David Bates. Solid as a rock.

Love his no nonsense approach! Still looks abit nervy at times but that’s because he doesn’t want to let his team down.

Don’t know if a lot of people know but he’s a massive bluenose aswell and only up until recently didn’t have to renew his season ticket
 
I think Bates can be a mainstay of our back four for years to come, he’s still learning the game and will make errors but it’s the only way he’s going to learn and improve. I’ve seen every player we had and I include big Gough in this, make mistakes, it’s part of football. The boy is a good old fashioned centre half in the making
 
He is a decent domestic level centre half - my only criticism of him would be composure on the ball - but in his defence I would rather someone who hoofs it up the park when in trouble than try’s to dribble passed 4 men.

I hope the big man can keep improving because as a ball winning centre half he is very reliable.
 
How old is he 19 ,going well for his age will be a good ch for us. Yes has had couple stray passes, every player does that. Main thing with ch is defending he pretty good at that. Him and Mcgrorie could be our defenders for years to come.
 
Mmm. He's pacy and good in a tackle but he's very weak in the air. He looses a lot of headers. Completely lost McKenna for a free header near the end. Needs to be much more aggressive in the air.
 
we still give out opposition far too many clear cut chances at goal.. Not sure if its a team issue or a defensive one but it was glaring again last night.
 
El cenoura should stay, he's developing really well here. Give him a run of ten games or so and we'll see him come on leaps and bounds.
 
He's always, statistically, one of the best defenders in the league when it comes to aerial duels. We play in a league where there are some pretty physical centre forwards and if you get caught with 2 centre halfs who don't have that as a strength (e.g. Wilson, Cardoso...) you'll get found out and we have been.
 
Tav & Fod saved his arse 3/4 times last night. Once in the 1st half and even more in the 2nd half.

Can only assume those happy to see Wilson leave are not the same ones who think Bates is really good.

Surely not.
 
I thought on the whole he played well however there were times him and Martin looked a bit suspect hence Fod pulling off 3 or 4 brilliant saves.

Any chances Aberdeen created I felt was caused by ourselves but I refuse to get bogged down with a few negatives. Last night there were loads of positives - especially Sean Goss. Boy strolled it. Effortlessly.
 
There is no "hate", some people are of the opinion he isn't that good, I disagree, but then that's just my opinion.
 
Decent enough but he can't be the answer long term. He got caught out of position on more than one occasion last night with Martin covering for him IMO.

As I said. Decent backup for now and he may develop into a decent defender, but if Wilson is now gone I feel we need someone else in there (assuming Alves goes).
 
Hemdani said:
Tav & Fod saved his arse 3/4 times last night. Once in the 1st half and even more in the 2nd half.

Can only assume those happy to see Wilson leave are not the same ones who think Bates is really good.

Surely not.
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When thinking back over the central defenders we have had to put up with in recent seasons, find your comments re Bates to be surprising and discouraging. This young guy who has had limited first team experience is the type of player who should be getting encouragement not criticism. Sure he has a bit to go but highlighting only his faults seems unhelpful.
 
pandager1 said:
He's the most no-nonsense defender I've ever seen, and that's not a bad thing.

He isn't comfortable with the ball at his feet, but he doesn't take risks in possession.

Doesn't try to beat a forward with the ball, he clears it if needs be.

Considering we signed him from Raith Rovers to no fanfare, he's been a great addition to the squad.
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Exactly.
And a "no-nonsense" defender is what we've wanted for a while now.

As an aside, I recall when we got him and he was playing in our Under-21s (?) that many observers didn't think that much of him at all. He certainly didn't seem to shine at that level.
 
skorn said:
Exactly.
And a "no-nonsense" defender is what we've wanted for a while now.

As an aside, I recall when we got him and he was playing in our Under-21s (?) that many observers didn't think that much of him at all. He certainly didn't seem to shine at that level.
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Yes he was shockingly poor, none of the parents could understand why he had been brought in from Raith Rovers when the boys who had been at Auchenhowie for years were so much better. The difference is he has been training with the first team every day since he was signed and now has plenty of first team games under his belt and he has improved a lot. Feel really sorry for Aidan Wilson who has been with Rangers since he was 8 years old and he has been told he will not be seeing any more first team action. He will see out his contract with the U20s and move on. Also doubt very much you will see anything more of Barjonas. Things were looking really encouraging for them when Pedro was in charge. Apart from McCrorie I doubt very much we will see any more of our youth making the breakthrough into the first team, just hope the laddies make the breakthrough into another club's first team, there are a lot of talented boys who have been working hard for years.
 
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sonofbunk said:
Missing mccrorie and jack was a bigger factor in Aberdeen getting all those chances at the end rather than our centr half’s.

It’s not the CHs job to stop crosses coming in on midfielders getting into space for shots.
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Take your point, but Bates lost Mckenna but thankfully Wes saved the header. He needs to improve at set pieces, but his anticipation and reading of the game has improved greatly, also tackles well
 
Bigclinthill said:
Yes he was shockingly poor, none of the parents could understand why he had been brought in from Raith Rovers when the boys who had been at Auchenhowie for years were so much better. The difference is he has been training with the first team every day since he was signed and now has plenty of first team games under his belt and he has improved a lot. Feel really sorry for Aidan Wilson who has been with Rangers since he was 8 years old and he has been told he will not be seeing any more first team action. He will see out his contract with the U20s and move on.
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Aidan Wilson signed a new contract a few months ago which lasts until 2020 and was playing with the first team at the Florida Cup a couple of weeks back.

