Centre half pairing

[Peachy]

I'm confused. CC didn't rate Ajayi last season and Kipre was away on loan. Pieters was always solid, if unspectacular, and CC trusted him it seemed. Bartley also came back very well after his layoff after the Blues debacle and played well for CC until his injury.

I went to Cheltenham pre season where Ajayi and Kipre played and you could tell they weren't going to be a good partnership. Ajayi dropped a big bollock that night and he and Kipre did not look like a good pairing. Both far too laid back with poor communication.

It seems to me CC has chosen to go with "ball playing" centre halfs instead of defend and head it first experience. I really hope Kipres horrendous pass and subsequent defending for their 2nd goal today see's him dropped straight away.

We probably have to buy a decent centre half but before we do we need sine experience at the heart of defence imo.

[Stillclem4england]

In nearly 40 years of watching the Albion I don’t think I can recall a more gutless, powder puff, error strewn, devoid of any sort of defensive ability or nous utter shite centre back pairing. Fucking pathetic,

[Sliced]

We learnt a lot about how CC wants to play today in defence IMO, but I agree that having two ball playing centre halfs just won't work.

Similarly having two plodders won't work in CC's system, so it has to be one of Ajayi/Kipre and one of Bartley/Pieters/Taylor.

Going off today it would be Ajayi over Kipre, then I'd probably play Pieters as they formed a semi (excuse the pun) decent partnership to end of last season.

[Stillclem4england]

You need a no-nonsense leader. A Dave, Gilchrist, GMac, Olsson who will defend for their life. It’s been a long time since I have seen Kipre but he was garbage. Ajayi is Ajayi - has a mistake or two in him every game, has no idea what is happening around him but that’s what you get for renewing his and Bartley’s (presumably lucrative) contracts.

[Bob Fossil]

We learnt a lot about how CC wants to play today in defence IMO, but I agree that having two ball playing centre halfs just won't work.

Similarly having two plodders won't work in CC's system, so it has to be one of Ajayi/Kipre and one of Bartley/Pieters/Taylor.

Going off today it would be Ajayi over Kipre, then I'd probably play Pieters as they formed a semi (excuse the pun) decent partnership to end of last season.

Look at his away record thread and it’s clear that it is doomed to fail. 
If it was a case of, we can see what he’s trying to do but it will take time, then fair enough, but it is clear that his philosophy does not work, away from home, with these players.
It’s almost as if he thought, I know it didn’t work last year with the players I had, so I’ll try it again with the ones I didn’t.
Worrying to say the least