George Friend.

[RoversAlias]

Friend is overrated. I don't deal in opinion I deal in facts. He is good in one on one situations, comfortable on the ball (which is why he used to look goof under Sean) and has got great endevor BUT his positioning is woeful, he gets dragged around and if he has people running in behind him he is clueless. Shelton is by far our best CH but is always lame. Shame dat.

Overrated is an opinion.

It's a fact that people rate him as a better player than what he actually is. Like I said some parts of his game are excellent. Some are poor.

Is that so?

That isn't a fact at all...it is your opinion that people rate him better than he is. Many others believe he is a better player than you judge him to be.

I'm not going to lie, he has been at fault for several goals recently but I still think Friend has been head and shoulders above the rest of our players this season. The last couple of games aside, he's been more than capable at the back and he has easily been our most consistent defender.

Let's face it the team as a whole cannot defend most of the time, what do you expect him to do when he has an incompetent goalkeeper behind him half the time, and clowns alongside him in the back four.

[Norfolk N Chance]

Friend is overrated. I don't deal in opinion I deal in facts. He is good in one on one situations, comfortable on the ball (which is why he used to look goof under Sean) and has got great endevor BUT his positioning is woeful, he gets dragged around and if he has people running in behind him he is clueless. Shelton is by far our best CH but is always lame. Shame dat.

Overrated is an opinion.

It's a fact that people rate him as a better player than what he actually is. Like I said some parts of his game are excellent. Some are poor.

Is that so?

That isn't a fact at all...it is your opinion that people rate him better than he is. Many others believe he is a better player than you judge him to be.

I'm not going to lie, he has been at fault for several goals recently but I still think Friend has been head and shoulders above the rest of our players this season. The last couple of games aside, he's been more than capable at the back and he has easily been our most consistent defender.

Let's face it the team as a whole cannot defend most of the time, what do you expect him to do when he has an incompetent goalkeeper behind him half the time, and clowns alongside him in the back four.

How many situations is he isolated? How many times have the midfield put the defence under pressure by not tackling or misplaced passes?

I would 90% of the time he defuses the situation - he not Jesus Christ FFS why dont you pick on some of the rubbish we do have the books?

[RoversAlias]

Are you serious? You quote a post from me that PRAISES George Friend and then procede to get annoyed because you think I'm criticising him?

Bizarre.

[sedwardsdrfc]

i agree that the midfield has to take alot of the blame but i dont trust friend at centre half i thought he looks a lot better at left back.

[Wade Falana]

I can't fault his commitment but is massively overrated IMO, positionally abysmal. Maybe one for Billy Stubbs but I just wonder how many league games we have won when he's played at centre back.

Is it a coincidence that when Naylor and Martis played there together we won earlier this season?

[StocksArmy]

In my opinion hes a good championship player but never been a center half.

[Norfolk N Chance]

In my opinion hes a good championship player but never been a center half.

No he not good he is outstanding CH he really is!

Left back not so good in my opinion.

The timing of his tackles are also outstanding!

[ctay]

Lack of confidence throughtout the team, starting with the goal keeper right through to the forward line.

George had a really dodgy start to his Rovers career, then looked really good, but hasnt looked great the last few games.

To me no matter what centre halfs we play, they play too far away from each. I still maintain we need a quality centre half, but I am not sure who you would play with them... Friend, JOC, Naylor...but not Martis

[RoversAlias]

It's all a matter of opinion of course but for me Martis is better than Naylor...and he is certainly better than O'Connor who I can't remember having a good game in well over a year. Beofre he got his latest injury Martis had a couple of games alongside Friend where he was solid. I don't get the stick he receives a lot of the time.

[rtid88]

What the hell?? Friend is the best Centre Back that in the squad by a country mile, if we had a midfield that could actually protect its defence and goalkeeper then we would not be conceding goals so much.

IMO Friend is an all round better defender and player then Shackell was and he will become and important member of this team for a long time if a bigger and better team do not come sniffing around him first!!

[sedwardsdrfc]

shackell is twice the centre half we dont need all round players at centre back any way we need someone to win headers when challanged and clear there lines when thay have to and for me friend dont win enough clean headers which should be the basics of any centre half in any leauge

[vaya]

Shackell is twice the centre half.  We don't need all-round players at centre back anyway, we need someone to win headers when challenged, and clear their lines when thay have to.

For me Friend doesn't win enough clean headers, which should be basic for any centre half in any league.

[ctay]

I think Friend has a long way to go to be like Shakell.

On JOC, I think the lad needs a change to be honest. He hasnt performed for a while, but I think he got lost playing right back, centre back and even left back. I think he needs a run of games, but injury seems to make that impossible. I dont see him replacing Chimbonda now....well not till he leaves!

Martis...he frustrates me. He will have two good games and then three dodgy ones. You carnt help but feel he is going to cost us a goal at anytime.  He did well when next to GF, but I dont think that combination will keep us in the Championship. And sorry to the Sully fans, but neither will he in goal.

[CusworthRovers]

Shackell is twice the centre half.  We don't need all-round players at centre back anyway, we need someone to win headers when challenged, and clear their lines when thay have to.

