Outstanding for me today. Both in the air and especially his tackling on the deck. Tarky was also excellent but Ben shaded it for me.

With the possible exception of Liverpool I don’t think there is a pairing as good in the Premier League. We are very luck to have them.

All the defence was outstanding today never give Everton a sniff
Taylor did fantastic when he slotted in and was up to speed right away

Immense in ensuring opposition chances were minimal & the clean sheet as a result.

andyh wrote:With the possible exception of Liverpool I don’t think there is a pairing as good in the Premier League. We are very luck to have them.

Not lucky. We strategically brought them in and it's working well.

Neither of them are of the very highest quality, that’s why they can’t even make an England squad, but our system and the part they play in it is exceptional.
Two very fine PL defenders and we are lucky to have them.

He was indeed imperious was Ben Mee. One of the strongest aerial performances I’ve witnessed in a Burnley shirt

Dominated Calvert lewin who as ever flattered to deceive

Very good again. Solid and reliable.

Tricky Trevor wrote:Neither of them are of the very highest quality, that’s why they can’t even make an England squad

I don't think it's down to that. Mee isn't a ball playing defender - never well be. He's someone who is best when the other team are against him time and time again. So I can totally understand why he's not in the England side.

Even when I take my Claret tinted glasses off, surely Pope, Mee and Tarky as you spine has got to be given a chance, at least in friendlies?

cricketfieldclarets wrote:Dominated Calvert lewin who as ever flattered to deceive

What was the thing with his shorts, well one of the legs anyway?

beddie wrote:What was the thing with his shorts, well one of the legs anyway?

It’s called attention seeking

cricketfieldclarets wrote:Dominated Calvert lewin

He now goes by this name

That tackle he made when one of our lot put us in trouble where he had to really stretch every sinew to get the ball, was fantastic.

Ben Mee all over was that.

I think Everton will be well aware by now that they bought the wrong one. We're lucky nobody else seems to realise how good he is.

Great at defending, just wish his passing was as good.

A born leader. Superb today.

alboclaret wrote:He now goes by this name

Superb defending today....again.

FactualFrank wrote:Not lucky. We strategically brought them in and it's working well.

And much like the Man in Black, the harder that BFC's Management and Players work, the luckier they're going to get.

FactualFrank wrote:I don't think it's down to that. Mee isn't a ball playing defender - never well be. He's someone who is best when the other team are against him time and time again. So I can totally understand why he's not in the England side.

A ball playing defender like Norwich have.
The last few weeks has seen more and more pundits slagging off the poor defending in today's Premier League. I've always been of the school that a defender is there to keep the ball out of the net, anything else is a bonus. I'm sure SD could sort the problems of most defences in the league, just by getting them to do the basics right.

You never run out of superlatives for Ben Mee, he is our rock, he does what he does and he does it well!
He gives 100% for the team, he is the embodiment of what this Burnley team is about, he is our leader
He is our captain, and one of the reasons why this Burnley team makes me proud to be a claret!!!!!!!
UTC

Got nothing on Gordon Mouncey and Peter Marshall.

Not a big fan of Mee. A basic defender who needs to be playing very well just to keep up.

....

Wirvine wrote:Got nothing on Gordon Mouncey and Peter Marshall.

Clouseau here. Is that you Mr Armitage. Can't work out who Untinted Glasses is. I've noted Mouncey and Marshall are in opposite dug outs today.

They call me Dan. ....Fancy Dan

Wirvine. Got ya. Hope your okay fella and keeping well. J

All good thsnks. Hope you and yours are all well.

I hope to see you in April

cricketfieldclarets wrote:Dominated Calvert lewin who as ever flattered to deceive

and fouled from the first minute of the game

Me mate said yesterday, he’s the Steve Bruce of this era. Does everything very well, defends like his life depends on it, but continually overlooked for England.
Three stood out for me yesterday, Ben, Tarka and Jeff were all excellent.

Ben is truly immense for us, but taking off the Claret and Blue Specs, if he played for, let’s say Southampton, I’d not think he was good enough for an England Cap.

Lord Beamish wrote:Ben is truly immense for us, but taking off the Claret and Blue Specs, if he played for, let’s say Southampton, I’d not think he was good enough for an England Cap.

That might be true, but it's only because he isnt a show pony. Does any team really want a show pony at the centre of their defence. One step away from disaster, and God knows Ben has had a few, but usually up on the half way line. Back in the area hes almost immaculate.

As good as you'll get from a last ditch defender but we need to improve to do better and we somehow need to find someone who is as good as Ben in defence but can also play out from the back without making so many mistakes.

It's usually every game he makes a mistake and it has cost us in the past.

