Has there ever been anything in Richards' career to suggest he can play centre half at a high level?
Diddly squat as far as I can remember:
Break through for Man City as right back
Majority of appearances for Man City as right back.
All his England caps as right back.
Him being viewed as a right back was one of the reasons it went sour in Fiorentina when they switched to a back 3 which you'd think was an easier transition from right back than playing centre back in a flat four.
I can understand why he hasn't appeared at right back to date if he's not been fit at the same time as Okore, a pairing lacking in pace to the degree of Clark and Lescott anyone?
The unfortunate synchronisation of his injury with Okore's won't be helping the rumour mill.
Start off withhis involvement or otherwise in Delph's move getting some people's backs up before we'd even started pre season.
Add his dubious personal performances in what, according to urban legend, is his preferred position pissing people off even further and you've got someone who we've never really taken too, who's never been viewed as one of us.
Top of with his involvement in a team that is so shite it's breaking records Lambert could only dream about giving rise to feelings of impotent fury and you've got the sort of situation where every minute detail is raked over and analysed to find yet another contributory explanation for our apparent changes to both motto and "mission statement" which now read as "Unprepared" and "Proud History, Shite Future"