Observations On Our Midfield

[Harry]

He's a decent player not omnipresent.

Of the goals Harry describes, Harry singles out Skuse for only two of them as solely responsible. The others, Harry accepts, other or all the midfield are to blame. So why is the flak mainly directed at Skuse.

In the 7 goals I exampled which involved Skuse, in 2 of them he was solely guilty of not doing his job, in 2 he was solely responsible for being too weak, in 3 he was culpable along with Pearson of not doing his job.

What you possibly failed to notice was my point about the 1st 45 minutes away at Forest, where Skuse was lambasted first by Carey, then by Carey & Fonts, and finally by the whole back four, keeper and manager for not tracking his runner on 3 occasions.

These 3 incidents highlight to me that the whole defence and manager noted that he was not performing his assigned role. You say this is a witch hunt, and commend Skuse for "chasing back and tackling and breaking up the opposition play". I have exampled numerous incidents where he did not do what you say he does.

I think Skuse somehow manages to disguise his ineffectiveness by running around a lot and completing a lot of easy passes.

I've heard a lot of you saying on here that he does this and he does that, but I can't see it and no-one has shown me any evidence of this.

If this was a witch-hunt it would be contrived and an attempt to label untruths on an innocent party. I have evidenced numerous occasions where the actual truth is that he is not doing his job or is not good enough.

[Esmond Million's Bung]

Massive talent wasted IMO, from his perspective an uttered move to Stoke would have been just what he needed and whatever BCFC fans think of Pulis he would have given Skuse the missing ingredient, hunger and desire, he is too quiet and at times too nice, safe is a perfect description of him IMO.

[JamboBCFC]

Skuse showed end of last season that he can be a very good asset at this level. He's playing in a team in poor form with no help behind him defensively, at the end of the day we're a lower half championship side. Yaya Toure is not going to sign for us any time soon so we're not going to have a midfielder that can do everything. We need a pair of new centre backs a lot more than a replacement for Skuse, Pearson hasn't been in great form but is going through a marriage break up so his head probably isn't in the best place. Of course you could question why he's playing if so, but personally I feel sorry for the bloke.

[Esmond Million's Bung]

Skuse showed end of last season that he can be a very good asset at this level. He's playing in a team in poor form with no help behind him defensively, at the end of the day we're a lower half championship side. Yaya Toure is not going to sign for us any time soon so we're not going to have a midfielder that can do everything. We need a pair of new centre backs a lot more than a replacement for Skuse, Pearson hasn't been in great form but is going through a marriage break up so his head probably isn't in the best place. Of course you could question why he's playing if so, but personally I feel sorry for the bloke.

You just hit the nail on the head, the end of last season.

[Cunnyfunt]

Skuse to me is a poor mans Michael Carrick.

[The Batman]

as Red Goblin said, Hartley has never been replaced, but how much longer can we get away with saying that?? Kilkenny has done nothing for me, Morris seems to be here for a last pay up before retirement. Pearson, as mentioned above, has some personal issues, leaving us with Elliot and Skuse, a very energetic midfield, but that's it. No creativity at all.

while on subject of midfielders, that Cazorla at arsenal looks quite handy, rated him from his days watching him on spanish footy, coming over to the prem he's been awesome. I think even if we had him, we probably would put him on the bench.

[Pete1975Legend]

Bringing this back to the top. a few weeks ago I stuck up for skuse but he has gone back to being a weak link in centre midfield.

IF skuse continues to play there we are heading one way and it won't be upwards!

[BCFC_Dan]

I don't think it's Skuse's fault per se, just like it's not solely Fontaine's fault and nor is it Pearson's. None of the squad is a particularly poor player, which is why the issue is so hard to pinpoint and rectify. The problem is a lack of mental toughness across the board.

They're all great players when things are going well but nearly all of them disappear as soon as things go wrong. We desperately need someone who isn't afraid and won't disappear. We used to have those players in the likes of Orr, Basso and McCombe. Maybe even McIndoe and Johnson to an extent. They were determined and they cared. Most of them weren't technically as good as the ones we have now, but they always competed, no matter what.

After a game towards the end of Johnson's reign I can recall saying I didn't think McCombe should ever play for City again because he wasn't good enough. He still isn't, but we miss him terribly. He made up for his lack of ability though sheer bloody determination and I've lost count of the number of times he compensated for his own errors with equalising goals. If he messed up he went straight back out and did his utmost to fix things. The likes of Skuse, Fontaine, Nyatanga et al just hide.

