Blessing in disguise?

[jsslatic]

At the start of the season, people were worried about how we still hadn't signed a right winger, Demar Phillips was a hot topic...as was bemoaning Shez's ultimate failure to bring someone in and the restoration of Andy Liddell to the flank.

 

Fast forward eight months, and one of the good things to come out of a disappointing season has been the emergence of Deane Smalley on the right. Sure, he's not yet the finished article...but he's improved throughout the season, and if we can get both Deano and Tayls firing at the same time regularly then we could/should be a real threat down the wings next season.

 

I for one am glad that we never brought a RW in...Deano's begun to flourish now; a real threat when running at defenders and he's got a handful of goals to boot. His crossing is sometimes what let's him down, but it's not that bad...and he's getting there.

 

Well done Deane.

[scotty doesn't know]

At the start of the season, people were worried about how we still hadn't signed a right winger, Demar Phillips was a hot topic...as was bemoaning Shez's ultimate failure to bring someone in and the restoration of Andy Liddell to the flank.

 

Fast forward eight months, and one of the good things to come out of a disappointing season has been the emergence of Deane Smalley on the right. Sure, he's not yet the finished article...but he's improved throughout the season, and if we can get both Deano and Tayls firing at the same time regularly then we could/should be a real threat down the wings next season.

 

I for one am glad that we never brought a RW in...Deano's begun to flourish now; a real threat when running at defenders and he's got a handful of goals to boot. His crossing is sometimes what let's him down, but it's not that bad...and he's getting there.

 

Well done Deane.

i agree that both players are positives for latics but we know from this season that wide players will not make us successful

[yarddogs]

At the start of the season, people were worried about how we still hadn't signed a right winger, Demar Phillips was a hot topic...as was bemoaning Shez's ultimate failure to bring someone in and the restoration of Andy Liddell to the flank.

 

Fast forward eight months, and one of the good things to come out of a disappointing season has been the emergence of Deane Smalley on the right. Sure, he's not yet the finished article...but he's improved throughout the season, and if we can get both Deano and Tayls firing at the same time regularly then we could/should be a real threat down the wings next season.

 

I for one am glad that we never brought a RW in...Deano's begun to flourish now; a real threat when running at defenders and he's got a handful of goals to boot. His crossing is sometimes what let's him down, but it's not that bad...and he's getting there.

 

Well done Deane.

 

behave yourself,if you think deane smalley is the hope for next season i'd give it up now,wingers are meant to get crosses in,but smalley just runs into a cul-de-sac,he ain't good enough.

[daniel8157]

behave yourself,if you think deane smalley is the hope for next season i'd give it up now,wingers are meant to get crosses in,but smalley just runs into a cul-de-sac,he ain't good enough.

 

 

Yeah I dont know why he doesnt just give up football altogether (as he 19 now and never going to get any better) and he is no way good enough for our world class club.

Edited April 6, 2009 by daniel8157

[slurms mckenzie]

behave yourself,if you think deane smalley is the hope for next season i'd give it up now,wingers are meant to get crosses in,but smalley just runs into a cul-de-sac,he ain't good enough.

 

Agreed - I don't rate him at all right now. Some people who I know rate him, just can't see it myself, he doesn't seem to know where to stand a lot of the time, and his head drops too easily.

 

Maybe he needs some coaching to bring him up to the required level.

Edited April 6, 2009 by slurms mckenzie

[ghostofcecere]

I'm not so sure Deano has been the positive you state........ he has suffered from the inconsistancy that has blighted the rest of our season. But I do think he is still a prospect for the future with his undoubted pace he gets in some great positions but it's the lack of end product that lets him down......I agree with yarddogs that he runs into cul-de-sac's far too often.

 

I wish he could get back to the form he showed after the shaky start he had when he first broke into the team........ lets be honest he was awful at first and had a lot of boo boys on his back. But he should get a huge amount of credit for the way when he got his second chance he took it and looked a really decent footballer. I thought he was very unlucky based on that to find himself out of the side at the start of this season.

 

He has a great amount of potential, but that raw talent needs alot of nuturing before he can become a true star for Latics.

