The demise of Dijksteel & Bola

Woodgate signed Bola and Dijksteel and I don’t think he wrote them off at all. Bola was very poor first season, sending him out on loan wasn’t a bad idea (his confidence was shot and he was poor on loan as well). Dijksteel was injured rather than not fancied if I remember- played quite a bit under Woodgate.

Main issue with them both was poor coaching. They have improved massively in the last 2 seasons. I don’t believe for a second that they’ve been discarded. Expect Djiksteel to push on again and get back into the team, but can’t fault Smith at the moment. He has to wait for his chance and be ready.
 
Maybe woodgate has influenced this somewhat given it was Warnock that brought the best out of them

I think djksteel will get his chance. Smith looked our worse player, especially first 25 mins. He improved through the game thankfully
 
I don't see how its sad to see a good player like dijksteel miss out. It means were playing well. I love dijksteel but Smith was brilliant tonight, a really good pro in terms of when to play and not. Excellent tackler.

Not fussed on mcnair or bola both really poor for me and would ship them out.
Smith is clearly somewhat of a leader and tenacious and that’s what we were lacking
Dijksteel is a good player but smith offers something different and he is showing us what he can do….
 
Wilder threw AD under the bus regularly yet continued to play him. Carrick has come in and simply not played him. 🤷‍♂️.
 
Problem with dijksteel is that he is more of an athlete than footballer. Smith is a footballer and picked ahead of him. Dijksteel needs to up his game and concentration levels to get back in the team
Dijksteel is a good athlete and a good footballer!!!
What smith is, is a good footballer who really gets stuck in and leads and we’ve been desperate for on field leadership
It counts for a lot especially towards the end of games and can be the difference between a win and a loss
Smith like lenihan offers the players that inspirational aspect which drags other players with them and gets more out of otherwise ‘shy’ players
 
Dijksteel lacks the concentration and true grit to consistently succeed in the championship. There can be games where he has looked our best player for 80 minutes then stand 3m away from the guy he is meant to be marking for a set piece.

Different positions but the block tackle at 1-0 that Hayden Hackney made was superb, neither Dijksteel or Bola would make that block and that's why they aren't in the team regularly.
 
Dijksteel is a good player, but I personally think he's best as a RCB in a back 3, than a RB. So his days maybe numbered?

As for Bola, he's just a standard solid Championship defender. Average at defending, average at going forward, but solid enough to keep as a squad player.

I wouldn't want to be losing either of them at the moment.
 
let's face it when Leo brought Smith in you could immediately tell that that was a huge statement. Djksteel has been very poor but Bola for me is worst than Giles, as he rarely has a good pass or a cross.
I think when Ryan Lowe suggested Carrick had been picking the team out may have been more then guesswork.

The inclusion of Smith and especially Hackney were big calls for an interim coach, but the fact both have retained their places is telling I think.
 
To be fair that was Smiths best game last night, he is starting to have an understanding with Jones. don't think Carrick will be changing it anytime soon.
 
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Both of these two have been written off plenty of times before and when they came back into the side, lo and behold they both have been real assets to the team. The performance of Smith last night has won me around, and he surely has cemented his place in the starting 11. That does not mean that neither of Dijksteel or Bola should not be in the squad and used when need be. I don't know why they are out of the squad - are they injured or does Carrick just not like the look of them?
 
It's a long season and players inevitably get injured and suspended. We need a squad of players who can come in and not disrupt the team and Djiksteel and Bola are more than adequate to do that.
 
I've said it from 10 games into his Boro career, seems a nice lad, and is honest, but Bola is a League One quality player. I get the argument about pushing Giles further forward but think it's more likely that Clarke would be utilsed to shore up behind him.

Dijksteel has that pace that elevates him to championship level, but his passing is very limited and he's a bit short to play CB.

McNair, he's a conundrum. Capable of some excellent moments, dead ball crosses, the odd through ball, and occassionally breezes through games defensively......but he's inconsistent, can be bullied a bit, not quick, not really a CB certainly not in a 4, not really a midfielder certainly not in a 2. He's probably one of our highest earners, and probably worth 4-5m in the market so wouldn't be surprised to see him sold.
 
Must admit I thought Djiksteel would be favoured ahead of Smith but I've been impressed in what I've seen.

Smith is better at carrying the ball for me - Djiksteel makes buccaneering runs but always looks on the verge of a complete collapse of control. Also plays with his head down a lot.

I think Smith's concentration when defending is better too, would hazard a guess he's better at taking instruction and maintaining an organised defensive shape.
 
I don't think it's the demise of Dijksteel and Bola, but the rise of other players in the position...

Giles is/will always be better than Bola, that's nothing against Bola because I think Giles is one of the best in the league.

and Smith has offered something different to Dijksteel - He was given the chance and took it - it's his position to lose rather than Dijksteel's position to gain.

Both good Championship standard sub/backup options in my opinion.
 
Both players have been here long enough to make the positions their own and they haven’t. A new left back for next season must be a priority as Giles won’t be here and he’s not a good defender anyway.
 
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