Martin Devaney....... IMO the modern day Nicky Eaden...... highly under rated by most fans

Before you all start one me, I'm not saying Martin is a world beater or our best player by any stretch of the imagination........ but I feel he is harshly treated by many fans, who a quick to criticise as soon as he steps foot on the field!!

I accept Martin has his faults i.e. can't defend, head the ball etc....... But nor could fromer reds Clint Marcelle, Martin Bullock etc who played similar role. One thing martin does better than any other player at the club is to attack defenders and whip in crosses.... without him in the side I feel opportunties for the attackers from the flanks has been limited..... I can here the moaners and groaners having a pop, now saying he can't cross! I disagree, he may not get it right everytime (probably 1-in-5) but he creates opportunities, where others fail e.g. JCR more often than not will take on the extra man lose possession/win throw/corner or cut in side. So IMO without MD the attackers supply dries up.
this is where the example with Nicky Eaden comes in. Nicky was great going forward, but couldn't defend for toffee. But the one thing he brought to the side was his crossing, similar to MD he didn't get it right every time but he was a constant threat and constant whipped the ball in the danger area.

As an example I would highlight two key goals in the FA cup run; Foster's vs Liverpool was a header from a MD cross and KO's goal vs Chelsea was header from MD cross. Without him in the side, the strikers haven't had supply from the wings.

IMO we were at our best under SD when JCR and MD ran the wings and stayed wide in position. Non of this switching flanks business or cutting inside. A rigid 4-4-2 where the wingers stay wide! playing this way I felt we looked dangerous and were a constant threat going forward, why SD stopped playing this way I will never know.

If you look at the club stats of the past few years MD when featuring near to with goal assists and also chipped in with a few goals himself i.e. 6gls 06/07 (3rd highest scorer), 07/08 4gls (again 3rd highest scorer) and last season he hardly featured.....

Discuss.....

 

On his day he'll beat most full-backs in the league.

Not very often he's 'on his day' now though. Over the last year he seems to have lost a yard of pace and that means a lot for a winger.

He's not good enough to be in the starting-eleven week in week out at this level, but he still works hard and gives 110% so he's worth keeping.

 

Agree with just about all of that mate. nt

 

i agree

one of my favourite players

 

agreed

Decent squad player no more, no less.

Week in, week out we need more pace and better delivery. Hopefully Hammill will provide.

 

could he just look a yrd short though through not getting games

 

The Man They Couldn't Hang!

 

agree

Think he should have been given a chance long before now, JCR not been delivering, Hammill looking off the boil, and still Daveys mad subs didn't give him a chance......hopefully that'll change and Robins will see he can produce a final ball and get some wingers played.

On the Eaden front..........at the time he was one of my favorite players (although I did play full back so am biased) due to the fact that his crosses always caused problems. You say they weren't always on target, but what he did have is a brain, so even when a cross didn't land on an attackers head he still made defenders think and have to act and clear the ball. At the minute our crosses only make the fans on row M think about ducking! Highly under rated and in my opinion our best full back in recent years (other than John Curtis - if loans count!).

 

I agree too, he's a brilliant player on his day

He supplied the cross for 3 very important goals in recent years, the one against Chelsea, the one for Foster's goal at Anfield, and the one which Hayes scored from (albeit after a poor clearance) at Cardiff in the Play-off final.

I think though that he hasn't showed too many glimpses of that quality that he has got in the last year or so (even though as you say, lack of appearances have hindered him), and therefore i think Hammill's name is more likely to be ahead of Disco's on the team sheet. But Disco is a brilliant player to bring on with 20 minutes left, as he runs at defences and could profit more when the opponents are tired. One game which sticks in my mind is a 3-0 home win against Bristol City a few years back when disco came off the bench with 15 minutes left to absolutly run Michael McIndoe raggid and score a goal and set one up too.

 

Decent squad player to have. Nothing more, nothing less. nt

 

Don't know about Eaden, but yes, under-rated and under-played. (bustin)

 

Think that is more or less spot on and a very well constructed post. Devaney hasn't become a bad player over night but looks to me as though Davey's tinkering with positions and formations has drained the confidence out of him.

What I have failed to understand this season is why all our wingers, whether it be JCR, Hammill or Devaney are stood next to our full backs, deep in our own half whenever we get the ball and can break. End product then being the attack slows down, the opposition re group and the opportunity is lost.

The only point I would say I disagree with is Disco's defending. He does a lot of back tracking and isn't scared to get stuck in from what I see.

 

He scored a cracking header at Frickley too. nt

 

disco is our only crosser and can beat a man

but he lacks pace unfortunatley kind of required for his position. however i do agree he gets alot of stick for someone who warms the bench and seems to give alot going forward. he will work back but gets beaten easy cos he cant tackle.

Personally l really like him. he gives us a option not used by Davey, cross's. JCR, Hammill, Boggy, Hume all cut inside disco drives for the line maybe if he played more Davey might still have a job. (its a lot easier to score if the ball hits you in the face from the by line than crossing from edge of 18 yard box)

 

RE: Eaden

Trevor Francis's best signing for birmingham city according to the man himself.

 

Devaney seems to have had all his flair coached out of him

He wasn't scared to take ANY player on when he first came to us. He'd run passed anyone that stood in front of him but now he seems scared shitless when a player gets within 10 feet of him.

LEts hope robins can get him back to the player we all know he used to be

 

Disco is class on his day

One of my favourite players. Deserves more game time this season to at least try and establish himself in the first team.

DIIISSSCCOOOOOO!! (bustin)

 

I find it unbelievable that its taken this long to mention this - I agree completely - and I also reckon this supposed lack of pace is more like a lack of confidence, and he's scared to run full pelt in case he loses control of the ball.

I'd play him, left or right. And take the reins off.

And to light the touch paper... Is disco as under-rated as JCR is over-rated?

 

Agree. Still a good squad player at this level and worth keeping hold of.