Naismith

[petehinton]

I’ve missed watching this bloke play football. Absolute class act. Our best player by some distance. 
 

If he can stay fit (big if), we have to find a way to get him in a starting 11 consistently. 
 

Passing ability, calmness and quickness moving the ball between the lines is frightening. 

[Charlie BCFC]

Good to see him getting 90 minutes competitively again. Thought he had a really good game and reminded us how good of a player he actually is

[Charlie BCFC]

Great minds think alike @petehinton 

[Finley_Smith10]

would suit LCB in a back 3 so well

[Mr Popodopolous]

Big fan of Naismith, so very composed isn't he.

[Shauntaylor85]

He’s class, I’d have him in midfield over Williams. 

[Davefevs]

3 minutes ago, Charlie BCFC said:

Good to see him getting 90 minutes competitively again. Thought he had a really good game and reminded us how good of a player he actually is

My MOTM (City)

[Paulton Gilly]

Excellent player and of his passing through the lines is excellent, but you feel get the odd miss-placed pass, but love how he try’s to be positive with the ball. Good defensive display too, but maybe slight positional error on their goal, but need to look at replay.

[GrahamC]

Really good game, thought Roberts did well in his first start, too.

Not exactly a revelation to say we get incrementally weaker in strength as you go further up the pitch.

Only real bright spot on the attacking front was Fally looks a player.

[Lew-T]

Yeah a decent return to the side. Annoying about the goal but overall he played well! He does make me nervous sometimes with that extra touch but that’s just his style of play. He draws players in and spins off a pass out of nowhere!

[MrRedRobin]

If we can keep him fit a no brainier to get involved as much as possible but I don’t think we will be able to keep him fit for that long based on his injury record. His passing is fantastic though and put other players to shame with his passing.

[MythikRobins]

Type of player that just makes the game so much more fun to watch, risk taker but rarely rash or rushed ever.

[GeoTheCiderHead]

Wouldn’t want him anywhere near the defence for an important league game but would have him over Williams and/or TGH in midfield any day for his passing ability. 

Edited August 13 by GeoTheCiderHead

[steveybadger]

I’ve said it elsewhere that he is a joy on the ball but as a defender he has mistakes in him. Personally I don’t think it’s a coincidence our defensive record was so good last year when he was injured, and I thought he was possibly at fault for the goal tonight.

But sitting in front of the back 4? Maybe.

[Graham76]

Thought Naismith had a solid performance and by far my MOM for city

[headhunter]

16 minutes ago, steveybadger said:

I’ve said it elsewhere that he is a joy on the ball but as a defender he has mistakes in him. Personally I don’t think it’s a coincidence our defensive record was so good last year when he was injured, and I thought he was possibly at fault for the goal tonight.

But sitting in front of the back 4? Maybe.

I'm in agreement with you but getting pelters on another thread for saying this.

[2015]

Always rated him. I'd be happy to even play him in midfield. He is miles better at passing a ball than TGH and Williams is. At least he has some guile about him unlike many of our other players.

[The Masked Man]

A joy to watch but better suited to a back three where he's less exposed?

[Mr Popodopolous]

2 minutes ago, The Masked Man said:

A joy to watch but better suited to a back three where he's less exposed?

Better suited to deepest midfield, IMO.

Back 3 leaves us with issues in other areas unless perhaps McCrorie and Pring are the wingbacks as they can move between fullback and wingback relatively seamlessly.

[Davefevs]

1 hour ago, headhunter said:

I'm in agreement with you but getting pelters on another thread for saying this.

Because you’re evaluating tonight’s performance by bringing up stuff not from tonight. If you’re rating tonight, stick to what he did tonight.  If you’re rating based on his time here, include everything.

[Charlie BCFC]

2 hours ago, steveybadger said:

I’ve said it elsewhere that he is a joy on the ball but as a defender he has mistakes in him. Personally I don’t think it’s a coincidence our defensive record was so good last year when he was injured, and I thought he was possibly at fault for the goal tonight.

But sitting in front of the back 4? Maybe.

