I don't think we particularly need a like-for-like replacement, so considering he plays on the right of midfield when he does play - Matt Phillips.
Think most people on her are supportive of Chaplow and appreciate his efforts for the team but it never ceases to amaze me how during and after a brilliant season people want to slate individuals its happened to Guly ,Hammond,Fox and recently Fonte and i always feel even Kelvin Davis has to play out of his skin every week to fend off people who have never forgiven him a few errors early on with us this given how loyal hardworking and pretty much brilliant he has been for us makes me wonder what some want .Dan Harding now is as about as popular as a fart in a spacesuit which is a shame given how well he served us previously we all know as we climb the team will evolve in quality and rightly so but lets lay off slagging people off who have been integral to our arrival at where we are now .
Beanpole that was I. Did actually include cup games in the win ratios but we're both singing from the same hymn sheet. He's a great asset for SFC.
chaplow was one of our best players until he got injured at bristol. shows heart, energy and never gives up. love him as a player, gotta stick with him
A few people on here write sentences like Chaplow is crap or Harding is gash and naturally they get defended because these statements are not true. Anyone who played a significant role in back to back promotions is a very good footballer. I agree with the general consensus that Chaplow deserves a place in the squad next season but like Jake W would be shocked if he is in our final 11 for the last game of next season, but I do think we need a player of similar ilk in the side, with the high energy levels to help get in teams faces as Schneidelin and Cork don't really offer that intensity. You only have to look at a player like Ramieres to know how important that kind of fitness is in the modern game.
Once again, ol Steve Claridge came up with something that makes a bit of sense. It's a scale that he considers is useful in discussions, about the quality level of players. It is entirely subjective and open to change, but it gives a qualitative value to how he views players. For example, he considers that good professionals are those that are capable of regularly playing to their best in League Two, but probably wouldn't make the jump to League One. Here's how he grades it: Good Player - League Two Very Good Player - League One Great Player - Championship Outstanding Player - Premier League In its way it brings to an end the idea that players are either crap or brilliant. Of course, if people took a little more trouble, from the outset, to be less damning, or less exultant, of players, then there would possibly be no need of a guide. But in its own way, I think it can bring differences in opinion closer and perhaps people can find areas where they can agree, or at least, agree to differ, because they'll know they are speaking a common language and standard. Worth a try using it..?.
Well done. Nice, well constructed discussion that pretty much shows people your attitude to sensible debate. If I knew a hip young retort to "whatever" I'd use it now.
Its easy to criticise Chaplow as a winger but that is because he is not a winger. He is playing out of his best position on the wing. In my opinion, when he was at his best was when he was playing inside and Cork was on the wing. I've said in other threads that if you look at the midfield as a whole and with the exception of Lallana, he is the only one who gets beyond the forwards. The fact that he misses more chances than others is because he gets himself into positions where he creates more chances. I find it astonishing really that anyone cannot appreciate his contribution over they last two seasons. Whether or not he is good enough for the Premier League remains to be seen but that can be said about anyone in the team right now.
To quote Samuel Johnson, "what is written without effort is in general read without pleasure." As this is a forum, it is helpful is there is reasoned argument with which to engage, particularly if the opinion is not universally shared. I will also never understand how our squad is divided into the brilliant and the rubbish by some! So, to Chappers. My own view Is that the expression about genius being 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration could have been written with him in mind. He has the desire and commitment, and when he was 100% fit he was one of our most consistent performers, constantly chasing lost causes and closing down opponents. Unfortunately, since his injury he has not got back to that peak and once the engine is gone you are left with a shadow of his former self. To suggest that he is rubbish, an ale-house player, is risible and whilst I would like to strengthen the squad and bring in more technically skilled players, Chappers is exactly the sort of squad player who I want to be pushing Nigel for a start if the more skilled players start to drop off in form or attitude.
We know that Saints needed more pace in the team (Adkins has also said this), but I feel team as a whole need to speed up passing. Watching a couple of PL games recently, I became aware that though we can do a lot of the same things as these teams we would be much slower at it. It may be that we have been as fast as we needed to be and that there is still 10% more to come, but at the moment we will be caught on the ball too much.
Here's the rub, Schneidelin does what he does very well in front of the back four. Cork is a 'continuity player', by inference he is a good player when we have ball, not so clever when we haven't. Add to this that neither has a goal scoring record to be proud of and we see a potential weakness in central midfield. Hammond is not a premiership midfield player. I can see us playing 4-5-1 especially away from home or we may well get overrun in midfield. So Chaplow may well have role, he reads Lambert well, times his runs into the box and has a great engine. Are these attributes enough? He will offer more than Hammond in the Premiership. In my view it makes him a squad player, Cork is in my view also a squad player. We need a central midfield player with attacking instincts and a good engine and the ability to win the ball, Chaplow has all these, what he doesn't have is Cork's technique or range of passing. The attribute that neither has is pace. Solving this deficiency in midfield has to priority number one.
How did you get these stats? Is there a way I can find something like this for all the Saints players?
I also believe that he probably doesn't have the quality to start in the prem, but he fully deserves to be a part of the team due to his input in our promotion, I would be tempted to say Adkins will get a proper right winger with pace and can cross, wouldn't be surprised if either Matt Phillips or Tom Ince joined the bus if Blackpool fail to get promoted, they both look decent, although price tags could be high with other teams sniffing around. Redmond for Brum looks decent as well, be interesting to see how Adkins does this transfer window, (hopefully) money to spend and we will see if he is capable in the transfer market. We were lucky that Pardew was excellent in the transfer market, now time for Nige to show what he can do!
I suspect Adkins has very little to do with transfers apart from pointing NC in the right direction and helping to sell the club if it gets close to a signing.