Will we ever attract that player though? Probably not. Especially not a left footed one. You'd have to hope Ben Gibson can match his defending.

It's generally the biggest problem we have right now, trying to improve on what we have is tough because we struggle to attract better whilst there's not really any standout players who need upgrading over the next.

It's possible he might not have the pace to play at international level, but why he NEVER even gets suggested or touted is an absolute joke imo. Surely he's worth trying, even if it was in a friendly or two, just to see if he can make the step up. When you see some of the others who do get a do in all sorts of positions, it does seem unfair on the lad!

superdimitri wrote:As good as you'll get from a last ditch defender but we need to improve to do better and we somehow need to find someone who is as good as Ben in defence but can also play out from the back without making so many mistakes.

It's usually every game he makes a mistake and it has cost us in the past.

Will we ever attract that player though? Probably not. Especially not a left footed one. You'd have to hope Ben Gibson can match his defending.

It's generally the biggest problem we have right now, trying to improve on what we have is tough because we struggle to attract better whilst there's not really any standout players who need upgrading over the next.

You've just asked us to replace Mr. Reliable with a show pony, do you not read this thread. Is it nice to have a footballing centre half, yes, do we need one, no.
Too many of these ball playing centre halves cant do the basics. If you cant see it, the test of us, and the pundits can.
Just look at the goal Newcastle just scored, Utds back line was m.i.a.

'It's usually every game he makes a nistake'

Really?

Ah this place never fails to disappoint!

All I said is we need to improve on Ben Mee with someone as good in defence and with his feet. If you can't understand that I don't know what you'll understand! No mention of someone who isn't as good in defence at all

And yes, he makes a mistake most games that puts us in trouble. It usually involves a pass or miss timed tackle high up the pitch.

superdimitri wrote:Ah this place never fails to disappoint!

All I said is we need to improve on Ben Mee with someone as good in defence and with his feet. If you can't understand that I don't know what you'll understand! No mention of someone who isn't as good in defence at all

And yes, he makes a mistake most games that puts us in trouble. It usually involves a pass or miss timed tackle high up the pitch.

To be fair we really don’t need to improve on Ben Mee. He’s one of the best defenders in the Premier League.

Rileybobs wrote:To be fair we really don’t need to improve on Ben Mee. He’s one of the best defenders in the Premier League.

But still Gareth Southgate's never heard of him. Weird that!

Where's the lol button when you need one?

superdimitri wrote:Where's the lol button when you need one?

Not sure, I was looking for it when you claimed we needed to improve on our captain.

Rileybobs wrote:To be fair we really don’t need to improve on Ben Mee. He’s one of the best defenders in the Premier League.

But he’s not though is he.

Right_winger wrote:But he’s not though is he.

He’s captaining the 7th placed team in the country and is a vital component in the 7th meanest defence in the league (a defence that has conceded the same number of goals as Manchester City).

He’s hugely experienced at this level and very rarely lets us down. I wouldn’t swap him for many defenders outside the established top six and I wouldn’t swap him for a number of the defenders within the the top six.

So in my opinion, yes, he is one of the best defenders in the Premier League.

After watching the way Maguire and his defence attempted blocks against Newcastle I dug out the Ben Mee block vs Reading to show how it should be done. Unbelievable block.

It doesn't matter how good he is in defence, to improve you need players are good enough with their feet AND are as good as Ben in defence.

Its the same now with strikers, you can't carry a goalscoring poacher like you used to be able to, you need players who have much more to their overall game.

Like it or not its the way football is nowadays and that is why 1. Mee doesn't have an England call up and 2.Top teams look always for players who can play it out from the back.

As I said, all of our players need to be upgraded for us to be better, we are at the point where we have no strong weakness in the team, but we struggle to recruit better. Ben Mee is no exception there, he could be improved upon just the same as replacing any other player could be, but its unlikely we'll be able to attract a player who is an improvement as they will likely sign for a bigger side.

Maguire is a much better all-round player than Mee is, he brings so much more to a team but I agree, he is not as good in defence.

Its the same with Tarkowski or Keane before then, not as good in defence but still regarded as overall a lot better players, shown in their England call ups and raised transfer worth.

What does Mee have to offer? He is a great defender, great positioning, bravery and heading skills. But he has no pace and he has no vision, he's not good at passing and he has lapses in concentration where he will make mistakes. The last defender who was most like him the premier league was probably John Terry, but there are few John Terry's in teams now.

There are some people on here who I think are older fans and are locked into basic beliefs of football, they haven't updated to todays football world and realise that there is far more to the game now than there used to be. It doesn't matter if you prefer strikers who can score and not much else and it doesn't matter if you prefer defenders who can defend and not much else, the fact is they are never going to be as valuable in todays market compared to players who can bring more to the game overall.

