Slack Zak

[And Its Smith]

6 hours ago, joe jordans teeth said:

If you are scrambling for positivity then you may be right but it’s blatantly obvious a right back will give away the ball more than a centre half 

Vyner was centre back and gave the ball away less than his fellow centre backs. That was all I was pointing out.  No thread on Tanner or Dickie’s distribution. 

[Southport Red]

6 hours ago, joe jordans teeth said:

If you are scrambling for positivity then you may be right but it’s blatantly obvious a right back will give away the ball more than a centre half 

Also, I though Tanner had a good game. 

[The Fat Controller]

17 minutes ago, And Its Smith said:

Vyner was centre back and gave the ball away less than his fellow centre backs. That was all I was pointing out.  No thread on Tanner or Dickie’s distribution. 

It's almost like people can't wait to jump on anything he does wrong

Personally I'm not going to be too critical of passes that don't come off when he's trying to get us going forward. 

[And Its Smith]

4 minutes ago, sinenomine said:

It's almost like people can't wait to jump on anything he does wrong

Personally I'm not going to be too critical of passes that don't come off when he's trying to get us going forward. 

Same with Max.  Players that have come through the academy and some fans have written off but then won’t change their mind when the player improves and then go looking for things to justify their stance.  

[Merrick's Marvels]

3 hours ago, Graham76 said:

Slack Vyner wasn’t on his game yesterday, but was excellent vs West Ham 

Hardly.

He was no better or worse than most but I particularly didn't enjoy the brain dead pass that should have seen West Ham take the lead, only for O'Leary to save his back side with a desperate clearance that turned into an assist for Conway's goal. And a piece of indecisive after-you-Claude defending in the 2nd half when he dithered over taking control of a loose ball and then, when he eventually did, passed the ball straight out of play with about 3 unmarked red shirts just feet away ready to receive his pass - the sort of hapless, comically inept defending that continues to blight his performances.

It's a No from me.

[TommyD68]

5 hours ago, Port Said Red said:

I am very pleased you are not in charge then.

Is that right? How many more goals have we conceded since NP left? Genuine question.

As for Zak yesterday, people seem to forget there are two teams on the pitch and I thought Watford's press was excellent and I thought Williams didn't do him or Dickie any favours by blocking passing lanes but not offering an alternative.

That also had the knock on effect that Max had to go back to those punts out to Cam or Ross which look really bad when they don't come off, and nobody notices when they do.

 

 

A very good point, I also thought Watfords press was very good. I think it’s also worth mentioning Zak and Dickie both like to attempt progressive passes out from the back to start attacks, which in my opinion is great and what we need. Sometimes it’ll work and get us on the front foot, other times they’ll lose possession.. it is what it is. I’d rather they attempt it than just pass it along the back four playing it safe and not look to move the ball forward. Then we really would have something to moan about! 

[Rocking Red Cyril]

I am always happy to see how far Zak has come and the first choice player he had now become. But since NP has gone he just not seem do on his game to me. He used to have the problem of poor distribution and giving the ball away. And that has been seen again in a couple of games. I hope he can tighten up again 

[Dr_Castro]

I have become a Zakista over the season - I do think that since LM has come in he has had a much bigger role in getting things moving - previously James was coming back to pick up the ball in the centre and initiate play much more. More challenging passing = more potential for error

[MarcusX]

22 hours ago, glastored said:

I like Zak. He deserved all his accolades over the past couple of seasons, but of late his passing has become really casual. Sometimes he just nonchalantly prods it forward to no one in particular, or towards a teammate without any power behind the pass. What’s happening? Is this a blip in a previously flawless season, or is he losing concentration? If he carries on like this he may well end up being left out of the starting lineup. 

This is harsh, I was worried about him under Liam’s new style but thought his passing has been pretty decent. Movement has to be there to give him angles too don’t forget. He’s also often looking for a more precise forward pass rather than a sideways one.

[miser]

A feature of the modern game. Defenders are encouraged to pass it out regardless. In the past, we would have lauded any defender who just horses it ,regardless of its destination. 

[The Coach]

Zak has done well to get to the level he has and the hardwork and development under Pearson has come to fruition. I was one calling for him to be released and felt he was a league one player at best.

However, he has proved himself a championship defender in my book. But not one that will help us take us to the next level. 
 

He is extremely casual at times and does have a mistake in him to lose the ball more than once in a game. Again, if we’re serious about challenging for the top 6. We would need an upgrade on Zak.