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Player Watch Player Watch: Oliver Skipp

-Afri-Coy-

Well-Known Member
Jun 26, 2012
5,838
18,570
Thought Skipp had a really good game last night and certainly did enough to warrant starting more games for the rest of the season.

I paid particular interest in him last night because I haven't had a real chance to watch him play. Thought he did brilliantly given the circumstances and he held the midfield well. Infectious energy and a sound defensive mind. He made mistakes like everyone else, but impressed nonetheless.
 

wrd

Well-Known Member
Aug 22, 2014
13,603
58,005
At times I felt like he was ready to grab the game by the scruff of the neck but then felt he had to defer to the more senior players around him. I thought he had a great performance and I'd love to see him get more games going forward. His legs probably can't handle Burnley I imagine after so long without football.
 

Shadydan

Well-Known Member
Jul 7, 2012
38,247
104,143
Can't be easy playing in this team right now so I think he did brilliantly given the circumstances.
 

DJS

A hoonter must hoont
Dec 9, 2006
31,261
21,760
I would honestly just play him as much as possible now as we may as well use this time to see how he does and if he is the answer for defensive midfield, as this could them mean more resources for a centre forward and other areas of pitch.

Plus absolutely no point of having academy if you’re not going to give these highly rated players a decent chance when other players in front of them aren’t exactly pulling up trees to keep them out of the team.
 

VegasII

Well-Known Member
May 14, 2008
9,750
16,670
GLC and Tanganga have been our positives this season. It would be cool to add Skipp to the list.
 
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gavspur

Well-Known Member
Jun 24, 2004
5,255
8,686
With our season nearly over, I wouldn’t be surprised to see José give more opportunities out, and try to find a solid system for next year.
 

McFlash

In the corner, eating crayons.
Oct 19, 2005
12,740
45,363
To me, he seemed to often be in the right place at the right time, sensing the danger.
Was quick to attack a slightly loose ball but not too eager to dive in. His timing is very good. When he did go to ground, he did it well, apart from the card of course.
You could easily overlook his performance and I think that marks a good dcm, as in, you almost don't notice them ala Carrick.*



*that is not a comparison to Carrick, or Modric, or Ini-fucking-esta, before some bellend jumps on it.
 

SpursSince1980

Well-Known Member
Jan 23, 2011
4,732
14,447
I paid particular interest in him last night because I haven't had a real chance to watch him play. Thought he did brilliantly given the circumstances and he held the midfield well. Infectious energy and a sound defensive mind. He made mistakes like everyone else, but impressed nonetheless.
I was impressed with him last night. He was composed and vibrant. Didn't hide. I think you also need to cut the guy some slack for any mistakes... he hasn't started a chuffing game this season. So, he's gotta be very rusty in that regard. Give him a run of three or four games. See if he can make that DM spot his own until the end of the season. Worse case scenario is that he shows a lot of raw potential, and can become a valuable card to play when it comes to loaning players out to teams we may be purchasing a player from. EG: let's say Norwich go down. We buy Aarons. A year long loan for Skipp and say, Parrot too, would potentially off-set some costs.

Regardless, he was the one bright light, in an otherwise miserable game. In what is turning out to be a miserable season.
 

Havre

Well-Known Member
Aug 8, 2019
829
1,065
Agree. So tired of players hiding and how we are almost afraid to be 1-0 up is rather embarrassing, but Skipp kept on trying to play. As one of very few.

I like him. He might not become a superstar, but maybe he can be a Fletcher? He plays in the right way. And who knows. Fletcher was good for many years to become very good for a couple of seasons (and probably would have stayed very good for more years if he hadn´t suffered his illness).
 

SpursSince1980

Well-Known Member
Jan 23, 2011
4,732
14,447
Agree. So tired of players hiding and how we are almost afraid to be 1-0 up is rather embarrassing, but Skipp kept on trying to play. As one of very few.

I like him. He might not become a superstar, but maybe he can be a Fletcher? He plays in the right way. And who knows. Fletcher was good for many years to become very good for a couple of seasons (and probably would have stayed very good for more years if he hadn´t suffered his illness).
Very true. You need grafters in every team. It's rare when you come across highly skilled players, who are also tireless grafters. EG: Harry Kane. We often seem to end up with players that are skilled, but can easily be bullied out of a game. And then completely go hiding or lose focus when the chips are down. Ours is a team in desperate need of three or four high intensity, take-no-bullshit grafters. Ever since Dembele left, Wanyama crocked it, Walker went walkies and Rose wilted, we've been missing players who work their asses off and aren't afraid to get really stuck in. Wasn't it one of the old Watford managers who once said it was like playing against a team of 'animals'? Lord knows we could use some more of that attitude.
 

ajspurs

Well-Known Member
Jul 7, 2007
22,989
31,168
Actually pressed people and tackled, was refreshing to see. Gave a bite to our midfield that we've been lacking way too often.
 

Hawk_Spur

Well-Known Member
Dec 17, 2004
1,539
2,387
He was good last night and deserves more PL minutes.

This season is dusted so need to look at who will feature prominently next season.
 

EQP

EQP
Sep 1, 2013
7,960
29,661
I wrote this couple months back about Skipp vs Dier for the CDM position and his performance highlighted a good balance of his skillset and what he can bring to the team.

Skipp can do 4 things that this current version of Dier will not or cannot do in the DM position.

1) Receive the ball in pressure and keep it
2) Pass the ball accurately
3) Move up and down the field without lumbering or looking completely lost
4) Keep positional discipline

Those 4 things alone make him significantly more functional than Dier to us as a DM.
 

swarvsta

Well-Known Member
Jul 25, 2008
773
4,061
Skipp has been highly rated for many years now. It’s not easy to stand out in the academy when you’re this type of player.

The reason he stood out was his tenacity, reading of the game and decision making on the ball.

He could be an excellent DM for us if given the chance.
 

InOffMeLeftShin

Night watchman
Admin
Jan 14, 2004
15,104
9,113
He’s tenacious, does a lot of the basics very well, reads the game well and actually can be progressive with his passing. I like him, he has a bit of James Milner about him. I know that’s not the most exciting name but he’s been a valuable player for a long time and I think Skipp can be too.
 

punkisback

Well-Known Member
Apr 10, 2004
4,410
7,278
He’s tenacious, does a lot of the basics very well, reads the game well and actually can be progressive with his passing. I like him, he has a bit of James Milner about him. I know that’s not the most exciting name but he’s been a valuable player for a long time and I think Skipp can be too.
Thing is a lot of midfield workhorses who come through usually are more technical players in the academy. Hendo, Milner, Delph, Noble were all supposed to be attacking geared players with some even coming through as AM or wide men. Even Mason and Winks were more attacking for us in the academy and look how they have turned out! This is because the speed of the game with the ball at your feet is so much more intense that players who make that step up probably find they have more time without the ball and need to keep it simple once they have it. Whereas Skipp was never this sort of player. However he needs to be judged with better players around him and also against stronger players, then we can find out what his true potential is.
Skipp looks good, he definitely deserves more minutes to see if he can do it against stronger players
 

Dzejkob

Well-Known Member
Aug 13, 2012
785
3,215
Not sure how to name it but you can see that he has some kind of defending-tackling habbit. Pretty clear when you watch him that he acctually is a DM and not someone who is asked to play there. Let's how he will develop from here but positive performance IMHO.
 
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