Hopefully McManus is the man with the right blend of ability and determination to sort things out but it might be that we need to admit we can't compete for the players who have both and that right now we need someone with the attitude more than the ability. Some lower league clogger who will never give up and will lead by example so that the more gifted players no longer feel the need to hide.

[Gazred]

After seeing the Bolton goals, i actually felt sorry for our CBs, they have a midfield infront of them that on at least 2 occasions let runners come through from midfield unchecked, leaving the defence flat footed and totally exposed to the types of pass and finish that they executed. Similar against Blackburn also.

Was talking about this with my Dad last night and we both agreed we seem to be missing a deeper lying player that can stick his boot in and play a range of passes without needing to be a box to box type. Then it occured we have Jody Morris in the squad who pretty much fits the bill. Not really sure why has barely featured, i thought his ability and experience would be a welcome addition to the squad over all.

I think to much emphasis was put on our failing attack over the summer, and in trying to balance the squad, it has now become unbalanced in another way. In an ideal world come Jan, 2 midfielders 2 defenders come in with the same going out.

Id move on where possible, Kilkenny and Elliot, along with Nyatanga and Wilson. Would love to see an all round midfielder come in, perhaps a younger player, someone with a bit of enthusiasm and a pacey, mobile CB, Fontaine being the quickest we have and he's not exactly known for his pace. #

1 year in to the job and its clearly still a work in progress for DM.

[ChrisBCFC]

People Are forgetting how excellent Skuse was for the first 5 games this season. Yes results have declined but people shouldn't forget about the positives earlier in the season.

Skuse is the best of a bad bunch IMO, Pearson will have the odd excellent game in 5, which ultimately means he keeps his place.....but he is getting in the side on the fact he gets goals, but his passing has been terrible and I see him as a bit of an enigma.

[054123]

Skuse is the best of a bad bunch IMO,

When people come on and defend Skuse, as is there right, i think this is what a lot are actually saying and it's probabaly how i feel about him.

At times he is our best midfielder, but unfortunately that is a ringing indictment of our club at present, not a compliment. When you actully watch Skuse and judge him in his context, not the team, he doesn't really offer alot and is probably playing at the highest level he could ever realistically achieve.

You might say 'but there are worse players at City' or 'he's ususally our best player' but this isn't the same as saying he is one of the best midfielders in the league.

I'm happy to admit that he does a job for us at present but when discussing the club, i am also happy to admit that he can't help us progress or offer anymore to improve us. His next move will be back to league one either with Bristol City or the Yeovil's of this world.

He's a nice bloke and a better footballer than 99% of people in this country, but sadly not good enought to help us progress.

[Esmond Million's Bung]

After seeing the Bolton goals, i actually felt sorry for our CBs, they have a midfield infront of them that on at least 2 occasions let runners come through from midfield unchecked, leaving the defence flat footed and totally exposed to the types of pass and finish that they executed. Similar against Blackburn also.

Was talking about this with my Dad last night and we both agreed we seem to be missing a deeper lying player that can stick his boot in and play a range of passes without needing to be a box to box type. Then it occured we have Jody Morris in the squad who pretty much fits the bill. Not really sure why has barely featured, i thought his ability and experience would be a welcome addition to the squad over all.

I think to much emphasis was put on our failing attack over the summer, and in trying to balance the squad, it has now become unbalanced in another way. In an ideal world come Jan, 2 midfielders 2 defenders come in with the same going out.

Id move on where possible, Kilkenny and Elliot, along with Nyatanga and Wilson. Would love to see an all round midfielder come in, perhaps a younger player, someone with a bit of enthusiasm and a pacey, mobile CB, Fontaine being the quickest we have and he's not exactly known for his pace. #

1 year in to the job and its clearly still a work in progress for DM.

The Bolton game was just the confirmation of what has going on for a long time, look at most of the goals conceded this season, teams just play through our midfield and far too easily, the proof that our defence has improved is that we appear not to concede so many from set pieces like we did last season.

[Gazred]

The Bolton game was just the confirmation of what has going on for a long time, look at most of the goals conceded this season, teams just play through our midfield and far too easily, the proof that our defence has improved is that we appear not to concede so many from set pieces like we did last season.

Agree with that. (Un)Fortunetly, i have not see us as much as this time last season. If i could sum the squad up at present, id say there's good talent in, not enough depth but more importantly no spine to the side.

[NickJ]

Bringing this back to the top. a few weeks ago I stuck up for skuse but he has gone back to being a weak link in centre midfield.

