Yoann Barbet

[karateelvis]

Came under some stick early in the season for giving away a lot of penalties? But is his absence part of the reason for our poor form recently?

Hasn’t played since the Reading game and in that time we’ve Lost 3 & Drew 1. Before that, in the league, we’d W7 D2 & L3 with him in the side.

Coincidence or just meaningless stats?

[222gers]

Well, he was highly rated and I was surprised when we got him. Obviously, he didn't get off to a terribly auspicious start with us but now has the opportunity to “go again”.
We are of course in a run of very hard games - Boro apart- that we would have been hard pushed to get anything from notwithstanding our defensive issues.
Clearly, we need to mop up some of the lesser sides coming up soon.

[jimjams]

I wish he was more proactive and less risk averse, but I think he has more technical ability than the other central defenders. He's been a bit unlucky as well, I think.

[White Duck]

I wish he was more proactive and less risk averse, but I think he has more technical ability than the other central defenders. He's been a bit unlucky as well, I think.

I think Barbet is by far the best central defender we have: he gives more penalties than Hall or Leistner as he is closer to the attacker and at least tries to get a tackle in. No chance of Hall or Leistner giving a penalty away for the first Fulham goal on Friday as they were nowhere near the forward.

[jimjams]

Yeah, you make your own luck in this game, as they say.
It's like that thing in Moneyball where people were looking at fielding stats. Some players got fielding errors against their name because they got close to balls that other players couldn't get near.

[UxbridgeR]

Anyone know the latest on Barbet ?

He's been out for over three months now. The last I heard was Warburton saying he'd had "a small setback" prior to the Barnsley game, but that's seven weeks ago.

[dm]

Anyone know the latest on Barbet ?

He's been out for over three months now. The last I heard was Warburton saying he'd had "a small setback" prior to the Barnsley game, but that's seven weeks ago.

He's back in training now but MW wants him playing an U23s game before he's back in a senior match. The next U23s is on Monday 3rd Feb so perhaps he'll be ready for the away game v Huddersfield. Mind you, with the slimmed down squad as it is, he may be needed this Saturday.

[UxbridgeR]

Thanks dm.