Eric Dier

[PaulM]

Was immense yesterday. Proper shit how dead this thread is because you know if he dropped a clanger there’d be page after page of insults. Yes he was bad against Leicester (who wasn't) but he's been the centre of the defence for shutouts vs Chelsea, West Ham, Man City and Fulham in the last month.

Don’t even care. I love Eric Dier, Eric Dier loves me. Deserves far more respect because he’ll run through walls for the side. Always love it when he has a good game because he's one of us.

Agreed. He was very good last week and this week. However, it does help that we're sitting deep and he has bodies around him. When he's left 1 v 1, he is very exposed because he's not very mobile or very good in that situation. He's not unlike Harry Maguire in that.

I've a lot of time for Dier. But the team has to be set up in a way that suits his game or else he's a liability.

 

[RuskyM]

Agreed. He was very good last week and this week. However, it does help that we're sitting deep and he has bodies around him. When he's left 1 v 1, he is very exposed because he's not very mobile or very good in that situation. He's not unlike Harry Maguire in that.

I've a lot of time for Dier. But the team has to be set up in a way that suits his game or else he's a liability.

(This is also why I think if we're going to keep playing this system next year Maguire wouldn't be a horrendous option, but that's a whole new can of unpopular worms to open.)

 

[-Afri-Coy-]

Isn't every player?

I hope he keeps it going until the summer and for the next ten years. Love him.

Not in the sense that the swing is such a stark contrast in terms of the performance.

When he is brilliant he is almost world class, and when he's bad he is championship level bad.

I like him as a player too, I just don't think he is good enough to start for a team who wants to win trophies on a consistent basis.

More than happy to keep him as cover though.

 

[mil1lion]

He's decent back up and can cover rcb as well. We definitely need a better more consistent player there. For now he needs to be back to it and go on a run like the back end of last season. Hopefully with genuine competition where he's no longer a certain starter he'll be back to his best when called upon.

I wouldn't get too carried away as Chelsea and West Ham are blunt in front of goal at the moment. He did well though and needs that confidence.

 

[PaulM]

(This is also why I think if we're going to keep playing this system next year Maguire wouldn't be a horrendous option, but that's a whole new can of unpopular worms to open.)

I'm actually fed up saying this very thing to people. Maguire was never as good as some people claimed a few years back. But he's nowhere near as bad as he gets labelled these days. He'd be a very good player in the right team. And the right team is one that sits deep so he's not having to turn and he's not having to defend 1 v 1 very often.

Unfortunately, we live in a world of absolutes where you're either brilliant or dogshit. Right now, Maguire is "dogshit".

 

[McFlash]

Is this a good time to point people to the article on the front page?

 

[rossdapep]

I think it's really silly when people come in here after one or two good performances and use it as an opportunity to state that they were right and Dier is good enough.

He has been with the club for 9 years, continuously hitting poor patches, making bad errors and showing a lack of mobility in crucial stages.

It's not the same as with someone like Emerson who has been here 18 months and shows signs of improvement.

We should know very well now that he has his limitations. People who fail to see that are just blinding themselves or using it as an argument to fight back against those who have been stating that he's not good enough.

Dier is nothing more than a decent defender who isn't quite good enough for the very top. Of course he will throw in a handful of good performances every now and again, but ultimately he will make bad mistakes, especially when players like Romero aren't beside him.

 

[RuskyM]

We should know very well now that he has his limitations. People who fail to see that are just blinding themselves or using it as an argument to fight back against those who have been stating that he's not good enough.

It’s not a refusal to see limitations: it’s wanting him to get even half as much praise when he does well as he does criticism when he fucks up.

 

[Timberwolf]

Depends if Conte stays, if a new manager is to comes in and intends to play possession base attacking football like everyone are calling for then Dier would be worse than all of our backup CBs due to the high defense line required for the system so unless the club knows that’s not how we are going to play next season otherwise giving him a new deal now may not be the best idea.

Yeah very true. Dier's an absolute liability if we play with a high line and would be as useful as a chocolate teapot if we brought in a back 4 manager and started pushing high up.

