Ben Godfrey

[Shukes]

4 minutes ago, Romey 1878 said:

Rumours that he’s one of the ones isolating. 

Noooooooooo!!!!’

[c1982]

This makes me sad!

[Palfy]

Maybe we should do a City and abandon the game with no penalties if we have 5 first team players out isolating. 

[Gwlad]

Shit show if that is the case.

[pete0]

Must be selling him then...

[Romey 1878]

Not an option at RB.

End of story.

[Bill]

Yeah, it was a poor show from him today.

[duncanmckenzieismagic]

Hoping he wasn’t a one season wonder

[dunlopp9987]

6 minutes ago, duncanmckenzieismagic said:

Hoping he wasn’t a one season wonder

I don't think he is, I just don't think he's fullback cover. He was serviceable at left back last year, but he's shown that he's a center back through and through.

Not worried about him at all

[Bailey]

With his athleticism, playing at full back shouldn't be too much of an issue, at least not the defending side of it. Ironically his best moment was his overlap in the first half and the cross that followed. 

My view is that he is either a bit dopey or he is low confidence (or a bit of both). I have no idea why he just let Bailey sprint away without really trying to match him. There was also a moment earlier in the half where he was out of position and instead of reading the game and getting himself into a better position, he looked like a 10yo lad was controlling him on Fifa, chasing his tail. 

He has all the physical attributes but he needs to settle himself down. 

[Shukes]

One bad match. That’s all for me.

[Palfy]

43 minutes ago, Shukes said:

One bad match. That’s all for me.

As we were saying in the other thread he lacks a leader, his one poor game was at RB, not his favourite position as we saw. He is 100% a CB still young and green but with all the talent you need to one day become one of the best, but what he and the team need is a leader to pair up with him someone who reads the game and makes the decisions has a voice, Godfrey gives everything he has he’s a battler doesn’t  give an inch he just needs some body next to him on the pitch who can help him develop, Keane and Mina can’t do that they haven’t got there themselves so can hardly teach that type of experience. 

[Shukes]

Totally agree Palf.

Once we have that leader at the back we will see more organisation, more fight, and more possession. 
Funnily enough, Coleman is the only calm person on the ball at the back. Keane is weak mentally, Mina trips himself up, Holgate has a bit of a superstar syndrome, Digne just isn’t a good defender, and Godfrey is still raw. 

[Bailey]

19 hours ago, Palfy said:

As we were saying in the other thread he lacks a leader, his one poor game was at RB, not his favourite position as we saw. He is 100% a CB still young and green but with all the talent you need to one day become one of the best, but what he and the team need is a leader to pair up with him someone who reads the game and makes the decisions has a voice, Godfrey gives everything he has he’s a battler doesn’t  give an inch he just needs some body next to him on the pitch who can help him develop, Keane and Mina can’t do that they haven’t got there themselves so can hardly teach that type of experience. 

He was poor against Burnley too. I also don't think his poor performance against Villa was down to playing at RB. A lot of it was basic stuff.

I don't think Godfrey does give everything, I think he holds back a lot of the time. He looks like a player that wants to sweep up after someone else has down the hard job. He wants to look like a Rio Ferdinand rather than a Nemanja Vidic. When it has got a bit tough for him in the last couple of games, he has gone a bit sulky too.

He needs a manager and a squad around him to bring him out of his shell a bit. I think Rafa was trying that against Burnley by playing him in the centre, giving him that responsibility but he wasn't doing very well so he was moved to one of the wider positions.

I think Rafa will either make or break him. He will either respond to the tough love or he will become a bit isolated. I think he will respond well and he will be a much better player by the end of the season.

[MikeO]

On 19/09/2021 at 22:01, Shukes said:

Totally agree Palf.

That's not a statement you often see on here

[RuffRob]

Godfrey is a few games behind most in the team. He will be fine when he is up to speed. 

[Romey 1878]

Just now, RuffRob said:

Godfrey is a few games behind most in the team. He will be fine when he is up to speed. 

And in his actual position. 

[Palfy]

4 hours ago, MikeO said:

That's not a statement you often see on here

You wanker I hope your WiFi goes down

[Romey 1878]

1 minute ago, Palfy said:

You wanker I hope your WiFi goes down

Is that what his fancy woman’s called?

[Palfy]

1 minute ago, Romey 1878 said:

Is that what his fancy woman’s called?

[Romey 1878]

This lad is nowhere near fit.

[duncanmckenzieismagic]

https://thisisfutbol.com/2021/09/blogs/premier-league/everton/everton-gavin-buckland-issues-second-season-syndrome-concern-for-ben-godfrey/

[dunlopp9987]

For some reason I'm just not worried about Ben. He seems to have his head straight, he's a professional, I just think he's lacking match fitness.

[Hafnia]

43 minutes ago, patto said:

Problem with Ben is the after affects of Covid and playing alongside Mason Holgate. 

I'm only just getting right after covid and I didn't get it bad.  

A small jog and I'm breathing heavy, on inhalers for first time in years. 

[Hafnia]

Just now, patto said:

People who haven’t had it don’t realise how bad it can be. 
Godfrey may never get back to his original fitness pace wise. 

Saint maximum at Newcastle was out for ages.  He looked great last week but certainly the illness is not to be underestimated. 

[Bailey]

I don't imagine for one second that if he was still struggling with the effects of Covid that Benitez would have him out there. We have options at the back which mean he could be rested if that was the case.

I think a lot of people over-estimated how good he was last year in a defender friendly system. 

[Hafnia]

24 minutes ago, Bailey said:

I don't imagine for one second that if he was still struggling with the effects of Covid that Benitez would have him out there. We have options at the back which mean he could be rested if that was the case.

I think a lot of people over-estimated how good he was last year in a defender friendly system. 

Struggling to play and not being at full fitness are two different things.  He relies on his athletic edge and for me it looks to be missing. 

[Shukes]

47 minutes ago, Bailey said:

I don't imagine for one second that if he was still struggling with the effects of Covid that Benitez would have him out there. We have options at the back which mean he could be rested if that was the case.

I think a lot of people over-estimated how good he was last year in a defender friendly system. 

I didn’t at all mate. I just watched him and thought…. This is a player.

His pace, energy and enthusiasm was a silver lining in a dismal season. 
He isn’t up to fitness yet, and once he is, I’m sure he will hit the levels of last year or above.

[Bill]

I don't think anybody over estimated him, he was our best defender in every position he played.

Didn't he get the young player of the season award last year. ? 

[Gwlad]

10 hours ago, patto said:

People who haven’t had it don’t realise how bad it can be. 
Godfrey may never get back to his original fitness pace wise. 

Get that Patto. But these players have the best covid support - or any other issue - to recover so if he's not up to it, shouldn't be playing. He didn't look on the ball against QPR.