The definitive Gunter thread

[CountryRoyal]

For me he's too soft, not particularly proficient in defending nor attacking. Get's beaten too easily and his deliver is atrocious. Far too often takes too long on the ball and and then chooses the wrong pass, or executes the right one poorly.

It might be a case of you don't know what you've got until its gone but I think he is a weak link in the team, but I suspect we will have the pleasure of him frustrating us for some time to come.

[OLLIE KEARNS]

Strengths = Reads the game very well, rarely caught out of position, good pace, covers his centre back very well. Brilliant at falling over to win a free kick when stuck by the corner flag. Why do forward always fall for this ?

Weakness = Passive in defence. Backs of his winger instead of dominating him which means he rarely stops crosses coming in and is weak in defending the back post when crosses come in from the other side. Lacks physicality in general when it comes to defending.

Bit of both = Is good at making himself available going forward but then rarely turns it into a positive. Often ends up sprinting back towards his own goal with the ball much to the amusement of myself and my two boys.

Summary = A reliable if very average full back. Better suited to a back 5 than a 4. He is Championship standard but I've always doubted that he could play in a successful Championship side. Hoping to be proved wrong this year !

[Hound]

pretty much as above but happy enough with him. Seems a good sort, good team man and all that stuff. Seems to care about the club etc as well

To be honest, never really got the booboy stuff with him. I agree with seeing Watson over him over the course of the next season or so, but for now no issue with him in the side

[No Fixed Abode]

pretty much as above but happy enough with him. Seems a good sort, good team man and all that stuff. Seems to care about the club etc as well

To be honest, never really got the booboy stuff with him. I agree with seeing Watson over him over the course of the next season or so, but for now no issue with him in the side

Did anyone see him on The Championship on Channel 5 when he was in the studio? He seemed really strange.

[muirinho]

He is Championship standard but I've always doubted that he could play in a successful Championship side. Hoping to be proved wrong this year !

To be fair, he was second in the POTS vote the year we came 7th. Which is pretty close to being a successful Championship side. And he's decent in an understated way in a successful Wales side.

I'm not a one-eyed defender of his, he has his faults - which you've summarised pretty well. ALL players have faults - especially Championship players. But he gets singled out for criticism in a way that is not fair or rational, and that bugs me. Sometimes it feels like people are channelling everything they dislike about modern football and focussing it on him, and as a result are piling on negative stereotypes in a way that is utterly ridiculous. The "he's a coward" shit for instance. You don't end up with stitches in your eyelid because of sticking your head in the way of a flying boot (Hull last season) - or inject yourself with blood thinning stuff so you can play, if you're a coward. He doesn't dive into tackles because he's crap at them, so would be taking himself out of the game for no discernible benefit - not because he's a coward. So he's not a blood-and-thunder old-style footballer. So what? We don't play that kind of football anymore, and if that's what you want to see, you're better off watching Sunday league, tbh.

I'd have my doubts about him (other than as a squad player) in the PL, but that's not what he should be judged on right now. And it seems that for some here, it's one rule for him, and a different one for everybody else.

#JUSTICEFORGUNTER

[Sutekh]

I rate Chris Gunter as a good quality Championship attack minded full back who is capable of playing on a bigger stage as 80 or so Welsh caps would prove. Countless managers have made him first choice right back so he is obviously doing something right and can hardly be rated as useless.

If you want a traditional full back he would be frustrating as that isn't really his type of game and so will always be open to critics for that. But he does give width and pace to the right side and is always looking for a pass. We all wish he had consistent end product but then if he did he wouldn't be at Reading (very long).

He's been a good and perhaps even loyal player who deserves a lot more than criticism for criticism's sake but then I'm not one who believes in constructive criticism and not having a pop at players just because they don't fit in with the way I'd like the team to play etc.

If Reading get promoted then he isn't the answer at right back, certainly long term, but then most of the rest of the squad wouldn't be the long term answer for their places either but at this level he is contributing well and is one of the better right backs in the division.

