Wayne Bridge pedigree

[Cripple Creek]

I feel a bit of a prat opening a new thread just so I can seek some information but am going ahead nonetheless.
Living in Oz it is proving very difficult for me to see any games this season, unlike the premiership where watching online was generally fairly easy.
What I am curious about really is Wayne Bridge's performances. I always thought he was a terrific left back when I was living in the UK, real quality and I suppose he arguably has as much pedigree (yes, yes, it's a horrible term but can't think of another way of putting it) as anyone to have played for Reading in terms of the fact that he has played almost his entire career at a very high level domestically and has been an important player for England.
What I would like to know (sorry it's taken me a while to get around to it) is how this shows so far this season. I imagine he is considerably better than most left backs in the division. Does he stand out as someone much better than others in the same position and are there any real qualities when you watch him play that make you say "ah, yes, there's a distinguished player". And, if so, what are his standout qualities in this division?

[YateleyRoyal]

Damn. I thought this was gonna be a thread about him doing the WWF move.

[melonhead]

yes, he stands out as better than most of the opposition, and most of our own team. he pretty much oozes quality, is solid as a rock, as well as doing a fair bit offensively.
usually our first outlet ball from the back, much like shorey, but better,imo

walking past his stats poster at thje madejski the other day i noticed he'd made about 45 passes and ~3 of them had been long
only made about 4 tackles all season, but thats mainly cos he doesnt really need to, usualy just closes people out positionally

[Barry the bird boggler]

IMO good but could do better.....

[AkpansBFF]

I enjoy watching his skill and he spends a fair amount of time in the oppositions half

[_royal]

Very reliable, rarely puts a foot wrong. A class above other left backs in the league.

[SCIAG]

I'd describe him as a better version of Chris Armstrong. He doesn't have Shorey's technique or Bertrand's pace, but he reads the game well, and his movement and control are very good. I haven't seen any of his "poor" games but to me he seems extremely dependable. He's not as good as Shorey at his peak, but he's the second best left back I've seen for Reading.

[Millsy]

A much much better version of Bodin in my opinion.

[Huntley & Palmer]

Player of the season so far for me. Class above this league which he proved last season with Brighton and now this season with us. Our shrewdest signing at left back since Nicky Shorey

[Ian Royal]

I'd describe him as a better version of Chris Armstrong. He doesn't have Shorey's technique or Bertrand's pace, but he reads the game well, and his movement and control are very good. I haven't seen any of his "poor" games but to me he seems extremely dependable. He's not as good as Shorey at his peak, but he's the second best left back I've seen for Reading.

I'd probably go with this.

[The Goat was fed]

I'm going to put it out there and say that he's probably the best left-back we've ever had. I'm sure someone will claim that he's not as good as Reading FC and Newbury Town legend Steve Richardson, but he is.

It's close between him and an interested Nicky Shorey for best ever, but his second Premier League season and second stint here has forever tainted my opinion of him.

[Wizard]

Damn. I thought this was gonna be a thread about him doing the WWF move.

It's WWE actually.

[winchester_royal]

Class. Not the very best as a defender, but he offers so much in terms of distribution from the back that he's worth the occasional time he gets caught out.

[marlowuk]

Bridge is class. He links up very well with the attack, is skillful on the ball and can beat an opponent. His achilles heel is his pace (or lack of it) but this is generally more than made up for by his positional sense and his good footballing brain. The only downside is when he ventures well into the opponents half (where he is very effective) and they counter-attack quickly. In those circumstances he can be caught out of position and punished for that lack of pace. But he is a class act and a great addition to our squad.

[Royalee]

He's excellent just as I expected he would be - better than Shorey 2005-7 by quite a stretch which says it all.

[The Royal We]

He's excellent just as I expected he would be - better than Shorey 2005-7 by quite a stretch which says it all.

So after 12 games you've seen enough to declare that's he's significantly better than a left back who played in a team that won the league with 106 points and went on to finish 8th in the Premier League, earning an England cap the process despite playing for Reading?

Don't get me wrong, I think the bloke is an absolute class act, but it's still early in the season.

[sandman]

Agreed. In fact I was about to post something similar:

He's been here 4-5 months and he's supposedly a better LB than the left back from our greatest team ever? Big fan but he has a way to go before he catches up with Shorey.

Right now I'd say he's close to Ian Harte as a left back nearing the end of his career, who has played at the highest level and has stepped into the team seamlessly.

[Cripple Creek]

Thanks very much to everyone who replied to this post. I always admired Bridge and confess to being surprised but also delighted that he is; A, playing outside the premiership and, B, playing for Reading. Glad to hear from everyone on here what an asset he is proving to be.

[The Real Sandhurst Royal]

Royalee wrote: He's excellent just as I expected he would be - better than Shorey 2005-7 by quite a stretch which says it all.

Like a couple of posts from Sandman and The Royal We....I question how you can say Bridge is better than someone who played 267 games for Reading between 2001–2008 at left back after 12 games.

Your quote is like saying Adnan Januzaj at Man Utd after six appearances is better than Eric Cantona.

[Sanguine]

Royalee wrote: He's excellent just as I expected he would be - better than Shorey 2005-7 by quite a stretch which says it all.

Like a couple of posts from Sandman and The Royal We....I question how you can say Bridge is better than someone who played 267 games for Reading between 2001–2008 at left back after 12 games.

Your quote is like saying Adnan Januzaj at Man Utd after six appearances is better than Eric Cantona.

It's nothing like that at all.

It would be like United signing Andy Cole, and fans saying he was better than Cantona after 12 games. Which some might disagree with - but it wouldn't 'wrong'.