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On the Fane hunt


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Given Holloway has been given some credit elsewhere on the forum, it's unsurprising Fane is getting some generous comments on here.

 

He could get in the way of the opposition (which I think was largely intentional) and pass it two yards.  That's it.

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Awkward player who gave the opposition problems but not as many problems as he gave his team, one of the worst footballers I've seen, gave the ball away after winning it and was totally reckless in the tackle. 

Not fit to clean Peter Clarke's boots

 

 

Edited by maximus1267
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I've written 'my favourite position is defensive midfielder' too many times on this board but out of the many that have played that role for us this century Fane is one of my most favourite. Was he the finished article? No, he was about 2 more seasons away from that but the potential was there, his rate of improvement was good and if he hadn't got crocked I firmly believe he would have been a key player for us last season. His size and build was perfect, reading of the game needed improving but his pace made up for it, he would be caught out of position but could eventually get one of his legs in the way and stop an attack.

 

I'd rather have a player good at doing one thing well than a lesser player who is an allrounder. Fane had to get in the way of the other team, pass it to a teammate, defend set pieces and shield the defence. He did that and was getting better too until he got crocked, I believe he would have continued his development last season, the other players knew his limitations and were starting to come to terms with them. That bellend Byrne didn't have the sense to realise that Fane was his perfect midfield partner, doing the ugly stuff and letting him get on with playing in the opposition half. Players that can do both or even 1.5 of the midfield roles are rare, even rarer at this level, he was in the mold of the classic water-carrier, win the ball and give it to someone who can play football.

 

I know he struggled to pass it to a team mate a lot of the time, a lot were his fault, some due to other players not providing an easy ball for him and some as he could only turn left. He was starting to be able to go to the right too at the end of his last season, he was set to really kick on until... He'd come to the professional game later in life and had clearly missed a lot of basic training other kids had had but he was making up for lost time. I was fuming when he got 'suspended' with about 3 games to go in League One, that club imposed suspension was the nail in the relegation coffin for me. He certainly wasn't a Vieira or Keane but to sacrifice the only player who plays in that position ahead of vital games was not just daft, it was lunacy. I don't think he curled one out on AL's carpet or slipped his wife one but whatever point AL was making, was it really worth making a relegation a damn near certainty? I think the only people pleased with the suspension were the other managers of teams near us.

 

*Obvs, I may be mis-remembering what his crime was, fairly certain it was some off-field nonsense though? Fairly sure it wasn't too long into AL's reign and get that he may have wanted to lay the law down but FFS, there were 3 games to go! Ooh, was it the Gerrard thing? I can't remember. Either way, we're fourth division now and not really looking like going out of that division at the right end.

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15 minutes ago, beag_teeets said:

I've written 'my favourite position is defensive midfielder' too many times on this board but out of the many that have played that role for us this century Fane is one of my most favourite. Was he the finished article? No, he was about 2 more seasons away from that but the potential was there, his rate of improvement was good and if he hadn't got crocked I firmly believe he would have been a key player for us last season. His size and build was perfect, reading of the game needed improving but his pace made up for it, he would be caught out of position but could eventually get one of his legs in the way and stop an attack.

 

I'd rather have a player good at doing one thing well than a lesser player who is an allrounder. Fane had to get in the way of the other team, pass it to a teammate, defend set pieces and shield the defence. He did that and was getting better too until he got crocked, I believe he would have continued his development last season, the other players knew his limitations and were starting to come to terms with them. That bellend Byrne didn't have the sense to realise that Fane was his perfect midfield partner, doing the ugly stuff and letting him get on with playing in the opposition half. Players that can do both or even 1.5 of the midfield roles are rare, even rarer at this level, he was in the mold of the classic water-carrier, win the ball and give it to someone who can play football.

  

I know he struggled to pass it to a team mate a lot of the time, a lot were his fault, some due to other players not providing an easy ball for him and some as he could only turn left. He was starting to be able to go to the right too at the end of his last season, he was set to really kick on until... He'd come to the professional game later in life and had clearly missed a lot of basic training other kids had had but he was making up for lost time. I was fuming when he got 'suspended' with about 3 games to go in League One, that club imposed suspension was the nail in the relegation coffin for me. He certainly wasn't a Vieira or Keane but to sacrifice the only player who plays in that position ahead of vital games was not just daft, it was lunacy. I don't think he curled one out on AL's carpet or slipped his wife one but whatever point AL was making, was it really worth making a relegation a damn near certainty? I think the only people pleased with the suspension were the other managers of teams near us.

 

*Obvs, I may be mis-remembering what his crime was, fairly certain it was some off-field nonsense though? Fairly sure it wasn't too long into AL's reign and get that he may have wanted to lay the law down but FFS, there were 3 games to go! Ooh, was it the Gerrard thing? I can't remember. Either way, we're fourth division now and not really looking like going out of that division at the right end.

And that right there is why most people do not rate him. Many people also believed because he made a tackle or 2 he was good. This was mostly due to the fact he was so badly out of position. And he was clumsy in the tackle.

There would be times when he would break through midfield with his strength and speed, but you just wouldn't get excited as his end product would be utterly dreadful and you knew he wasnt going to do anything with the ball. The most to hope for was a free kick a bit further up the field. For me, he is one of the worst defensive midfielders we have ever had. Opinions and all that jazz!

 

Didn't he get suspended because he played horrendously in one half of a game, and AL came in and slagged him off infront of everyone and told him he would never play again? Pretty sure that's what a few ex players alluded to in their comments when leaving, particularly Craig Davies.

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Stand by my post a few days back.

Each to their own but in my opinion a very very poor footballer.

Now he may get away with it more in a strong team, but we are not that so a poor team as we have been for a while can not afford such a player.

 

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