Sam Stubbs

Stubbs only joined in the January of the play off season. He was great for 4 months. This season just gone he was generally poor but I put that down to the fact the majority of games he did feature for us in the league, so did Taylor.

 

If Stubbs get the chance centrally in a 3 I think he'll do really well. We obviously need decent players either side of him but I've absolutely no worries if he's selected for the first game come August.

 

A fractured skull didn't help

 

Not sure what happened to Stubbs. Went from an very good half season spell to looking distinctly average last season to a point where Alexander didn't fancy. Clearly has a good touch but jeez that lack of pace makes Ben Tozer look quick.

 

The season before though before his injuries he was our best defender. He started of last season slowly and never reprised the way he played then.With a good pre season let’s see how he does. I seem to remember though when he signed that he couldn’t take part in a full weeks training because of his previous injuries and only trained on a couple of days of the week. I know Alexander puts a lot of store on what happens in training

 

I don’t think Alexander fancies Stubbs and think he’ll be a back up again this year. I wonder if we’d have triggered his contract extension if the clause had been in our favour. I hope we don’t make a habit of doing this again because the club should always have the upper hand. Have we had value for money from Stubbs, probably not, although his last injury wasn’t his fault. To me he seemed to get slower if that was possible. For a 25 year old lad he plays like a veteran for all the wrong reasons. Good enough to be a squad member but I’d like to see a really good signing at CB to strengthen that spine that all good teams have.

 

I still think he's our best defender ability wise (and that includes Playtt), it's just getting him fit and up to speed. I accept the pace argument but for me his leadership, organisational skills and his positioning more than makes up for it at this level.

He's also a constant talker and you really shouldn't underestimate how helpful that can be across a back line.

 

Many of us on here would make fine figures in the back line then

 

No chance Jon, I've played alongside players who've talked absolute nonsense and it's definitely not much of a help!

 

Certainly on the season before lasts form he was easily our best defender. However he seemed to comeback a different player at the start of last season and never reached that level again. When he first arrived he was only training Thursday and Friday due to past injuries maybe that hampered his preparation last season but certainly his levels dropped
S

 

You try playing alongside Ash Taylor and trying to reach peak levels.

 

GA didn't trigger the extension, it was triggered automatically by a certain number of appearances.

 

The club didn’t have a choice in the matter. Maybe the comment from Sharp about being aggressive with moving players on might include Stubbs. I haven’t seen any comments from Stubbs about being happy to be staying on, unlike Walker who’s contract was triggered by ourselves.

 

I recall an interview from Alexander a few months ago saying he rated Stubbs (I think around the time he played him in CM) and commented on what a good professional he is. I'll try and find the exact quote and post it.

I remember thinking at the time that Stubbs was back in Alexander's plans after a slow start.

 

Here you go.
https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/sport/sportlatest/24126629.graham-alexanders-reaction-bantams-won-third-game-row/

 

I think from my point of view, he was never reconsidered for a place in the squad at the back end of the season and no update was made (that I can remember) saying he was still injured or otherwise. First year Stubbs I'd take, but last season there seemed to be something not right and given he had a 1 in 3 chance of starting, he didn't manage to pin down a starting place.