Do we really have a defensive crisis?

Come across an interesting video regarding Ben Nugent- havent seen many interviews of him, apart from the one on City Player after the Swansea game. The link below is called "Play like a Pro"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SptgmAXLEBE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gkJym14WH4&feature=relmfu (Another vid- staying healthy)

But what stood out for me on this video and the interview after the Swansea development game, is not just his desire to be part of first team football, but his willingness to learn and continiuosly improve as a player. This just confirms what Malky has said about Ben in recent interviews (the work ethic, his desire, passion etc)

Key thing about Ben, he looks up to senior players like Turner and Hudson, always taking the best aspects of their game, analyzing their performances and trying to adapt them as his own.

I know some people have been worried about the lack of defensive covers, especially with recent comments from Carl in which we should have made loan moves earlier for defenders. Prior to Nugent making his first team debut, I was very worried, especially with the lack of first team experience.

Does this show the Under 21 league is working for us? i.e. in that young players can make a step up from youth level to first team football. The old reserve teams for us were organised on the basis where certain players needed game time, as we never really had a squad to compete in the reserve league.

There have been calls to bring in quality defenders to come on loan.....lets be honest their parent clubs will want them to play first team football, or the parent club dont want to release them since they're back up to the first team player.......or simply they may not be good enough since they're low down in the pecking order and so reduce the wage bill.

Are we really in defensive crisis......why have 10 quality defenders week in week out in the team squad, where only four or five will be selected, where as others will just be wasted on the stands and our wage budget could have been used elsewhere. I know a similar arguement can be used for midfielders etc....but at present we have some excellent defenders in our youth system once again.

Could Declan John, Ben Nugent (as proved today) and Luke Coulson be the answer to our defensive crisis? My answer to this is, why have an under 21 league squad when we're not going to use them.

Come across an interesting video regarding Ben Nugent- havent seen many interviews of him, apart from the one on City Player after the Swansea game. The link below is called "Play like a Pro"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SptgmAXLEBE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gkJym14WH4&feature=relmfu (Another vid- staying healthy)

But what stood out for me on this video and the interview after the Swansea development game, is not just his desire to be part of first team football, but his willingness to learn and continiuosly improve as a player. This just confirms what Malky has said about Ben in recent interviews (the work ethic, his desire, passion etc)

Key thing about Ben, he looks up to senior players like Turner and Hudson, always taking the best aspects of their game, analyzing their performances and trying to adapt them as his own.

I know some people have been worried about the lack of defensive covers, especially with recent comments from Carl in which we should have made loan moves earlier for defenders. Prior to Nugent making his first team debut, I was very worried, especially with the lack of first team experience.

Does this show the Under 21 league is working for us? i.e. in that young players can make a step up from youth level to first team football. The old reserve teams for us were organised on the basis where certain players needed game time, as we never really had a squad to compete in the reserve league.

There have been calls to bring in quality defenders to come on loan.....lets be honest their parent clubs will want them to play first team football, or the parent club dont want to release them since they're back up to the first team player.......or simply they may not be good enough since they're low down in the pecking order and so reduce the wage bill.

Are we really in defensive crisis......why have 10 quality defenders week in week out in the team squad, where only four or five will be selected, where as others will just be wasted on the stands and our wage budget could have been used elsewhere. I know a similar arguement can be used for midfielders etc....but at present we have some excellent defenders in our youth system once again.

Could Declan John, Ben Nugent (as proved today) and Luke Coulson be the answer to our defensive crisis? [b]My answer to this is, why have an under 21 league squad when we're not going to use them[/b].

Erm thats a question not an answer

Depends on how you view it.

We got some excellent youth players coming through.......the only way they're going to gain experience is by playing first team football. John and Nugent have been training with the first team for a while...so surely they're up for the challenge.

NO

We will be lucky to have one player a season graduating from the academy through to the senior team and the more difficult the better we get.

Its been a while since one has come through as i believe we bought Ralls a few months earlier.

I wouldn't want two rookies playing in the same back 4.

we now have 4 defenders fit and available for tuesday. If taylor and mcnaughton are still not ready for tuesday, we wont have a defender on the bench.

Nugents emergence may mean we dont have to bring in another centreback, but i think id be looking to bring in a full back permenantly in January