contacts 0 Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 I cannot criticise Smith for signing Whittaker as I thought he was a great signing but what a disappointment this boy has become. In the last 2 games he has been awful and his body language is shocking. Anyone who plays against him can fire in cross balls at their leisure and all this at a time when we are struggling to defend high balls into the box. At Hibs I thought he was superb and I believed he had everything to become a top full back. I know Smith signed him to play right midfield (honest) but when Hutton signed for Spurs he must have seen him as the automatic choice for the right back berth. Recent performances would suggest he cannot tackle very well, he definitely cannot cut out cross balls, he is not very good in the air for being a tall lad and his general outfield play is poor. What has happened to him? Was it the massive increase in salary that has made him lazy? Has he lost his confidence? Has he always been poor but maybe had one good season with Hibs? I honestly have no idea but I really hope he does not play on Saturday. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoltonLoyal 2 Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 I think we took him too early. One swallow does not a summer make (or summat like that) and he doesn't look the part at all lately. His positional sense and inability to stop crosses getting in are frightening atm. Let's hope Spuds decide to offload Hutton in January as long as we waive the rest of the payment due. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MosesMcNeil 1,664 Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 What has happened to him? It can't be easy for bit-part players to come in and hit their stride right away. But, at The Rangers, it's what you must do. I think Whittaker has the talent to become an important player for us - but he will need a serious run of games to help him on his way. Personally, I don't think he will get them Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
OlegKuznetsov 10,816 Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 I reckon he's one that has struggled to come to terms with playing for such a big club, can grow into the role. He does have good athleticism as well as a fair amount of natural talent. Just as importantly, he seems to be a player who's willing to put the work in. Add in the fact he seems a relatively bright chap, with good coaches, then I suspect we could see the best of him in a matter of weeks. Defensively he needs to do some work, but offensively, he has done some great work and scored some great goals, which all the more praiseworthy, given his preferred position. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
papaguy51 912 Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 He's almost in exactly the same situation as Hutton. Burst onto the scene with aplomb and has now hit a sticky patch where fans are starting to lose patience. I'm no scout, but I think Whittaker has something and with a bit of coaching and patience, he could turn out to be a very useful player. Much prefer him at RB than Broadfoot to be honest. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brissyger 8 Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 He's almost in exactly the same situation as Hutton. Burst onto the scene with aplomb and has now hit a sticky patch where fans are starting to lose patience. I'm no scout, but I think Whittaker has something and with a bit of coaching and patience, he could turn out to be a very useful player. Much prefer him at RB than Broadfoot to be honest. Liekwise, he's much more threatening going forward and he can get back quickly unlike Broadfoot who I've seen caught out of position up field a few times. Broadfoot is more solid in defence but with a bit more game time and confidence I think Whittaker can improve that part of his game. I certainly don't think he is lazy considering he was one of the most active players on the pitch against Hibs. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
WATPRFCNo1 0 Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 He's almost in exactly the same situation as Hutton. Burst onto the scene with aplomb and has now hit a sticky patch where fans are starting to lose patience. I'm no scout, but I think Whittaker has something and with a bit of coaching and patience, he could turn out to be a very useful player. Much prefer him at RB than Broadfoot to be honest. alway's thought Whittaker would come good for us and I still believe so. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigSpliff 0 Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 Good to hear other people lay off SW a bit in this thread. I agree you just dont become a poor player overnight. Personally I quite liked him at the start and I've not written him off yet, although I wan't very impressed again yesterday. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbm26896 995 Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 he done some really good things in yesterdays game , but some of his crossing was woeful Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skol 401 Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 Very frustrating to watch. Promises so much but so often his final ball is appalling. Controversial I know but Broadfoot's crossing has been better than Whittaker's this season. He seems to have been working on it. I don't know how many times Whittaker chipped a ball straight to Makalambay yesterday. For what it's worth I would still like to see Broadfoot at CB and Whittaker at RB though. I think Whittaker has more potential to improve in that position. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
