Cook Update ?

Quoted from Maringer

Livingstone didn't score any goals during his first few seasons as a professional either, though he was obviously a better player and at a higher level.

Regardless, I'm not trying to discuss Livingstone's career, just pointing out you don't need to score 20 goals or even 10 goals in a season to be a useful forward if you're doing a job for the team.

Let's put it this way. I thought that JLAA and LJL were good lower division forwards. Some didn't and probably still don't despite the fact that both have spent most of their careers playing at a higher level level than us. I'm obviously not the only one who thinks they were good lower division forwards, despite their relative lack of goals.

Strikers don't have to score 20 goals to be successful but you need someone in the side who at least has the potential to chip in what that many. I don't think there is anyone in the squad who has ever showed they have what it takes to do more than just about hit double figures.

Quoted from lew chaterleys lover

I think you are being wildly optimistic there.

I think I read earlier that Cardwell was "fantastic" as a young prospect and no doubt scored goals for fun. This happens a lot; at a young age they look world beaters but then don't progress at the same rate. He now finds himself at a club at the bottom end of league 2, and despite his obvious endeavour hasn't looked remotely like scoring.

I wish him well, and from what we have seen so far he could be a decent squad player, but I have my doubts he could be a regular who might go on to greater things.

Mind you, I have been wrong many many times before* so you never know.

* Like when I was convinced Ryan Bennett would not make the grade when for the umpteenth time he shanked a "pass" into the Lower Smiths.
** Like when I first saw Kevin Drinkell make his debut and thought nah.
***Like when I saw John McDermott make his debut at Bradford and thought - he is too small and not good enough.

On all other occasions my first impressions have been spot on  

Three misjudgements in 98 years is pretty good going.

Quoted from MuddyWaters

It's not that he hasn't got potential - it's that he hasn't really shown enough to suggest that he may be our saviour.

Not saying he will be our saviour, but he may develop into a decent player given time, or he may not. We simply don't know at this stage, and that's the point i am making. To expect someone of his age, with the limited games he has played, to cure our scoring problems is fanciful at best. If he was a regular goalscorer at his age, he wouldn't have ended up here.

Quoted from ginnywings

Not saying he will be our saviour, but he may develop into a decent player given time, or he may not. We simply don't know at this stage, and that's the point i am making. To expect someone of his age, with the limited games he has played, to cure our scoring problems is fanciful at best. If he was a regular goalscorer at his age, he wouldn't have ended up here.

And I was pointing out that some people have unreasonably high expectations!

Quoted from jamesgtfc

Cardwell has some great raw attributes; strength, height, a bit of pace and stamina. He showed on trial last season that he can score so I think he needs a run in the team to prove himself.

He's been at some very good clubs in his short career so there is definitely something there. If we can get something out of him this season and for him down for another couple of years, we might just get a decent fee for him.

I can remember a time....... a long long time ago when we could hang on to players that were half decent instead of selling them to keep the club afloat  

Quoted from GrimRob

Strikers don't have to score 20 goals to be successful but you need someone in the side who at least has the potential to chip in what that many. I don't think there is anyone in the squad who has ever showed they have what it takes to do more than just about hit double figures.

Thomas scored 18 league goals in his last 4th division season. A number of years ago now but he has been playing one or two divisions higher since then.

Quoted from Maringer

Livingstone didn't score any goals during his first few seasons as a professional either, though he was obviously a better player and at a higher level.

Regardless, I'm not trying to discuss Livingstone's career, just pointing out you don't need to score 20 goals or even 10 goals in a season to be a useful forward if you're doing a job for the team.

Let's put it this way. I thought that JLAA and LJL were good lower division forwards. Some didn't and probably still don't despite the fact that both have spent most of their careers playing at a higher level level than us. I'm obviously not the only one who thinks they were good lower division forwards, despite their relative lack of goals.

Thanks  

Crikey, the writing off of Cardwell is a bit harsh isn't it?  Especially given his age, experience and the fact he's made 8 league starts for us.

I don't think anyone is claiming he's our saviour, just that he offered something at the back of end of last season that we've since failed to replicate in his absence.  I don't think any of Cook, Vernam, Hooper or Thomas are strikers in the mould of leading the line.  Cook is hard working and will chase everything but with all due respect I would expect most professionals to be capable of doing that.  He doesn't have the physical attributes nor the intelligence of his movement to do that, just not his game.

Using two of our recent strikers, Amond led the line brilliantly because he had the know-how with his movement and anticipation of play to make sure he was there where the ball went.  LJL used his physical attributes to react to where the ball went and hustled and bustled to win back possession and press sides into making mistakes.  Cardwell very much falls into the LJL category, he enables other stuff to happen because he does the donkey work.  A point was made about Hooper when working with Cardwell, which I completely agree with.  

Is Cardwell the answer to all our problems?  Probably not.  I think he's a talented youngster who with some coaching and developing could become a very good player, but at the minute he's also our most likely striker to lead the line.  The fact Jolley hasn't brought in anyone else to lead the line and has utilised Cook (who has spent most of his career in a much deeper role) suggests he may think the same, or he's got his recruitment very wrong.

Cardwell has a lot of qualities that we need to nurture.  Like other Town players over the years though, He gets better when he is not playing.

Quoted from diehardmariner

Crikey, the writing off of Cardwell is a bit harsh isn't it?  Especially given his age, experience and the fact he's made 8 league starts for us.

.

I think that's the issue....8 starts out of a possible ....50 odd potential games ?

With our goal record over the same period being pretty poor then stats like that are a good indicator that he either isn't forcing himself into the side by being better than the other strikers... or he has been unavailable due to injuries for long periods....i think its probably 70/30 injury to talent at this moment but like a few recent players that have passed through i just don't envisage him ever being fully fit and subsequently not effective enough to command a place.