Ben Pearson

Hate the Tunnicliffe comparisons.

Both tenacious local midfielders but that's it. Said it earlier in this thread; I've never seen a young player read the game as well as Pearson. He's a quicker thinker than 95 percent of the players he comes up against. It's his strongest attribute and a great one to have. He compliments this with fantastic vision and passing range with both feet as well good technique and a low centre of gravity that makes him hard disposses.

May still not be United quality but I'm sure he will become a much better player than Tunnicliffe.

Also didn't Lawrence get a one-month league one loan this time last year before getting a championship one straight after. Hopefully Ben progresses similarly.
 
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Will Absolute said:
The coaches may ask a few simple questions:

Is he big, strong, fast? No. Does he have outstanding technical abilities to compensate for the lack of these physical attributes? No.

Therefore not Manchester United quality.
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Talking about the same position is Daley Blind Manchester United quality ?
 
Pogue Mahone said:
I can't help wondering if Pearson is one of those whole-hearted young kids that us fans love but who maybe lacks something that an experienced coach would look for. We've had a few like that over the years. Ryan Tunnicliffe probably the most recent example.

There's a good reason us fans will find an aggressive CM presence so endearing. It's been something lacking in our first team squad for years.
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The one thing about Pearson that bugs me is that he doesnt try to dribble past players often enough and I am not sure that is in his game. I see him surge forward from time to time although not as much as i would like but he doesnt seem to have the quick footed changes of direction, feints and turns that more and more CM's are starting to show these days. He has a great engine, he works hard, he is committed, fearless and shuts players down well but I just wish he would take players on a bit more. Also how he receives the ball could do with a little more work, his footwork when receiving lacks the approach of receiving with a view to play forward which I think is partly related to how often he plays back or to support out wide.
 
I can't agree with a lot of that Stack.

Seen him use a clever bit of skill or a sharp turn plenty of times to make space for himself when under pressure. He also looks to play forward most of the time imo. In fact he's good at threading passes between the lines.
 
Tunnicliffe was always more of a physical marauder, so to speak, had a bit of a young Gerrard about his style, roaming all over the pitch 100 miles an hour, Pearsons game is much more positional and dare I say tactically responsible.

My Dad whos an avid watcher of the reserves has always really liked him, I'm on the fence if he'll make it here, but I think he's at worst a good prospect for a decent PL career with someone if he fleshes out in the coming years.
 
SkeppyRed said:
I can't agree with a lot of that Stack.

Seen him use a clever bit of skill or a sharp turn plenty of times to make space for himself when under pressure. He also looks to play forward most of the time imo. In fact he's good at threading passes between the lines.
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I guess we will have to agree to disagree. I have kept track of how often he plays back and to support out wide and the numbers I was counting over a number of games were worse than Cleverley in those areas.
With respect to the clever bits of skill etc its more the dribbling with the ball at players, he does do it but not nearly enough I believe.
 
FromTheBench said:
Talking about the same position is Daley Blind Manchester United quality ?
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Good point. There's no simple formula.

I like Pearson myself. But, despite the admiration of the Cafe, he hasn't caught the eye of two successive regimes. Their business is football, and they're seeing something there, or not there.

Giving it his all, Pearson has been good, rather than dominant, at youth level. He can't really step up his effort and commitment, so has he got enough to outperform a typical PL midfielder? Because that's what's required to play for us.
 
Will Absolute said:
Good point. There's no simple formula.

I like Pearson myself. But, despite the admiration of the Cafe, he hasn't caught the eye of two successive regimes. Their business is football, and they're seeing something there, or not there.

Giving it his all, Pearson has been good, rather than dominant, at youth level. He can't really step up his effort and commitment, so has he got enough to outperform a typical PL midfielder? Because that's what's required to play for us.
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Its funny but despite my earlier posts above I would love to see Pearson get a run ahead of Fletcher. I hope the fact that its just a short loan means that he is being considered and the short loan is a good way to get him some tougher competition before we give hi a run.
 
Stack said:
Its funny but despite my earlier posts above I would love to see Pearson get a run ahead of Fletcher. I hope the fact that its just a short loan means that he is being considered and the short loan is a good way to get him some tougher competition before we give hi a run.
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It is more likely that Barnsley need a short term option. Tunncliffe is doing alright by the way, he is getting games at Championship level and has made 81 first team professional appearances. Larnell Cole, on the other hand, has not made 10 yet.
 
Will Absolute said:
The coaches may ask a few simple questions:

Is he big, strong, fast? No. Does he have outstanding technical abilities to compensate for the lack of these physical attributes? No.