IF skuse continues to play there we are heading one way and it won't be upwards!

As a massive fan of Skuse I will acknowledge his challenge before the second goal on Saturday was below his high standards, however Evening Post gave him man of the match specifically citing his all action challenes and tackling, so he can't have been that bad.

Good judges rate Skuse very highly.

[Harry]

Bringing this back to the top. a few weeks ago I stuck up for skuse but he has gone back to being a weak link in centre midfield.

IF skuse continues to play there we are heading one way and it won't be upwards!

People Are forgetting how excellent Skuse was for the first 5 games this season. Yes results have declined but people shouldn't forget about the positives earlier in the season.

Skuse is the best of a bad bunch IMO, Pearson will have the odd excellent game in 5, which ultimately means he keeps his place.....but he is getting in the side on the fact he gets goals, but his passing has been terrible and I see him as a bit of an enigma.

Thanks for bringing this post up again Pete1975. I was going to put some more comments on here prior to last night but didn't have time, but what I saw last night has made it imperative for me to raise this thread again.

Firstly I'd like to respond to ChrisBCFC's post. I'm still not really understanding the claim that Skuse was excellent for the first 5 games of the season. My opening post on this thread details 7 goals conceded in our first 5 games for which Skuse was either solely responsible or heavily culpable.

I also noted in that post the numerous time he failed to track his midfield runner in that opening game at Forest and was severely reprimanded by his whole back four for not doing so. I don't understand how it can be claimed he had 5 excellent games when he was responsible for 7 of the 10 goals conceded?

Anyway, having made that point I want to talk in detail about last night v Burnley.

Somehow the sponsors gave Skuse MOM which I am baffled with, but that's neither here nor there. What concerns me more is that there are a lot of posters on here last night and today who are saying that Skuse had a decent game and that Morris was poor.

I mentioned in another thread last night the following :

"If you want to compare the 2 central midfielders tonight, Morris is waaaay ahead of Skuse.

Skuse was incredibly poor. How he was given MOM I'll never know. In my opinion MOM was either Davies or Morris.

Morris spent a lot of time tonight telling Skuse what to do and where to go. Skuse has no idea how to track his runner. Countless times tonight he was caught out with a simple run from midfield (as I've tried to point out many times on here). I honestly don't know what people are seeing to continue to defend him?

I knew there would be some people on here tonight slating Morris. In the 2nd half he made a couple of errors and the crowd started groaning but for the majority of the game he was at least attempting to be both creative and destructive. The amount of headers he was never going to win due to his size but managed to at least put the opposition player off. The amount of times he was battling for the 2nd ball. One in particular in the 2nd half when McManus fluffed a header in our box, Morris was in the right place to ensure he was able to battle for the 2nd ball and make the clearance.

You might like to recall that it was Morris whose industry and creativity created the corner from which we won the penalty. I didn't see Skuse influencing the game in any way whatsoever. When under pressure Skuse would help the ball on to nowhere. A number of times tonight Morris received the ball under pressure and had the nouse to retain the ball and play his way out of it. He battled all day, ran all day, and was at least attempting to create and retain the ball. Skuse did none of this."

So, those were my oberservations last night. Having had a chance to review the highlights (and I suppose following the initial theme of this thread), I would like to break down some of the things I've seen. If you get a chance to view the extended highlights on Player, here's some things to look out for :

1 minute 20 seconds in - Burnley 1st goal. Before I start, I am not totally blaming Skuse for this one, but he has to take some responsibility. McManus wins the first header and the ball drops to Skuse. He has a player approaching him from behind, aside from which he has acres of space. All he needs to do (and he does have the ability to do so) is to get hold of the ball with his first touch, be strong against the opposing player approaching and lay the ball off either inside, outside or backwards - all of which are options, all with red shirts in space. But no, what does he do - he doesn't want to take responsibility and just helps the ball on blindly. It ends up straight at a Burnley player, who hits it forward and bang, it's a goal.

Now of course, McManus should never have played offside and takes full responsibility for this, but had that 2nd ball dropped to Morris, he would have controlled and passed it (I saw him do this plenty of times last night when under pressure, so I am confident this would have happened). Skuse helping this ball on and losing possession when he had 3 or 4 other options, for me, led to the goal.

5 minutes 42 seconds in - Burnley 2nd goal. Standard midfield formation, Skuse with his man 10 yards inside our half, Morris with his man, also about 10 yards inside our half.

