Ciaran Clark

[SoccerHQ]

Ain't seen a thread on the young man, how good do people think he can be?

Must say I rate him the most highly of our present young crop, looks classy whenever I see him play.

[Monty]

He's so remarkably calm, never dives in, and looks so assured when stepping out of defence with the ball. Excellent passer to cap it all off. One criticism of him is that, although he doesn't go to ground, he does have a tendency to go to the ball a bit rather than keeping the line, but that is to be expected of a young defender, and if it's the only criticism then that alone speaks volumes about his promise.

[PaulWinch again]

I think he looks excellent and incredibly assured for someone of his age. It was very impressive how he confidently was instructing other players the other day.

[RussellC]

He rmeinds me massively of a young Gareth Southgate- in agood way. He's very composed, always does the simple things and is preety useful in his distribution from the back too.

I'm going to stick my neck on the block here, but I reckon in a couple of seasons the name 'Gary Cahill' won't be mentioned with such regret round here as it currently is, because of this guy.

[paul_e]

Villa captain in a few years, england captain not long after in my opinion.

He's already a very good central defender and they're normally 23-24 before they start to look the part like he has as so much of playing there is about experience.  Another one to treat with the care this year but I think he'll probably be in the first 11 on merit by the middle of next season at the latest.

[richardhubbard]

He reminds of Cahill but potentially better, I hope he gets a chance

[Ger Regan]

I really hope he's given an extended run at some stage this year. The longer MacDonald is around, the more likely that is i think.

[placeforparks]

same age as the tomkins lad who was playing for west ham and he looked far more self-assured.

i assume he may be eligible to play for ireland with a name like ciaran as well!

[curiousorange]

The chap I was sitting next to on Saturday said he thought although he'd not let us down in any first team appearance, the key will come when he makes the inevitable mistake. He could either be Richard Dunne or Titus Shambles, but I think personally we're looking at the former.

[Mazrim]

Ive rated him as a dead cert for a couple of years now. Nothing has changed.

He's tall, strong, composed, plays the ball well. I dont want to get too far ahead but he's possibly and potentially the complete centre half. He'll make mistakes and he'll learn the hard way but what a prospect!

[Hookeysmith]

Any idea how long Cuellar / Davies / Collins are out for?

On Saturdays game alone he deserves to keep the shirt - same goes for when Gabby is fit as well - i would not let him just walk back into the team

[Brend'Watkins]

The more of him I see the more I like.  He looks so assured and calm.  It will be interesting to see how he would fare against the cloggers such as Stoke and Blues for instance.

[BannedUserIAT]

Composed is the word. I really was amazed at how utterly unfazed he was during the game.
Wasn't afraid to run the ball out of defence and look up for a decent outlet rather than just hoof the ball.

So, that's him and Albrighton that have a very real chance of making it at the top of the game. Weimann and Wee Bananaman weren't on long enough for me to gauge an opinion so I'll rely on others for that.

Maz, aside from Clacker and Albrighton, who else is on the list?

[Astral Weeks]

I said after the match that he reminded me of Barry when he first appeared in our  defence. He shows a similar level of calm composure and confidence with the ball at his feet. A genuine prospect, I think.

[Mazrim]

To be fair, Carew played well but had a nightmare in front of goal so Gabby goes straight in for my money.
As for Clark, it would be harsh taking him out after playing well. That's the kind of tough decisions a manager has to make though. Clark will be the best we have but at the moment he has some very serious competition.