been largely useless for us. I just didn't feel it was right to criticise him for something he actually did right.

We disagree on the tackle, luckily the ref and everyone else agreed with you.

Indeed. I suspect, had you been the ref, you'd have had a fair few furious Boltonians tracking you down, and an equal amount of bewildered but happy Evertonians sending you thank-you notes

[boltonboris]

All 3 of our centre halves (from last season) are a bit shit. Which is one of the major reasons we went down.

Not seen Mills yet, so I'll give him the benefit.

Wheater is better than Knight. Knight is probably better than Ream.

[n035209]

All Ill say is Ben Arfa goal for Newcastle was like the parting of the red sea. Wheater and Reams positioning on occassions is so so poor.

And yes I do believe that goal was poor defending rather than great attacking.

[TANGODANCER]

All 3 of our centre halves (from last season) are a bit shit. Which is one of the major reasons we went down.

Not seen Mills yet, so I'll give him the benefit.

Wheater is better than Knight. Knight is probably better than Ream.

Can't judge them individually, they're supposed to work as a pair, but Ream will get better,for me, now he's had some exposure to English action. I like the man.

[boltonboris]

Yeah, I'm sure he's a nice bloke.

BUT for me, one of the most basic attributes for a central defender is to win a header. He drops off about 5 yards and often lets the striker either bring the ball down, or nod the ball un-challenged to a team mate.

He can sprint though.. But so can Theo Walcott.. And I wouldn't stick him at CB.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

I before E except after C.

Step away from the mnemonic, James. Don't teach the lovely little 'un in your avatar that rule: it's wrong a startling number of times, maybe ieghteen times in twentyieght. Certainly enough to make education authorities consider it (to predictable uproar) not worth teaching.

Examples: albeit, atheism, ancient, beige, codeine, conscience, counterfeit, deify, deity, deign, eight, either, fancies, feign, feint, feisty, financier, foreign, forfeit, freight, heifer, heinous, glacier, heigh-ho, height, heinous, heir, heist, neigh, neighbour, neither, policies, prescient, rein, science, seismic, seize, sheik, sleigh, society, sovereign, species, sufficient, surfeit, their, veil, vein, weight, weir, weird.

Anyway, Zat Knight? He's not as bad as made out on teh internetz, but he wouldn't be in my first-choice centre-back partnership for the first game. And when Wheater comes back, Knight wouldn't be first-choice back-up either. But of course by then we may have decided that Ream and Mills are abject.

[ohjimmyjimmy]

I before E except after C.

Step away from the mnemonic, James. Don't teach the lovely little 'un in your avatar that rule: it's wrong a startling number of times, maybe ieghteen times in twentyieght. Certainly enough to make education authorities consider it (to predictable uproar) not worth teaching.

Examples: albeit, atheism, ancient, beige, codeine, conscience, counterfeit, deify, deity, deign, eight, either, fancies, feign, feint, feisty, financier, foreign, forfeit, freight, heifer, heinous, glacier, heigh-ho, height, heinous, heir, heist, neigh, neighbour, neither, policies, prescient, rein, science, seismic, seize, sheik, sleigh, society, sovereign, species, sufficient, surfeit, their, veil, vein, weight, weir, weird.

Anyway, Zat Knight? He's not as bad as made out on teh internetz, but he wouldn't be in my first-choice centre-back partnership for the first game. And when Wheater comes back, Knight wouldn't be first-choice back-up either. But of course by then we may have decided that Ream and Mills are abject.

Bloody journalists...

[H. Pedersen]

If Knight had Abdoulaye Faye’s attitude I think he’d be a very good player and a fan favorite. He just doesn’t come across as passionate. Maybe that’s unfair, but I’ve never seen him truly pumped or truly irate or truly anything. Fans don’t like that attitude, even if you’re as talented as Dimitar Berbatov, which Knight certainly isn’t. I think this is why he’s so reviled by so many.

I’m fine with us keeping him around, we need bodies and he should do fine as cover in the Championship.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

When he was seen sharing a post-match smile with a Fulham player, it intensely annoyed people partly because he hardly had a clean slate to start with – but also because it was after yet another abject Wanderers performance at the Cottage, as we've had under a parade of managers.

It's a hell of a trek from Bolton to London, and they're the sort of team we like to feel we should be able to live with – a comparison helped by the two clubs' relatively recent adventures in the lower leagues and parallel promotion to the Premier. Somehow, it just seems to hurt more when Zat Knight grins after a typically Coyleian collapse, or Joey O'Brien flounders as a right-winger in a typically Megsonian 4-5-1.

[Puskas]

Fans don’t like that attitude

Speak for yourself.

I always preferred Philliskirk to Reeves. I know I'm not alone in that.

[Hoboh]

If Knight had Abdoulaye Faye’s attitude I think he’d be a very good player and a fan favorite. He just doesn’t come across as passionate. Maybe that’s unfair, but I’ve never seen him truly pumped or truly irate or truly anything. Fans don’t like that attitude, even if you’re as talented as Dimitar Berbatov, which Knight certainly isn’t. I think this is why he’s so reviled by so many.

I’m fine with us keeping him around, we need bodies and he should do fine as cover in the Championship.

Pedders, if he was in one of your basketball teams you'd target him and his attitude with vigour!

Face it, he is not a good package!

[Holden midfielder]

Harsh comments on Ream. Thought he adjusted pretty quick to the Prem and should excel in Tje Championship. My biggest concern is that Mills (who I rate highly) and Ream are very similar types of central defenders: fit, quick, get forward, technical, like to play their way out of the back, and very comfortable On the ball. Problem is that neither is very physical or a "presence" in the back. A cold night in some nasty, cold, windy, muddy pitch in South Bermondsey wil be a problem for them as the abuse of the home fans is hurled from the stands and the wind comes out of Cold Blow Lane. Meanwhile the opposition lumps balls non stop into our box .... You get the drift.

[wanderers_on_tour]

Harsh comments on Ream. Thought he adjusted pretty quick to the Prem and should excel in Tje Championship. My biggest concern is that Mills (who I rate highly) and Ream are very similar types of central defenders: fit, quick, get forward, technical, like to play their way out of the back, and very comfortable On the ball. Problem is that neither is very physical or a "presence" in the back. A cold night in some nasty, cold, windy, muddy pitch in South Bermondsey wil be a problem for them as the abuse of the home fans is hurled from the stands and the wind comes out of Cold Blow Lane. Meanwhile the opposition lumps balls non stop into our box .... You get the drift.

Sorry but where exactly have you got this from??

I agree with the majority of your post but just because he isn't a 'presence' at the back doesn't make him soft. In fact he's always come across as a laid back, calm demeanour (especially with the ball) and so I have no qualms with him handling himself next year at the toughest of grounds. Like I said earlier, and I think this is what you're getting at n all, he needs to 'bulk up' a little bit and if he could become a bit more verbal in his game then that's perfect but I think his attitude is spot on. I'm glad we never got to see him one on one against a Didier Drogba or someone but luckily the championship is hardly filled with the sort.