Having missed the end of the 2013-14 season with a pelvic injury, Tottenham right back Kyle Walker has barely featured in our pre-season matches and with the start of the new campaign less than a week away, it looks extremely doubtful that the defender will be fit for Upton Park on Saturday.
After a mere, 45 minute appearance in North America, head coach Mauricio Pochettino admitted,
“Kyle is good some days, on other days he has a bad feeling.
“We believe he may recover soon, but we need to be calm with him because it is an injury that he has had for five months. Is is difficult to say today whether he will be fit for next week.”
Most reports mark Walker down as doubtful for Saturday but on the basis of those comments it seems extremely unlikely that the player will be ready. So, unless Spurs can rush the transfer of DeAndre Yedlin through very quickly, it’s Kyle Naughton on the right again as the new season kicks off.
Hopefully now that we have an attack that can actually open up defenses we can cope a little more with a weakened defense. Naughton is a completely mediocre player but as long as he’s got Kaboul next to him and someone like Capoue patrolling in front of him, we should get away with it.
Hopefully this doesn’t affect his transfer from the club, we need to get rid of him.
Queue the inevitable cries of fear and terror at the prospect of Naughton starting at right back.
Last year none of our defence looked Prem standard. Poch has focused strongly on our back 4 since he took over and the younger players should be given a chance to respond to his coaching.
Some fans showed no patience with Walker but luckily he ignored the idiots slating him and is developing into a top right back.
Rose gets blasted but has a lot of potential. He already looks twice the player he was last year and was miles better than Davies against Schalke.
Naughton’s spent most of his Spurs career at left back or on loan.
Yedlin has no experience of a top league and it’s a bit foolish to expect so much of him before he’s even signed.
Full-back is one of the most challenging positions to learn these days and we have to be patient enough to allow these kids to learn from their mistakes.
This is a nightmare playing Naughton anywhere in the team .
Yedlin can’t be worse than Naughton
Agree with Woodsy. Norwich fans really rate Naughton from his loan spell a couple of years ago. He’s slated for his performances at left back. Note, some players start moaning if asked to play out of position or bluntly refuse.
Mistakes at full back tend to be magnified cos they lead directly to chances and goals. Confidence is key. Also, i reckon Naughton will take on board Poch’s tactical approach quicker than Walker cos he’s played more in pre-season so given the choice, i’d rather start Naughton anyway even if Walker was fit.
Two trophies in two matches. You couldn’t make this up.
Its a shield u prick, and u will need it when spurs batter the Arses this season…Coys
Naughton is a good, if unspectacular, full-back. He reads the game fairly well, is calm and composed on the ball, maintains possession well and is INTELLIGENT in his movements.
I have NEVER been one for bandwagons so I won’t be jumping on the Kyle Naughton/Danny Rose one anytime soon. Especially when one is a good player, and the other (Rose) is an excellent prospect.
The problem for Naughton is, he that he has no REAL ,apparent, X-Factor that is obvious for the common punter to see. He isn’t particularly outstanding in any one area.
But he is certainly good in most!
He is a player that has based his game mental and technical qualities, rather than physical. And those attributes are sometimes more difficult to appreciate, so easily. Especially in a full-back, that most prefer to be more of an ‘athletic’ type.
Well, Kyle is a ‘ball player’, as opposed to an ‘athlete’, and as such, he possess all of the characteristics that come with it.
There IS a reason that Swansea (of all teams) are pursuing him.
The right back has been EXCELLENT in pre-season, and looks completely ready to start the season, if need be.