Originally Posted by
Stuttgart88
I'm still not convinced any of us fully understands Trap's system and I think this stems from that awful & misused term "holding midfielder" that prevails in Ireland & UK. For me, using this term is like us Irish only having one word for snow whereas eskimos have over 40, depending on its type. I believe that Italians have multiple terms for midfielders, each with its own nuance and descriptive ability.
Every hack I've read blandly describes Trap's systen as having 2 holding midfielders and 2 wingers. This was even when Steven Reid was in the team. Regardless of his club role, Reid's role under Trap was anything but "holding" midfielder. The classic holder was Whelan.
Therefore I think it's more apt to ask if Whelan or Carsley is better.
Despite the widespread perception of Trap's preference - probably compounded by his mistrust of Andy Reid - I still think he likes a guy in the middle who can use the ball creatively, or at least keep the ball rolling, bringing others into the game. I think this is precisely what Gibson can do though I personally believe he is a gamble at this level, as is Whelan.
Aside from this, I think integrating young players is a tricky task. Staunton did it with such widespread abandon that he did more damage than good. In fairness to Trap he has made a decision on which youngsters to work with. It may be worse to, for example, give Gibson a couple of games and then bin him in favour of another youngster who'd need a few games to play himself in.
I do think that leaving out your current best options in favour of future best options is generally misguided. Alex Ferguson has the luxury of a 70 game season to gradually bring in younger players. We only have a handful and given our failure to qualify for anything in over 7 years the here and now is more important than if we'd had recent success and were in a better place to take chances.
I think Trap is by and large on the right track but some selections / non-selections grate at me. I can't help feel that Givens has undue influence.