Ben would be a definite starter in any other Lig 2 side and possibly a few Lig 1 teams. Problem is the SE coach and the Georgian who plays in Bens position. I hope he gets loaned out in the winter transfer window
Ben would be a definite starter in any other Lig 2 side and possibly a few Lig 1 teams. Problem is the SE coach and the Georgian who plays in Bens position. I hope he gets loaned out in the winter transfer window
Right.
Checked it and the problem was just with being registered. Once registered he should be playing in Ligue 2, but potentially has pissed off the coach…
Watched most of this. Oldy came on as a replacement at 36 mins and played the rest of the match at LB. First time ive seen him play there. He did quite a good job, especially going forward where he got on the ball frequently. He used his speed to get forward and put in some useful crosses. As a defender his positional play was sound. He got skinnned once and probably should have closed down the cross that lead to the goal. But all up it was a good solid game by Ben. SE have loads of injuries at the moment. It appears he is quite capable of playing LB
Might get a few games at LB this month. Niche Cache
....when ASSE suffered a first half injury to Ebenezer Annan it was Benjamin Old who got the tap on the shoulder from the coach. On you go, son. 36 minutes on the clock... making this the most that he’s featured in a League 2 match since the opening game of the campaign. The only catch? Check out the positioning here...
Annan is a left-back and this was a straight swap. There was some chat earlier in the season that Old was seen as an alternative option at LB though it’s taken until now for that to actually happen. Old needs minutes and this was the spot available. Get in where you fit in.
ASSE lost the game 1-0, a frustrating result against a mid-table team. They made a fantastic start to life in the second tier, taking 17 points from a possible 21 to begin with, yet since then have struggled for consistency going loss, win, loss, loss, win, loss, win, win, loss. They’re still second and on course to be promoted back so it’s no major drama... but that’s some context for Old’s situation.
Unsurprisingly, Old looked like a winger playing in defence throughout this game. He did get up in support of his attackers but mostly saved the overlapping bursts until late when things got desperate. Kept it pretty conservative with his passing. Also a tad late to react with some of his defensive tasks. The fact that this option was rumoured a few months ago suggests that he may have spent at least some time training there already... but it takes game time to really get a proper understanding. He did alright though, especially under the circumstances. His best moment came at the start of the second half when he ran into space and set up a chance that went pinging off the crossbar.
It’s since been revealed that Ebenezer Annan won’t play again until the new year. That leaves at least two matches in which they’ll have to find a replacement and, as you may have guessed by this situation, they don’t have a specialist back-up in their squad. Therefore we’ll find out in a few days if Ben Old’s got a shot at being that guy for the next Ligue 1 game and the next round of the French Cup.
Annan’s absence could have been much longer seeing as he’s a Ghanaian international and was picked in the Black Stars’ most recent squad... except Ghana failed to qualify for the African Cup of Nations so that’s not going to be a conflict after all.
...............but the real gold came from that pre-game press conference when Eirik Horneland, head coach of ASSE coach, answered several questions in a row about Ben Old. It’s not often we get such an insight into a kiwi player’s stocks from the person who is most in control of their fate as this.
Old’s Season To Date... “Ben Old had a good summer. He had a different build-up for the for the summer than the rest because he was injured last year. He only came in for the last last four or five matches of the Ligue 1 season. He went away with his national team and had some matches with with them. I think he I think he came back for preseason with a lot of energy.”
Old’s Place Within The Squad...
“He has done a super professional job in the year I’ve been working with him. Did a big job there when he came back from injury and played a lot of matches in the summer. Got good match time there. He has big competition in his [preferred] role, up against Boakye, Cardona, Davitashvili and those type of players. He is different wing player than those others. He has good runs inside the box and attacks the space behind. He’s working really hard.”
Old’s Adapting To The Left Fullback Position
“He’s got less playing time than he’s wanted so he’s a little bit disappointed with his coach and I understand that of course because he wants to play regularly. He’s an international player, a really good player, one of the most professional I’ve ever worked with. He does everything he can to maximize his career. I was so happy for him when he came on against Dunkerque and showed his potential as a left fullback. It’s a difficult game to come into without being trained in that position, to just take it as he took it, and I think he had a very good match in the sixty minutes he played. I was really happy for him and for the way he came into the team.”
Old’s Future Prospects At LB
“I think he added depth to the left side. He gave some flexibility to the left side. He started to create together with [the forwards] and minute by minute that side got more lively. Personally, I see that he could have a big future as a left fullback. I really like him as an attacking left fullback in the right system. He has the flexibility to both play as left winger and also as left fullback but I see his biggest potential, that’s a personal view of course, as a left fullback. And I’m not saying that he cannot have that as a left winger because he can but I really like him coming from behind because he’s got good pace, he’s got good volume in his running, and he’s also good on the ball taking off pressure overloading in the side.”
Incredibly, that outing against Bastia was the first time that Old has ever played ninety minutes in a league game for Saint-Etienne. Took him 26 matches to finally do it – this was just his third start in Ligue 2 this season, finding himself playing even less after relegation than before it (granted, with a new manager). Oldy was also part of that same press conference and, while acknowledging his minutes predicament, he also spoke about feeling very happy and comfortable at the club.
