Left backs

[Millsy]

Just trying to generate discussion for HNA in the boring off-season but reading Bristow's comments signing for Tranmere (that he likes getting forward) got me wondering about our academy or modern full back training ethos.

Bristow I agree was to be fair not bad going forward, but utter dogshite in defence.
Liability Blackett as (only) I liked to call him was exactly that, a liability in defence. But in his good spell he was great going forward and cleaned up his defence a bit.
Richards people may remember was utter dogshite in defence when he started. He learned to hide the defensive cracks as he matured but by far his biggest strength was going forward.
Obita (originally a left winger but shoe-horned into a LB role due to shortage IIRC) obviously better going forward than defence.

So this got me thinking, do we just not get many LB/RB coming through thesedays? Do we try and train them to be wingbacks by default? Do we therefore not care so much how good they are in defence or we don't really train them like that as a focus?

Not RFC, but the classic case is TAA so is this more widespread?

Just wondering.

[Pepe the Horseman]

Just trying to generate discussion for HNA in the boring off-season but reading Bristow's comments signing for Tranmere (that he likes getting forward) got me wondering about our academy or modern full back training ethos.

Bristow I agree was to be fair not bad going forward, but utter dogshite in defence.
Liability Blackett as (only) I liked to call him was exactly that, a liability in defence. But in his good spell he was great going forward and cleaned up his defence a bit.
Richards people may remember was utter dogshite in defence when he started. He learned to hide the defensive cracks as he matured but by far his biggest strength was going forward.
Obita (originally a left winger but shoe-horned into a LB role due to shortage IIRC) obviously better going forward than defence.

So this got me thinking, do we just not get many LB/RB coming through thesedays? Do we try and train them to be wingbacks by default? Do we therefore not care so much how good they are in defence or we don't really train them like that as a focus?

Not RFC, but the classic case is TAA so is this more widespread?

Just wondering.

Not even a recent thing. Murty was a failed winger. S Hunt was tried at LB. Gilkes?

[Snowflake Royal]

Full back is a dead position. Its all wing backs.

In fact, the art of defending is dying in general. See CBs coached more on passing than defending these days because they're playmakers noe.

[NathStPaul]

Yeah thats very true, the game has evolved.

I think Jamie Carragher said it a few years ago on Sky, nobody grew up wanting to be a full back. It is a position normally filled by kids who can't quite make it as a central midfielder or winger, happens from a very young age in my years of experience.

[Snowflake Royal]

Yeah thats very true, the game has evolved.

I think Jamie Carragher said it a few years ago on Sky, nobody grew up wanting to be a full back. It is a position normally filled by kids who can't quite make it as a central midfielder or winger, happens from a very young age in my years of experience.

Back in my school football days you always put the Malcos at fullbacks. Much to my disappointment.

[YorkshireRoyal99]

Ultimately it depends on your system, but most managers will want their full backs high and involved in the attacking phases much more now, but not just because they are generally better at going forward, but also as an adaptation of 2 strikers going out of fashion significantly as well as wingers looking to play narrower these days as well.

I wouldn't recommend it personally, but we could feasibly play Holmes and McIntyre as our full backs, obviously more versed on the defensive side of the game, along with 2 CB's. But we'd lose a significant amount going forward without at least one attacking full back.

[Coppells Lost Coat]

I do think its the way that the academy's have been sup for a while now. Get a a few quicker players to play CB, convert failed wingers as full backs.
If you got a CB with a bit of pace, you can essentially play with 4 man defence using wing backs. Split your CB and get your defensive minded cm to drop 10 yards. You gain a man going forward and a potential overload without little repercussions (in theory). Only really works if you have quality in the back line though....and that quality is very very expensive.
Dare i say it but RB / LB is a fairly easy position to do okay in (as a pro) but very hard position to be great in.

[Hound]

Yeah thats very true, the game has evolved.

I think Jamie Carragher said it a few years ago on Sky, nobody grew up wanting to be a full back. It is a position normally filled by kids who can't quite make it as a central midfielder or winger, happens from a very young age in my years of experience.

Back in my school football days you always put the Malcos at fullbacks. Much to my disappointment.

I assume a ‘Malco’ is the best player as that was my position in the school team

Yeah the game has changed. The defensive full back has long since died out

[Snowflake Royal]

Yeah thats very true, the game has evolved.

I think Jamie Carragher said it a few years ago on Sky, nobody grew up wanting to be a full back. It is a position normally filled by kids who can't quite make it as a central midfielder or winger, happens from a very young age in my years of experience.

Back in my school football days you always put the Malcos at fullbacks. Much to my disappointment.

I assume a ‘Malco’ is the best player as that was my position in the school team

Yeah the game has changed. The defensive full back has long since died out

Mal-coordinated

[Hound]

[NathStPaul]

I'm sure you tried hard. What you lacked in talent you made up for in effort.

[Hound]

I'm sure you tried hard. What you lacked in talent you made up for in effort.

Fair summary actually

[Snowflake Royal]

I'm sure you tried hard. What you lacked in talent you made up for in effort.

Fair summary actually

Of all fullbacks tbh.

[JedMaxwell]

It's funny because no one wants to be a full back but they're often seen by coaches as the most important positions. A lot of left footed central midfielders end up at left back, like Obita.

If you see how Man City and Liverpool play, the full backs are a huge asset attacking-wise but defensively they are not so important.

I still remember how Cafu and Roberto Carlos changed the idea of what a full back could be like, although they were both excellent defensively.

[Franchise FC]

One of my pet hates is playing right footers at left back

Cancelo appears to one of the very few that can make it work, but Tripper, Reece James, Gunter …

[muirinho]

One of my pet hates is playing right footers at left back

Cancelo appears to one of the very few that can make it work, but Tripper, Reece James, Gunter …

I think it's one thing shoving in a right back at left back when you're out of left backs - i.e., one sub covering both positions for example. But as a deliberate policy, it's weird.

[Hound]

One of my pet hates is playing right footers at left back

Cancelo appears to one of the very few that can make it work, but Tripper, Reece James, Gunter …

Wasn’t Gunter bizarrely good there? Better there than he was RB, mainly because he stopped forever turning inside and going backwards

[Hendo]

One of my pet hates is playing right footers at left back

Cancelo appears to one of the very few that can make it work, but Tripper, Reece James, Gunter …

Wasn’t Gunter bizarrely good there? Better there than he was RB, mainly because he stopped forever turning inside and going backwards

Yeah, I seem to remember him having a run of decent games at LB.

[URZZZZ]

One of my pet hates is playing right footers at left back

Cancelo appears to one of the very few that can make it work, but Tripper, Reece James, Gunter …

Wasn’t Gunter bizarrely good there? Better there than he was RB, mainly because he stopped forever turning inside and going backwards

Yeah, I seem to remember him having a run of decent games at LB.

Gunter was better with an out ball ahead of him, so the likes of McCleary and Barrow who stayed wide and created an option. He struggled as a RB during the Aluko era who had a tendency to drift all over, meaning he constantly had to turn back

Don’t think he was better per se as a LB, was just heavily dependent on the player playing in front of him

[NathStPaul]

Was the bar set so low at right back that Gunter looked better at left back purely because he was stood in a different position on the pitch? Mr 5/10. Lovely bloke though.