mizer Posted October 23, 2008 Report Posted October 23, 2008 Richard can stop best in Scotland Jimmy praises top defender By Charlie Allan Published: 23/10/2008 RICHARD Foster was today hailed as the best man marker in the SPL. Foster has played in a variety of roles since making his first team debut for the Dons five years ago and was highly praised for his performances at left-back last season. But it’s Foster’s ability to snuff out the danger men in opposing teams that has impressed manager Jimmy Calderwood the most. Calderwood claimed Foster’s shadowing of Falkirk’s Scott Arfield was key to them beating the Bairns 1-0 to get off the foot of the SPL. Foster is likely to be asked to perform a similar job on Hearts wide man Andrew Driver this weekend, and Calderwood is confident the 23-year-old will excel. He said: “The general public don’t really give Richard the credit due. But everyone at Pittodrie knows he is worth his weight in gold at times.†What often baffles Calderwood is the fact Foster himself doesn't seem to appreciate how well he performs in what the Dons boss described as “the unsung hero’s role.†Calderwood said: “He did a fantastic job for us at Falkirk, so I was baffled to see Richard looking a bit down in the dumps after the match. “I had to remind him that he had been so good, Falkirk eventually had to take off Arfield, who is normally one of their most influential players. “Falkirk boss John Hughes and his assistant Brian Rice even made a point of mentioning it when we chatted after the match. “They acknowledged Richard had done a great job because he never gave Arfield a moment’s peace and the lad never got into the game. “That was the plan, because Richard has also done great jobs in the past against the likes of Thomas Buffel and Nakamura. “And former Hibs winger Ivan Sproule always complained that he got little joy when he played against him. “It may not be the most glamorous of tasks, and I know Richard would prefer to be getting forward and having a go at goal. “But he should learn to take more satisfaction out of performances like he gave at Falkirk because he did a great job for the team. “He has been our unsung hero on so many occasions. “His pace, versatility and ability with both feet make Richard one of the most important members of our squad. “We could play him in any position if we had to, and be confident Richard would give it his all and do a decent job. “He even did a decent job playing in the heart of the defence in the latter stages against Falkirk and Richard made several vital challenges to make sure we held out for a win. “In my view, he has done brilliantly for Aberdeen over the last two years so he has no need to let his head go down about anything. He gets too much on his own case at times. “Richard should remember he’s hardly been out of the team over the last two years. “That should be enough to convince him that he is doing a great job.†Foster’s mobility will be crucial because Calderwood expects Hearts to pose a different type of threat than they did in the past, when they tended to muscle their way past opponents at Tynecastle. Calderwood said: “They don’t pose the same physical threat as they did in the past. They play a lot more football through the middle. “That’s no real surprise because Driver, Michael Stewart, Bruno Aguiar and Laryea Kingston are all good players and more of a threat when the ball is kept on the deck. “Hearts were much more different when Steven Pressley, Andy Webster, Takis Fyssas, Robbie Neilson, Andrius Velicka, Roman Bednar, Julien Brellier were regulars at Tynecastle. “They were all massive and it was a nightmare at times when Hearts won free-kicks and corners. “They were as difficult defend against as Celtic tend to be in those sort of situations, so it’s a relief we won’t have to worry so much about that this time. “We also have our physically strongest side since I came to Aberdeen now, so I will be disappointed if we are muscled out of the way in this game.†Mark Kerr has flu but is expected to be fit to give the Dons boss a full squad to pick from. Do we undervalue Foster? Quote
Guest swaddon Posted October 23, 2008 Report Posted October 23, 2008 You have to hand it to Charlie Allan, when they need some shite at short notice to fill a few columns in the paper, he always produces the goods. He may well be a good marker, but if it's his own manager making these claims after ONE decent game against Falkirk, then we shouldn't take much notice. Quote
BigAl Posted October 23, 2008 Report Posted October 23, 2008 The best ? No chance As bad as some Dons fans would have you believe, again no chance. Quote
ntbear Posted October 23, 2008 Report Posted October 23, 2008 I used to play centre half with a guy who could stick to someone like glue. Wasn't the best player, or even defender in the world, but if you told him to mark someone - he never got a look at the ball all game. Extremely valuable player. Quote
Aberdeen_Ladette Posted October 23, 2008 Report Posted October 23, 2008 Do we undervalue Foster? I think we probably do undervalue him and tend to remember all his fuck-ups rather than any good play. On a side note I read that his teammates have nicknamed him 'Google' ! Mark Kerr has man flu but is expected to be fit to give the Dons boss a full squad to pick from. Corrected! Quote
??? Posted October 23, 2008 Report Posted October 23, 2008 On a side note I read that his teammates have nicknamed him 'Google' ! Is that because no matter how hard he tries, and how much help he gets, he never gets the right result? Quote
Aberdeen_Ladette Posted October 23, 2008 Report Posted October 23, 2008 Is that because no matter how hard he tries, and how much help he gets, he never gets the right result? No!. It is apparently because if he doesn't understand a word then he will go home and look it up. He is apparently forever doing crosswords and puzzles. Teammates have suggested that as he is so intelligent he should give Diamond (nicknamed 'Badder') half his brain! You will sleep great tonight now you know that! Edit: Changed my spelling mistakes before FJ noticed them Quote
Aberdeen_Ladette Posted October 23, 2008 Report Posted October 23, 2008 Why are you posting a picture of Mackie ?!? Quote
Ajja Posted October 24, 2008 Report Posted October 24, 2008 A player to do nothing else but mark out the danger man in the opposing side ? A luxury in our team we can ill afford in my book. Foster has to bring something more to the party or he remains a poor player as far as I am concerned. Quote
Madbadteacher Posted October 24, 2008 Report Posted October 24, 2008 Perhaps he's been misquoted Foster, the best marker pen collection in the SPL Quote
ntbear Posted October 24, 2008 Report Posted October 24, 2008 A player to do nothing else but mark out the danger man in the opposing side ? Against most SPL sides who only have one danger man - that's the perfect way to play him. Against old firm - we could do with better players. Quote
TENEMENTFUNSTER Posted October 24, 2008 Report Posted October 24, 2008 Not nearly enough ability to be a football player. Quote
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