Lack of striker...namely one kedwell !

I'm sure this debate will get a difference of opinion but it's got to be said that with our solid backline and ever so slightly wayward midfield(understatement) you would think a consistent frontline would keep most supporters happy and the team sitting controlling matters at the top with ease...only one important matter with that, we are drying up goals and fast at the business end of the season.

MA intent for this season might be to just get us over the line, but I think he's playing with fire and a little to close come to that.

people might keep defending him because he's our top scorer at the moment but all of that soon dried up and the guy has been found out...namely one Danny Kedwell, who as i have stated many a time is not up to the standard we need or will he ever be in this division or above.

kedwell brings a bit of battle as most midfielders would but he's not in our team for that...or so you would think?. the fact is Burton, Weston, German and Birchall are not going to bring that consistent amount of goals that a team needs and either is KEDWELL, so why is MA not correcting this problem now rather than the coming close season ?

kedwell might as some would say...run around for ninety minutes and get back to also defend just to keep the score down, but if it came to that and someone who was not involved for most of the game when on the pitch and then pops up in the right place to win us three points...i know which i'd preper and surely most other fans as well.
that type of player being Cody Mcdonald who as we know has now returned to Coventry. that same type of striker would of been in that position that kedwell was on Saturday vs Aldershot and would of buried those chances and like so many other games this season...hence 3 points and a team deserving of there position and positive play.

MA a striker is needed, you may keep trying to keep kedwell involved and his low confidence up, just use that time wisely and get the real deal in rather than waste it where it's not needed...KEDWELL !

 

gillsforeverandaday - Despite my moans - and believe it or not - when it comes to matters relating to the Gills, I actually hold back on my grievances - I totally agree. I also have to say that I strongly suspect that Birchall is a diminutive version of Kedwell - Dover sold us a 'pup'

 

Why bring up Kedwells lack of goals for our current 'form'?

Before Saturday, his last full game for us was back on 26th January. 8 games ago!
The one before that (Vale) he scored.
Since then just 3 sub apps (87, 66 & 75 mins) so not exactly his fault we haven't been free-scoring.

In fact, I am still of the opinion we are a lot better team when he starts. We generally score more and win more when he is in the team.

And I can't say I agree with your comment -

"kedwell might as some would say...run around for ninety minutes and get back to also defend just to keep the score down"

He does indeed run around a lot, but it is called 'pressure' where I learned the game. Good teams utilize this concept. When you don't have the ball, you pressure the opposition. When he is on their case, the opposition defence never has time to play nicely through or around our midfield. They are pressured into taking other riskier options, or booting it long straight back to us. It is what other teams do to us and when we end up 'hoofing it' our fans don't like it.

Give me Danny Kedwell in our line up all day long. Get another (Cody-like?) player alongside him by all means. But Danny Kedwell is not the cause of our problems.

Actually, I think our problems are more to do with the things raised in alwaysrights thread "midfield". I reckon it's our creativity that has dried up. And that is more to do with MA's more defensive mindset and the way we set up. We just don't create as many chances or as much pressure as we did pre-November.

 

Can I just point out that MA is persisting with Kedwell and the rest of our strikers because he has no other options! I can't believe that some people think these free scoring strikers are just available and ready to be picked up and come play for gillingham. Cody yes he was great when he was here but the reason he was available was that he wasn't putting the ball in the back of the net for Coventry. We aren't going to be able to sign a proven in form goal scorer now as they low and behold are playing for their current team!

Don't get me wrong I agree that it certainly looks like all our strikers are off the boil and we do need someone to provide 8 plus goals before the end of the season but moaning that Kedwell is playing is silly because there are no alternatives and if there were MA would be bringing them in and playing them as he wants to win too you know!

Rant over!

 

Danny Kedwell indeed must start every game. Work rate second to none. Seems someone has conveniently forgotten the work he did leading up to the equaliser on saturday. Will be top goalscorer again this season and again next. Let's get it straight...only a handful of clubs have a prolific goalscorer these days. Like many other I'm happy if we have 18 plus different goalscorers over the course of a season.

 

I think the last three comments prove my point....say no more

 

When people say he works hard . well if I played for gillingham I would work hard this wouldn't mean I'm a good player . Dennis Oli worked hard

 

I want my midfield to work hard and runaround all game, I want my strikers to score goals. If they can run around and work hard whilst scoring goals that's great but their priority must be "striker"

 

Looks like Alwaysright, Henrygills99 and Grumpygit have hit that there nail on the head...some football knowledge to go with there valued opinions, well done lads...nice to know someone has a different opinion to the one of sitting on the fence

 

Personally I wouldn't call Kedwell a striker, more a target man. He's there not primarily just to score but to allow the team to build attacks, but you have to play him in the correct formation and with the correct type of partner to compliment his style, playing him and Burton together is never going to work, he could possibly operate well as a lone forward with 2 attack minded midfielders operating just off him in say Weston and Whelpdale. Personally I feel he brings much more to the team than individual goals, yes I would like to see him score more as I'm sure he would himself but the balance that he brings to the squad should not be dismissed. He doesn't just run a round a lot, he defends from the front when possession is lost, he fights for lost causes, he hassles defenders, he holds up play and brings others into the match. He's not selfish enough to be a "striker" in the ways I see a striker.