Therefore not Manchester United quality.
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Did Gary Neville fit either of these bills?
 
TwoSheds said:
Did Gary Neville fit either of these bills?
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:D See above.

In fairness Gary wasn't a midfielder, and played in a less demanding position. I'm not saying those questions are the be-all and end-all, but they may be one jumping off point for an assessment of a player's future.
 
Will Absolute said:
The coaches may ask a few simple questions:

Is he big, strong, fast? No. Does he have outstanding technical abilities to compensate for the lack of these physical attributes? No.

Therefore not Manchester United quality.
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as far as I agree with you, look at Blind he is exactly the same kind of player although not that aggressive which is plus(for Pearson). Pearson is very mature player tactically wise and I even I don't put him into Wilson/Januzaj/Morrison/Pogba bracket, he looks certainly more talented than Blind and from my honest opinion he wouldn't do any worse than Blind who is just gaffer's boy and future backup. Not taking any credit from him tho but I don't rate the latter as highly as others.

There are currently too many youngsters to be given the chance, LVG is new to the club and didn't have enough time to asses the whole youth squad, well obviously he probably saw him but problem still remains that we play too many youngsters and needs some experience in the side as well
 
Will Absolute said:
Giving it his all, Pearson has been good, rather than dominant, at youth level. He can't really step up his effort and commitment, so has he got enough to outperform a typical PL midfielder? Because that's what's required to play for us.
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He played against and outperformed two together in Livermore and Dembele when they got a game for Spurs' U21s. And he was as good as Herrera when he played recently for ours.

People don't think he's technically gifted because he doesn't show it off, but he is. On the rare occasions where he does allow himself to stray forwards, he's capable of dribbling and linking up with little passes and flicks. He's also a gifted passer of the ball, with that ability to pass around a marker in front of him that is key for a deep-sitting midfielder. He doesn't have the great long-range passing of a Carrick-type DCM, which is often what people look for, but then nor does Busquets, one of the very best in the world in that position. Like him, Pearson starts moves with short incisive passes and little driving runs forward, not raking diagonals.

It seems to me that people have started to go off him simply because there's been no sign yet of LVG showing an interest. Possibly also because the disappointing sparsity of U21 football means we simply haven't seen him play that much recently. But he was once again one of the standouts in the U21s last season, as he has been in his age group for three or four successive seasons despite sharing the pitch with the likes of Januzaj, Wilson, Pereira, Daehli, Harrop etc. There's a reason for that.

Just a little taste of what his actual football looks like, before people get carried away with the trend in his absence:



Comparisons with Tunnicliffe are obviously daft.
 
Hope he makes the final step up he needs to make the first team, especially with Carrick getting on in years he can be the direct replacement in a few seasons time.
 
Brightonian said:
He played against and outperformed two together in Bentaleb and Dembele when they got a game for Spurs' U21s. And he was as good as Herrera when he played recently for ours.

People don't think he's technically gifted because he doesn't show it off, but he is. On the rare occasions where he does allow himself to stray forwards, he's capable of dribbling and linking up with little passes and flicks. He's also a gifted passer of the ball, with that ability to pass around a marker in front of him that is key for a deep-sitting midfielder. He doesn't have the great long-range passing of a Carrick-type DCM, which is often what people look for, but then nor does Busquets, one of the very best in the world in that position. Like him, Pearson starts moves with short incisive passes and little driving runs forward, not raking diagonals.

It seems to me that people have started to go off him simply because there's been no sign yet of LVG showing an interest. Possibly also because the disappointing sparsity of U21 football means we simply haven't seen him play that much recently. But he was once again one of the standouts in the U21s last season, as he has been in his age group for three or four successive seasons despite sharing the pitch with the likes of Januzaj, Wilson, Pereira, Daehli, Harrop etc. There's a reason for that.

Just a little taste of what his actual football looks like, before people get carried away with the trend in his absence:



Comparisons with Tunnicliffe are obviously daft.
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Other than that small mistake (I believe you're referring to last season's U-21 match), you are spot on. From what I've seen, Pearson is more than just "another Tunnicliffe". Tunnicliffe relied heavily on his energy levels and aggression, and when he went into first-team football, his limitations were exposed. Pearson, however, started off as more of a playmaking central midfielder in the U-18's before Joyce channeled his aggression and reading of the game into the defensive aspects of the midfield role. As a young midfielder, Pearson does show some naivety with his aggressive game, but he normally demonstrates a good reading of the game and discipline for a young central midfielder. He's also technically decent and possesses nice technique. Another sign of his good ability to read the game is how he looks for spaces to enter and always tries to make himself available.