Harsh to say he was at fault, Palmer had acres to make that pass. Midfield imo who were lethargic in that second half for me

[Charlie BCFC]

2 hours ago, Davefevs said:

My MOTM (City)

I’d agree with you Mr Fevs, Fally up there aswell for me 

[Son of Fred]

2 hours ago, petehinton said:

I’ve missed watching this bloke play football. Absolute class act. Our best player by some distance. 
 

If he can stay fit (big if), we have to find a way to get him in a starting 11 consistently. 
 

Passing ability, calmness and quickness moving the ball between the lines is frightening. 

No10

[wendyredredrobin]

I like him as a player, but prefer him in midfield to the back line.  My main concern is how much football we are going to get out of him before he is injured again.

[Super]

I thought he was poor for the goal apart from that he was very good.

[CityCiderEd]

I'd like to see him pushed into a deep lying midfield role. His range of passing is probably the best of the current squad. Our passing again last night was extremely poor in the 2nd half with us continually misplacing or just giving it away in decent situations. We have the young Japanese lad to come in and hopefully he gives us the pace and width we need. Sykes just doesn't look the same player since his injury and Mehmeti is far too inconsistent, the odd flash of brilliance doesn't make up for his lack of end product. 

[The Journalist]

8 hours ago, petehinton said:

I’ve missed watching this bloke play football. Absolute class act. Our best player by some distance. 
 

If he can stay fit (big if), we have to find a way to get him in a starting 11 consistently. 
 

Passing ability, calmness and quickness moving the ball between the lines is frightening. 

I’m a huge fan, but still really sure what his best position is.

I know there’s always a clamour for him to play in midfield but he is a FAR better player with the game in front of him than having to play 360 in the middle. He’s not very good at getting it on the half-turn or receiving the ball with bodies around him.

He would almost be ideal as an old-fashioned sweeper with two first-ball winners in front of him.

[Rob k]

6 minutes ago, CityCiderEd said:

I'd like to see him pushed into a deep lying midfield role. His range of passing is probably the best of the current squad. Our passing again last night was extremely poor in the 2nd half with us continually misplacing or just giving it away in decent situations. We have the young Japanese lad to come in and hopefully he gives us the pace and width we need. Sykes just doesn't look the same player since his injury and Mehmeti is far too inconsistent, the odd flash of brilliance doesn't make up for his lack of end product. 

To be fair to Mehmeti, he will always get on the ball and try and be positive and look to get a shot off. I don’t mind that 

[Monkeh]

While  I like him, he normally costs us on average a goal a game due yo giving the ball away,

It's not his fault entirely, it's how he's been instructed to play, 

[robin_unreliant]

Thought he played well overall. He almost lost the ball at one point as last man. I feel he is a bit over confident in his ability at times and can lose the ball trying to be clever. As a result is a risk playing at CB. 

Edited August 14 by robin_unreliant

[Sir Geoff]

7 minutes ago, The Journalist said:

I’m a huge fan, but still really sure what his best position is.

I know there’s always a clamour for him to play in midfield but he is a FAR better player with the game in front of him than having to play 360 in the middle. He’s not very good at getting it on the half-turn or receiving the ball with bodies around him.

He would almost be ideal as an old-fashioned sweeper with two first-ball winners in front of him.

Totally agree. I've never understood the logic of wanting him in midfield. He's a much better player, as you say, with everything in front of him. Playing in midfield he wouldn't get that extra bit of time on the ball that he seems to like. He is a very good footballer. MOTM by a distance in my view.

[Jose]

One of the only players to take a risk. Always looking to pass forward.Even a couple of years back when he cost us numerous times I was one of his biggest backers. His pros over shadow the cons easily. 

[BobBobBobbin]

19 minutes ago, Monkeh said:

While  I like him, he normally costs us on average a goal a game due yo giving the ball away,

It's not his fault entirely, it's how he's been instructed to play, 

I'd love to see the stats that back this assertion up...

