Ryan Taylor - Centre Back?

[old_eastender]

I might be on my own here, but I could see Ryan Taylor making a good centre back... playing up front he wins plenty of headers, seems to read the game quite well, can retain possession under pressure and has shown assured short passing, but we all know he seems to carry virtually no goal threat whatsover ... hence my thinking he could do a good job at Centre Back instead?

[HoldenBall]

His positioning will be awful, he wouldn't know if he needs to drop deep or come forward.. He couldn't hold the line well as well

But I do wonder how he became a striker

[Kingswood Robin]

I rather see us using centre backs as emergency centre forwards, but oh dear, we don't appear to have any centre backs AGAIN!

[Bazooka Joe]

I might be on my own here, but I could see Ryan Taylor making a good centre back... playing up front he wins plenty of headers, seems to read the game quite well, can retain possession under pressure and has shown assured short passing, but we all know he seems to carry virtually no goal threat whatsover ... hence my thinking he could do a good job at Centre Back instead?

It wouldn't be the first time a striker has been transformed into a Centre Back.

Hard man Kenny Burns at Florist was probably one of the best.

[Major Isewater]

I might be on my own here, but I could see Ryan Taylor making a good centre back... playing up front he wins plenty of headers, seems to read the game quite well, can retain possession under pressure and has shown assured short passing, but we all know he seems to carry virtually no goal threat whatsover ... hence my thinking he could do a good job at Centre Back instead?

You have analysed the situation well and you are very much on your oxn .

With luck your post will sink rapidly with out trace thus sparing any further embarrassment for us

[tezOfCity]

Sol campbell did it. He may have played some youth football ther before for all you know so dont dismiss it out of hand without forming a proper argument just to be rude to another poster.

[Banned Tansley]

Sums up the archaic attitudes prevalent in the English game. Big man, must be good at the back... What about the intricacies of the position? Positional sense, marking, tackling, anticipation?

Baffling suggestion.

[Rich_s]

I would sooner play Taylor up front and play Baldock CB

[IdliketoRogerMoore]

Dion Dublin did not so long ago! But I have no idea if Ryan Taylor could do it!

[JammyOne]

No.

[alexukhc]

Rio Ferdinand was a striker at youth level

[wayne allisons tongues]

Ashley cole was a striker at youth level

[TBW]

Danny Coles was too.

I've thought about this too and he can't be any worse at the back than he is up front.

[TRL]

Matt Hill was a winger. Clearly anyone doing it would certainly need a fair few games in the stiffs to work out the nuances of the position, but it can be done. Just depends how well he can adapt.

[Smokey]

Leroy Rosenior Played a game at centre back against stockport in the cup to deal with their tall striker, cant remember his name.

[fanjita]

Ray Cashley was a left back

[TRL]

Leroy Rosenior Played a game at centre back against stockport in the cup to deal with their tall striker, cant remember his name.

Kevin Francis and did a awesome job. Brilliant in the air was Leroy

[beaverface]

It wouldn't be the first time a striker has been transformed into a Centre Back.

Hard man Kenny Burns at Florist was probably one of the best.

Leroy Rosenior did it for us when we played Stockport in the FA Cup I think was against Kevin Francis and he had him in his pocket all game.

I also recall Lee Peacock playing centre half when I think we had a player sent off. He joked that it was easy as there was no running involved, just a case of pushing up when necessary.

I think it's an alright shout from the OP, but I wouldn't just throw him in the deep end, I'd play him in defence in the under 21's/reserves first.

[Smokey]

Kevin Francis and did a awesome job. Brilliant in the air was Leroy

Thats the bloke, thank you. Yeah he did do an awesome job that night

[BcFcOneLove]

I don't know why some are mocking this.. It won't happen but Taylor does win everything in the air.

If one of our actual centre backs dealt with aerial balls like Taylor does, we'd probably have a lesser goals against defecit, possibly more points.

[bcfcnick]

Good call, he can't contribute the 8-10 goals his position needs as a minimum but is decent on the ground as well as in the air and has the attributes to play centre back. Chris Sutton and Dion Dublin did it and I could see him doing well there. Nothing to lose and worth trying in his come back games with the development squad.

[Kingswood Robin]

Wasn't Steve Walsh at Leicester a defender / striker. Got a lot of red cards so probably more defender.

[New Dazzler]

John Galley played centre back or (centre half as it was back in the day) for Hereford (possibly Forest). Keith Curle played most if his football on the right wing until Terry Cooper converted him to central defender and he went on to great things. Unusually Don Gillies went from striker to right back, and Clive Whitehead from right wing to left back/ left centre back. Its interesting that these players were not utility players as such (Rob Newman and Skuse come to mind), they just changed randomly from one position to a another and became a success.

OK Galley switching (CF to CH) was not unusual and Whitehead was good in defence, but we lost one of the club's best ever wingers by playing him there.

As for Ryan Taylor at CB, you'll never know until you try it, not sure why the idea gets slated when it hasn't even been given a go

[EDoubleD]

Marcus Gayle, Gary Doherty. If you know how to beat them you know how to stop them.

He needs to play up top though. Interested to see what he can do when he's fit and gets a run. Always though baldock needs a target man with him, then stick jet wide. Or, my preference would be all three up top, then Reid, pack and Elliot/wynter in the middle, and just use good movement to give width with jet and baldock coming wide.

[TBW]

Marcus Gayle, Gary Doherty. If you know how to beat them you know how to stop them.

He needs to play up top though. Interested to see what he can do when he's fit and gets a run. Always though baldock needs a target man with him, then stick jet wide. Or, my preference would be all three up top, then Reid, pack and Elliot/wynter in the middle, and just use good movement to give width with jet and baldock coming wide.

Put JET out wide? Where he couldn't effect a game for Ipswich and he's said he doesn't want to play, just to accommodate Ryan Taylor? Great work.

[Major Isewater]

I don't know why some are mocking this.. It won't happen but Taylor does win everything in the air.

If one of our actual centre backs dealt with aerial balls like Taylor does, we'd probably have a lesser goals against defecit, possibly more points.

Simply pût round pegs in round holes.

[IdliketoRogerMoore]

Other way round I know but Kevin Phillips started as a right back!

[cider_dog]

What about Ryan Taylor paired up front with Marlon Harewood?

Perfect combination of agility, lightning pace and creativity!

Prolific does not even come close to describing the goal scoring potential.

With this strike force we will be top by Xmas...

[Mr Roper]

Remember saying that Ryan Taylor would make a good Centre Back when seeing him play in the Cup defeat at Blackburn last season ,won everything in the air ,sadly not in any place to hurt the opposition but may do well at back if given a try .

[redeye]

OP raises some good points regarding Taylor's game which may be more suited to a central defensive role - and to add to the successful examples given by other posters - Bale and T. Henry were also switched successfully.