[beag_teeets]

I'm not so sure Deano has been the positive you state........ he has suffered from the inconsistancy that has blighted the rest of our season. But I do think he is still a prospect for the future with his undoubted pace he gets in some great positions but it's the lack of end product that lets him down......I agree with yarddogs that he runs into cul-de-sac's far too often.

 

I wish he could get back to the form he showed after the shaky start he had when he first broke into the team........ lets be honest he was awful at first and had a lot of boo boys on his back. But he should get a huge amount of credit for the way when he got his second chance he took it and looked a really decent footballer. I thought he was very unlucky based on that to find himself out of the side at the start of this season.

 

He has a great amount of potential, but that raw talent needs alot of nuturing before he can become a true star for Latics.

 

 

Isn't this part of the problem? A young lad coming through labelled as awful and the target of the boo boys! Perhaps it is something to do with BP, I know another young lad who mad his debut at BP, asked to do an unfamiliar role and play out of position - that lad was John Terry. I know a few Chelsea fans who thought that he didn't have a great game but Chelsea didn't cast him aside as he wasn't a combination of Maldini and Baresi.

 

Why are we expecting the young lads to come out of little better than park football and be the best full back/winger/centre forward since that hulking great lump who played when men were men and you could get in t'match and have a bag 'o chips wi change from fiver and go home and beat the wife cos thats what we did in and they liked it too.

 

Can't we think - that kid has saved us a few grand and given a bit of time could either make us a few bob or help us get into the next league up? Is that too much to ask? Can we not give these kids time to grow a bit and find out if they live upto their potential?

 

Not a personal swipe at you goc - I am sick to death of hearing grown men who should know better riding the young kids at the game. Yes they've paid their money and have a right to be a pain in the neck at the only place they can but I just don't get it - after spunking north of £300 why be so antagonistic to their supposed favourite team?

 

No wonder attendances have dropped when even the fans say we are :censored:, the man in the pub isn't going to be inclined to get off his arse and get down to BP if all he hears is people moaning that the right back/winger/striker isn't fit to lace Oswald Twinklebottom's boots. oh who gives a :censored: anyway.

[jsslatic]

To the detractors, I'm not saying he's a Lee Croft...but he's much better than a Kevin Betsy or a Josh Low.

 

He's not the player who will drag us up next season; as ghost says he's raw talent and hopefully it will be fulfilled. I just think he's come on quite a lot this year...an opportunity which was given to him on the back of the fact that we couldn't agree a deal for Demar (or A.N.Other).

 

He makes mistakes, but he's young and he's learning the position too. I think his performances have been a positive from this season.

[Delfer]

Isn't this part of the problem? A young lad coming through labelled as awful and the target of the boo boys! Perhaps it is something to do with BP, I know another young lad who mad his debut at BP, asked to do an unfamiliar role and play out of position - that lad was John Terry. I know a few Chelsea fans who thought that he didn't have a great game but Chelsea didn't cast him aside as he wasn't a combination of Maldini and Baresi.

 

Why are we expecting the young lads to come out of little better than park football and be the best full back/winger/centre forward since that hulking great lump who played when men were men and you could get in t'match and have a bag 'o chips wi change from fiver and go home and beat the wife cos thats what we did in and they liked it too.

 

Can't we think - that kid has saved us a few grand and given a bit of time could either make us a few bob or help us get into the next league up? Is that too much to ask? Can we not give these kids time to grow a bit and find out if they live upto their potential?

 

Not a personal swipe at you goc - I am sick to death of hearing grown men who should know better riding the young kids at the game. Yes they've paid their money and have a right to be a pain in the neck at the only place they can but I just don't get it - after spunking north of £300 why be so antagonistic to their supposed favourite team?

 

No wonder attendances have dropped when even the fans say we are :censored:, the man in the pub isn't going to be inclined to get off his arse and get down to BP if all he hears is people moaning that the right back/winger/striker isn't fit to lace Oswald Twinklebottom's boots. oh who gives a :censored: anyway.