As the play moves on, Morris' man makes a run forward and Morris begins to go with him. However, Skuse just lets his man wander over towards the space vacated by Morris' man. Morris spots this, passes his man on to McManus and has to turn and move in to close down Skuse's man who is now about to receive the ball. Skuse has hardly moved at this point. Burnely's quick play means that Morris, having to try to make up 10 yards now, can't get to Skuse's man in time and the ball is turned forwards.

Ok, so at this point, Morris is now near the halfway line, about 8-10 yards in advance of Skuse.

The ball goes wide to what was Morris' original man before he had to be pulled out of position to cover Skuse. When the cross is made, Skuse's man has made a quick burst forward and is now just inside the box. Morris, having been near the halfway line, is now busting a gut to get back and is just outside the box.

When the handball is made, Skuse's man is now inside the 6 yard box, and Morris is back on the penalty spot having worked his way back in. Meanwhile, Skuse is not even in the frame? When we finally see him at 5:58, he has only just made it to the edge of the box.

So, to recap, while Skuse's man managed to run off him by 15 yards, make a pass beyond the midfield and bust a gut with a 50 yard run to the 6 yard box, all Skuse had managed to do was amble his way 15 yards back from his original position, leaving Morris to do all the running.

If you want my honest opinion, this is a prime example of Skuse not doing his job of protecting the back four, something which soooo many people still seem to think he does very well?

6 minutes 47 seconds in - Burnley 3rd goal. Morris is marking his man tighly in midfield. Skuse is 15 yards off his man and is now closing in on him as it appears a pass is about to be played in to him. Skuse closes in, but the pass isn't made and instead is lofted forward. Skuse's man now makes a run forward, whilst Skuse turns his back. By the time Skuse realises his man has gone it's too late, he's beyond him and now receiving the ball, from which he puts in the cross that leads to the goal. Bless him, Skuse tries to get back this time as he realises this guy is his responsibility, but it was too late. He's switched off at a crucial time, 3rd man runner was gone and he couldn't catch up.

8 minutes 5 seconds in - City 2nd goal. So, we now come onto Morris, who was covering Skuse's ass all night. Morris gets forward and has a bad touch of the ball, but he recovers to make the tackle and the ball falls to City. Morris receives the ball again in space. He draws a man in, then sees he has an overlapping Foster and feigns the pass outside. This moves the opposing player to shift outside and creates the tightest of channels for Morris to thread the ball through to the intelligent Baldock who knows exactly what position he needed to take up. From the resulting corner, we gain the penalty.

I can say without any hesitation that if Skuse was in the very same position Morris was in, he would not have found that channel, but would instead have either used the overlapping Foster, or held the ball up a bit more and played it inside. There is nothing wrong with ball retention - passing it sideways and backwards is a very essential part of the game, but the problem with Skuse is he would not have played this forward pass - the argument with him is that he virtually ALWAYS plays the 'safe' pass.

9 minutes 26 seconds in - Sorry - back to Skuse again. He's with his man 10 yards in from the left flank. His man sneaks inside him (goalside of Skuse), Skuse loses sight of him, man runs into space beyond, receives the through ball and has a shot which is deflected for a corner.

Can someone please remind me again of the protection that Skuse was offering the backline - something apparently that he does so well according to a number of believers?

I know I've rambled on a lot now, and most of this will probably be ignored with those who don't have the patience to analyse his game.

I have always been a very positive supporter and have always kept my opinions of individual players on here to myself, but I'm really sorry, my patience has worn way to thin now and I have given up on this bloke. He has been culpable for so many of our defensive woes this season it's unreal. How some people can claim he was better than Morris last night is astounding in my eyes.

[The Bard]

What do people reckon to 3 5 2? (see my post on the Joe Bryan thread). Seems to me that Skuse is better in a more defensive role, where safe, accurate passing is necessary, maybe as a right sided centre half??? Trouble is at the moment we have Marv out which means Skuse will start in CM.

[Harry]

What do you reckon to 3 5 2 Harry? (see my post on the Joe Bryan thread). Seems to me that Skuse is better in a more defensive role, where safe, accurate passing is necessary, maybe as a right sided centre half??? Trouble is at the moment we have Marv out which means Skuse will start in CM.

In all honesty mate, I don't see what he can bring as a defensive midfielder, whether in a 2 or a 3. The key to being a DM is to spot and snuff out trouble, to be aware of the play developing around you and making the right choices of being in the right place at the right time, following the right runs, making instant decisions.

