Jores Okore

[OCD]

Hearing about Ryan Taylor and you can see why we're being so careful with Okore.

[Matt Collins]

Hearing about Ryan Taylor and you can see why we're being so careful with Okore.

No. It's an explicable decision. It's a conspiracy. Keane doesn't rate him. Lambert doesn't like him. He's sleeping with Benteke's wife. He likes a kebab.

[BoskoDjembaSalifou]

Hearing about Ryan Taylor and you can see why we're being so careful with Okore.

You can't just not play a player who's been injured in case it happens again.

[Dave]

Hearing about Ryan Taylor and you can see why we're being so careful with Okore.

Why aren't we being equally as careful with Benteke then?

[Dante Lavelli]

Hearing about Ryan Taylor and you can see why we're being so careful with Okore.

Why aren't we being equally as careful with Benteke then?

We're reasonably well stocked at CB compared to strikers plus the fact that Benteke is proven as good enough whereas Okore is a rookie, so would need easing in regardless of injuries.

[OCD]

Benteke's injury wasn't a cruciate and you can't treat someone who's come back from a Cruciate the same as any other injury. Cruciates used to be career enders or the player would never be the same again i.e. Michael Owen. Yes, medical science has progressed and players can come back at them but look at similar cases of the modern day - Falcao (looks nothing like his former self yet), Ryan Taylor (has been out 18 months and carefully brought back but still ended up going off hurt and is having an MRI to see if its the cruciate again), Delph (took him along time to get back playing regularly and then another season before he started looking the part) and any other similar case studies would be welcomed.

I know someone might say that he's been playing U21 football for Denmark but its hardly the same standard as Premier League.

I'm hardly a Lambert apologist but I can understand the caution.

[olaftab]

Hearing about Ryan Taylor and you can see why we're being so careful with Okore.

Why aren't we being equally as careful with Benteke then?

May be forwards can pull out of a tackle but centre halves can't? However I do think it's a bit strange.

[aj2k77]

Hearing about Ryan Taylor and you can see why we're being so careful with Okore.

Why aren't we being equally as careful with Benteke then?

Because Benteke is his only ''tactic''.

[Toronto Villa]

played very well tonight. A big positive for me in a night of marginal positives at best.

[PaulWinch again]

Yep has to start a series of games now.

[Clampy]

Okore did do well. He looks like he'd be really good in the middle of a back three.

I wonder if we'll see Donacien recalled as cover.

[richard moore]

played very well tonight. A big positive for me in a night of marginal positives at best.

Yes, agree, kept Pelle completely quiet. He could be just enough to see us through when we get other players back around him

[tomd2103]

played very well tonight. A big positive for me in a night of marginal positives at best.

Yes, agree, kept Pelle completely quiet. He could be just enough to see us through when we get other players back around him

He could also just be enough to allow us to sell Vlaar in January and not face the prospect of seeing him walk away for nothing in the summer. 

[supertom]

I'd have no qualms sticking Okore in as our first choice to be honest. Nothing seems to faze him. He always seems very composed. As long as he doesn't get that composed he starts fannying around with the ball too much like he did in pre-season on occasion, but pre-season is the time to make those mistakes. He didn't muck around last night. When it required a punt he punted. But he's not afraid to come out with the ball or pick a pass.
I've always liked the cut of Okore's jib since that YT vid of his game against Chelski in the Champs league. He looks a potentially very good CH in the making.
Stick Baker or Senderos next to him, to provide more aerial power, and we've got a potentially good CH half pairing. His pace is a big plus too, it would allow us to play (if Lambert wasn't so dour) a higher line and press teams in their own half. When we do that we look half reasonable. We had 15 good minutes yesterday and we pressed in their half. We scored the goal and retreated, and ultimately probably lost 2 points from inviting so much pressure. They huffed and puffed and weren't great but still had that one telling moment.

[Ads]

I thought he got dragged out of the middle a couple of times which could have hurt us, but by and large he did well. As did Clark.