 

Excellent post my friend - good points, well put. I think that Joe and his coaches next season will prove one way or the other whether the crop of youngsters we have will progress, and it's important that they do. Not the herberts in the stands who have abused Eardley & the rest

[daniel8157]

Isn't this part of the problem? A young lad coming through labelled as awful and the target of the boo boys! Perhaps it is something to do with BP, I know another young lad who mad his debut at BP, asked to do an unfamiliar role and play out of position - that lad was John Terry. I know a few Chelsea fans who thought that he didn't have a great game but Chelsea didn't cast him aside as he wasn't a combination of Maldini and Baresi.

 

Why are we expecting the young lads to come out of little better than park football and be the best full back/winger/centre forward since that hulking great lump who played when men were men and you could get in t'match and have a bag 'o chips wi change from fiver and go home and beat the wife cos thats what we did in and they liked it too.

 

Can't we think - that kid has saved us a few grand and given a bit of time could either make us a few bob or help us get into the next league up? Is that too much to ask? Can we not give these kids time to grow a bit and find out if they live upto their potential?

 

Not a personal swipe at you goc - I am sick to death of hearing grown men who should know better riding the young kids at the game. Yes they've paid their money and have a right to be a pain in the neck at the only place they can but I just don't get it - after spunking north of £300 why be so antagonistic to their supposed favourite team?

 

No wonder attendances have dropped when even the fans say we are :censored:, the man in the pub isn't going to be inclined to get off his arse and get down to BP if all he hears is people moaning that the right back/winger/striker isn't fit to lace Oswald Twinklebottom's boots. oh who gives a :censored: anyway.

 

Spot on

 

[oafcprozac]

behave yourself,if you think deane smalley is the hope for next season i'd give it up now,wingers are meant to get crosses in,but smalley just runs into a cul-de-sac,he ain't good enough.

 

Completely agree and the same for his buddy Alessandra. Their end product is negligible and both need to knuckle down and put more effort in, but more worryingly for me they lack a bit of backbone and wuss out of challenges and just do not work hard enough. The talent is there, the application sadly too often isn't. Unless they up their desire they will go the way of another talented kid that just didn't want it enough - Tipton.

Edited April 6, 2009 by oafcprozac

[ghostofcecere]

Isn't this part of the problem? A young lad coming through labelled as awful and the target of the boo boys! Perhaps it is something to do with BP, I know another young lad who mad his debut at BP, asked to do an unfamiliar role and play out of position - that lad was John Terry. I know a few Chelsea fans who thought that he didn't have a great game but Chelsea didn't cast him aside as he wasn't a combination of Maldini and Baresi.

 

Why are we expecting the young lads to come out of little better than park football and be the best full back/winger/centre forward since that hulking great lump who played when men were men and you could get in t'match and have a bag 'o chips wi change from fiver and go home and beat the wife cos thats what we did in and they liked it too.

 

Can't we think - that kid has saved us a few grand and given a bit of time could either make us a few bob or help us get into the next league up? Is that too much to ask? Can we not give these kids time to grow a bit and find out if they live upto their potential?

 

Not a personal swipe at you goc - I am sick to death of hearing grown men who should know better riding the young kids at the game. Yes they've paid their money and have a right to be a pain in the neck at the only place they can but I just don't get it - after spunking north of £300 why be so antagonistic to their supposed favourite team?

 

No wonder attendances have dropped when even the fans say we are :censored:, the man in the pub isn't going to be inclined to get off his arse and get down to BP if all he hears is people moaning that the right back/winger/striker isn't fit to lace Oswald Twinklebottom's boots. oh who gives a :censored: anyway.

Couldn't agree more really, for the record I'm not actually a boo boy, I've never ever seen evidence that berating a player during a game has made them play better........ well I was only ever drawn to it once in 25 years and that was aimed at Ronnie Moore.

 

I think the problem we have had as a club over the years is the need to throw a lot of these young players in to play a lot of games in what has been largely a side. It really has killed their confidence in my opinion, and stopped many developing their full potential. I can offer names such as McNiven, Allott (first time), Innes, Tipton, Sugden and many, many more who have looked decent players only to be ruined somehow. It's the nature of young players except the truly genuine world class such as Rooney etc that they are inconsistant. But we seem here to have been reluctant to rest players when they form suffers and let them become targets for frustrated fans.

