Walker..

[Narnill]

I said that he'd be Englands first choice RB come the next world cup at the start of the season and got slammed by some posters on here. I still stand by my prediction. Hes crazy quick, strong, willing to work his arse off to get back. He will only improve defensively over time. His general defensive game isn't actually that poor, it's when hes 1 v 1 that he shows his naivety. The amount of times I've seen him beaten down the outside is staggering considering the pace of the lad. I'd kill two birds with one stone and have Lennon running with the ball at him for an hour every day.

Surely you'd rather Bale run at him, since he's only of the best left siders in the game?

 

[tooey]

Surely you'd rather Bale run at him, since he's only of the best left siders in the game?

But that would just smash the lads confidence, you have to give him a chance :wink:

 

[Abdoujaparov]

I reckon he tackles pretty well and he's fast and strong. His main weakness atm is his positioning and of all the problems a young, inexperienced player could have, that's the one I'm least concerned about. He'll learn.

 

[dawsfan]

I think that Walker is a way better choice, he has pace and makes fewer mistakes, he is young so mistakes will happen, but Charlie has no excuse and he makes more. i do not believe that Charlie is good enough for first choice anymore... BAE also is making me more nervous...but that is not for this thread

 

[DJS]

Walker is winning me over but would still like to see Naughton given a chance with us too.

 

[Harry_Snatch]

Walkers tackle success ratio is 80%. I think he gets tarred with the Johnson brush because he has pace and gets forward to devastating effect. His positioning is good but he needs someone in front to help out like Lennon did in the QPR match. He has been left exposed against Arse and Newcastle but in both games the midfield player on the right ( VDV then Modric ) just left a winger and a full back have a go at him. Modric on the left works because BAE is such a solid defender, if Walker can learn the art of full back play from BAE he'll be even better than Ashley Cole down the right.

 

[tobi]

He's kept his place in the England squad, however Glen Johnson has someone warranted a call up ahead of Micah Richards.

Crazy.

 

[adamthfc]

I fucking love him he pisses all over corluka

 

[JollyHappy]

Lennon is, of course now moving inside more to allow Walker to bomb down the touchline (and it's working well as despite what some are saying here Lennon is now making goals from his position as well).

 

[tommo84]

I like Walker a lot - considering his age and relative inexperience in the top-flight, I think he's a very exciting prospect who deserves some patience regarding his defensive capabilities, especially given how much extra he offers going forward than Corluka does.

 

[hoodlum]

I love watching him fly up the line. I know he makes mistakes, but they are manageable right now. If we can get solid CB play, and Parker and Sandro do their thing, I think he'll be more than fine out there.

 

[Legend10]

I'm wondering if Walker over 30 yards is actually the quickest player in the Premiership, he really is incredibly quick!

 

[bubble07]

he gives us such a threat from RB. Definitely the most attacking RB in the league

 

[bubble07]

I'm wondering if Walker over 30 yards is actually the quickest player in the Premiership, he really is incredibly quick!

would love to see a 100m sprint between him, lennon and bale!

 

[Legend10]

would love to see a 100m sprint between him, lennon and bale!

Would be a hell of a race!

I think over 10-15 yards lennon
15-50 Walker
50-100 Walker v Bale would be classic

 

[SpurSince57]

I fucking love him he pisses all over corluka

No, he doesn't. Defensively, Corluka's far sounder.

Walker will get there, though. It's pretty clear that Harry's taken a calculated risk on him, knowing there are going to be some hairy defensive moments and trusting that there will be fewer and fewer of these as the lad learns from experience.

And whilst he's had these hairy defensive moments, how many have actually cost us.

Walker and Corluka are both vastly to be preferred to the useless Hutton.

 

[Bus-Conductor]

No, he doesn't. Defensively, Corluka's far sounder.

Walker will get there, though. It's pretty clear that Harry's taken a calculated risk on him, knowing there are going to be some hairy defensive moments and trusting that there will be fewer and fewer of these as the lad learns from experience.

And whilst he's had these hairy defensive moments, how many have actually cost us.

Walker and Corluka are both vastly to be preferred to the useless Hutton.

What makes you a better judge than Redknapp ? I thought you didn't agree with this principle ?

Only, until Hutton told Redknapp where to get off when he tried to blame him for Dawson's incompetence at Fulham last year, Hutton was first being chosen by Redknapp over Corluka. Strange given he's so useless ?

 

[DEFchenkOE]

Walker does make quite a few mistakes defensively but that added pace going forward is such a bonus. He's been involved in a lot of our goals recently, it might take him a few seasons to really get solid defensively but either way the threat he offers going forward is a positive that far outweighs his negatives imo.

 

[fortworthspur]

Im wondering why he's listed as a fullback. Im astonished by how poorly he defends. He's got enough pace to get on the pitch, but lordy he better improve his defensive skills.

 

[PrettyColors]

Well he doesn't "piss all over" Corluka but he's, for me, a better option against the lower sides. Because he is more attacking, more pacy, and because it keeps their left side, if not deeper, at least honest.

He was THE reason we scored our first goal today. Would Corluka have gotten to that ball? ha. In fact, I can almost count on my hands the players who would have had the sheer pace to get to that ball (2 play for us yay) and none are fullbacks.

However, having said that, I sometimes wonder if he's too fast for his own good. Corluka can't get away with poor positioning or a missed tackle, but Walker can because of his incredible recovery speed. Luckily though, he's already improving at defending (at least to me) and he looks everything like England's next RB.

You can't teach speed. But you can teach positioning, awareness, and defending stance. And the fact that he's already our starting RB at age 21 is an incredibly positive sign.