Niche Cache
...............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.