For me Skuse does none of this. I've said before that he is technically a very good player, but he doesn't use his abilities, he doesn't trust himself, he doesn't put in all of his strength and energy to making runs, tracking runners, holding off opposing players. He's generally very weak and only plays safe passes when under no pressure.

If we had to find a role for him it would be as a right full back. A position where you will tend to get a little more time on the ball to pick a pass, where he will not get caught out by blindside movement, and where his direct opponent will always be in front of him.

He's played there before and looked ok. If we have to try him anywhere, it'd be a RB.

As for current personnel/formation - Elliot/Morris for me when Elliot is fit. For now, I would go with Morris/Pearson. It's not ideal, but right now, Skuse is the weakest link in the team and needs to be removed from the position.

[The Bard]

In all honesty mate, I don't see what he can bring as a defensive midfielder, whether in a 2 or a 3. The key to being a DM is to spot and snuff out trouble, to be aware of the play developing around you and making the right choices of being in the right place at the right time, following the right runs, making instant decisions.

For me Skuse does none of this. I've said before that he is technically a very good player, but he doesn't use his abilities, he doesn't trust himself, he doesn't put in all of his strength and energy to making runs, tracking runners, holding off opposing players. He's generally very weak and only plays safe passes when under no pressure.

If we had to find a role for him it would be as a right full back. A position where you will tend to get a little more time on the ball to pick a pass, where he will not get caught out by blindside movement, and where his direct opponent will always be in front of him.

He's played there before and looked ok. If we have to try him anywhere, it'd be a RB.

As for current personnel/formation - Elliot/Morris for me when Elliot is fit. For now, I would go with Morris/Pearson. It's not ideal, but right now, Skuse is the weakest link in the team and needs to be removed from the position.

I do like Skuse, but can see that he lacks the willpower to be the kind of midfielder we need, He made his debut as a sweeper, which to me indicates his strength lies in reading the game and positional play. He struggles when he has to make quick decisions making him look indecisive and weak. He can pass, but is very cautious. If he was in a back 3, I think he would aid us in terms of playing out from the back. We would get more ball into the midfield and be more able to feed our creative department.

[Harry]

I do like Skuse, but can see that he lacks the willpower to be the kind of midfielder we need, He made his debut as a sweeper, which to me indicates his strength lies in reading the game and positional play. He struggles when he has to make quick decisions making him look indecisive and weak. He can pass, but is very cautious. If he was in a back 3, I think he would aid us in terms of playing out from the back. We would get more ball into the midfield and be more able to feed our creative department.

Tis a fair enough argument fella. In a back 3, as a sweeper, with EVERYTHING infront if him, he could be a different player.

As a back 3 is very unlikely to be coming round anytime soon, I think if anything he can make a decent right back in a 4.

But please for the sake of my sanity, remove him from the midfield!!!!!

[ralphindevon]

Some good points well made Harry.

I must admit when I turned up at Bolton on Saturday I was expecting a fragile flapping defence.

It turned out the defence for much part looked fine, sadly when your luck and confidence is down, individual errors always seemed to get punished.

The midfield however was about as poor as I've seen playing for City in a long time.

I'm hoping if Morris can get a few games under his belt, he can make a difference.

Oh by the way Harry, Le Tour is coming near to us again, see you over here again?

[Harry]

Some good points well made Harry.

I must admit when I turned up at Bolton on Saturday I was expecting a fragile flapping defence.

It turned out the defence for much part looked fine, sadly when your luck and confidence is down, individual errors always seemed to get punished.

The midfield however was about as poor as I've seen playing for City in a long time.

I'm hoping if Morris can get a few games under his belt, he can make a difference.

Oh by the way Harry, Le Tour is coming near to us again, see you over here again?

Was good to see you up at Bolton fella, hope you enjoyed your brief sojourn back to Blighty!

In all fairness to Skuse, up at Bolton I actually thought he had a pretty decent first half. But there have been far too many instances this season of him not doing his job properly, which in my opinion is adding too much pressure to the defence.

I too would like to see more of Morris. Granted, he was poor at Leicester, but was much better on Tuesday v Burnley.

We'll see what tomorrow evening brings, but I'd imagine it'll be the Skuse/Pearson combo?

And yes, I see the 2013 Tour route is in and around the Carcassonne area. Nice mountain finish at Ax 3 Domaines.

Not sure I can make it next year but will try (will check with the wife!)

[Rob k]

Anyone still want to keep sticking up for him?

******g awful

[Jordan Tansley]

Yeah, awful for coming deep and trying to keep the ball.

Kick and rush please.

