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Steve De Ridder - The Impact Player
Steve De Ridder - The Impact Player
Monday, 24th Oct 2011 08:55

A look at Steve De Ridder and how he could play a crucial role for Saints.

Before I start let me confirm that I like Steve De Ridder as a player and that I think he has a big part to play in this season, however with football now being a squad game, I feel that this role may best be served as it was at Reading on Saturday by coming off the bench.

The term "SuperSub" is nothing new, perhaps the first recipient of this title was David Fairclough of Liverpool in the mid to late 70's when he started games he never seemed to have the same impact as he did when coming off the bench, back then with only one sub allowed it was a little different, however no one could put their finger on it just why there was such a difference in his play when he came off the bench.

I feel that Steve De Ridder's role at Saints will be in a similar role, De Ridder has great pace and skill of that there is no doubt, however the question mark over his ability is not concerning this but in his ability to make the right decision in the final third, some will question why i say this, but I would point in two directions, the first is if he had this then we wouldnt have got a sniff of him at the price we did and the second is to look at the times he has started, in two of the games he showed a piece of amazing skill and acceleration that left him and teamamtes running at the last line of defence with men spare, on at least two occasions he made the wrong decision when we really should have scored, in his one league start he was substituted around the hour mark.

In that one sLeague start against Watford De Ridder was good in the opening 20 minutes but then died out and this is perhaps a clue as to why he is an impact player rather than a starter. What happened in that Watford game was that it took the Watford defence 20 minutes to work out how to play him, once they did that and didnt allow him to get the ball behind them and run, his effectiveness diminished greatly, you find this a lot with fast wide players, a good full back will soon work them out.

However it takes 20 minues or so to do that and that is why his best games will usually come from the bench, coming on late in the game the defenders dont have the time to work him out and running at tiring legs he can wreak havoc, of course it doesnt always work out like this and there will be times he will have some great games when starting but in the main it will be coming off the bench where he will have his best impact.

In recent times Michail Antonio best represented this at St Mary's, when he started games he would sometimes be burnt out within the half hour, on more than one occasion Wycombe away springs to mind he was substituted long before half time, such was his inneffectiveness, but coming on in the last 20 minutes his pace looked frightening, as i said though nothing is an exact science and his best starting game came at Wembley.

This opinion is not intended to be derogatory to De Ridder as i stated i think he is a good player and will have a big impact, I just think it will be as a substitute and not as a player in the starting line up, Im sure many will howl with derision, but I would say to them step back and have a little think, often peoples minds are blined by pace, a fast winger always looks good, but its not just about speed, its also about delivery, both in scoring and creating chances, Guly will never look as good as De Ridder because his style is not one of speed, but look at his work rate and then look at goals scored and made and it will start to show why he should start most games, that wont do him a lot of favours with the crowd, because he will soften up the full back enabling De Ridder to deliver the sucker punchs.

I look forward to watching De Ridder this season, as i said he will have a big impact, but football is a squad game, with so many subs available for tactical reasons, its no longer a case of being dropped if you arent in the starting line up, its about plaaying a role in the overall big picture and i feel that Steve De Ridders big role will be coming off the bench and destroying players in the final third of the game.           

  

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saintBob added 11:39 - Oct 24
Sometimes substitutions work and sometimes they don’t. De Ridder is the kind of player who can make an impact on a game when used as he was against Reading. However, he then gets labelled as such because he did make a difference. As you say, he has had one league start against Watford and was brought off. Sometime during the season he will get a regular start and then he will be given the chance to blend into the team. At that time, you will probably see him ‘grow into the team’ as he get’s used to his team mates, the reason he seems not to be doing that is that he’s trying too hard to earn his selection. For example, Guly was used as a sub initially but found and was regularly subbed when he started a game. He now, more often than not plays 90 mins. Danny Fox did not impress the first few games but due to the absence of Harding he’s had the chance to fit in. Jos Hoidvelt was the same, fans were dubious at first but he has had his opportunity due to Seaborne’s absence and now fits in well. The former players cannot be classed as impact players because they are defenders so it is only the like’s of De Ridder who will get tagged with this label and he will continue to be while he is left on the subs bench. Maybe he will be used this way for the season but unless he gets a good run in the side, we will never know.
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saintBob added 11:52 - Oct 24
Sometimes substitutions work and sometimes they don’t. De Ridder is the kind of player who can make an impact on a game when used as he was against Reading. However, he then gets labelled as such because he did make a difference. As you say, he has had one league start against Watford and was brought off. Sometime during the season he will get a regular start and then he will be given the chance to blend into the team. At that time, you will probably see him ‘grow into the team’ as he get’s used to his team mates, the reason he seems not to be doing that is that he’s trying too hard to earn his selection. For example, Guly was used as a sub initially but found and was regularly subbed when he started a game. He now, more often than not plays 90 mins. Danny Fox did not impress the first few games but due to the absence of Harding he’s had the chance to fit in. Jos Hoidvelt was the same, fans were dubious at first but he has had his opportunity due to Seaborne’s absence and now fits in well. The former players cannot be classed as impact players because they are defenders so it is only the like’s of De Ridder who will get tagged with this label and he will continue to be while he is left on the subs bench. Maybe he will be used this way for the season but unless he gets a good run in the side, we will never know.
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bstokesaint added 12:43 - Oct 24
I agree totally with Bob. Stevie D will definitely "grow into the team". He demanded players pass the ball to him when he came on at the weekend and it worked. However we can't do that from the onset. We don't even do that with Lallana. He needs to put his ability into becoming a better link-up player. He will as well because he had a lot of ability. If he starts picking out a few other players in good positions the perceptions of him being tagged a "supersub" will change quickly enough. I'm thoroughly enjoying the entertainment he provides at the moment. No defender in the world likes a pacy opponent. Fact.
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SaintNick added 12:50 - Oct 24
I think you both miss my point, Im not sure that he will grow into the team, the nature of his game is as a high power short burst sort of player.

Your right no defender likes playing against pace, bu the fact is defenders learn how to deal wth it when faced with it, the best players arent normally the fastest
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bstokesaint added 13:03 - Oct 24
Nick, I take your point, but from a player's perspective he will want to play 90 minutes of every game. There are wide men out there who can play a full game. Personally I think if he worked on his final distribution instead of getting a headrush for goal he could develop his game beyond just the pace. It's a good starting point though.
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