aaron bond wrote:Saul Goodman wrote:Not Stones. Please no...
Completely agree. I've seen nothing to suggest he's going to be a top defender. Was absolutely abysmal for Everton last season.
At least with people like Smalling or Cahill you saw glimpses of talent before they moved to bigger clubs. But Stones has not shown any of that at all.
Nastasic, Otamendi, possibly Stones. Our defensive scouts are awful.
If we sign Stones, I hope I'm wrong and he turns out to be a success but he is a huge risk, especially at the price we will probably pay.
To say he was 'abysmal for Everton last season' is very harsh. He was actually very good in the first few months of the season.
However he tried one trick (that actually came off) and pundits and media immediately jumped on his back.
At the same time the knives were out for Martinez, so they used Stones' so called arrogance against him. Saying he was a weak manager who should be hammering John Stones.
He lost his confidence as Martinez came under more pressure and every mistake was singled out. I remember hearing he was excellent at Old Trafford but Everton were apparently awful, so it was ignored.
Unfortunately everone's an expert these days so I tend to watch and make my own judgments. Cahill was actually quite similar at Villa and Bolton. You could see he had something, but I laughed when he joined Chelsea, because he appeared to make mistakes in every game. However he's become a pivotal part of their team.
Same with Smalling. Me and a mate used to cheer when, 'switch off' as we called him, was picked for the derbies as it would mean we would get at least one or two glorious opportunities at set pieces, when Smalling would lose his concentration. However he's another who has improved. Still not convinced though.
Yes I think Stones is a risk, particularly as Everton are looking for top dollar. However I think unlike previous years the manager will have the final say and NOT Txiki. So if Pep thinks he turn him into a top defender I'm prepared to back him.
Thing is should Stones join he shouldn't be judged after 10 games, either way.