Cardwell signs contract extension

I love the fact we are looking to improve and bring on young pros but I'm not convinced with Cardwell, he's got no natural pace, which cannot be taught and he's fully grownn now, he cannot jump and to me should have had his first senior League goal in the bag before he was 22...
I so want to be proved wrong and have these words shoved sideways down my throat but time will tell...

Jolley must see more than I can in him. Yes he works his socks off but never really looks like a genuine goal threat. He must be cheap is the only other thing that might help. But what do I know?

I actually think he'd do alright in our current team up front.

Are people judging him and his lack of goals from when he's been playing right wing this season?

I think the only run of games he's had up top so far with us were at the end of last season, when despite our good form to keep us up, we were not a great side.

Compare our midfield last season to what we've got now, with Embleton, Vernam and Pringle supporting a front man, and I'd think Cardwell would do alright and get more chances. I only really remember him having a few proper goalscoring chances during his run up front last season but his movement is actually decent from what I've seen.

but he's never scored goals Tommy, which is my main concern. Even when he was younger and loaned out to Conference sides or played for the Scottish age group sides he never scored regularly

Quoted from forza ivano

but he's never scored goals Tommy, which is my main concern. Even when he was younger and loaned out to Conference sides or played for the Scottish age group sides he never scored regularly

This!!...afraid it does show he is not a natural born goal scorer...do think it's a risk giving him yet another 12 months to prove himself...

Quoted from Northbank Mariner

This!!...afraid it does show he is not a natural born goal scorer...do think it's a risk giving him yet another 12 months to prove himself...

A risk?! He's 22, he'll be on peanuts. He works hard for the squad and seems to have a good attitude. I have my doubts over whether he'll ever be a regular goalscorer but he has plenty of attributes that are favourable and Jolley obviously thinks he can work with him.

Forza/Northbank, you may be right, he may never be a natural born goalscorer (are many players?), but do you always need every striker to be a natural born goalscorer?

Livvo, Rees, G.Jones, Woodsy etc etc all top strikers for us that weren't prolific goalscorers. As much as it's the headline that everyone looks at first, number of goals isn't the only thing that being a striker is all about. Not for every striker anyway.

You don't have to be a regular goalscorer as a forward player, if you contribute to the team in other ways.

Remember Emile Heskey? He didn't have a bad career, considering he had a bad goal scoring record. Or closer to home, Steve Livingstone's goal scoring record was terrible, but he was a bloody good player for us.

Quoted from Northbank Mariner

This!!...afraid it does show he is not a natural born goal scorer...do think it's a risk giving him yet another 12 months to prove himself...

Podge wasn't prolific at 26-27 prior to joining us, he was also played on the wing where he failed to score loads.  I can't see why at 22 Cardwell can't develop to become a regular scorer.

I'll put this point out there ..

Describe to me the definition of "a striker," either I am missing the point or I've forgotten 40 years of football knowledge over night...

He may not ever be a great goal scorer or a scorer of great goals a la Alan Connell but surely at 22 he should have had more than 1 senior goal and the odd assist by now...
No one said he doesn't bring something to the squad, he's a big unit, he could and should be bullying defenders but that makes him what, a good forward rather than a good striker??...

Call me pedantic but all I'm getting at is that so far he hasn't shown to me that as a lone striker playing up top as some think he should be as another option to Thomas that he has the ability to score the goals that role requires..

But as I've said, he hope he proves me wrong....really nice lad and I want him to make it, I just, at the moment, cannot see it..