by SCIAG »
29 Jan 2017 21:57
Watson missed the last U23 match, Teddy Howe played right back. If Watson's out, which seems likely, then we have three U23 right backs injured and three out on loan. Similar story on the left where Medford-Smith played. Not many back-up options unfortunately!
Cooper's passing isn't a particular problem. He's much better on the ball than McShane and no worse than Williams or Gunter. He played a couple of good balls in Millwall's match today.
I wouldn't read too much into the England youth caps, particularly at U18 and U20 which aren't normally taken as seriously as U19 and U21. Historically the FA have a pretty bad record with Reading centre backs. They've called up quite a few but managed to miss Pearce and Hector. Not saying that will always be true but it's not a great endorsement.
Cooper's troubles are with concentration and defending against dribbling. He compensates with his height and power. Dom Hyam is a better defender but probably wouldn't have had such a good game against Lukaku (see: getting sent off for rugby tackling Dembélé). I can't remember the last time I saw Dickie play, but he stands out for being very good on the ball, and also very committed. If Cooper could cut out the mistakes then he would be a better player than Dickie or Hyam, so I see why you'd take a chance on him, but at this point I think Hyam is the safe bet.
In the long run then I think Tom McIntyre is the one to maybe get excited about if he can get through his injuries.