J_RFC87 761 Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 I thought his game yesterday was his best in a while, but some of those previous games were awful. Time is probably still on his side though. Broadfoot should play right back v. the tims, hope Bougherra is back. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ecossescotia 0 Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 He will get better with more encouragement I am sure Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sneddon 6 Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 Very frustrating to watch. Promises so much but so often his final ball is appalling. sums Whittaker up perfectly IMO Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
outlaw69uk 123 Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 He's almost in exactly the same situation as Hutton. Burst onto the scene with aplomb and has now hit a sticky patch where fans are starting to lose patience. I'm no scout, but I think Whittaker has something and with a bit of coaching and patience, he could turn out to be a very useful player. Much prefer him at RB than Broadfoot to be honest. oh no, i agree Its pretty obvious as well that Kirk is more natural in the centre Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
outlaw69uk 123 Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 He will get better with more encouragement I am sure We are buggers forNOT doing that though, we sit on our hands and groan at every little error, is a bit counter productive Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
papaguy51 912 Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 There's nothing so wrong with Whittaker that a bit of coaching can't fix. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sneddon 6 Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 There's nothing so wrong with Whittaker that a bit of coaching can't fix. unless Smith is doing the coaching.... i heard Whittaker is nearing a start at left midfield Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark_ni 12 Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 Do You Remember When Whittaker was a Great Signing? No i dont, i never rated the guy at hibs and didnt want him anywhere near ibrox. £2m for thomson yet we pay the same for whittaker??? What a waste of money. Hes decent enough going forward but his crossing was shocking yesterday and hes a pish defender. I dont really rate kirk broadfoot but i would rather have him at right back for the tic match as he will defend better than whittaker will. Celtic have the players to get good crosses into the box and samaras and mcdonald are both good in the air. We cannot afford to have someone like whittaker playing and letting them get crosses into the box. They are not a good side and we should pass them off the park but with whittaker standing off players and letting them get crosses into the box i could see them scoring a couple of easy goals. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy WATP 86 Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 I think its a lack in confidence that has made his game worse His debut last year was amazing and some of the goals he scores are top class but without confidence he is a liability I'd stick by him though because he is the best RB we have Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
OlegKuznetsov 10,816 Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 You've got to remember the effects our ultra-critical supporters can have on a young player. One word. Hutton! Be patient and the lad will come good. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbm26896 995 Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 if he retains his place for the old firm game we may see the best of him if he is dropped his confidence will go again and he will be back to square one Celtic will play with no winger , so he should be able to go forward and attack them down that side hopefully he will come good Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TMWWBK 0 Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 To be fair, i was absolutely distraught when we bought Whittaker for £2M. Even though i'm one of his biggest defenders, i said at the time he wasnt worth anywhere near what we paid. His situation is somewhat similar to Hutton's in that he's utterly raw and he cannot handle direct, pacey wingers. Lets get one thing straight though, he is never going to be Alan Hutton mk 2; he doesnt have the same raw attributes, he doesnt have the same physique and simply, he isnt as intelligent. If he brushed up on the art of knowing when to attack and when to defend as well as his laughable passing, he could be a decent enough full back. As PG says, the boy needs some coaching. A sustained run in his natural position wouldn't go a miss either. Like Beasley, he's suffered due to the fact the management have took an "in one week, out the other week" policy with him. What is worrying is that the boy hasnt improved one iota since joining last summer. Weither that's down to the player or the management, who knows. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlippinEck 3,710 Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 I thought he played well yesterday, some poor crosses but he handled o brien well, he did better than against UTD and hes always willing to get forward, I just think he needs a good run there like broadfoot got Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
macleod1873 0 Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 I think whitty is not bad going forward and on the ball but extremely weak defensively and a poor final ball . Totally agree though though he wold have been better than this Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
nvager 498 Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 He was not good at Hibs and I was shoicked when we paid 2m. He is a confidence type player. When he is confident can do well going forward, but defensively is very poor. Cannot stop crosses coming in and very often gets booked for mis-timed tackles. I really hope Broadfoot plays at RB vs Celtic and Bougherra plays at CH. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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