 

I hate to say it, but one of the best managers to nuture young talent in the country has been Taggart. If we use his example he has never been afraid to give youngsters a break, but then also see when the time is right to take them out of the spotlight for a while. Manager after manager here seems to have flogged them to death and ultimately ruin them. Eardley is a good example of this, outstanding when he first broke into the side but I fear he has been spoiled now and I really can't see a way back for him at BP now he is a target for the boo boys and his confidence has disappeard.

 

I really hope Deano gets back to where he was because on his day he's an exciting player to watch and has the potential to be a player that can hopefully play at a higher level with Latics........ but I still maintain my opinion that he has to show more consistancy (as do many others by the way) in his game to say he has been a breakthrough.

[Delfer]

Completely agree and the same for his buddy Alessandra. Their end product is negligible and both need to knuckle down and put more effort in, but more worryingly for me they lack a bit of backbone and wuss out of challenges and just do not work hard enough. The talent is there, the application sadly too often isn't. Unless they up their desire they will go the way of another talented kid that just didn't want it enough - Tipton.

 

I've heard this comment on several occasions this season about certain players not working hard enough and I just don't get it. To be honest Smalley is all about working hard, he reminded me of Forest Gump at Cheltenham. In my opinion it's upstairs where it's lacking and with young players that takes time.

[Frankly Mr Shankly]

In my opinion it's upstairs where it's lacking and with young players that takes time.

 

Absolutely. I'm sick of saying it, but with young lads, you ain't going to see them blow your socks off every week. They'll frustrate you one minute, and they'll have you jumping off your seat in encouragement the next. That's what you tend to get with 'em.

 

I think Deane's shown a progressive improvement this season, and also he's been chipping in with goals more too. The more games he plays the more I think he'll iron out bad decision making and mistakes.

 

Can we not just judge players after watching them for 3 or 4 seasons rather than 1 or 2?

[LeylandLatic]

Not a personal swipe at you goc - I am sick to death of hearing grown men who should know better riding the young kids at the game. Yes they've paid their money

 

I had no idea we offered this sort of service!

 

[Delfer]

I had no idea we offered this sort of service!

 

It's the 3rd option after the crossbar challenge and Franny's play your cards right. Well it's just as ridiculous.

[garcon]

I think Smalley has a great future, hopefully with us.

 

But as a striker, not a winger.

[GlossopLatic]

Completely agree and the same for his buddy Alessandra. Their end product is negligible and both need to knuckle down and put more effort in, but more worryingly for me they lack a bit of backbone and wuss out of challenges and just do not work hard enough. The talent is there, the application sadly too often isn't. Unless they up their desire they will go the way of another talented kid that just didn't want it enough - Tipton.

 

We really do put too much emphasis on this in this country for my likeing and its the reason why England consistently underachive at major tournaments.

Rooney has been told by both Capello and Ferguson to not go chasing full backs but to be more selfish get in the box and do your stuff there. Does Arsene Wenger get a skinny quick French kid with a good first touch and teach him how to pass, or does he get a screaming skinhead with strapping forearms and send him on 6 mile jogs with a 40 kilo backpack at 6am upon the moors.

 

My big concerns for Allessandra is his ability to get into goal scoring positions and get shots away Mckail-Smith didn't win any 50-50's against Hazel or Gregan yet he was their when it mattered to knock the ball into the back of the net, both his and mclean's movement was first class and it kept creating them chances thats why both of them will play at a higher level for aslong as they want. My big concern for smalley is that he can only really go past a man on his right hand side the best wingers can go both ways fullbacks will get savy to this and just force you on to your weeker side and againa like Allessandra he needs to get into positions where he is going to hurt the opposition more knowing when to stay wide and when to come inside.

[edhunteruk]

We really do put too much emphasis on this in this country for my likeing and its the reason why England consistently underachive at major tournaments.

Rooney has been told by both Capello and Ferguson to not go chasing full backs but to be more selfish get in the box and do your stuff there. Does Arsene Wenger get a skinny quick French kid with a good first touch and teach him how to pass, or does he get a screaming skinhead with strapping forearms and send him on 6 mile jogs with a 40 kilo backpack at 6am upon the moors.