So far, in the U-21's, Pearson's had to play a more disciplined approach, and last season, it was clear that he was still transitioning into the role as we often relied on the wingers, attacking midfielder, and forwards to move the ball forward whilst our central midfielders had to sit deep and maintain their positions. This season, Pearson may not have had much first-team football due to the change in system, but that doesn't mean he isn't good enough as his last U-21 appearance was a very good one.

This loan move should be good for Pearson as it should allow him to experience first-team football and experience the more physical side of the game in England. Plus, this should mean that I can finally see and obtain Pearson in my FIFA Career Mode :drool:.
 
Brightonian said:
He played against and outperformed two together in Livermore and Dembele when they got a game for Spurs' U21s. And he was as good as Herrera when he played recently for ours.

People don't think he's technically gifted because he doesn't show it off, but he is. On the rare occasions where he does allow himself to stray forwards, he's capable of dribbling and linking up with little passes and flicks. He's also a gifted passer of the ball, with that ability to pass around a marker in front of him that is key for a deep-sitting midfielder. He doesn't have the great long-range passing of a Carrick-type DCM, which is often what people look for, but then nor does Busquets, one of the very best in the world in that position. Like him, Pearson starts moves with short incisive passes and little driving runs forward, not raking diagonals.

It seems to me that people have started to go off him simply because there's been no sign yet of LVG showing an interest. Possibly also because the disappointing sparsity of U21 football means we simply haven't seen him play that much recently. But he was once again one of the standouts in the U21s last season, as he has been in his age group for three or four successive seasons despite sharing the pitch with the likes of Januzaj, Wilson, Pereira, Daehli, Harrop etc. There's a reason for that.

Just a little taste of what his actual football looks like, before people get carried away with the trend in his absence:



Comparisons with Tunnicliffe are obviously daft.
Click to expand...


You have made a really important point here. Nice compilation. I have only watched games or all touches reels and havent seen this compilation before.
 
Brightonian said:
He played against and outperformed two together in Livermore and Dembele when they got a game for Spurs' U21s. And he was as good as Herrera when he played recently for ours.
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Tbf our midfield is just so "clicked" in that game that it's really hard to say who's better than who.Harrop,Pereira and Rothwell look equally as good.
 
khoazany said:
Tbf our midfield is just so "clicked" in that game that it's really hard to say who's better than who.Harrop,Pereira and Rothwell look equally as good.
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Yes, they were all excellent, and clicked beautifully. My point is that the youngsters (including Pearson) were just as good as Herrera, further dispelling this idea (as Will Absolute suggested) that there's this massive gulf between these lads and PL first-teamers which they aren't good enough to bridge.

Stack said:
You have made a really important point here. Nice compilation. I have only watched games or all touches reels and havent seen this compilation before.
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I just grabbed the first one I saw on YouTube. It's quite light on his defensive quality - so many brilliant tackles which aren't featured - but does a good job of serving my point about how technically gifted he is, despite showing it more rarely than the likes of Pereira and Harrop because of his deeper, more defensive role and the impressively disciplined way in which he executes it. There are dribbles, tricks, flicks and moments of composure and control in tight spaces which the so-called 'flair' players amongst his teammates would be proud of.

EDIT: Oh, and I think this will be a good loan. He's more than good enough for the Championship, but good enough doesn't always translate into game time for on-loan youngsters. A League One club makes regular game time more likely.

And it doesn't really matter whether they're playing well and winning or playing badly and losing - Pearson is the sort of player who can look good regardless. If they're constantly under the cosh, that will just be an opportunity for him to show off his superb defensive game and his mental grit.
 
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Fecking great news. I've felt he has been in need of a loan for a while.
 
Really annoyed I forgot to watch this game today. I adore Ben Pearson. Glad to hear he played so well though. I imagine his first touch was crunching someone in a 50-50 :devil:
 
Good news! He should have played instead of Fletcher against Yeovil
 
Probably my favourite player from this crop of academy products. I hope he carves out a spot in our team in the future.
 
Needs a championship loan soonish. I think his size has been a reason for him being treated bit slower for that position at the club.
 
FromTheBench said:
Needs a championship loan soonish. I think his size has been a reason for him being treated bit slower for that position at the club.
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Hopefully he'll do what Lawrence did last year and do enough in his months loan to earn a championship loan for the rest of the season
 
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