Player Of The Season So Far? Part One

Can't see past Wroe and Mansell myself.

Yes you are right mate, he should have been in the poll and I can't think why I left him out, thats the problem when you can only put up eight names in the poll, will try and find a code so next time I can put up more.

Dave R

It's a tough one for me. I couldn't pick any one player over another - the "Team Huddle" after the match before they took the plaudits at the end of the match yesterday shows a fantastic and together team.

Woods has been a revelation. Was he REALLY offered to Truro City earlier on in the season?! I certainly didn't disagree with such a move at the time and felt that he was past his best for us and needed a fresh start elsewhere, but he is one of the first names on the teamsheet for me at the moment.
He is regularly putting-in the sort of performances that were commonplace in the 03/04 season.

Mansell is also a hugelt improved player. I speculated that earlier in the season (was it the Northwich match?) that there was a player I recognised in the Directors' box and I believed that it was Andy Lindegaard (someone can tell me whether that is correct or not!), it certainly looked like Mansell's place in the squad was under threat. Since then - coincidence or not - his performances have generally been sparkling and probably consistently better than anyone in the same position since Andy Gurney 10 years ago.

Sills is back to his best (if it ever really went away) - is it also my imagination but is he working harder in different areas of the pitch by tracking-back and running more than he ever?
He really is a talisman - a description overused for many players and one of my favorite players. Even when he is "quiet" he will be in the right place at the right time when it comes to getting chances - the Alan Shearer of the BSP.

Wroe is probably the most improved player, but I still think that he has got to offer more in games when we are with our backs to the wall (see Ebbesfleet and Woking). Yesterday was a sparkling performance - from defensive to attacking duties. Did anyone doubt that he would score that goal when he stormed through?

Honourable mentions also go to Nicholson - a great player for this level and worth as much to our "goals for" column as he prevents adding to our "goals against". Hodges looked unsuitable for this level for a few games, but he has become a worthy partner to Woods. Bevan is a formidable keeper - watching him pluck crosses out of the air reminds me of watching the likes of Van der Saar and the Maik Taylor - plucking the ball a good 2 feet before any striker other than Kevin Francis would have any hope of getting a head to it!
Benyon has stepped-up a level - adding a more physical approach to his undeniably good goalscoring prowess.

Finally, the player that holds everything together IMO is Chris Hargreaves.
After the experiment of playing him at the back (that many felt wouldn't work watching the pre-season matches) failed, many wondered where there would be a place for him.
He stepped-up to the task and his work-rate is as good as it has ever been (which we would surely never doubt) and basically he is the fulcrum that helps the team switch from defence to attack and hold the shape. He is the "Peter Pan" of the team - I've seen players at the same stage of their careers (Steve McCall, Garry Nelson, Gary Clayton spring to mind)who whilst being excellent for us, never had the same athletisism and high energy that Tarzan does.

Over the remainder of the season there will be new contenders.
Green yesterday showed flashes of the player that we hoped he would be - could he "do an Akifenwa" and produce a second half of the season that has huge contrast with a fairly anonymous first half of the season?
Carlisle has struggled with an injury even before it put him out for a couple of months. He had a disappointing couple of games at the start of the season but then really started to find his feet before. He has "been there, done that" with Exeter, he can really add something to this team on a regular basis.
Carayol is a player that I feel will improve as the season progresses. Just as he started wearing the pink boots he seemed to be sat on the bench, but he has a lot of talent and once he gives consistent performances he will be playing at a higher level - hopefully with us!

I think that Burton or Wrexham are going to take the top spot, but I believe that we have as good a chance of any other team when it comes to the play-offs. I think that it was a case that we were so disappointed that we didn't take top spot last season that we lost the drive towards the end of the season - I believe that the experience of missing-out in the manner that we did last season will mean that this group will push until the final whistle.
That's the reason I'll pick a "whole team award" a bit like we the sponsors did when we crushed Hull City 5-1 back in 97/98.

Dave, agree with your comments about Ohtobe's posting. Ohtobe consistently talks a lot of sense about matches and players.

The penny seems to have dropped collectively about Nicky Wroe, hasn't it? After an indifferent start we're all talking about him now both at the games and on this forum.

Lee Mansell is a player I've warmed to more and more each season. I think we're developing similar feelings towards him as we did towards Kevin Hill. Yes, he had a dreadful night at Eastbourne but he'll do at right-back for me.

Tim Sills is a player who will be appreciated by us whilst he is here but even more so when he eventually moves on. That's a sure sign of his status in the order of things.

And Ohtobe is spot on with his references to the likes of Bevan, Nicholson, Benyon, Hargreaves, etc.

Dave's own observations about Steve Woods are interesting. This is a player I've written off a few times but, just as I've made my judgement, he's come back to prove me wrong (and, to be honest, visa versa when he's been playing well). At the start of the season I really felt he was seeing out his time at Plainmoor in "going nowhere" mode.

Enough people say Steve Woods was offered to Truro. I don't know if that's the case but let's say it was true. That could have been easy money for him but it would also have been the start of the downward spiral. Moneybags or not - and it's looking like it may be money owed to other people - Truro actually play at a much lower level of football than we tend to realise. Any self-respecting pro should have been careful of that one (although it's a bit different for goalkeepers so that's no criticism of Ricey). He did well to stay clear.