 

My big concerns for Allessandra is his ability to get into goal scoring positions and get shots away Mckail-Smith didn't win any 50-50's against Hazel or Gregan yet he was their when it mattered to knock the ball into the back of the net, both his and mclean's movement was first class and it kept creating them chances thats why both of them will play at a higher level for aslong as they want. My big concern for smalley is that he can only really go past a man on his right hand side the best wingers can go both ways fullbacks will get savy to this and just force you on to your weeker side and againa like Allessandra he needs to get into positions where he is going to hurt the opposition more knowing when to stay wide and when to come inside.

 

there both still learning there trades,and it takes time,unless you are exceptionally good,i think one big thing to hamper this season is lack of regular reserve team football.when they havent been in the team,there levels and moral has dropped,and taken them a couple of games to get back into it.when it aint happening the thing to do is bang em in the ressies to get there play right again,get them scoring again and give them a boost,sadly this is something this season we havent done.

 

given the right coaching and training im sure they will come good,and if they dont im sure we will have sell on clauses inserted in any deals.

 

i think whoever is in charge next season,will want a good mix of strikers with experience.

[opinions4u]

My big concerns for Allessandra is his ability to get into goal scoring positions and get shots away Mckail-Smith didn't win any 50-50's against Hazel or Gregan yet he was their when it mattered to knock the ball into the back of the net

Hughes rarely won a 50-50. He is a predator of the right time right place nature. Capitalising on a mistake and sticking it in the net. I want more goals from LA (his finish on Saturday was impressive btw) but he is not the man to lead the line. If he was feeding off a big man who was leading the line he'd score more.

 

 

both his and mclean's movement was first class and it kept creating them chances thats why both of them will play at a higher level for aslong as they want.

You could say the same about Hughes/Alessandra as a partnership. Great movement and great dividends with goals scored. Getting the right partnership up front is vital to scoring goals. Shez had it and destroyed it. He'd still be in a job if he'd nurtured it right. If we'd been discussing Peterborough back in October we would be talking about how they would survive with such a leaky defence, not how lethal their strike duo is.

 

My big concern for smalley is that he can only really go past a man on his right hand side the best wingers can go both ways fullbacks will get savy to this and just force you on to your weeker side

He can pass a man both sides. I've seen the Ronaldoesque "scissors" as he cuts inside from the right on more than one occasion. Smalley's problem as a winger is what he does with the ball at the end of his run. Better delivery please Deane.

 

Alessandra and Smalley are decent players. It will be interesting to see how they develop under new management. That's an exciting thought.

Edited April 7, 2009 by opinions4u

[outoftheblue]

A good indication of a young player's potential is how quickly they learn, and Deane's first season wasn't the steadiest of upward curves. However, in my opinion this season he has improved immensely, and is starting to pass full backs more cleanly (If not as often as we'd like), and he's putting himself in a position to receive the ball a lot more rather than hiding in the pack.

If Smalley carries on improving at the same rate next season, I think we'll see a very good player there.

[leezyverpunk]

Smalley for me is frustrating because he has the pace to beat ANY full back in our division but not the confidence to go and do so. Think if him and Tayls are full of confidence, we can give other teams defences a reet headache - they just got to believe!

[losesome]

Smalley for me is frustrating because he has the pace to beat ANY full back in our division but not the confidence to go and do so. Think if him and Tayls are full of confidence, we can give other teams defences a reet headache - they just got to believe!

 

I am sure if Big Joe stays then next season we will have the two best wingers in the league.

 

Just need a good centre forward to cash in on the crosses !!!!

[LaticsPete]

Smalley for me is frustrating because he has the pace to beat ANY full back in our division but not the confidence to go and do so. Think if him and Tayls are full of confidence, we can give other teams defences a reet headache - they just got to believe!

 

Not disagreeing but some of the best wingers that Latics have had haven't been greyhounds!

 

Holden, Eyres, McVitie....Pace in itself isn't enough , although in this division it can cause some problems.

[davebuckley06]

how can any say that dean smalley doesnt work hard enuf he doesnt stop runnin if there was only one positive u cud say bout smalley its that he never stops trying. hes a young lad and a raw talent with lots of potential. players like him and alessandra need support not criticism and if there own fans arnt goin to give it them hu is?