Eiran Cashin D Brighton b.2001

Hallgrimsson seems to prefer his RBs to be more defensive and that's probably also out of necessity because our LBs aren't really defenders. Think O'Shea has started at RB in all but one of his starts since Hallgrimsson took over and that was the game the old interim team supposedly had big input in.

Has Cashin ever played LB? O'Shea broke through at RB and played there his first season in the PL with West Brom. Another good advantage he has is recover pace. He doesn't have to always act as a third CB and can push on a little because he's got good recovery pace. So kinda makes sense to use him as a RB.

Could see O'Brien also playing that RB role if he's playing regularly with Everton. Also for a big man he can get those legs moving.

If Brighton's first half today is anything to go by Cashin might be getting a run in the team fairly quickly.

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Originally Posted by pineapple stu

It probably has. It's good - but none of the options are playing at a really top level. It's a variety of functional players really. I'd take peak Richie Dunne over any of them for example. Though we have had a lot of functional players there down the years - O'Dea, St Ledger, McShane from our Euro 2012 squad alone.

It's good that we can afford to leave out some functional players - cos we have to start them in other areas.

But for example Scales is the only one playing in Europe - and even then he's lost his place in a side that probably wouldn't get into Europe if they were playing in England.

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I wouldn't choose him over Collins.

Collins has a higher ceiling and is a better player, but you're referring to Dunne at the peak of his powers for us so I get what you mean.

I don't think Dunne had the footballing ability the likes of Collins, O'Brien and Omobamidele do. It's difficult to compare between generations because the game has moved on, but if peak Dunne was around today, playing like he was 15 years ago, I don't think most current EPL teams would go for him being honest. There aren't many defenders like him left in the league now.

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Originally Posted by The Fly

I wouldn't choose him over Collins.

Collins has a higher ceiling and is a better player, but you're referring to Dunne at the peak of his powers for us so I get what you mean.

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Well "peak Richie Dunne" would be Dunne at the peak of his powers alright :)

23-year-old Richie Dunne was quite a terrifyingly ropey defender at times. But the comparison is between our defence now and at any time in the past, so I get to choose peak Honey Monster (around about that Russia game!). Yeah, we've players who are still improving - though not all of them are going to mature into Premier League standard players I think. You just don't know which way things are going to go in the near future.

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Originally Posted by ~YTM~

Hallgrimsson seems to prefer his RBs to be more defensive and that's probably also out of necessity because our LBs aren't really defenders. Think O'Shea has started at RB in all but one of his starts since Hallgrimsson took over and that was the game the old interim team supposedly had big input in.

Has Cashin ever played LB? O'Shea broke through at RB and played there his first season in the PL with West Brom. Another good advantage he has is recover pace. He doesn't have to always act as a third CB and can push on a little because he's got good recovery pace. So kinda makes sense to use him as a RB.

Could see O'Brien also playing that RB role if he's playing regularly with Everton. Also for a big man he can get those legs moving.

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Matt Doherty rising from the dead has at least added some competition and a viable option between whether to be conservative with a Centre back, or to play Doc/Festy and be more attacking.

on the bench for Brighton against Chelsea

On for his Premier League debut, and by the sounds of it to blame for a goal conceded within about three minutes of coming on.