Its just the way it is.

superdimitri wrote:It doesn't matter how good he is in defence, to improve you need players are good enough with their feet AND are as good as Ben in defence.

Its the same now with strikers, you can't carry a goalscoring poacher like you used to be able to, you need players who have much more to their overall game.

Like it or not its the way football is nowadays and that is why 1. Mee doesn't have an England call up and 2.Top teams look always for players who can play it out from the back.

As I said, all of our players need to be upgraded for us to be better, we are at the point where we have no strong weakness in the team, but we struggle to recruit better. Ben Mee is no exception there, he could be improved upon just the same as replacing any other player could be, but its unlikely we'll be able to attract a player who is an improvement as they will likely sign for a bigger side.

Maguire is a much better all-round player than Mee is, he brings so much more to a team but I agree, he is not as good in defence.

Its the same with Tarkowski or Keane before then, not as good in defence but still regarded as overall a lot better players, shown in their England call ups and raised transfer worth.

What does Mee have to offer? He is a great defender, great positioning, bravery and heading skills. But he has no pace and he has no vision, he's not good at passing and he has lapses in concentration where he will make mistakes. The last defender who was most like him the premier league was probably John Terry, but there are few John Terry's in teams now.

There are some people on here who I think are older fans and are locked into basic beliefs of football, they haven't updated to todays football world and realise that there is far more to the game now than there used to be. It doesn't matter if you prefer strikers who can score and not much else and it doesn't matter if you prefer defenders who can defend and not much else, the fact is they are never going to be as valuable in todays market compared to players who can bring more to the game overall.

Its just the way it is.

Sadly, I think that’s a very perceptive post. Fair play to you.

superdimitri wrote:It doesn't matter how good he is in defence, to improve you need players are good enough with their feet AND are as good as Ben in defence.

Its the same now with strikers, you can't carry a goalscoring poacher like you used to be able to, you need players who have much more to their overall game.

Like it or not its the way football is nowadays and that is why 1. Mee doesn't have an England call up and 2.Top teams look always for players who can play it out from the back.

As I said, all of our players need to be upgraded for us to be better, we are at the point where we have no strong weakness in the team, but we struggle to recruit better. Ben Mee is no exception there, he could be improved upon just the same as replacing any other player could be, but its unlikely we'll be able to attract a player who is an improvement as they will likely sign for a bigger side.

Maguire is a much better all-round player than Mee is, he brings so much more to a team but I agree, he is not as good in defence.

Its the same with Tarkowski or Keane before then, not as good in defence but still regarded as overall a lot better players, shown in their England call ups and raised transfer worth.

What does Mee have to offer? He is a great defender, great positioning, bravery and heading skills. But he has no pace and he has no vision, he's not good at passing and he has lapses in concentration where he will make mistakes. The last defender who was most like him the premier league was probably John Terry, but there are few John Terry's in teams now.

There are some people on here who I think are older fans and are locked into basic beliefs of football, they haven't updated to todays football world and realise that there is far more to the game now than there used to be. It doesn't matter if you prefer strikers who can score and not much else and it doesn't matter if you prefer defenders who can defend and not much else, the fact is they are never going to be as valuable in todays market compared to players who can bring more to the game overall.

Its just the way it is.

But why do we need to improve on Mee? Nobody is claiming that he’s the complete player but I’d say he’s one of the last players I’d be prioritising signing an improvement on.

Rileybobs wrote:But why do we need to improve on Mee? Nobody is claiming that he’s the complete player but I’d say he’s one of the last players I’d be prioritising signing an improvement on.

Partly because we are at the point now where we will have lots of games where we have to take the game too other teams and we are no longer always going to be the kind of team that sits back and soaks up pressure as the underdog. Our weakness in recent years has been putting teams we should beat to bed. We don't have any trouble upsetting other teams when we are expected to lose. To beat those teams on a regular basis we need to be able to play better football and create more chances from open play.

Mee will always be good in the underdog scenarios as he's a balls to the wall kind of player. Its when we have to take games to other teams where things like distribution from the back and keeping the ball become a lot more important. He isn't even great at scoring either, which means his value going forward with set plays is also quite low.

Everyone will have their own opinion but I don't think Mee should be the last person to be replaced at all, he is just the same as the rest of our players. We have a team overall where no one really shines over the next and Mee is no different. In my view the main problem with him is the frequency of mistakes he makes, but aside from poor distribution his pace really means we have to sit back further and invite teams forward in games where we should be on top.

So, to improve we really do need a player who is like he is in defence, but without his negatives and without the mistakes. If we could find a left footed, faster Tarkowski it would be a lot better...but we probably can't because they would be signed by a bigger team instead.