Question Best Loanee Defender this season

[Feathers]

I bet had we spoken to Liverpool at the start of the season we could have had Jakub all year. Lets be honest he is 21 now - what is he learning playing youth football. Kiernan stated that he needed football as he was sick of being a squad player. Egan I think needed to prove his fitness but said himself he needed games and has improved with us.

Don't forget we got Bolger too on loan all be it he last 5 mins. Meant to be a very good player. We also got Adam Thompson who for me the jury is still out on but has good pedigree. 5 potentially good players on loan in a season is pretty good evidence the players are out there.

I think the league is littered with decent calibre young players that need football and we can offer that in abundance. Obviously its not an ideal solution but I think better we play classy loans that average owned players.

Most of the moves we start come from either Jakub or Egan. You don't get that with Prosser or Phillips as they are not comfortable on the ball and the immediate reaction is to lump it clear which results in a 50/50.

Think credit should go to Bob Shaw for keep on delivering these gems.

I am not denying that egan and Jakub are better players than Prosser - which is why their parent clubs are in the Premiership and they will have careers above League 2.

However we are (currently at least) a League 2 club and it is unfair to expect a League 2 player to have the same qualities as these. Of our own contracted central defenders Prosser has over this season proved himself to be our best in that position and better than many opposition league 2 defenders I have seen this year.

Should we get promoted then we will need to strengthen this area and get better players. I would certainly be worried about a pairing of Prosser and Thompson but a pairing of Prosser and A.N.Other may well work.

The above is all of course in the highly unlilley event that we still have Egan & Jakub!

 

[DTS]

OK to balance this out. We didn't look too shabby with Prosser and Eagan as I recall. The distribution piece I think is more fiction than fact. In the past I made a point of particularly watching this part of Prossers game , and I didn't see one 'hoof' when there was actually a pass on . Lets also not forget that Egan gave away a stupid penalty last week which ultimately lost us the game when Sokolk was covering. Many would have crucified Prosser for that. Also Proseer has scored three goals :winking:

Im not saying Prosser is as good as the others, but unless we want to gotdown the route of playing with loan players all of the time I think We could (and have) do a lot worse than Prosser., who, lets not forget was still improving when he got injured , and if you look back on match threads was a regular contender for MoM.

I think Prosser is an ok defender who has improved a lot I just don't think he should be the mast that we pin our central defensive hopes on. Sokilik is out of contract in the summer, I think Kiernan and Egan are too. If we got into L1 and I appreciate that is a big ask at the moment I don't see why we couldn't get one maybe two of them.

Looking at Liverpool's team list they have six central defenders between 18-21 already. Add to that the next generation that is coming through now and you realise they are a factory for young players. So are 15 other clubs at that level.

No reason we cannot go out and get two good footballing centre halves as we have proven.

 

[RHB]

I think Prosser is an ok defender who has improved a lot I just don't think he should be the mast that we pin our central defensive hopes on. Sokilik is out of contract in the summer, I think Kiernan and Egan are too. If we got into L1 and I appreciate that is a big ask at the moment I don't see why we couldn't get one maybe two of them.

Looking at Liverpool's team list they have six central defenders between 18-21 already. Add to that the next generation that is coming through now and you realise they are a factory for young players. So are 15 other clubs at that level.

No reason we cannot go out and get two good footballing centre halves as we have proven.

Your logic is sound DTS, but I can't see these boys coming cheap enough for us. Neither can I see them choosing Southend over a higher level club, if one comes in for one or both. That said, I couldn't see us signing Timlin from Swindon when he first came here, so what do I know!!

 

[Clinton Baptiste]

Prosser and Thompson have looked good when theyve played together this season. If we dont go up they would be decent with perhaps another centre back for competition. The three loanees have looked different class, in particualr their anticipation and reading of the game. Egan will surely feature in Sunderlands squad next season, Kiernan has been playing for Wigan. Sokolik is a possibility, the guy is class and would be one of the best defenders in this division or the division above. I also wonder if Brown might look at getting Bolger back as he impressed in his short time on the pitch.

 

[WESTY_SUFC]

All this raving about our current two could be written off by this time tomorrow. I don't think we've seen enough of either yet to rate them above Keirnan in my opinion. How many games have we had to deal with a opposition team where they are dominating the midfield sustaining pressure on us recently?

They have all looked good so far but for people to say they are all way above this level is a little premature.

 

[OldBlueLady]

I've gone for Kiernan, I thought he was quality. The other two have looked good, no doubt about that, but I felt Kiernan had a bit more gumption about him......less likely to get mugged off by an opposing forward, as we were last weekend. I also thought O'Neill looked very good, just a shame he got injured. The other guy too, who got injured at York, had something about him.

 

[Napster]

Ive gone for Guy Butters. He was mustard. Or was it Guy Mustard who was butters.

 

[Jcd]

Egan for me, such a tough call though. Happy to keep all three if we could!!!

 

[Kristof]

All three have been excellent but Kiernan for me , marginally

 

[NZamba Legend]

There's no option for Kenny Brown.

 

[Bolton Shrimper]

Egan for me after yesterday, he goes about things quietly and effectively. Not one of Sokoliks better days.