John Stones - not dead or linked

[Carl Corts Flick Ons]

His value has diminished this season drastically. Worth a punt at a reduced value in the summer, still young with the Nuno factor to build him up?

 

[GoldenHorseshoe]

Nuno can only do so much,

 

[Fenrir_]

Playing well I think he'd fit our system perfectly at either RCB with the cover behind him or in the Coady role, depends if you can get him playing well

 

[Ewok vs Wolf]

All City's players have improved under Pep except for Stones, Stones is literally his last resort and its no wonder every game he costs them.

 

[Scallywolf]

Playing well I think he'd fit our system perfectly at either RCB with the cover behind him or in the Coady role, depends if you can get him playing well

John Stones is a central defender who regularly makes mistakes and is usually punished for them. Guardiola, one of footballs best managers has not changed that and that’s why he is not a regular starter.

Stones has been around long enough to make a name for himself. Unfortunately he is error prone and cannot be trusted on a regular basis imo. No way would Nuno trust him!

Conor Coady is a central defender who does not often make mistakes and is a great captain. He doesn’t need any cover behind him as he can be trusted. The cover is alongside him with Boly and Saiss.

No way would I want Stones in the Coady role!

 

[WW1963]

Stones has stolen a living. Doesn't get out of bed for less than £100k a week and a liability that has gone backwards since his £46m move from Everton.

 

[Fenrir_]

John Stones is a central defender who regularly makes mistakes and is usually punished for them. Guardiola, one of footballs best managers has not changed that and that’s why he is not a regular starter.

Stones has been around long enough to make a name for himself. Unfortunately he is error prone and cannot be trusted on a regular basis imo. No way would Nuno trust him!

Conor Coady is a central defender who does not often make mistakes and is a great captain. He doesn’t need any cover behind him as he can be trusted. The cover is alongside him with Boly and Saiss.

No way would I want Stones in the Coady role!

John Stones is so poor that Man City paid £50m for him and he has 39 England caps by the age of 25!

Coady doesn't get exposed because of the two either side of him, so Stones could play that role because it's more about seeing what's in front of you and reading it than defending and he's more than good enough on the ball to do it. Most would agree Coady would struggle playing as a centre half in a two or as one of our wider defenders where he has to perform the basics of defending. Stones with the cover of a Coady behind him, any mistakes wouldn't be so costly. I wouldn't place too much weight on Guardiola not being able to 'sort him out' defensively. Guardiola hasn't improved a single one of his central defenders at Man City. Their job is 95% of the time to collect the hoofed clearance from the opposition and start the next attack, defending is an afterthought and his centre backs are hung out to dry in the system.

Stones' troubles at Man City over the last 18-24 months or so have overshadowed what he's actually good at. If you can get him playing well and to anywhere near his best, the kind of form that earned him the move to Man City in the first place, and maybe keeping it more simple with support around him (our system), he'd be a good signing. Big "If" though

 

[WolvTown]

only way he'd fit in at wolves is if Fosun decide to start work on the steve bull stand and we need more builders. That's the closest he'd get to being part of our defences.

 

[North West Wanderer]

I think he’s supremely talented but hasn’t been coached properly and lacks strong concentration levels too. Desperately needs a move to be rebuilt and re energised.

I don’t rate Pep whatsoever, sorry!

 

[Mark Rankines Lovechild]

Has Pep got a great record of improving players?
Great manager but buys the best players usually for top dollar and, at City, quite a few haven’t really come off.

 

[Mark Rankines Lovechild]

I think he’s supremely talented but hasn’t been coached properly and lacks strong concentration levels too. Desperately needs a move to be rebuilt and re energised.

I don’t rate Pep whatsoever, sorry!

I kind of agree.
Is that you dancing in the Express and Star video by the way?

 

[WolfLing]

Someone needs to teach him how to defend again.

 

[Deleted member 4023]

He"s always been overrated.

 

[Royal wolf]

Decent player who probably needs a fresh start elsewhere. Given a decent run of games he could get back on track

 

[Golden_Wolf]

Love how people just assume any old CB (or a name) can come in and do Coadys role. It's almost like a lack of respect of what he brings to the team.

Stones is possibly the better defender but that's not all Coadys role is. He organises and galvanises his team mates, sets up attacks, is a calming influence and reads the game pretty well. I wouldn't back against Nuno getting the best out of Stones but he would need to go a long way before replacing Coady.

 

[Sedgley Gold N Black]

Unless you are at the very, very, top level of being a centre back in a Pep team you are going to struggle due to how rarely the opposition can attack you and when they do it’s usually one on one defending.

The biggest weaknesses in Stones’ game, lack of concentration and physicality, are magnified in a Pep system.

He really needs a move and I don’t think we’d be too bad a fit for each other with our system, Nuno’s ability to improve players and our medical staff.

I think we’d get massively better value elsewhere though but it really depends on how Stones wants his career to go as to how much he can be competitive in financial terms.

 

[North West Wanderer]

I kind of agree.
Is that you dancing in the Express and Star video by the way?

I don’t know which video you mean, but I can safely assure you no!!!!

 

[WolfLing]

I think we’d get massively better value elsewhere though but it really depends on how Stones wants his career to go as to how much he can be competitive in financial terms.

