Quote[/b] (Matt the Shrimp @ May 17 2004,14:03)]
[b said:
Quote[/b] (fbm @ May 17 2004,13:01)]I think the proof is in the pudding Matt. What have we achieved while Kev has been the kingpin for the last 5 seasons?
Things have now turned around of course but whilst I will freely admit that the last few months has seen Maher produce easily his best stuff for us, I think that a Smith/Bentley/Pettefer/Gower midfield is more exciting and will give the opposition more to worry about.
It's neither right nor reasonable to lay the blame for our recent dire football at the feet of Maher, simply by virtue of the fact that he's the captain and lynchpin.
After all, given the mediocrity (and/or inconsistency) of players that he's had the "joy" of playing alongside - Connelly, Livett, Forbes, Thurgood, Marney, Clark - is it any wonder that we've struggled?
Let's look at his midfield partners in recent seasons (with no. of starts/subs):
<span style='color:blue'>2000-01 (Final pos - 11th): Lee (37/5), Forbes (28/7), L. Johnson (20/1), Hutchings (14/0), Black (11/5), Williamson (9/3), Connelly (8/1), Houghton (7/2)</span>
<span style='color:red'>2001-02 (12th): Thurgood (34/5), Hutchings (28/1), L. Johnson (24/4), Selley (14/0), S. Clark (8/3),Barry-Murphy (8/0), Kerrigan (6/5)</span>
<span style='color:blue'>2002-03 (17th): Smith (30/1), Jenkins (29/5), S. Clark (20/13), Marney (13/4), Selley (11/0), Thurgood (7/20), G. Strachan (6)</span>
<span style='color:red'>2003-04 (17th): Gower (40/0), Hunt (23/3), Smith (16/2), Bentley (15/6), Corbett (13/4), Odunsi (12/0), Pettefer (11/0), Nicolau (9/0), Jenkins (7/9), Fullarton (7/0).</span>
Contrast the players in previous seasons to the ones signed this season. Which of the ones in previous seasons have gone on to a league club with any success?
Answer: one - Leon Johnson... as a defender, not a midfielder. Same goes for Lewis Hunt - he would/will be a quality defender wherever he may go; but he simply doesn't cut it as a midfielder IMHO.
A further two of those players went on to league clubs (namely Lee, who went to Hull; and Hutcings, who went to Orient), but both were in the non-leagues within just over a season... Hutchings has now retired.
So, fbm... I'm still going to disagree with you. Yes, we've been poor for the last few years. We've needed changes in midfield for a long time, and now we've finally got them.
But don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. Maher has finally been given decent midfielders to play alongside, midfielders such as Corbett, Gower, Bentley, Jay Smith, Nicolau, Kightly and Constantine - almost all of whom, in all likelihood, could find another league club if they wanted to.
Let's see what we can do with Captain Kev now that we've given him decent players to play alongside him in midfield, eh - rather than been not too fussed whether he stays or goes.
Indeed, it might be argued that Kev's performances have kept us away from the relegation trapdoor at a time when the absence of quality elsewhere in the squad might have taken us down. What certainly shouldn't be argued, IMHO, is that Kev hasn't done enough to take us up - when looked at in the light of the players he's had to play alongside.
Matt
P.S. On a related theme... my David Lee rose-tintedness is well justified... according to Soccerbase, Lee was our top scorer in the League in 2000-01... with a massive 8 goals.