He mentioned that he spoke to the board about his situation back when there were rumours about him possibly being loaned out... though now says that he’s glad he stayed and that the best case scenario is to earn more regular opportunities with ASSE. Maybe, just maybe, that window might have arrived for him in the left-back position.
“Yeah I think I did pretty well considering it’s not a position that I’ve ever really played before. So I was nervous coming on, but I felt like I was able to provide something, a lot of attacking energy to the game, which was good. So yeah, unexpectedly positive from that position. I did enjoy it. I got the ball a lot more than I do as a winger and some of my key characteristics as a player were able to come out more in that position. I’ve talked to a lot of people in teh club who are very impressed with how I did in that position. I think it’s still early to say but for me I know that position is open at the moment and it could be very positive for me. But right now I’m just focused on the next game.”
He also joked about New Zealand getting placed with Belgium in the World Cup draw – one of his best mates at ASSE is striker Lucas Stassin who is a fringe player for the Belgians and apparently texted him as soon as that name came out of the bowl.
Another start and full 90 mins for Ben in a 0-0 draw. Played again at LB. Played ok but the match itself wasnt great. Partly i guess because of the temperature. At kickoff it was already minus 2 and it got colder. I'll bet Ben was wishing he was back at the Nix playing in sunny, warm Brisbane
Niche Cache Old's gaffer at St Etienne facing the chop apparently.
There’s a good chance we may be nearing the end of the Ben Old at Left-Back experiment. Not because he’s been dropped nor because the previous incumbent has returned. The previous incumbent, Ebenezer Annan, actually returned two games ago and has been stuck on the bench watching Oldy do an increasingly assured job there. The coach has already explained his reasoning there...
Eirik Horneland: “Annan is available for the group. Since his return, he has trained for several weeks, he has also sometimes been rested. On Tuesday, for example, he missed training for administrative reasons, but he has been training normally since. Ebenezer is in good shape but since then Ben Old has settled on the left side. There is competition on this left side, it is an advantage to be able to choose between these two players.”
Nah, the problem is that ASSE lost 1-0 to Reims this week, conceding after their opponents had been reduced to ten men, thereby dropping down to fifth on the ladder and with that coach Eirik Horneland’s job security is barely hanging by a thread.
The Norwegian coach was hired last December (while Old was out with his knee injury) and wasn’t able to prevent them from relegation. They stuck with him largely because they were expected to bounce straight back up again – they have a reputation among their rivals as the Paris Saint-Germain of Ligue 2 – but after a sharp start they’ve stuttered badly and now promotion doesn’t seem like such a given. His tactical inflexibility, his high demands on players, and his loss of dressing room trust have all been cited as further issues.
And this is the bloke who masterminded, and then wholeheartedly embraced, Ben Old’s positional switch. Without him the equation would change. Then again, a new coach might go back to picking Ben Old as a winger whereas this one doesn’t - in that case, sure, bring on the changing of the guards. Never really know with these things. Horneland will have at least one more game to try and save his job... but it’s been reported that they almost replaced him during the winter break, having come to an agreement with a current unnamed MLS coach who later withdrew his application. So they were actively trying to replace him before they lost to ten-man Reims. Good luck, mate, you’re going to need it.
It has been cool to see Old settle into a different role, getting a little more comfortable with every subsequent match at LB. But we also can’t ignore that ASSE have only won one of the five games that he’s played there. Against Reims, Old had a shot blocked inside the six yard box while it was still scoreless and was nutmegged prior to the cross that led to the goal. On the whole he was pretty good... but those two moments won’t reflect well upon him in light of the outcome.
And yes that loss on the weekend did mean a coaching change. Not an interim, an experienced manager bought in, but a guy who hasn't coached in 3 years. How very French.
Will Old continue to start at Left Back, under the new gaffer? We wait to see
Phillipe Montanier is a very good experianced coach. Knows the French leagues very well. I think Ben will do well under him. Hes got a very good background in getting the best out of young players He had a great run at Toulouse where he took a very young team and won the French Cup. Denis Genrou ex Socceroo and now at Victory was part of that setup
One thing FDV lacks is pace. At the WC that could be seriously exposed. Watching a little of Egypt at AFCON that had some seriously rapid guys.
If Libby was injured and Old was playing LB still at SE, I’d say yes Baze would definitely consider him to start at the WC as a possible LB. He’ll be getting better with the defensive part of the position each week in France.
I think Baze wants to use FDV off the pine, for his crossing/dead ball delivery if chasing a goal. We saw glimpses of that plan when the AWs were trailing Ukraine and searching for an equaliser, though Wood was on the field late in that game.
Another solid game for Ben at LB. Hes looking better and better in that position every match. They are obviously working on his postioning and defense because he is good now in those aspects. Amazing how much luck plays in the life of a footballer. Ben sits on the pine for half a season. All the LBs got injured. He gets chucked into that position and has now made
