Martin Kelly

[mark1975]

I've wanted to post something about this lad for sometime and yesterday's performance has prompted me to make a few points.

I hope he's a good centre back because I just don't rate the lad too highly as a fullback, his positional sense is dire, his forward play is predictable (though it's occasionally effective admittedly), it's just kick and chase. Skrtel was left covering centre back and right back yesterday because everytime the opposition hit us on the break, the lad was nowhere. It's not the first game either, he's performed like this several times and just about got away with it.

I don't get the hype.

 

[Ryan]

Yup, I've been saying it for a while too. He's just not a very good footballer really.

A good centre back he might become, a good right back he is not.

 

[Modo]

Kelly himself prefers to play in the middle, I don't know who's idea it was to predominantly play him on the right. He's a makeshift right-back at best.
PS fuck everyone who thought he was better than Johnson.

 

[mark1975]

Kelly himself prefers to play in the middle, I don't know who's idea it was to predominantly play him on the right. He's a makeshift right-back at best.
PS fuck everyone who thought he was better than Johnson.

Johnson's not all that either, tbf, nor Enrique.

 

[Modo]

Johnson's not all that either, tbf, nor Enrique.

He was all that yesterday, despite playing on the left.

 

[mark1975]

Do you think? He made a couple of good interceptions, he also looked trademark docile at times and that shot was just ridiculous. I'll give him a reprieve because he was out of position, but the few times he had time to put it on his right, with no one around him, he opted to try and cross/shoot first time to disastrous effect. The fullbacks were far too high up the pitch yesterday, it was a disaster waiting to happen and kind of illustrates why Neil's fantastic fullback theory is largely flawed.

 

[FoxForceFive]

He looks like a centre back playing out of position. A lot of centre backs don't make good full backs.

He is one of them.

I want to see him at centre back in a European match or two.

I also want us to buy at least one full back to play for the first team.

 

[gkmacca]

He's looked good enough in the past. I guess now it's a new regime it must be his fault.

 

[Gary25]

Johnson's not all that either, tbf, nor Enrique.

True. I've never rated Johnson and Enrique's form has really dipped. Neither player fills me with confidence.

Finnan, Riise, Arbeloa and Aurelio were much more reliable.

 

[Squiggles]

He was in better form than Johnson in parts of last season, but there's no denying that Johnson is the better footballer.

I still rate Kelly though. I think he'll come good in whatever position he ends up in.

 

[themn]

So, the Kelly backlash has begun ?

Do we have *any* players that aren't shit ?

 

[the count]

So, the Kelly backlash has begun ?

Do we have *any* players that aren't shit ?

Only the ones we haven't seen yet so I guess that would be Assidi.
That Allen lad isn't up to much obviously and after Borinni having one bad game in three we can safely say that he is shit as well.

 

[Gary25]

So, the Kelly backlash has begun ?

Do we have *any* players that aren't shit ?

Hardly a 'backlash', he' just not progressed the way we all envisaged, quite the opposite actually.

 

[FoxForceFive]

So, the Kelly backlash has begun ?

Do we have *any* players that aren't shit ?

Just the ones who haven't played for the first team for a few games yet.

 

[SaintGeorge67]

I disagree. Bar the odd game, he's been fine. If he can stay fit for an entire season it should benefit him greatly.

 

[themn]

Hardly a 'backlash', he' just not progressed the way we all invisaged, quite the opposite actually.

Hmmm....last season, most people were rejoicing at the brilliant young, local lad, and were made up with his England selection.

It seemed that Johnson was depriving him of his rightful place.

Now, he has a below-par game (as most of the team did yesterday) and "he's not that good".

Has he all-of-sudden turned into "get rid" material after one game ?

 

[juniormember]

Kelly's the least of our worries. He's a good player that'll be with us for years.

 

[SaintGeorge67]

Agreed

 

[kingjulian]

The swords have been drawn out.... Now we just need to stab him in the back...

 

[mark1975]

Hmmm....last season, most people were rejoicing at the brilliant young, local lad, and were made up with his England selection.

It seemed that Johnson was depriving him of his rightful place.

Now, he has a below-par game (as most of the team did yesterday) and "he's not that good".

Has he all-of-sudden turned into "get rid" material after one game ?

Come on themn, that's not what I'm saying at all, I've had concerns about him for a while, he's looked positionally suspect and let players in behind him a few times. I'm not writing him off, I'm not judging him one game, he can and needs to do better and offer more at both ends of the pitch, that's all.

 

[mark1975]

Kelly's the least of our worries. He's a good player that'll be with us for years.

Course he's a good prospect, like I said, I'm not writing him off and I know it's hardly a pressing position, but we should continue to strive to be better and while he might not be a major issue, there area certain aspects of his game he needs to work on. Saying "well we need a striker so stop moaning about a right back" is missing the point, the team as a whole needs to improve, him included. I don't get the sudden "give him a break" attitude, he's not looked that good (to me) for some time.

 

[keniget]

He looked pretty good at RB in the reserves and when he first got a chance in the first team. His progress appears to have stagnated, perhaps due to lack of games and perhaps due to other things.

As for the whole "Is he a RB or a CB debtae?", I'd be very surprised if we end up moving him into the middle. In the reserves he played at RB most of the time as Hobbs and San Jose were the CB partnership and he's carried on in that position.

If a young player hasn't had a run of games in their supposed preferred position for years, the likelihood of them ending up there eventually is probably fairly low.

 

[Red Mullet]

True. I've never rated Johnson and Enrique's form has really dipped. Neither player fills me with confidence.

Finnan, Riise, Arbeloa and Aurelio were much more reliable.

What?

If you look in the dictionary for the meaning of injury you'll find Aurelio.

 

[Fabio]

What?

If you look in the dictionary for the meaning of injury you'll find Aurelio.

Reliable in performance, not fitness

 

[Red Mullet]

Reliable in performance, not fitness

How can you perform when you're not playing?

 

[SaintGeorge67]

It's not a difficult concept. When he played, he was largely very good.

 

[Red Mullet]

The only thing he can be relied on was to get injured, not to play good football for an entire match.

 

[Fabio]

How can you perform when you're not playing?

.......

Reliable to be called upon. When fit Fabio didn't start, but was a more than capable understudy


His injury record was so sad. He would have been the answer to our left back position for years

 

[Fabio]

It's not a difficult concept. When he played, he was largely very good.

Even the term very good sold him short. He was solid defensively and a constant threat going forwards

Still fucking love him

 

[mark1975]

The only thing he can be relied on was to get injured, not to play good football for an entire match.

The point still stands though, that's a separate issue, when he played he was a better performer than the current lot, by and large. We've had some good fullbacks over the last decade or so, Babbel, Riise, Finnan, Arbeloa, Heggem, Aurelio, Gerrard (when he played there).