[Johnny Musicworks]

7 minutes ago, Sir Geoff said:

Totally agree. I've never understood the logic of wanting him in midfield. He's a much better player, as you say, with everything in front of him. Playing in midfield he wouldn't get that extra bit of time on the ball that he seems to like. He is a very good footballer. MOTM by a distance in my view.

As he said in his interview after the game,at the back you can see everything that’s going on ahead of you. He can do the short pass and the long pass but he doesn’t always take the first option as he seems very aware of where everyone is. That extra bit of time is more about the extra options he can see from there and like all good players he is not hurried or easily pressed. He reminds me of Tinnion in his later years when he took on a more influential role. A big player if he stays fit, especially for instigating counter attacks.

[Nugget]

Naismith further up with that passing can unlock many teams defence. Always personally preferred him in midfield as he does have that mistake in him the way he plays, but a little further up he can get away with it more and influence the game even more too. 

[Puckle_red]

He seems to get caught out ball-watching quite lot. His passing although decent at times is quite loose, and in the Championship, you get punished for loose passes out from the back.

He switched off for the goal, letting Simms peel off into space. He seems a good bloke and has some quality about him, but now I realise why we are potentially in the market for another CB.

[Ashton Fete]

Showed his quality in abundance, yes he might make a misplaced pass but every player in every position does this so not sure why he gets a seemingly disproportionately attention when he does it.

As others have said, would love to see LM play a back 3 of Dickie, Vyner and Naismith pushing forward to break those lines.

Agree with others re MOTM

[old_eastender]

7 minutes ago, Ashton Fete said:

Showed his quality in abundance, yes he might make a misplaced pass but every player in every position does this so not sure why he gets a seemingly disproportionately attention when he does it.

As others have said, would love to see LM play a back 3 of Dickie, Vyner and Naismith pushing forward to break those lines.

Agree with others re MOTM

No doubting his passing ability, generally very good and forward thinking. However, is prone to mistakes that cost us goals, just like last night..

Agree his best position is in a back 3, that offers more protection against his defensive lapses than being in a back 4 and he can be the defender to carry the ball out and pick a pass.  

[steveybadger]

7 hours ago, Charlie BCFC said:

Harsh to say he was at fault, Palmer had acres to make that pass. Midfield imo who were lethargic in that second half for me

Maybe. Agree midfield were second best second half though. 

[BobBobBobbin]

11 minutes ago, Ashton Fete said:

Showed his quality in abundance, yes he might make a misplaced pass but every player in every position does this so not sure why he gets a seemingly disproportionately attention when he does it.

As others have said, would love to see LM play a back 3 of Dickie, Vyner and Naismith pushing forward to break those lines.

Agree with others re MOTM

Because centre halves should boot it. Head it. Kick it. 

Forever in the 70's podcast.

We need to be bigger not better. 

technique is woke. 

 

[Shuffle]

4 minutes ago, steveybadger said:

Maybe. Agree midfield were second best second half though. 

Midfield 2nd half demonstrated that Knight is our most important player.

[Fuber]

Play him in Midfield along side Bird and actually dictate play.

Instead of watching TGH volley a flat crossfield pass into their attacking midfielder or Williams slide tackle a ball for no reason almost out for a corner.

Just now, Shuffle said:

Midfield 2nd half demonstrated that Knight is our most important player.

And that TGH isn't Champ level.

Nor Cornick.

[BobBobBobbin]

2 minutes ago, old_eastender said:

No doubting his passing ability, generally very good and forward thinking. However, is prone to mistakes that cost us goals, just like last night..

Agree his best position is in a back 3, that offers more protection against his defensive lapses than being in a back 4 and he can be the defender to carry the ball out and pick a pass.  

The real mistake for the goal came in midfield, where Sykes and Williams both didn't stop the counter and were outmuscled by Jay Dasilva FFS! Next TGH just ambles towards Palmer rather than blocking his passing lanes (Let alone smashing him). Roberts nowhere to be seen. 

We lost our shape, Naismith no more guilty than the rest of the defence, the pass just happened to go relatively near him. His body position is slightly squared off is the only criticism I can make having just watched the goal including build up 10 times in a row. 

