Kyle Walker

[ShelfSide18]

With Smith it's important to remember that he is physically smaller and not as fast as Walker which means, developmentally, he is not going to be ready for EPL football as early as Walker was. If you have pace and strength then players tend to breakthrough earlier than smaller, technical players - whether you think that's right or wrong that's up to you, but this is generally how it tends to go.

 

[Syn_13]

I think Walker, because of his physical attributes, and on the assumption that he gets better. Smith will also get better and already has better technical skills, but will never be as tall, strong and fast as Walker.

Watched a lot of Smith for Millwall, he's very good. I think he's Premiership quality already but not at our level, and not as good as Walker yet. He's the same age but I wouldn't worry about that, different players mature at different ages. I reckon when both in their late 20s Smith will actually be better than Walker as he's a better reader of the game and, as you've pointed out, better technically.

 

[Kendall]

Except he's not 'nowhere near' - he's already technically more accomplished than Walker.

Sure he is. He's knocking the proverbial door down.

 

[Bobbins]

Sure he is. He's knocking the proverbial door down.

Brilliant, and I bet you've watched him loads at the New Den this season to back up this opinion

 

[mano-obe]

Gary Neville spent a few days with Kyle on England duty but it wasn't long enough with a load of other defenders on board.

If he wasn't doing well in his punditry, he's the sort of defensive coach we need to help. From positioning, to marking, to tackling and decision making, he was excellent at them all. I think he shakes our head every time we concede an easy goal from a corner

 

[Original # 10]

I like Walker. By no means the finished article but very talented nonetheless.
He and Lennon just need some credible competition

 

[Main Man]

What a load of nonsense I am reading here.

Kyle Naughton is a better right back than Adam Smith, yet here we are considering Smith as a Walker replacement.

 

[Bus-Conductor]

He didn't at all. He was comparing Adebayor to Tevez saying their role in the game was similar but Adebayor was not being anywhere near as effective.

In the Chelsea game he said that Adebayor had done nothing until the goal (true) but kept commenting that the goal woke him up afterwards.

But he should have been comparing the efficacy of Adebayor and Dzeko, because they were playing identical roles - a comparison in which Adebayor would have come out perfectly OK. Instead he chose one of the best players in the league playing in a completely different role so as to make Adebayor look bad.

He did exactly the same against Chelsea, where he all but called Adebayor a useless ****, despite Adebayor playing very well from the start of the game. Picking out a run he supposedly should have made for Holtby when Adebayor clearly made a good choice, making comments when Adebayor scored along the lines "I didn't think he had it in him" in a very derisory way.

 

[Bus-Conductor]

I didn't see the Chelsea game with English commentary as I was away so I don't know what he said, but in your ratings thread didn't you say something along the lines that neville had already decided pre game that Ade was going to play badly?

I do admit that's pretty stupid to judge a players performance pre game based on prejudice, don't you?

but the point remains I think gary neville knows something about playing RB, do you agree?

I remember the first couple of times Neville commented on Spurs games he gave Walker the MOTM. One of them Walker had had a stinker, the other he'd done very little. Did this suggest to me his judgement was infallible where RB's are concerned ? No.

I take nothing for granted where anyone's ability to weigh up football L10. Do you never question an ex pro's opinion, even if it's about a position they played or do you automatically defer to them ?

 

[Legend10]

I remember the first couple of times Neville commented on Spurs games he gave Walker the MOTM. One of them Walker had had a stinker, the other he'd done very little. Did this suggest to me his judgement was infallible where RB's are concerned ? No.

I take nothing for granted where anyone's ability to weigh up football L10. Do you never question an ex pro's opinion, even if it's about a position they played or do you automatically defer to them ?

Absolutely I question it, personally I think a lot of ex pro's talk utter garbage, an hour watching soccer saturday or listening to Niall Quinn will tell you that.

However IMHO Neville has a deep rooted grasp of the game and whenever i've seen his Monday night analysis I've been very impressed and found it insightful, and also in the main in his in game punditry.

Its your opinion that in those games Walker had a stinker and done very little, obviously Neville disagrees with you. Now with all due respect having watched and listened to Neville talking about football and occasionally reading your regular ramblings it seems to me personally that he has an ever so slightly better understanding of the game than yourself, and when it comes to what is required to be a good right back I'm pretty sure he knows more, don't you?

 

[Spurs 1961]

Can't see why Walker and Lennon get such stick. When they don't play we lose much of our attacking threat

 

[Bus-Conductor]

Absolutely I question it, personally I think a lot of ex pro's talk utter garbage, an hour watching soccer saturday or listening to Niall Quinn will tell you that.

However IMHO Neville has a deep rooted grasp of the game and whenever i've seen his Monday night analysis I've been very impressed and found it insightful, and also in the main in his in game punditry.

Its your opinion that in those games Walker had a stinker and done very little, obviously Neville disagrees with you. Now with all due respect having watched and listened to Neville talking about football and occasionally reading your regular ramblings it seems to me personally that he has an ever so slightly better understanding of the game than yourself, and when it comes to what is required to be a good right back I'm pretty sure he knows more, don't you?

Based on the examples I've given you, no. All we can say about ex-pros is that they know more about what it takes to live the life of a professional footballer. Analysing the performance of others is a completely different skill and has been proven (by our own manager who spent the formative years of his career in football doing that better than anyone for one of the the most successful managers coaching today, despite having no experience whatsoever as a pro). And I've pulled up other examples occasionally where he's talked bollocks. But I would say that wouldn't I, just as you would say the same about the pundits on the shows you mention that are spouting what you perceive as codswallop.

What I think about Neville is that sometimes his stuff is good, others it's not. Simple as that. he's better than many but not the oracle. I like his demeanour and he is earnest in his efforts, but I don't think he's infallible. Those times he made Walker MOTM I wasn't the only one to question the validity of it. It smacked of a bit of RB union. It was very early in his pundit career mind you.

 

[michaelden]

Improving on either WB is not a prime necessity this TW. I's say 2 ST, 1 approaching prime, 1 early 20's showing potential, like say Soldado & Damiao

 

[Krafty]

Jebus, woe betide any of our players should they ever happen to stall or take a slight step back in their development.

Kyle Walker is 22. Twenty-Two. If he was at another club and we were linked with him we would be shitting our pants in joy.

Yes he has room to improve, and he's had a slightly worse season than last season, but equally that is because we know expect more from him - he isn't the kid who did well on loan at Villa, he's an England international and right back for a team with Champions League aspirations. The bar has raised, and its caught up with him a little. However with a proper break, and back for pre-season in a relatively settled back line and with the defensive game plan continuing from last season (as opposed to the shift from Harry's style to AVB's) I expect Walker to step back up.


Plus having met him he's a really nice bloke too.

An appropriate comparison might be Andros Townsend. We all hope he continues his good form from his loan at QPR with us next season, dazzle a little, show great potential. But the season after, once we have seen him week in week out, the best AND the worst of him, people will be expecting more from him and expect yet more progress, and he might have to take a step back to take two forward.

 

[Chris_D]

He's a great prospect but not quite the finished article. Really quick and that saves him at times when he gets out of position. If he can read the game a bit better then he can be an England regular but if he gets caught out of position then it's not working. He needs competition and this year he hasn't had it - he's hardly missed a game. Naughton was the only real competition this year and he played more at LB which is hard on him because that's not his position. Maybe if Smith's back next year and Rose is competing at LB then he'll get a rest and we'll see the best of him. Needs to watch his discipline too but I guess that comes with age. It wouldn't hurt to have a consistent CB pairing alongside him.