Tom Champion. | Vital Football

Tom Champion.

I don't think it's any coincidence that the 2 games he's played have been 2 poor performances by our standards.
 
Think he's been put in too soon. Not sure what match fitness he has and doesn't, know the players or how we've been playing and our lads don't know his game. As others have said it seems to have unbalanced the team. His past record indicates he is a quality player but at the minute it's not right.
 
My thoughts are, we were on a winning run and then bring in a player who has played 1 minute this season and to fit him in the team make a few changes. Why change a winning team and surely the players dropped have a right to feel peed off .. It wasn't ideal maybe but having wood in the middle and Beevers RB worked, wood got about and that enabled Woodyard to push up a bit more. Very baffled why Champion was able to walk straight into the team with obvious lack of match fitness and play 90 minutes Tuesday and 65 today.
 
Unsettled the midfield. Am a huge fan of the Cowley's BUT for me bringing him straight in was a bad decision. He has started two games and offered us no more than we have appears to be a Craig Stanley type player and very ordinary
 
Even two games in, I'm still of the opinion that we're being too accommodating of Champion.

He's not to blame, he just doesn't fit in with what we've done in the opening games and he's completely upset the rhythm we had. We've thrown him in and he looks no better than the midfield options we have on the bench, and they're not in the side because they don't fit in with a certain style. Is he really that much better than Power or Stanley? I'm not so sure.

We've gone from having two CM's in Wood and Wooyard who'll run all day and press to two CM's where one goes, one stays and the one who presses is easy to play around.

We had our success having a CM full of mobility, a bit of bite, pressed together and made it difficult. We don't have that now.

There's an element of 'wait and see' about him, but he's not suddenly going to change his style with match fitness. He seems to me to be the opposite end of what the Cowleys look for in a player.

I said that long term we needed Wood away from CM purely because it's not his position, but if Champion is the other option then I'd stick with Wood.

The above isn't a criticism of his ability, he just doesn't suit us. That seems pretty obvious early on.
 
That's fair points I personally like wood in midfield he breaks play up and 'compliments' Woodyard maybe Miles will
Be the option when he comes back
 
For me, this is the first major mis-step by the Cowleys. As most managers are stubborn, egotistical and arrogant, however, I doubt we'll see him dropped anytime soon.
 
NottyImp - 17/9/2016 18:51

For me, this is the first major mis-step by the Cowleys. As most managers are stubborn, egotistical and arrogant, however, I doubt we'll see him dropped anytime soon.
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You're certainly right about most managers. The refusal to replace a player having a stinker, because the crowd are calling for it, is always particularly galling. Peter Reid was a terror for doing that.
Let's hope the Cowleys show they're made of better stuff.
 
Luke Imp - 17/9/2016 18:45

Even two games in, I'm still of the opinion that we're being too accommodating of Champion.

He's not to blame, he just doesn't fit in with what we've done in the opening games and he's completely upset the rhythm we had. We've thrown him in and he looks no better than the midfield options we have on the bench, and they're not in the side because they don't fit in with a certain style. Is he really that much better than Power or Stanley? I'm not so sure.

We've gone from having two CM's in Wood and Wooyard who'll run all day and press to two CM's where one goes, one stays and the one who presses is easy to play around.

We had our success having a CM full of mobility, a bit of bite, pressed together and made it difficult. We don't have that now.

There's an element of 'wait and see' about him, but he's not suddenly going to change his style with match fitness. He seems to me to be the opposite end of what the Cowleys look for in a player.

I said that long term we needed Wood away from CM purely because it's not his position, but if Champion is the other option then I'd stick with Wood.

The above isn't a criticism of his ability, he just doesn't suit us. That seems pretty obvious early on.
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Totally agree with this post. The common factor in the last two games in which we have been awful is that Champion as played in them both.
 
bbh 11 - 17/9/2016 19:00

Luke Imp - 17/9/2016 18:45

Even two games in, I'm still of the opinion that we're being too accommodating of Champion.

He's not to blame, he just doesn't fit in with what we've done in the opening games and he's completely upset the rhythm we had. We've thrown him in and he looks no better than the midfield options we have on the bench, and they're not in the side because they don't fit in with a certain style. Is he really that much better than Power or Stanley? I'm not so sure.

We've gone from having two CM's in Wood and Wooyard who'll run all day and press to two CM's where one goes, one stays and the one who presses is easy to play around.

We had our success having a CM full of mobility, a bit of bite, pressed together and made it difficult. We don't have that now.

There's an element of 'wait and see' about him, but he's not suddenly going to change his style with match fitness. He seems to me to be the opposite end of what the Cowleys look for in a player.

I said that long term we needed Wood away from CM purely because it's not his position, but if Champion is the other option then I'd stick with Wood.

The above isn't a criticism of his ability, he just doesn't suit us. That seems pretty obvious early on.
Click to expand...

Totally agree with this post. The common factor in the last two games in which we have been awful is that Champion as played in them both.
Click to expand...
And Wood has replaced the recently excellent Beevers at right - back, where their winner originated today. Unsure of champion, thought he was ok in patches today, but he didn't lose that game today. That lies with the defence, and the manager for tinkering with a winning formula for no clear reason.
 
Personally I do agree that he doesn't fit in with our style of play, and I wouldn't be sorry to see him go back to Barnet and then try to get a creative midfielder in, and while wating for our new creative player revert back to how we were lining up.
 
Their winner came from Marriott taking one too many touches again, losing the ball and then fouling their player, we got caught and they scored.
Agree re Champion send him back to Barnet totally unsettled all that was working so well, we've forgotten to use our width like we were one occasion we did we got a goal....
 
Please be patient of the occasional mistake by Danny Cowley. He'll come good in the end. Lose him and we'll be the slightly larger Gainsborough Trinity for ever.
 
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