[nickolas]

First time ive read this thread - my observation is too nice, too weak, nothing nasty. Actually that is bcfc as a whole, we are too nice!! We need some hard b&astards and leaders.

[Rob k]

Yeah, awful for coming deep and trying to keep the ball.

Kick and rush please.

Did You miss the part where he's supposed to tackle his opponent?

[fka dagest]

Played a part in conceding the first and scored an og. I counted two decent forward passes from Skuse in the second half. None of it really matters he'll still be first name on the sheet next match. Only injury ever gets him out of the team. The bloke is like a cancer eating away at the centre of the team season after season.

Just one more observation. In the first half I watched him pointing at who to pass the ball to. Paul Hartley, the last truly decent midfielder we had used to demand the ball went to him. Skuse can't wait to get rid of it. Mind you I did notice he actually got his shorts dirty after 60 mins.

We've got no chance this season unless the defence gets some better protection in front of it.

[Harry]

I did a little bit of Skuse analysis yesterday, and my findings sum up exactly what I and a lot of people have been saying.

Now, according to a number of posters, Skuse is supposed to be very good at protecting the back four.

According to some he is the man with technical ability and can make a pass.

Some think he is the fulcrum of the midfield and whom everything goes through - the man who has had to cover the mistakes of other midfielders such as Morris & Pearson.

Well - here's my take on yesterday and it disproves everything that anyone thinks is good about Skuse :

Total Number of Touches of the Ball = 71

Total Number of Successful Sideways/Backwards Passes = 54

Total Number of Successful Forward Passes = 9

Total Number of Incomplete Passes = 8

Total Number of Tackles = 4

Total Number of Fouls = 2

Total Number of Pressures to Force Opponent into Mistake = 5

Now, on the face of it you would say that Skuse had a good game, got involved plenty, saw lots of the ball and had an 89% pass completion rate.

The way I see it, is he is the midfieler who should be controlling the game, sitting deeper and using the ball, so he is always going to see more of it than anyone else. It's what he does with the ball that is so frustrating.

For those who say he keeps the ball here is what I say : I'm all for keeping the ball, possession football, and indeed making backwards/sideways passes is a fundamental part of this and I have no axe to grind with passing the ball in this fashion. But it's the sheer unnecessary manner of his passing. 12% of his passes were forwards - i.e. attempting to force the play and create something. Oh, and 3 of those 9 forward passes were headers where there was no choice to play it forward anyways! So in actual fact, 8% of his passes were forcing the play. The rest of them, for the majority, were just helping the ball on. When he retains possession like this, it's all well and good but it doesn't commit any opposition player. They know exactly what he's going to do with it and in the main don't actually bother pressuring him on the ball - they know full well he's not going to do anything dangerous with it, so they read his next pass and move into formation to counter it. This inevitably means the ball recipient is under pressure immediately, making it more difficult for that man to ensure we retain possession. The least he could do is attempt to commit an opposition player, perhaps hold the ball for more than 2 touches, draw a man in, move forwards with it into the space afforded him, move the opponents out of their shape, but no, he just receives it and helps it on. This makes him the easiest player on the park for the opponents to defend against - i.e. they don't actually bother with him as they know they don't need to pressure him and instead just wait for his next inane pass.

For those who say he makes tackles and makes life hard for the opposition here is what I say : 4 Tackles, 2 Fouls and 5 Opponent Pressures. Simply not enough. Whilst making this analysis I noted the number of times that he was the closest man to the ball, but he backs off and makes someone else come in to pressure/tackle. He makes it so easy for the opponents to keep the ball. It's almost as if he thinks he's playing against himself - i.e. I won't bother closing him down as he's not going to do anything with it! He trots around looking busy but doesn't actually have any influence on the play at all, it's almost as if he is running away from the play, he doesn't want to go in and close down opponents.

Every now and then he'll make a tackle (he's decent at it when he does it), and he gets his Skuuuuuuse chant, and everyone thinks he's great. He just doesn't do it enough. I've said before that he has the ability to do what he wants but he just doesn't do it. He has the attributes but doesn't have the application.

For those who say he protects the back 4, here is what I say : Aside from the many examples I've provided in this post over the last couple of weeks, I would make reference to another couple of examples yesterday.