 

[tin]

He’s very good on the ball, but I don’t want him anywhere near CB. 

It’s a tricky one as I thought Roberts was our standout player as a LCB towards the end of last season, Pring starts all day long at LB, and we’re well stocked in midfield. A good problem to have. 

[Cityboy1954]

10 hours ago, Shauntaylor85 said:

He’s class, I’d have him in midfield over Williams. 

Why cant manni g see it also play the two new strikers together not the likes of wells or cornbeef.

[Cityboy1954]

1 minute ago, Cityboy1954 said:

Why cant manni ng see it also play the two new strikers together not the likes of wells or cornbeef.

 

[DaveF]

10 hours ago, Finley_Smith10 said:

would suit LCB in a back 3 so well

Not sure he's got the pace for that? Wouldn't mind him in the centre of a back 3.

[Dr Balls]

As others have said on here Naismith as a CB  in a back 4 is not the answer. He will cost us goals playing that role. Personally I would play him in midfield with Knight and Bird as a 4-3-3 formation, or some version of that (midfield diamond with 2 strikers upfront?) but it’s clear that he needs cover behind and 1 centre back is not enough.

[Cityboy1954]

33 minutes ago, Cityboy1954 said:

Why cant manning see it also play the two new strikers together not the likes of wells or cornbeef.

 

[Davefevs]

1 hour ago, Nugget said:

Naismith further up with that passing can unlock many teams defence. Always personally preferred him in midfield as he does have that mistake in him the way he plays, but a little further up he can get away with it more and influence the game even more too. 

You have to get the ball to him in there if you want to take advantage of his passing.  I’m happy to see it, but emphasis on back-4 to use him / trust him if he does play there.

[Maltshoveller]

11 hours ago, petehinton said:

I’ve missed watching this bloke play football. Absolute class act. Our best player by some distance. 
 

If he can stay fit (big if), we have to find a way to get him in a starting 11 consistently. 
 

Passing ability, calmness and quickness moving the ball between the lines is frightening. 

Sorry Pete

but this type of post has no place on OTIB

It is nothing but positive about a player

Post should pick faults about players

or slag of the club the owners or manager

Please no more positive posts You will only get abuse for being a happy clapper

[Rob k]

6 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

You have to get the ball to him in there if you want to take advantage of his passing.  I’m happy to see it, but emphasis on back-4 to use him / trust him if he does play there.

And Naismith looks good as we don’t have a defender really capable of doing what he can do, so if you move him in to midfield, you lose the ball player from defence.

[1960maaan]

It's undeniable that Naismith is a very good footballer. He has control , vision and a good range of passing but he does lack pace and for that reason I don't see him in a MF2 as we are at the moment. 
The only way is if we revert to a 3-4-2-1 or 2-3-4-1 , playing as the central CB stepping into MF when we have the ball. It would allow us to play WB's for width and keep the MF2 and play any number of "10s" that Manning would want.
It could be the number of fit, genuine CBs we have, dictating that we play a back 4. That might explain our interest in another CB , what with the concerns over Atkinson and Naismith. Maybe the incoming 10 and Naismith proving his fitness may allow a change in shape. 
At this moment in time I have no idea TBH. 

[TommyD68]

Great to have him back for depth and really pleased for him but best player is a bit of stretch I think. He’s often prone to making a mistake and Zak often has to bail him out with recovering tackles due to being out of position/lack of pace. That being said thought he did very well last night, expect Zak and Dickie will be the first choice this season provided both stay fit. 

[Davefevs]

13 minutes ago, TommyD68 said:

Great to have him back for depth and really pleased for him but best player is a bit of stretch I think. He’s often prone to making a mistake and Zak often has to bail him out with recovering tackles due to being out of position/lack of pace. That being said thought he did very well last night, expect Zak and Dickie will be the first choice this season provided both stay fit. 

I think people are saying he was our best player last night, ie MOTM.  They aren’t saying he’s the best player we have in the squad.

