Stoke has been trying to "upgrade" Cameron for a long time, so that at this point they have more defensive players than anyone else in the Premiership. The good thing is that they keep flopping and Geoff gets back to the starting XI. The bad thing, it must be a mental strain to work for bosses who want to replace you year after year.
I think that is how it is in First Team EPL football. I believe Geoff is a better CDM than CB, it also looks more and more like Sparky wants to play with 3 in the back and the addition of Wimmer means they already have Shawx replacement. It is worth noting he is short on contract, and has not been up to his old self since the back injury half through season b4 last. Albeit he has looked to be in top form to start this season. Zouma may end up out wide, he looks every bit the part for a team like Stoke he is plenty good enough for a FB or even a WB in a 3-4-3 I don't mind if Geoff gets just enough minutes this season to stay match fit, and not all wore out b4 the WC.
The fact he keeps playing pretty much from the outset flies in the face of that theory. They sign Imbula. He plays with him. They pick up BMI, he plays in front of him. Sign Joe Allen, he plays behind him. He's played like 7 positions for them. So I don't even know how you can ajudge which signings would actually be considered competition for him. Stoke just seems to cast a wide net and buy low from bigger clubs where the player was blocked or was a name by now past his prime. After one of the signings when people were speculating he wouldn't play as much, Cameron came out and said that's not what it meant at all. Hughes has publicly come out and said how much he's valued him, then showed it by starting him consistently when healthy regardless of the spot. They might think they need to reduce his role now because he's getting up there. But you shouldn't conclude that before seeing it happen, and acting like it's already been happening is a make up story.
Cameron is 1 of those loyal guys at a small club that only a few fans really rate and yet always find their way to serve adequately. Almost like Jonas Olsson at West Brom. Another underrated figure.
He's one of the few YAs who has true fans in his club. Not an easy achievement for one of our guys in England. But let's remember well: in 14/15, he had to earn his role back after the hernia surgery, they had Bardsley as RB, and NZonzi-Adam were the DM/CM pair. Eventually he displaced Bardsley, a player they bought from Sunderland to take Cameron's place. In 15/16, they got Glen Johnson from Liverpool to take that RB spot, and moved Cameron to RCB. Still, they got Wollscheid from the Aspirin team, and sent Geoff to the bench. He played garbage minutes until the German had a bad outing vs. Sunderland. Then Cameron got the position back, but was out injured for a while soon, and once again had to regain it. For 16/17, they got Martins Indi as a loanee with option to buy from Porto to take the RCB spot from Cameron, and because of injuries he was moved to pair with Whelan in central midfield. He proved very good there, and there he stayed. Finally this year they got Darren Fletcher to play in the CM position, moving Cameron back to CB in a 3-man back line, but with Indi back the 3-man back line is now Indi-Shawcross-Zouma, so Cameron was sent to play RWB, which he didn't do well. In short, he keeps earning back a starting spot by pure merit, but they have been moving him around the board season after season because they always get a guy to play his original position. It's not exactly encouraging.
He is 32. I don't have a problem with a lightened workload in a WC year. I have long thought that Sparky wanted him in midfield, but has needed him worse at CB with Shawx being hurt. Some of their best footy under Sparky has been with him in DM.
I wonder if he's considering a return to MLS after the WC. I doubt he could get more than a million annually, though retiring at Stoke wouldn't be such a bad option either.
All of that moving around, no wonder when he plays CB for the US he also hybrids as a DM with those timely step ups to play like a DM when others simply don't know how. I wish Brooks, Besler, Gonzo, Hedges, whatever else Arena dredges MLS for can find a decent tandem so Cameron can play DM.
I think it's completely to be expected. Cameron is an inexpensive player who isn't young. He's good but not phenomenal at the EPL level. And EPL teams have a ridiculous amount of money. They are always going to try to upgrade positions all the time. It's definitely a credit to Cameron that he keeps winning playing time.
Competition for places is a good thing. It has almost certainly contributed to Cameron's improvement since joining them at 27. It's also what teams trying to get better (or just stay well clear of a relegation battle) do. They plan for older players' eventual decline, they provide competition for places, etc. Stoke has bought 32 field players in the 5 seasons between 2013/14 and 2017/18. So 6 per year, give or take. Which means they're trying to upgrade on most field positions in any given year. Some players can't handle this. Cameron has handled it well. If only all American players sent to Europe fared as well when faced with the psychological challenge of having to fight for a position week-in week-out.
The great thing about Geoff is once stoke tire of him West Brom and Tony Pullthis fetish with tall men will get him at least two more years at right back.
Yes, but most of those guys like Ramadan Sobhi or Harry Souttar are squad players, young guys they buy to either train into getting into the team little by little, or loan out for someone else to grow. The guys bought season after season for Cameron's position were different, not kids but intended upgrades. It's huge that he's managed to keep starting, and to adapt to any position where they've played him.
Fav game was when Pulis had him playing a nine and man marking Arteta and totally messed the Arse I think it was up.
I'm torn between his DM start against Arsenal where Prince Pudolski tried to run under his legs. Geoff the giant vs that midget midfield. My other favorite was against 'Pool when the media went on and on about Sterling and Geoff put him over his knee and gave him a nice spanking.
dont remember to be honest. all of Tony Pullthis game's kind of merge into one circus of big man clown car stuffing.
Was that when Whitehead was suspended for the red card? That's his most important game, the one where he earned his spot for the first time, because Stoke had bought him for the bench.
Geoff, let me bump you off the 4th page and remind everyone of another PL start for our boy. Starting on the right side in a back 3. Game is on the big screen.
F**k, we can't afford injuries right now, especially to Cameron. Could impact multiple key positions. Again, this makes him more valuable. People are like, oh they signed someone else, he gonna get benched! Only for him to start somewhere anyway. Injuries like this are the only thing that seems to get him dropped from the lineup for more than a game or two.
Uggh. Out 2 weeks with hamstring. http://www.espnfc.com/stoke-city/st...s-for-stoke-city-with-hamstring-injury-source