For their first goal Quinn made Skuse look like a complete amateur. Turned him inside out 3 times and passed the ball forward into a dangerous area, from where the two strikers did a superb job in making the goal. So, not only was Skuse made to look a fool by their very talented player, but look at what happens afterwards. Quinn continues his run forwards after he's played the pass. Skuse lets him go, inspite of being made to look a fool he has no desire to make up for it and lets Quinn go forward. Now, had Heaton managed to make a save from Aluko's shot, which midfielder might have stood to benefit had it rebounded to the edge of the box? Yes, Quinn. Ultimately it didn't matter, but Skuse just gave up as soon as he'd been beaten. Take responsibility man! You were beaten, go after your man, play til the game stops, don't just stand there watching once you were made to look like a schoolboy!

Next - watch the passage of play on 91 minutes, where they have a couple of shots at goal. The ball is in midfield and Pearson is tearing around like a blue-ass fly closing them down. The ball goes into Quinn, so Skuse moves toward him to shut him down but with none of the tenacity with which Pearson was doing so. This makes it all too easy for Quinn to lay the ball off, from where it's then played forwards. Briggs clears it but it goes straight to one of theirs. Meanwhile, Skuse has let Quinn run off him again. Briggs has had to move infield to cover an extra man coming forward, whilst Quinn has moved away from Skuse and now has the freedom of the park down the right wing. He cuts inside and shoots, where Briggs makes the block. It rebounds to Aluko, who makes Skuse look like a statue again with one dummy and his shot is then well saved by Heaton.

This passage of play is typical Skuse. He didn't close his man down with any urgency/tenacity, he then let his man run free, who ended up having a shot at goal, and when he'd finally made it back he was too easily beaten in his own box.

People knock Pearson, and I for one don't think he's the answer to our midfield (but at least he's managed 2 goals and 2 assists this season), but we really really need to look at Skuse. I'm afraid to say his inadeqacies are coming strongly to the fore this season and opposition are finding him too easy to play against both with and without the ball. It is the main source of all of our problems. The quicker he is removed from the starting line-up the better in my opinion.

[Smokey]

I did a little bit of Skuse analysis yesterday, and my findings sum up exactly what I and a lot of people have been saying.

Now, according to a number of posters, Skuse is supposed to be very good at protecting the back four.

According to some he is the man with technical ability and can make a pass.

Some think he is the fulcrum of the midfield and whom everything goes through - the man who has had to cover the mistakes of other midfielders such as Morris & Pearson.

Well - here's my take on yesterday and it disproves everything that anyone thinks is good about Skuse :

Total Number of Touches of the Ball = 71

Total Number of Successful Sideways/Backwards Passes = 54

Total Number of Successful Forward Passes = 9

Total Number of Incomplete Passes = 8

Total Number of Tackles = 4

Total Number of Fouls = 2

Total Number of Pressures to Force Opponent into Mistake = 5

Now, on the face of it you would say that Skuse had a good game, got involved plenty, saw lots of the ball and had an 89% pass completion rate.

The way I see it, is he is the midfieler who should be controlling the game, sitting deeper and using the ball, so he is always going to see more of it than anyone else. It's what he does with the ball that is so frustrating.

For those who say he keeps the ball here is what I say : I'm all for keeping the ball, possession football, and indeed making backwards/sideways passes is a fundamental part of this and I have no axe to grind with passing the ball in this fashion. But it's the sheer unnecessary manner of his passing. 12% of his passes were forwards - i.e. attempting to force the play and create something. Oh, and 3 of those 9 forward passes were headers where there was no choice to play it forward anyways! So in actual fact, 8% of his passes were forcing the play. The rest of them, for the majority, were just helping the ball on. When he retains possession like this, it's all well and good but it doesn't commit any opposition player. They know exactly what he's going to do with it and in the main don't actually bother pressuring him on the ball - they know full well he's not going to do anything dangerous with it, so they read his next pass and move into formation to counter it. This inevitably means the ball recipient is under pressure immediately, making it more difficult for that man to ensure we retain possession. The least he could do is attempt to commit an opposition player, perhaps hold the ball for more than 2 touches, draw a man in, move forwards with it into the space afforded him, move the opponents out of their shape, but no, he just receives it and helps it on. This makes him the easiest player on the park for the opponents to defend against - i.e. they don't actually bother with him as they know they don't need to pressure him and instead just wait for his next inane pass.

For those who say he makes tackles and makes life hard for the opposition here is what I say : 4 Tackles, 2 Fouls and 5 Opponent Pressures. Simply not enough. Whilst making this analysis I noted the number of times that he was the closest man to the ball, but he backs off and makes someone else come in to pressure/tackle. He makes it so easy for the opponents to keep the ball. It's almost as if he thinks he's playing against himself - i.e. I won't bother closing him down as he's not going to do anything with it! He trots around looking busy but doesn't actually have any influence on the play at all, it's almost as if he is running away from the play, he doesn't want to go in and close down opponents.

