Opinion: Shotton; Centre Back or Right Back?

When it was first announced that we were acquiring the services of Ryan Shotton, I was rather surprised. I had witnessed him playing for Stoke and thought that he may be too expensive for Birmingham City to buy and also, I was surprised that a club would let him go. He seemed to be a pretty good right back, chipping in with goals and assists whilst also being very sound defensively.

Now, as a right back, this does seem to be the case. He adds a bit more energy to proceedings than Caddis did, as he has that turn of pace to get beyond the winger in terms of overlaps. He is also able to use this bit of speed to track back effectively because most wingers for the opposing side are quick and it enables him to keep up with his man even if he has pushed forward. I also thought that he was a little bit naive. I felt that he often dived into tackles rather than just staying on his feet and causing a diversion.

Due to this, he did give away a lot of unnecessary fouls in the past which led to cheap free kicks. So I was unsure that he had what it takes to become a centre back. It requires a lot of discipline and a lot of patience in terms of knowing when to go for the ball or when to hold the man off. It’s all about making the right decisions at the right time and not every player is able to do this. So I must admit, I didn’t even think of him as a centre back.

But now, I think that centre back is his best position. He is one of the best headers of the ball defensively that I have seen in a long time. He not only has a good leap but he is also capable of getting a good clearance on the ball which is imperative. It takes the pressure off of us at the back from set pieces as obviously some markers are not used to defending but Ryan makes it easier by winning headers.

He also reads the game very well which is a skill that is intrinsic rather than taught in most cases; so it is a real asset to have. It enables him to not only try and win the first ball, but if Morrison goes to win the first ball and doesn’t, it means that he is already on the move to sweep up. A vital part of defending.

Overall, I think that Ryan should only play at right back if we are short. His best position is centre back but with Morrison and Spector both playing there and with Shotton being the only experienced and capable right back, then he may be stuck out wide for some while yet.