Glad also to see he has some excellent competition developing in Tennai Watson. Tennai has an excellent role model to follow and hopefully he will learn plenty from Chris and add more to it himself.

Lastly, perhaps we should have one of these threads for every squad member so we all know where thay stand.

[OLLIE KEARNS]

I rate Chris Gunter as a good quality Championship attack minded full back who is capable of playing on a bigger stage as 80 or so Welsh caps would prove. Countless managers have made him first choice right back so he is obviously doing something right and can hardly be rated as useless.

.

I think you and I are more or less aligned in our opinions (you probably rate him slightly higher than I do) but I see the Welsh caps bit is a complete red herring in any debate regarding his abilities. The Welsh system suits him perfectly and he has very little competition for his role hence the number of caps.
In the summer we had a +70 cap international in his footballing prime and off the back of a Euro semi final available on a £1m release clause (supposedly). If that was indeed the case then the fact that were no takers at any level above our status at that time (either Prem or top half championship) would tell you that the football world has a similar opinion to him as the one that we more or less share.
Regardless of him polarizing opinion, let's hope he stays fit and plays a part in a very successful second half of the season. You also make a good point about mentoring Watson, I would say he makes an excellent role model for any young professional

[muirinho]

I rate Chris Gunter as a good quality Championship attack minded full back who is capable of playing on a bigger stage as 80 or so Welsh caps would prove. Countless managers have made him first choice right back so he is obviously doing something right and can hardly be rated as useless.

.

I see the Welsh caps bit is a complete red herring in any debate regarding his abilities. The Welsh system suits him perfectly and he has very little competition for his role hence the number of caps. .

He has plenty Championship level competition, and has done throughout those caps - e.g. Adam Matthews and Jazz Richards right now, Sam Ricketts and Neal Eardley (who were both PL players also) going back along. And we're talking about him being a championship player, aren't we?

In the summer we had a +70 cap international in his footballing prime and off the back of a Euro semi final available on a £1m release clause (supposedly). If that was indeed the case then the fact that were no takers at any level above our status at that time (either Prem or top half championship) would tell you that the football world has a similar opinion to him as the one that we more or less share.

Think this is the red herring. A release clause is a safety net for the player, not the club. If the player wants to leave and the club doesn't, they have to let him go, if the release clause is met. Gunter has made it abundantly clear in the last number of years that he wants to stay at Reading. So the release clause is irrelevant. It may exist, it may not. It may be £3million, or it may be a half-empty packet of crisps. But no matter who comes in for him, if he has a contract at Reading and has no interest in leaving, then nothing is going to happen.

[Ian Royal]

Seems a lovely bloke, very athletic, but has no winning instinct. He's soft, he's too cautious and he's too indecisive. Not a leader under any circumstances.

Better at wing back where he plays further forward, can feel more positive and has less defensive responsibility.

Mediocre in the Championship, he's midtable. The soft underbelly of a top side and not up for a relegation fight.

If we want to progress, he needs to be replaced. If we're happy knocking about in 6 - 14 without a play off success he's fine. I'd like more though, and I think Watson could be it next season, if he gets a few more games this season to gain experience.

[paultheroyal]

Quality player, proven on the international stage, model professional, majority of fans at all other clubs at championship level would be excited if he was linked to them. Top bloke too. We are lucky to have him.

[NewCorkSeth]

Quality player, proven on the international stage, model professional, majority of fans at all other clubs at championship level would be excited if he was linked to them. Top bloke too. We are lucky to have him.

Is this true?

[Ian Royal]

Quality player, proven on the international stage, model professional, majority of fans at all other clubs at championship level would be excited if he was linked to them. Top bloke too. We are lucky to have him.

Is this true?

It's possible, but Paul's just made it up.

[NewCorkSeth]

Quality player, proven on the international stage, model professional, majority of fans at all other clubs at championship level would be excited if he was linked to them. Top bloke too. We are lucky to have him.

Is this true?

