Claridge picks out another of Stan's babies
Scouting report
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Sean St Ledger, Preston North End
Steve Claridge
Tuesday April 3, 2007
Guardian
Sean St Ledger has grown in stature and reputation and, most importantly, just grown up since the world saw him on Sky's fly-on-the-wall documentary, Big Ron Manager, last summer. Now a key part of a Preston defence that has been revamped through sales and injuries, he surely could not have imagined that his career would flourish as it has after his move from Peterborough.
The 22-year-old cost Preston £300,000 and since then St Ledger has surprised everyone - myself included - by performing to his maximum. The team have held their own in the Championship, with their defender raising eyebrows for all the right reasons. His performance against Leeds last Friday summed up just why he has made his mark so soon.
St Ledger's centre-half partnership with the more experienced Liam Chilvers was one reason Preston will feel they should have got something better than a 2-1 defeat from the game at Elland Road. The pair restricted Leeds to very few clear-cut chances, despite being under huge pressure. Some would point to the fact that they conceded twice and criticise the centre-halves, but the principal errors came from the left-back Pavel Pergl, who is naturally a holding midfield player and was twice caught out ball-watching. St Ledger could not be blamed.
Football is a team game, but you have to do your own job first and St Ledger did it better than the Swedes had against Northern Ireland in midweek when confronted, as the youngster was in west Yorkshire, by David Healy. The centre-back was quick and decisive in the tackle, his positioning was excellent when the ball came into the box and there was almost a telepathy about his recognition of the area into which the ball would be played. For someone his age, that is hugely encouraging. Indeed, his anticipation was at times better than the forward he found himself against.
I loved the way he got side-on so that he would be able to see his marker and the ball, never getting beaten by blind-side runs. Not huge, he certainly punches his weight and he was competitive in the air and on the ground when Healy and Richard Cresswell decided to back into him.
I like the balance of his game, which is rare for someone so inexperienced. He was comfortable in possession - he played at full-back on both flanks when needed at his previous club, albeit in League Two. Called into the Republic of Ireland squad for a Euro 2008 qualifier with his eligibility apparently down to his grandmother - Ireland must have more grandmothers than any other country - he has retained his place since and it is surely only a matter of time before he makes the breakthrough to a full cap.
Whether he is quite ready for the Premiership I'm not sure, though the same could be said of Preston as a whole. What I would say is that I find that the way you play the game on the pitch reflects your character off it. If that is the case, St Ledger must now be a very different person from the one we saw on television, sulking under Big Ron.
Age 22
Born Birmingham
Position Defender
Height 6ft
Weight 11st 9lb
From Peter'bro
Anticipation 8/10
Heading 7/10
Organisation 8/10
Tackling 8/10
Pace 7/10
Team responsibility 8/10
Valuation £750,000 to £1m
