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Ryan Mason

Their cavalier approach to passing in dangerous areas put a lot of pressure on the defence, I'm not an advocate of thump it anywhere but at times you need to be sensible in defence.

Indeed, my biggest gripe and their biggest weakness was their inability to track runners and were ball watching as opposing players run in behind them. i sit behind the goal and our CM were nowhere to be seen( most of the time) when the other team were attacking. I felt sorry for our defenders who had to deal with it.
 
Mason is neat on the ball, and a good passer, but he's never gonna be a top player. He's the kind of player that when the going gets tough, he's that half a second to slow to be in the place he needs to, both offensively and defensively. And that half a second is CRUCIAL, and is what really makes the difference between a OK and a good player at the top level.
 
Mason is neat on the ball, and a good passer, but he's never gonna be a top player. He's the kind of player that when the going gets tough, he's that half a second to slow to be in the place he needs to, both offensively and defensively. And that half a second is CRUCIAL, and is what really makes the difference between a OK and a good player at the top level.
Exactly - he's a squad player, much like Carroll and Davies.
They would both get into a top 10-14 side, so that makes them very good squad options for us.
 
Exactly - he's a squad player, much like Carroll and Davies.
They would both get into a top 10-14 side, so that makes them very good squad options for us.
Provided they never play other than when we are comfortably leading, they are good enough, but they are not really pushing any for a starting place, and if we want to progress we need that added competition that better players bring.
 
No of course not, but our CM was our weakness that season ( which was one of the main reasons we conceded 53 goals). and Mason played a big part in that.

Our defense came in for a lot of stick but the protection they got from Mason and Bentaleb was missing in most games.

But the creativity and drive they got helped

We're a much better balanced side now and defend form the front which we were woeful at that season. Chadli was a prime example of a player who left his full back permanently exposed. It's no coincidence that with the attacking players pressing properly we now have a better defensive base... And add in better players like Dembele and Dier and were a top team

I genuinely think that Mason and bentelab were not as bad as some think and were hindered by the lack of nous from those around them
 
But the creativity and drive they got helped

We're a much better balanced side now and defend form the front which we were woeful at that season. Chadli was a prime example of a player who left his full back permanently exposed. It's no coincidence that with the attacking players pressing properly we now have a better defensive base... And add in better players like Dembele and Dier and were a top team

I genuinely think that Mason and bentelab were not as bad as some think and were hindered by the lack of nous from those around them

Well we will have to disagree, they both were nowhere to be seen on a lot of occasions when we were being attacked and that was down mostly to neither one of them having a defensive mindset.
 
Well we will have to disagree, they both were nowhere to be seen on a lot of occasions when we were being attacked and that was down mostly to neither one of them having a defensive mindset.

If use Danny Rose as part of the argument

A player who looks great now with decent cover in front of him but looked woefully exposed the season before

Similarly Verts too looks miles better

As a team we now defend as a unit and the players get that now. It's why we look for certain properties in the upgrades were making
 
I wouldn't disagree with the defensive mind set comments either to be fair

We look miles better with a true stopper who can play in Dier

Without a doubt, that was our biggest problem because neither Mason or Bentaleb could read the game from a defensive point of view. I am not really having a go at them as poor footballers just that in the position they were playing they were lost most of the time ( imo). ( letting runners get in behind them, ball watching etc). They may have strengths in other areas but as a pair in CM they were weak links.
 
Without a doubt, that was our biggest problem because neither Mason or Bentaleb could read the game from a defensive point of view. I am not really having a go at them as poor footballers just that in the position they were playing they were lost most of the time ( imo). ( letting runners get in behind them, ball watching etc). They may have strengths in other areas but as a pair in CM they were weak links.

They were a CM with an average age of 21, who bossed most other midfields in the league, and dragged a team with Chiriches and Fazio in it to 5th place.
 
Personally I'm a Mason fan. Check out this video which shows the majority of his touches against Sunderland last season - the game in which he got injured.


For me it showcases his strengths and why I like him as a player, if he can maintain his best form. He always plays with his head up, always looking for a forward pass, can execute a good arsenal of short/medium/long passes, and makes good runs from deep into goal scoring positions.

Think his biggest weaknesses are finishing, defending and consistency. But personally I'd really like to see him stick around for one more season to see if he can stay consistent and injury free, and stake his claim as a dependable squad option.

Can anyone really watch that video and disagree that he has real strengths?
 
Isn't Mason a Chelski fan? That kind of choice makes me seriously question his state of mind
 
We shouldn't hold the team he supported as a boy against him, even if it was bluescum. Players are professionals first and foremost. I believe one of our club's topscorers, a certain Mr Defoe, was am Arsenal fan as a youngster.

Strangely enough i can understand and accept players who were/still are Arse fans. Not bluescum though. That's totally unacceptable.
 
We shouldn't hold the team he supported as a boy against him, even if it was bluescum. Players are professionals first and foremost. I believe one of our club's topscorers, a certain Mr Defoe, was am Arsenal fan as a youngster.

And to be fair, Chelsea in the 90s were still Dave Webb, Tony Cascarino and Gavin Pearooster, not the classless beast we've grown to hate
 
We shouldn't hold the team he supported as a boy against him, even if it was bluescum. Players are professionals first and foremost. I believe one of our club's topscorers, a certain Mr Defoe, was am Arsenal fan as a youngster.

all irrelevent imo, like you say, they are professionals

Paul Scholes is famously a Oldham fan, they generally hate United, didn't stop him becoming one of their greatest ever players though
 
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