It's possible, but Paul's just made it up.

For me it 2as one of those "maybe I don't know what I've got till its gone moments"
Gunter is a fine RB. But I wouldn't have thought there would be much demand for him let along excitement at signing him.

[OLLIE KEARNS]

He has plenty Championship level competition, and has done throughout those caps - e.g. Adam Matthews and Jazz Richards right now, Sam Ricketts and Neal Eardley (who were both PL players also) going back along. And we're talking about him being a championship player, aren't we? [quote]

Ricketts was decent but he has 50 caps in the same period so maybe they've been playing in the same team ? Gunter is better than the rest I'd say.

[OLLIE KEARNS]

Think this is the red herring. A release clause is a safety net for the player, not the club. If the player wants to leave and the club doesn't, they have to let him go, if the release clause is met. Gunter has made it abundantly clear in the last number of years that he wants to stay at Reading. So the release clause is irrelevant. It may exist, it may not. It may be £3million, or it may be a half-empty packet of crisps. But no matter who comes in for him, if he has a contract at Reading and has no interest in leaving, then nothing is going to happen.

[/quote]

A release clause works both ways. If the £1m is real then both sides are protected. Gunter has another year on his contract but is also placed to leverage a strong performance at the Euro's either through an improved new contract at Reading or an offer from another club where the low fee translates to an improved contract for him. Reading are protected in that they would get £1m for a player that could leave for free a few months later. Such a contract would suit both parties.
Aside from that I agree that he may want to stay at Reading and it would be quite refreshing to see a player thinking that way in the modern age. The flip side is that he probably has two really good contracts left in his career so not taking up a significant offer / longer contract from another club would be a surprise should such an offer be extended.

[Top Flight]

Gunter is the best right back in the Championship and better than half the right back's in the Premier League too.

He just does what the manager asks him to do. If our gameplan was to reign crosses into the box for a big man striker to get on the end of, then Gunter would deliver 30 inch perfect crosses every match on to the head of a Jimmy Quinn, Dave Kitson or Yann Kermorgant striker.

Our gameplan isn't to play that way so Gunter doesn't. He has the attributes that you definitely want from a right back.

[CountryRoyal]

Gunter is the best right back in the Championship and better than half the right back's in the Premier League too.

He just does what the manager asks him to do. If our gameplan was to reign crosses into the box for a big man striker to get on the end of, then Gunter would deliver 30 inch perfect crosses every match on to the head of a Jimmy Quinn, Dave Kitson or Yann Kermorgant striker.

Our gameplan isn't to play that way so Gunter doesn't. He has the attributes that you definitely want from a right back.

I thought you were a bit dim, but now I know you're trolling.

Fair play Top Flight, you had me going!

[muirinho]

He has plenty Championship level competition, and has done throughout those caps - e.g. Adam Matthews and Jazz Richards right now, Sam Ricketts and Neal Eardley (who were both PL players also) going back along. And we're talking about him being a championship player, aren't we?

Ricketts was decent but he has 50 caps in the same period so maybe they've been playing in the same team ? Gunter is better than the rest I'd say.

Early days - 2007-2008 - one or other, or both or neither - in reasonably equal proportions. After that, mostly either both or just Gunter . A Welsh mate says there's a running joke about how many "pretenders" Gunts can see off over the next 5 years. I'm pretty sure he said there've been 5 or 6 already, but I could only think of those 4 without doing ridiculous digging.

[sandman]

Nice guy, great athlete, terrible footballer.

[sandman]

Gunter is the best right back in the Championship and better than half the right back's in the Premier League too.

He just does what the manager asks him to do. If our gameplan was to reign crosses into the box for a big man striker to get on the end of, then Gunter would deliver 30 inch perfect crosses every match on to the head of a Jimmy Quinn, Dave Kitson or Yann Kermorgant striker.

Our gameplan isn't to play that way so Gunter doesn't. He has the attributes that you definitely want from a right back.

oxf*rd hell, Dave.