100%. Big fee and big wages, with a lot of player in the French league that would do a better job for half the cost (Badiashile for example).

He strikes me as a Michael Keane or Chris Smalling type. Big hype early in their career, didn't live up to the hype, but move them on somewhere else where there's less pressure and they'll get back to being very good players.

 

[Beergardenwolf]

Love how people just assume any old CB (or a name) can come in and do Coadys role. It's almost like a lack of respect of what he brings to the team.

Stones is possibly the better defender but that's not all Coadys role is. He organises and galvanises his team mates, sets up attacks, is a calming influence and reads the game pretty well. I wouldn't back against Nuno getting the best out of Stones but he would need to go a long way before replacing Coady.

This

 

[Sketchead]

Nuno won't take a defender that makes mistakes regularly. He's been coached by different managers for years and he still continues to make mistakes. Many of which when he isn't even under pressure.

Nice idea, but we need defenders who can defend.

 

[sc91]

No, no. Awful defender, constantly error prone, no chance at all.

 

[Tony]

No ta!

 

[Chisels_n_ommers]

The difficulty Wolves would have signing an England International or would be international especially in defence, is our system, which is removed from Southgates Model.

If you go through the England squad, imagine Trent doing the Doc role, Macguire in the Saiss role, Sterling, Rashford, Sanches in the wide forward roles, Kane up top.
The Wolves system would work very well for the England personnel at this time.

But Southgate is trying to copy Liverpool and City, even though England hasn't got the top top world class players to do it, especially sweeper goalkeepers.

 

[JonahWolf]

The difficulty Wolves would have signing an England International or would be international especially in defence, is our system, which is removed from Southgates Model.

If you go through the England squad, imagine Trent doing the Doc role, Macguire in the Saiss role, Sterling, Rashford, Sanches in the wide forward roles, Kane up top.
The Wolves system would work very well for the England personnel at this time.

But Southgate is trying to copy Liverpool and City, even though England hasn't got the top top world class players to do it, especially sweeper goalkeepers.

Quite. He did it in the World Cup, but then there was a string of good results shortly afterwards in 4-3-3.
In fairness, Pickford is probably better with his feet than his hands. Nowhere near enough composure to be an Allison or Ederson.
It’s in CM that England can’t copy Wolves. They don’t have anyone even vaguely comparable to Neves and Moutinho.
For all his graft and qualities in keep-ball, Henderson switches off defensively even more than Neves last season.

Don’t have the quality on the ball in the CBs either.
Boly and Saiss stepping out are far more composed than Maguire and Stones.

 

[Chisels_n_ommers]

Quite. He did it in the World Cup, but then there was a string of good results shortly afterwards in 4-3-3.
In fairness, Pickford is probably better with his feet than his hands. Nowhere near enough composure to be an Allison or Ederson.
It’s in CM that England can’t copy Wolves. They don’t have anyone even vaguely comparable to Neves and Moutinho.
For all his graft and qualities in keep-ball, Henderson switches off defensively even more than Neves last season.

Don’t have the quality on the ball in the CBs either.
Boly and Saiss stepping out are far more composed than Maguire and Stones.

England's midfield isn't near Portugal's that's fair to say but we still have good midfield players in there to choose from - it's the forwards where England shine, especially counter attacking.

I also think MacGuire and Stones are very good looking forward, they can retain possession and pick a pass. (albeit, Stones seems to be well out of favour at the moment anyway).

It's horses for courses and Southgate has pinned his flag to his system, which is fair enough. But, coming back to the theme of the thread, he's going to have to think outside the box to visualise any present/future English Wolves players in there because of the different systems - hence why a Stones move would be further distanced in addition to other obvious reasons such as wages, attitude etc.

Yes, Pickford is not an Allison or Ederson that's for sure, neither are the back up keepers.

 

[freezin]

he's crap... I've been banging the 'emperors new clothes' line about him for years.

"Best ball-playing centre-half" (myth)... what a shame he can't do his substantive duties of DEFENDING!

 

[pmowolves]

Decent player that would most likely benefit from a move elsewhere to start again... would still have to pay over the odds for him as he would be coming from City and couldn't see him being worth his pricetag, and who needs another centre back that can play out from the back when you have Conor Coady

 

[Tony]

Started crap tonight aswell lol!

 

[WolfInSheep'sClothing]

If he's really available and would come here then get him in. 25-26 is the age where your good center-halfs start to come of age.

 

[S G Wolves]

That fall in the final was comical..

 

[sc91]

Another catalogue of errors tonight.

 

[lostwolf]

He's an average top flight midfielder masquerading as a 'ball playing' central defender. He's defensively inept. No thanks.

 

[oldgoldheart]

He is a defender who cant defend.

 

[WickedWolfie]

He is a defender who cant defend.

We had more than our share of those over the last nearly 40 years...

 

[Deleted member 9202LYK]

A Stones / Luiz dream team?

Arsenal could offer England defender John Stones, 25, a route out of Manchester City at the end of the season. (90 Min)

 

[RosehillWolf]

Best defender on the pitch last night was Iorfa

 

[Bankswolf The Third]

Always felt even at Everton that Stones was just a haircut that occasionally played football
He is rubbish

 

[Minimalist]

I'd rather have Bennet back!