For me Friend doesn't win enough clean headers, which should be basic for any centre half in any league.

Thanks for the translation, although the learned friend is wrong about Friend. He does win headers. Shack aside he's been the next most commanding CH in the air we've had under Sean/Deano.

However I take the point that he seems to have lost his way a little in the changes, but still very much an asset to this club

[sedwardsdrfc]

People who correct other peoples grammar, I wonder why everyone thinks they are bellends

[vaya]

People who correct other peoples grammar, I wonder why everyone thinks they are bellends

Try to do someone a favour and you get abuse. I give up, I really do.

Incidentally it was grammar, syntax and spelling.

[sedwardsdrfc]

I’m sorry I can only dream that one day I will be able to write so eloquently and be able to pass on my knowledge of the written language, maybe I shall set up a charity teaching poor misguided youths the art of punctuation and syntax you are my hero.

by the way i can do all that grammar and spelling stuff im just writing things out quickly, your head would explode if you every saw someting called text talk, they use it on a thing called mobile phones it is like a small telephone you know

[vaya]

You see now - perfectly legible.

Job done.

[Nudga]

I’m sorry I can only dream that one day I will be able to write so eloquently and be able to pass on my knowledge of the written language, maybe I shall set up a charity teaching poor misguided youths the art of punctuation and syntax you are my hero.

by the way i can do all that grammar and spelling stuff im just writing things out quickly, your head would explode if you every saw someting called text talk, they use it on a thing called mobile phones it is like a small telephone you know

And that makes it ok does it? It boils my piss when my mates text speak to me in text messages, I f**k em off until they do it properly.

[grayx]

If that's the case then we are in the shit.

[wilts rover]

Got to agree that George isn't one of the best centre-halves in the championship. He is however one of (if not the best) players in our squad at the moment. If everyone else worked as hard as he does then I am sure we would not be in the position we are in now, very reminiscent of Paul Green in that although not the most technically skilled, he works hard for the team. There was a post on the Yorkshire forum that he ought to play in midfield, which I think is a good call, providing we get a couple of better centre-halves in.

[steve@dcfd]

What the hell?? Friend is the best Centre Back that in the squad by a country mile, if we had a midfield that could actually protect its defence and goalkeeper then we would not be conceding goals so much.

IMO Friend is an all round better defender and player then Shackell was and he will become and important member of this team for a long time if a bigger and better team do not come sniffing around him first!!

George is the best centre half at the club. That does not mean he is very good championship defender. Like the majority, if not all the defence and midfield they all would not get in other championship sides. None of the defence are a patch on Mills, Shackell, Roberts of two years ago, O'Connor of two years ago. But we may get better when the hype stops and quality players are signed for next to nothing.

[benaldo]

Well. Had this thread dared to surface two months ago, people would have been hung from lamposts all the way from the frenchgate to the keepmoat!

Although I think he's very much improved on the George Friend who was a left back, he's still really not very good. And partnering him with you know who is probably the biggest indicator of what has been going wrong at DRFC - too little investment in the right players. We only have one (and that is just my opinion) half decent CB in Naylor, the others are just terrible. They are possibly league one standard, but none of them would have got in many of the league one teams last season.

We have one of the championships best strikers, a below average midfield and an absolutely woefull selection of central defenders.

Good move bringing Chimbonda and Illunga in, but please can we have another central defender because the continued use of Friend, Mattress and you know who, is going to throw Rovers into the division below. It's like watching an old silent movie, featuring the keystone cops, or Harold lloyd, or Laurel and Hardy watching Friend and he who should not be named. I sometimes look at the away fans when our twosome have the ball and a lot of the fans are killing themselves laughing at them.

No need for them to be at the club. I'd much rather Sharp was sold for a couple of million and we got some quality at central defence than continue with the bungling clowns there right now. It's not rocket science.

[ravenrover]

Well. Had this thread dared to surface two months ago, people would have been hung from lamposts all the way from the frenchgate to the keepmoat!

Although I think he's very much improved on the George Friend who was a left back, he's still really not very good. And partnering him with you know who is probably the biggest indicator of what has been going wrong at DRFC - too little investment in the right players. We only have one (and that is just my opinion) half decent CB in Naylor, the others are just terrible. They are possibly league one standard, but none of them would have got in many of the league one teams last season.

We have one of the championships best strikers, a below average midfield and an absolutely woefull selection of central defenders.

Good move bringing Chimbonda and Illunga in, but please can we have another central defender because the continued use of Friend, Mattress and you know who, is going to throw Rovers into the division below. It's like watching an old silent movie, featuring the keystone cops, or Harold lloyd, or Laurel and Hardy watching Friend and he who should not be named. I sometimes look at the away fans when our twosome have the ball and a lot of the fans are killing themselves laughing at them.

No need for them to be at the club. I'd much rather Sharp was sold for a couple of million and we got some quality at central defence than continue with the bungling clowns there right now. It's not rocket science.

Have we signed that French player Vol de Mort? or is it just the kiss of death instead of a bit of flatulance from the prawn sarnies?