I do question why you started a thread knowing that people will have a diffence of opinion to yourself only to dismiss their thoughts and say they have no footballing knowledge? The difference of opinion is what makes a good thread, some people may not be able to put there point across in the best possible way but it makes their point or opinion no less valid or right as yours.

 

So what is your opinion of a defender who works really hard, passes the ball well, sets up attacks, scores goals, but is always out of position and lets the opposition get in behind him.
It's nice when people can contribute in many areas but they have to perform their own job first and foremost.

 

This difference of opinions puts me in mind of sitting in the Rainham end when the 'prolific Gary Mulligan' was the striker of choice in the stands whereas I was always of the opinion that he was ultimate headless chicken. In open play Kedwell is not much better than Mulligan in my opinion, but results have been better when he plays, I wish we had better strikers to select but we have what we have and given the current options he should play.

 

Geminiswift I don't know if you went to Aldershot -but - for a target man Kedwell spent a lot of time in 'our' half. I mentioned that their keeper was able to control a huge area in front of him - where you'd expect a target man to patrol. I believe that brb also made the same point.
We have a hoofball thread. I'm sure I've said that if that is a tactic of choice, we should be deploying 3 or 4 strikers/ target men. Kedwell ( for a target man ) has been too deep for my liking. He may be our 'only' choice as striker / target man - but needs to spend more time in a forward central position where a traditional No.9 can be best employed.

 

alwaysright - yes I agree, not sure if you remember but I highlighted the issue at the game, the difference between Keds and Cody and right on Q the predictable happened. Cody constantly hassled the keeper and gave them no space. All we saw at Aldershot was the keeper constantly pushing out of his area and our players running back in towards our own half. If Nelson had actually looked up he could probably have launched the ball into the opposition goal, he was so far out it was ridiculous. That's not a criticism of Keds but what was a very clear observation. If your not going to be in a forward position and unless you have considerable pace you are not going to score a goal.

 

Everyone seems to be looking for, no hold that, you all seem to be expecting players to be perfect. They all have strengths, weakness', things they do well and things they do badly.

Yes I like my players to be able to do as much as possible for the team, if your forwards just stayed forward and your backs just stayed back you would not have a very successful team. I also like balance in a team, players that compliment other players because again if all of your players were the same you'd get found out pretty quickly and wouldn't be successful.

Always, no I did not get to go to Aldershot due to work, and my own coaching commitments but it seems the old adage off "your only as good as your last game" still runs true, shame really. Also I didn't say Keds was being used as a target man but that was how I would call him. It's just how I would see him rather than a striker.

 

Just to clarify that I do agree that we are missing a striker. I just don't think it's right to put that blame solely on the shoulders of Kedwell.

 

Geminiswiftgfc I understand, respect and share your thoughts about players complimenting each other. The part of your post that I have lifted may expose a problem that has been caused by MA's tactics. We've talked about hoofball lately - because we seem to be going 'long' for a lot of our play over several recent games. IF we are to persist with hoofball style of play, then we need to ensure that players like Kedwell - whose size and strength should benefit from such a system of play, be placed in a position where their individual skills are most useful. The amount of time that Kedwell seems to be in our own half, must reflect MA's wishes that we defend 0-0 first, and reduces our effectiveness going forward - where other teams, for the last few months have had a relatively easy time ( Cody games aside ) The fact that Cody was effective shows that if a player is ( at least ) in the right place he has a chance of scoring. Kedwell is too deep for a striker / target man. MA needs to address this tactic to give a better balance of what he expects Kedwell to achieve in relation to defensive or attacking duties.

 

I tend to sit in the Medway stand behind the dugout when I can get to games. From what I have observed, Kedwell just does as he is told by Allen. Keep the faith lads, it is really hard to keep up the momentum over 46 games but I still think that we will go up, possibly as champions. Lets enjoy getting out of league two, eh? We can worry about how the club stays in league one once we're there. Up the Gills

 

I commented on this thread with i'd prefer a striker/forward that spent most of the game oblivious and then popped up at the right time to win us 3 points/score, rather than someone who runs around back towards his own goal for most of the match, because kedwell is not there just to hold the ball up...if that's so, who is the fox in the box that has that killer instinct ???

what kedwell does for this team does not deserve the title of striker, more a midfielder, and that for me is where our midfield is not sure where they should be as kedwell is out of position for most of the match when it matters.

brb answered it correctly with he should be hassling every keeper and not leaving the other teams last third pressure free, because that pressure is reverted to us and our shape and planning goes out of the window.

as for Gemini saying his position does what it says on the tin...does that apply to leon legge then, because he's doing way more than his position ascertains, does that apply to danny kedwell...NO !
i don't buy all that...he's just the target man and there to hold up play...if so who scores our goals ???

there are members in our team who are holding us back and shouldn't be involved from the start and are stopping others development...need I say more !

 

gills4ever - to add to your comment re 'more of a midfielder' - I have lost count of the many times in the past that I have said Keds is best suited imo to the midfield role but for some reason players seem to be boxed for their career into a certain role. You only have to look at Danny Jackman for that. I noticed a few days a go Jackman was asked a question about the best line up he had played in or something like that and where he would place himself in that team. The answer left back! We do not need to dispense with Keds but just change the role he plays, what is the harm in experimenting with the idea, I hear so many complaints about how bad the midfield is now and yet the answer is there for us to try. I would say push Weston into Cody's role but I know people will disagree with me on that.