David Perkins... Ipswich fan in peace....

We can't give up, agreed, but in the long run, the concentration of money at the top end via Sky and parachute payments means it gets harder and harder to compete. That's not an excuse for the non events we've had to put up with this season, money doesn't give you everything, but in development of the club and attracting the modern day equivalent of the Hendries and Wilkinsons then it will become nigh on impossible to do so without a load of cash from somewhere.

 

Honestly don't understand this 'abuse' thing. If we are not allowed to make comments about whether we believe an individual player is up to the job or not without it being termed 'abuse', what exactly is the point of the BBS?

 

Hello ITFC. Perky can be a good player some times, but he's very inconsistent most of the time. He is too lightweight for a midfield role & gets knocked off the ball too easily. Last season he was brilliant for us, this season not so good. In my opinion he's a league one player at most.

 

We've just signed Liam Lawrence. I'm not saying he'll have the same impact as Hendrie and Wilkinson (I bloody hope he does), but he's had a very similar career to the above two. All three started their career and made their name as exciting prospects at 'smaller' clubs. Grimsby for Wilkinson, Bradford for Hendrie and Mansfield for Lawrence. They then spent the majority of their careers between the Premiership and the top of the championship. They were never stars of the top league, but they could all perform there. They then signed for us when the bigger clubs (wrongly) thought they were past it. I'd put Lawrence exactly in the Hendrie and Wilkinson category. Doesn't mean he'll do the same for us, but I think his signing shows we can still attract that type of player. I'm not sure you need bags of money to get these players, just a manager and a chief exec/chairman who know where to look.

 

Don't take it personally. Making comments about whether you believe a player is up to the job or not is fine, but some take it too far is all. Everything has to be so black or white and extreme.

 

Lawrence wasn't playing regular in The Prem , but as you say, we'll be picking up the players nobody else wants (using Nudger's Law of my point never being in question)

 

Super... super Liam, super...super Liam, super...super Liam...

Super Liam Laurence

 

I think it's only Conan Troutman that has been particularly abusive towards Perkins (he just seems to have a bee in his bonnet about him for some reason). Most people appear to be of the opinion that while he was never the most gifted player, he certainly put in a lot of effort and was good value for a place in the team. This season has been different, he's been off colour, he's not the only one by any means, but his performances have been but a shadow compared to those of previous seasons. A number of us have put that down to the advancing years, something that catches up with all of us, but to footballers at a relatively young age. We might be wrong in that, he may just be out of form, but while that opinion isn't something that Perkins would want to read, I don't think it's abusive. The vast majority of stuff I've read about Perkins seems to be along those lines - Did alright for us in the past, no longer appears to be the player he once was and we'd be better finding someone else.

 

He's got 74 Prem appearances to his name plus a further 29 in the top Greek league. I know that's not the same, but he wasn't playing for one of the also rans, PAOK finished 2nd and qualified for the Champions League play-offs.

I bet Hendrie didn't play a lot more games in the top flight before he came to us. He played a few for Coventry when he was a kid, then had one season with Newcastle and two with Middlesbrough, the second of which he wasn't really getting in the team and only started half a dozen games with about the same amount of sub appearances.

Wilkinson did 3 full season at Everton and Forest in the mid 80s but was then sold to Watford and played in our league as he did for much of his time with Middlesbrough. Like Hendrie, he had two seasons with 'boro in the top flight, but also like Hendrie didn't figure much at all in the 95-96 season, only playing for 'em 3 times.

I reckon all 3 of 'em have very similar top flight games to their name.

I know you weren't interested in them stats, I know that wasn't your point, but I was looking 'em up for my own interest as much as owt.

 

I agree, its all or nothing with some on here ,nevermind who the player is, that they can not see any redeeming features or any weaknesses in players just goes to show whose posts on here are worth reading and whose aint. Nowt changes.

 

Knowledge is power.