Every now and then he'll make a tackle (he's decent at it when he does it), and he gets his Skuuuuuuse chant, and everyone thinks he's great. He just doesn't do it enough. I've said before that he has the ability to do what he wants but he just doesn't do it. He has the attributes but doesn't have the application.

For those who say he protects the back 4, here is what I say : Aside from the many examples I've provided in this post over the last couple of weeks, I would make reference to another couple of examples yesterday.

For their first goal Quinn made Skuse look like a complete amateur. Turned him inside out 3 times and passed the ball forward into a dangerous area, from where the two strikers did a superb job in making the goal. So, not only was Skuse made to look a fool by their very talented player, but look at what happens afterwards. Quinn continues his run forwards after he's played the pass. Skuse lets him go, inspite of being made to look a fool he has no desire to make up for it and lets Quinn go forward. Now, had Heaton managed to make a save from Aluko's shot, which midfielder might have stood to benefit had it rebounded to the edge of the box? Yes, Quinn. Ultimately it didn't matter, but Skuse just gave up as soon as he'd been beaten. Take responsibility man! You were beaten, go after your man, play til the game stops, don't just stand there watching once you were made to look like a schoolboy!

Next - watch the passage of play on 91 minutes, where they have a couple of shots at goal. The ball is in midfield and Pearson is tearing around like a blue-ass fly closing them down. The ball goes into Quinn, so Skuse moves toward him to shut him down but with none of the tenacity with which Pearson was doing so. This makes it all too easy for Quinn to lay the ball off, from where it's then played forwards. Briggs clears it but it goes straight to one of theirs. Meanwhile, Skuse has let Quinn run off him again. Briggs has had to move infield to cover an extra man coming forward, whilst Quinn has moved away from Skuse and now has the freedom of the park down the right wing. He cuts inside and shoots, where Briggs makes the block. It rebounds to Aluko, who makes Skuse look like a statue again with one dummy and his shot is then well saved by Heaton.

This passage of play is typical Skuse. He didn't close his man down with any urgency/tenacity, he then let his man run free, who ended up having a shot at goal, and when he'd finally made it back he was too easily beaten in his own box.

People knock Pearson, and I for one don't think he's the answer to our midfield (but at least he's managed 2 goals and 2 assists this season), but we really really need to look at Skuse. I'm afraid to say his inadeqacies are coming strongly to the fore this season and opposition are finding him too easy to play against both with and without the ball. It is the main source of all of our problems. The quicker he is removed from the starting line-up the better in my opinion.

Well said and well written Harry. I agree with everything and have thought that about him for awhile. I dont think he attempted to make a tackle until just before halftime. Ive never seen a player point as much as he does. He looked at a hull midfield player who made a forward run past him, didnt even attempt to chase him back, just stood there and pointed. Also could he put any less pace on his passes. He's driving me mad. He's so limp

[fka dagest]

Crikey Harry, that's some post.

Life at Bristol City has always been just too easy for him. It's almost as if he's part of the family. He seems to be treated differently to the rest of the squad. He'll always be given a contract and he'll always start if available.

Sometimes I watch him play and think do I only exist in some kid's dream? You know the one where the kid is the star, he plays every game and the crowd loves him. He's the only player who gets his own cheer when he comes on and is the only player who is endlessly forgiven for mistakes. He now seems to grab the ball for every free kick there is, although, excepting a sideways pass, he can't take a free kick. He frequently gets MOM when he doesn't deserve it. I can't understand it.

Is it all those schools he visited as young player, where he gained the adulation of the young? It's almost like a cult.

Like Andy0800... said in another thread, I'm just sick of seeing him prancing in the middle of the pitch around avoiding physical contact like he'll contract the plague.

The shocking thing is it's been going on for years. It was easier to forgive as a young player, but not any more.

It's terrible I know but I end wanting him to get injured just to get him out of side. I recall it was only when Skuse was injured last season that Cisse came in and showed everyone how to play the DM role. Skuse came back, as he always does and ended up playing right-back. I prayed for him to make it his own role just to keep him out of midfield. But no. It's like a recurring nightmare.

He's got at least another five years in him yet, when will it end?

[Pete1975Legend]

Finally finally finally people are realising that golden boy brings absolutely nothing to the table.

Shame the boss can't see it