Out of interest, who was your MOTM last night.  I thought Fally was good too.

[petehinton]

26 minutes ago, Maltshoveller said:

Sorry Pete

but this type of post has no place on OTIB

It is nothing but positive about a player

Post should pick faults about players

or slag of the club the owners or manager

Please no more positive posts You will only get abuse for being a happy clapper

Sorry, my bad. He costs us a goal every time he plays (apparently), makes a big mistake in every game (apparently), and can’t play CB (please don’t find out he got Luton POTY playing there). 

[TommyD68]

3 hours ago, Davefevs said:

I think people are saying he was our best player last night, ie MOTM.  They aren’t saying he’s the best player we have in the squad.

Out of interest, who was your MOTM last night.  I thought Fally was good too.

That would make more sense, I agree I think Fally was very good and looked dangerous. Zak and Naismith were solid, both misplaced passes on occasions but they try to switch play and make penetrating balls so I don’t mind that at all provided it’s not in silly areas. Mehmeti also looked a threat when he came on. 

[lotusman]

Really nice to see him back yet it is difficult to see how he fits in to the needs of L.M. Will be interesting on how he will be utilised over the next few weeks assuming of course that he remains fit. With him on the pitch certainly improves dead ball kick situations (still getting over Hull deliveries).

[hinsleburg]

5 hours ago, TommyD68 said:

Great to have him back for depth and really pleased for him but best player is a bit of stretch I think. He’s often prone to making a mistake and Zak often has to bail him out with recovering tackles due to being out of position/lack of pace. That being said thought he did very well last night, expect Zak and Dickie will be the first choice this season provided both stay fit. 

Does he lack pace though? He started his career as a Winger and he's certainly no slower than Dickie for example

Really tough one Naismith, think he only starts in defence in a Back 3 and then you're blocking Roberts who possesses similar attributes in that LCB role. Unless, as alluded he acts as a sweeper in the middle and we play out from the back but that also comes with an element of risk. I actually think he's a better player than Vyner, but I don't think Dickie (who is our best CB in my opinion) and Naismith would work in a 2. 

If we start playing him in Midfield then you have to drop Knight/Bird or not play with our imaginary Number 10.

So I'd like him on the pitch, I just don't know where and instead of whom.

 

[RoystonFoote'snephew]

Naismith is a very fine player but I'd never have him in central defence over Atkinson or Dickie. Cruyff turns on the edge of our own penalty area I don't need. 

[TommyD68]

1 hour ago, hinsleburg said:

Does he lack pace though? He started his career as a Winger and he's certainly no slower than Dickie for example

Really tough one Naismith, think he only starts in defence in a Back 3 and then you're blocking Roberts who possesses similar attributes in that LCB role. Unless, as alluded he acts as a sweeper in the middle and we play out from the back but that also comes with an element of risk. I actually think he's a better player than Vyner, but I don't think Dickie (who is our best CB in my opinion) and Naismith would work in a 2. 

If we start playing him in Midfield then you have to drop Knight/Bird or not play with our imaginary Number 10.

So I'd like him on the pitch, I just don't know where and instead of whom.

 

From the games he’s played for us he appears to lack a bit of pace, but he’s had injuries and isn’t get any younger so that’s to be expected. 

Whilst I think all of Dickie, Naismith and Vyner (and Roberts but not in a back 4) all offer great attributes, I’m not sure where Naismith fits in when everyone is fit. Like you said him and Dickie just wouldn’t work due to the lack of pace, and out the two of them you’re picking Dickie every time. Whilst Dickie had a fantastic season last year, I think it will always be Vyner and then one of Dickie/Naismith (if playing a back 4) due to his athleticism. He offers a lot more than pace and is a solid defender nowadays but this is clearly where he outshines the other 2.

Love the idea of Naismith in holding midfield provided it doesn’t mean we go ultra defensive like you mentioned. I think it might take Manning a while to work out the rest of the team and what’s going to work in attack and midfield, but I personally think the defence picks itself.

Edited August 14 by TommyD68