What's changed since then?
 
Sunderland have supposedly offered him double what we were looking at giving him, dont know the figures involved but I wouldn't be surprised if it was something like £10k v £5k a week. Cant imagine he has any desire to leave Ibrox but this could set him up for life.
 
Hemdani said:
Tav & Fod saved his arse 3/4 times last night. Once in the 1st half and even more in the 2nd half.

Can only assume those happy to see Wilson leave are not the same ones who think Bates is really good.

Surely not.
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He's been absolutely solid in a good few really important games for us this season and considering his age I don't think we can ask for much more than him right now.
 
Not good enough if we want to challenge for the title. Alves, Martin, Cardoso, D Wilson and A Wilson are all better than him IMO
 
To me he's that type of player who takes a while to adjust to the game. He always looks indecisive/nervous in the first period of the game. After that initial period he's on his game

Perhaps a sport psychologist may help there.

Otherwise perhaps an extended/more intense warm up for the big fella

All in all well done!
 
Leo_Ger said:
Aidan Wilson signed a new contract a few months ago which lasts until 2020 and was playing with the first team at the Florida Cup a couple of weeks back.

What's changed since then?
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Nothing's changed, he's just been told he won't be playing first team football and is not in the manager's plans, he has other CBs ahead of him in the pecking order, there will be no opportunity for the manager to play him, this is what the manager himself has told him.
 
He's quick, strong in the air and tackle, plus he's excellent at defending set pieces.

The weak link of his game is his distribution, but he's the sort of boy who'll work hard to improve that.

He'll take a bit of shifting out the team if he continues to perform like last night.
 
Bigclinthill said:
Nothing's changed, he's just been told he won't be playing first team football and is not in the manager's plans, he has other CBs ahead of him in the pecking order, there will be no opportunity for the manager to play him, this is what the manager himself has told him.
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To be fair I'd trust Murtys view point on a player ahead of anyone else at the club because of his previous role. Doesnt necessarily mean he doesnt rate A Wilson just that he doesnt see him in his top 4 or 5 CDs - and lets be honest he isnt anywhere near Martin, Alves, Danny Wilson or Ross McCrorie and thats before you consider Cardoso or Bates. He probably sitting 6th in line for a 2 spot berth - 4th at the moment though with the Alves/McCrorie injuries and D Wilson contract situation.
 
He's actually the best CB at the club at defending that is, I agree his distribution needs to improve but I like the CB to be a solid defender first and foremost, Bates stands out when we are under the cosh, not many players get past him, I'd have him playing all the time with a more experienced player, looks like it will be Martin as Danny Wilson looks on his way out, I can see Bates turning into a top class defender for us, and I'd put McCorie in beside him when he returns from Injury, those 2 could be our defensive rock for years to come If they keep developing.
 
I think he is a very clever and brave player, not clever in his fancy foot work but in the sense, he knows what he is good at, and brave to believe in himself and kick it to fück! No doubts or mistakes leading to goals, just throw-ins and corners to defend as s team.
He knows his limitations, although I still think he could grow into composed passer, with more experience and a bit more maturity, he is a quality defender. (Maybe a Tony Adams type?)
 
He is an old fashioned no nonsense style of centre back and a good defender, once he develops and improves his distribution and occasional lapses of concentration I feel he can be a very solid player for us. He is certainly worth holding onto.
 
Genuinely think with him and McCrorie we have two boys who'll be ours and Scotlands centre back pairing for years.

Bates appears to be a big game player who's only going to get better.
 
the voice said:
Sunderland have supposedly offered him double what we were looking at giving him, dont know the figures involved but I wouldn't be surprised if it was something like £10k v £5k a week. Cant imagine he has any desire to leave Ibrox but this could set him up for life.
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I won`t disclose Bates`s wages as it`s not fair on him but Sunderland are offering him £9k a week. We will have to seriously up his wages if we want to keep him.
 
Only thing he needs to work on is his distribution, always a few passes a game go astray. But the main thing is he can defend and does it well.
 
He is far from finished article but has great potential to be a good old school centre half, wouldn't be in any rush to get rid of him
 
weebudsbud said:
I won`t disclose Bates`s wages as it`s not fair on him but Sunderland are offering him £9k a week. We will have to seriously up his wages if we want to keep him.
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Id be surprised if this happens. Sunderland are willing to offer him 4 year contract too apparently.
Its an absolute nonsense that we only gave him a 18 month contact when he signed considering the wages he's on, without the option for US to extend.
 
"He's poor in the air" "He has the best arial duel record in the league"
"He lacks composure" "Do you see how calm he is, strolling out of defence with the ball"
"He's solid and did little wrong" "He made quite a few mistakes last night"
"He's a future captain" "He's ok for now, but we need better"

FollowFollow, honestly.

When he first broke through he would play really well for 90% of a game then suddenly make crazy mistakes. I think people still see that boy when they spot his name on the team sheet. The truth is he still makes mistakes (like all players) but they're getting less frequent and less severe.

He's 21 and if he keeps improving at that rate he'll be great for us. Really like the idea of him and McCrorie being centre half pairing for 10 years, providing they both keep improving at said rate.
 
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