 

[rabbikeane]

Dier is solid when his weaknesses aren't exposed, played well against Chelsea.
Sofascore had him as the one with highest rating, though his assist will have boosted his stats.

For the Romero comparison and fans perspective between the two. Have to understand that Romero is supposed to play aggressive and take risks,
DIer's role is one of security and covering the other two. You want Romero to take some risks, that's where you get his best, and way more positives than the few times it goes wrong. Have to carry the bad times. Maybe it's unfair, but Dier ideally play in a role where he should hardly make any mistakes at all.

 

[McFlash]

It’s not a refusal to see limitations: it’s wanting him to get even half as much praise when he does well as he does criticism when he fucks up.

Life, and SC, doesn't work like that.

 

[Phil_2.0]

You watch him on the pitch and he is not playing with confidence and most of the fans hate him. The groans are very loud when he misplaces a pass.

 

[rossdapep]

It’s not a refusal to see limitations: it’s wanting him to get even half as much praise when he does well as he does criticism when he fucks up.

Yes but some seem to come in here as to show others that he has turned a corner or simply as a retort to those who have been criticising him.

Yes, he has played well in the last 2 games but that Leicester game is fresh in my memory and he's had Romero beside him.

Im not going to lie to myself. I know why he has played better in the last week and I know he'll fuck up the minute he doesn't have players like Romero beside him.

 

[robotsonic]

I think the reality with Dier is that we all know he's not a top level CB, but he's also not absolute basement either. He's always been streaky, but is capable of solid defending and organisation and he's fully Spurs and by all accounts a good influence with the rest of the squad and well liked. We also have HG quotas to satisfy. I can't see him leaving anytime soon for all of the above, and personally I'm fine with that.

We don't have anyone coming through to displace him (Japhet ain't it) so we'd have to pay HG premium for anyone we want to replace him in the squad with if we wanted rid, and then another defender on top of that as backup, or the HG player be the backup (which seems pointless as I'm not sure what HG defender we're going to buy for 30-40m that wants to rotate or sit on the bench), as we currently have no understudy for him.

Hopefully over the summer there's a conversation with him involving a "rotational" role that keep him in the squad and happy, but see a premium player come in to eventually take his place. But I can't see in a million years why we'd look to get rid of him as it makes little sense if you're looking at it from a squad building and quota perspective.

He's had a shite season the first half, but to be honest has made no more glaring errors than Davies and Lenglet, and is not the liability that Romero looked only a few weeks back, yet gets 5x the stick. Just turned into one of those players I suppose, a la Winks.

 

[Stamford]

He needs to be upgraded in the summer no question. There needs to be someone at romeros level at the centre of the defence

 

[sifub]

I think the reality with Dier is that we all know he's not a top level CB, but he's also not absolute basement either. He's always been streaky, but is capable of solid defending and organisation and he's fully Spurs and by all accounts a good influence with the rest of the squad and well liked. We also have HG quotas to satisfy. I can't see him leaving anytime soon for all of the above, and personally I'm fine with that.

Dier isn't homegrown

 

[robotsonic]

Well I've pulled my own pants down there then!

Fact remains though that if we continue to play 3 at the back, are we going to sign two central CBs in a window? I don't see it, and not sure it makes sense to do so. Would rather he stays as the rotation option than us get rid.

 

[sifub]

Well I've pulled my own pants down there then!

Fact remains though that if we continue to play 3 at the back, are we going to sign two central CBs in a window? I don't see it, and not sure it makes sense to do so. Would rather he stays as the rotation option than us get rid.

We seem to struggle to sign any CBs. I cant see two being signed either. I can see him continue as the only choice if an LCB is prioritised.

 

[nico97531]

We seem to struggle to sign any CBs. I cant see two being signed either. I can see him continue as the only choice if an LCB is prioritised.

We have always struggled to sign players for a specific position (bar last summer) as we are bargain hunter which is why we signed a LWF to warm the bench when we were looking for a RWF in Jan.

 

[isaac94]

find it weird that people think after 2 decent performances the gaping weaknesses are all forgotten, yes he has played decent lately against 2 weak attacking teams, but he has shown for so many years, and so many errors that his not up to the level of a top side, no shame in that, its just facts