Francis at centre back

[leeblue]

I sure it been mentioned elsewhere but hey ho, with the rumored departure of clarke and the obvious need for a new centre back I ask the question, can Francis be that centre back? I thought he was excellent when he played there last season and he is also very comfy on the ball. Thoughts

 

[DTS]

Really like Francis and thought he did a good job in the games he played but I dont think he dominates enough in the air to be a centre back (Some would argue Barrett dosent either).

I often think JFC would make a good centre half but again may have the same issues.

 

[fredheim_holm]

He's certainly not a right back to me so it's between centre back and right wing. What an odd player he is.

 

[turkishm]

nowhere near good enough in the air to play all season long at centre back, but a good stop gap, when we have injurys, imo.

 

[dashman]

Understand where you are coming from on this, my concern would be that he would get 'bowled over' too easily by a strong striker etc, whereas Clarkey wouldn't.....

 

[IloveShrimp]

I sure it been mentioned elsewhere but hey ho, with the rumored departure of clarke and the obvious need for a new centre back I ask the question, can Francis be that centre back? I thought he was excellent when he played there last season and he is also very comfy on the ball. Thoughts

I agreebut..His heading ability is not as good as Clarky but distribution is much better!!

Thing is, his delivery of the ball into the box is quality and I think he could be wasted at CB.

Right wing back or midfield for me .

 

[Beefy]

Francis looks a natural centre-half, to me. He's pretty strong, good in the air, good in the tackle and is great at bringing the ball out of defence with his feet. The trouble he's always had is with his concentration but I'm hopeful that that wouldn't be as big a problem in a position which he can't coast through games in and in which he's much more involved in the game in than he is at right-back.

 

[leeblue]

Francis looks a natural centre-half, to me. He's pretty strong, good in the air, good in the tackle and is great at bringing the ball out of defence with his feet. The trouble he's always had is with his concentration but I'm hopeful that that wouldn't be as big a problem in a position which he can't coast through games in and in which he's much more involved in the game in than he is at right-back.

think being in such a key position last season helped focus him when he played there last season, looked class.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

It's a possibility, but even if we go down this route we'd need to ensure we have a viable alternative if it didn't work out. We'd still need to concentrate on getting at least one decent centre-half anyway.

 

[Beefy]

We'd also need to bring in another right-back.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

We'd also need to bring in another right-back.

I think we need to bring in a right-back anyway. Francis has conclusively demonstrated he isn't the answer at right-back.

 

[maninasuitcase]

When I saw Francis at centre back in the reserves the season before last alongside Richards or Liptak he always looked the junior partner.

Maybe he could learn the position but he didn't look a natural centre back.

 

[Ayrshire Blue]

I thought Francis' best performances last season were at centre half. He isn't as dominating in the air as he should be with his height but that is something that can be worked on.

 

[OldBlueLady]

I thought Francis' best performances last season were at centre half. He isn't as dominating in the air as he should be with his height but that is something that can be worked on.

I agree AB, trouble is, you can't get away from the fact he's one of the best crossers of the ball we have, and at CB, he can't really be doing that for us.

 

[Ayrshire Blue]

I agree AB, trouble is, you can't get away from the fact he's one of the best crossers of the ball we have, and at CB, he can't really be doing that for us.

True. He does put in a good cross, he free kicks have improved slightly aswell. We need to sign 2 proper wingers (not just someone who can do a job out there) So if Francis as CB is a likely move then hopefully we will have two decent wide men with a good delivery.

 

[BoyWonder2]

True. He does put in a good cross, he free kicks have improved slightly aswell. We need to sign 2 proper wingers (not just someone who can do a job out there) So if Francis as CB is a likely move then hopefully we will have two decent wide men with a good delivery.

We don't need two proper wide men. This hasn't really worked under Tilson bar the odd game with Mitchell Cole and Mark Gower. Our best performances under Tilson have always had one proper wide man, normally Gower, and then someone "doing a job" as you say on the other wing.

The benefits of having, lets say Macca wide right, would mean that when we attack Francis will bomb forward from right back to support the play allowing Macca to move infield effectively giving us a 5 man midfield which would consist off LW CM CM Macca Francis as everyone shifts over one. Also, lets say the two other central midfielders are Moussa and Grant, it would allow Granty to drop back in front of the back 3 so effectively we would look like this:

GK

CB CB LB (tucked in)

Granty

Francis Macca Moussa LW

CF CF

When we then lose the ball we become the standard 4-4-2 we start with.

Francis has shown on the occassions his played there that he can play CB, but I wouldn't want to rely on him as a permenant CB for the course of the season. He switches off far too much, which has really hampered him at right back and would kill us at centre back. You could argue he would have to concentrate more at centre back because the position is alien to him, like when his played at left back, but can you trust someone that switches off all the time at right back to stay switched on all the time in such a key position as centre half?

 

[Beefy]

I agree AB, trouble is, you can't get away from the fact he's one of the best crossers of the ball we have, and at CB, he can't really be doing that for us.

True. But I'm still holding out hope that we might sign a winger who can cross the ball....

 

[Pubey]

True. But I'm still holding out hope that we might sign a winger who can cross the ball....

and for Betsy's faults, and generally looking crap, he still got the most assist this year*





*i think

 

[Beefy]

I wouldn't be surprised if Francis overtook him. Did Franny end up with the most crosses in the division, as he had after the Peterborough away game?

 

[TTS]

I have said this in other threads. I think Franno is a class Centre Back, he reads the game so well, as some pace and can also pass the ball very sweetly from the back. His ability in the air is not the be all and end all, if his partner is good in the air (Jamie Carragher one of the best Centre Backs in the world - not that great in the air !!) I would not mind seeing Franno at Centre Back next season, with a big large dominating experiance lump alongside him. Keep Barrett at left back. I love Barrett and his love for the club, but I do feel that his runs up field do leave you dangerously exposed at the back. This of course is one persons opinion, but also I would not wish to lose Franno and wonder if Tilly does not give him 1 position he will indeed go.