Paul Hayes - the difference between promotion & relegation?
Just a thought following on from the Vital Mansfield preview (with 2.33 ppg without 1.00 ppg). How dependent are we on him staying fit?
The evidence of the past season and a bit is that with him in the side we are well organised with the capability of playing incisive, passing football. Without him we are basically clueless going forward which obviously puts more pressure on the defence.
I realise we've had better footballers in the past but can anyone think of anyone as influential?
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I have the greatest respect for PH both as player and captain but to suggest that one player's presence/absence could be the difference between promotion and relegation sounds like a bridge too far! Heaven help us if one player can make such an enormous difference.
Didn't mean it to be taken too literally, but if my maths is correct since he came to the club if you average out the points gained when he's started we'd get 92 points a season (he has actually played 46 league games for us I think). If you average out the points gained when he hasn't I make it 52 points.
Better hope he isn't too badly injured!
(I'm not being that serious but my main point is: with him in the side we look half decent. Without him in the side we are pretty dire)
At the start of the season, when he was clearly not fully fit, a lot of fans were questioning whether he'd suddenly lost it.
I think there's no coincidence that our recent upturn is when he's been back in the starting 11.
The most influential player in my time was comfortably Noel Ashford. And yes in his prime he would be able to play in the current side. Since then Steve Guppy, Alfie Mawson and possibly Martin Taylor. All could have a huge influence on games.
Andy Rammell , Tommy Mooney are probably the 2 most influential front men I have had the honour of watching . Cyril Regis and Simon Garner being another two . All of these guys made a huge different to out team
or even a difference to our team
@Fit2drop Relative to the standard of football/league played in at the time, yes, Noel Ashford is far and away the most influential player for us that I've ever seen.
And Martin Taylor far and away the best goalie.
He is a massive influence and has leadership quality. Ainsworth himself was a similar figure on the pitch during his later years. Rammell also had it & Carroll could turn a game on its head. Big Tel also had what they call 'charisma' even if he did turn into a rugger pest
Paul Hayes is the best captain I have every watched for any team, IMHO, and has a massive influence on the team. Whether it is organising a wall, bending the referees ear, putting an arm around one of the younger players, or motivating the players through encouragement on he pitch he does it all. An inspirational leader, and a future manager when the time comes.
@bookertease Simple answer is Yes.. Without Hayes we won't have a chance at the playoffs - every team needs a leader and he is ours (and we clearly don't have anyone else who can deputize). He is certainly in the top 5 players that I've seen in the last 20+ years. I agree with @kiscokid about Rammell and Carroll.
Dean Morgan (for a season at least) was the lynchpin of our attack and we looked clueless when he didn't play.
His Wycombe career never went on to fulfill his early promise but I'm convinced to this day that had Desouza not got injured in 1994/5 then we'd at least have got to the play offs. At least
Sean Devine the best finisher that played for us in recent years.
I can only gauge it from the Carlisle game and Paul Hayes is a great player to be on the pitch...but I reckon it is finally playing 4 4 2 that has played a big part in improving our attacking play.
also a great player for incentive we must add Simon garner, one of our greats ....
I think the most influential players I've seen at Wycombe have all shared the same attribute and that is pace. It is so fair to have someone like a McSporran or Tyson who can truly scare a defence that it sets up so many other things on the pitch.
Hayes does it in his own way and has pulled the team together as a true leader but (or me at least) doesn't do that so much on the field.
@ fallenflyer . Doesn't do that much on the pitch ? so the fact that we are an all together much more efficient attacking force on the pitch with him present you put down purely to his presence and captaining abilities ? I think you are being a little harsh on him there . He has the vision and skill to unlock the defence and knit things together in the final third in my opinion and this is down to what he does with the ball not just how he rallies the troops .
I would say Paul Hayes has by far the best footballing brain in the side, in terms of his positional sense, anticipation and the ability to bring others into play. That's what we lack when he's not on the pitch.
It's worth noting that our strikers have scored in the last two matches whereas they haven't for quite a while beforehand (Ugwu/Bloomfield goal being the last time previously?). That comes down to one of two factors - Hayes on the pitch or playing a 4/4/2. Given that Hayes scored one of the goals that would seem to be a significant factor. However I think the best goal we've scored for a long time was the Harriman-Thomson-O'Nien combination - proper wing play, intelligent number 10, attack-minded central midfield running through. It reminded me of the goals Murphy used to score for us. I think we'll see a lot more goals now we're playing 4/4/2, whether Hayes plays or not. Our one problem area on the pitch appears to be left midfield. Once that's sorted we'll be so more potent playing this system.
Three factors - 442, Hayes and luck (ignoring the fact we were playing different opposition). Let's never forget the high impact chance has on football, with many games decided by a single goal.
442
442 does certainly seem to bare more fruit and it is much more exciting to watch . I still can't understand why he does not give Sellers a try on on the wing . Wood is the weak link in this 442 in my opinion
Yet Ainsworth keeps picking, he even praised his performance at Mansfield.
I agree...give Sellers a start and he can bring on Woody if things don't work out...might spur both of them on.
@bourne70 - I meant that he doesn't have the pure influence on the field that someone with true pace does at our level. It wasn't supposed to be any comment on what he physically does on the field. I realise in hindsight that it was badly worded.
We must all accept Gareth has a stubborn streak that will ensure Wood starts over Sellers unless he is injured.
A stubborn streak? Seriously???
So do you think he sits there when he's putting his team together and thinks - "Well Sam Wood isn't playing that great at the moment and Ryan Sellers would be a much better choice, but fuck it I'll keep Woody in just for the hell of it and to piss off everyone who thinks Sellers should start" - deliberately picking a weaker team just to be 'stubborn'?
Or do you think he maybe takes into account the fact that he sees both players in training every day, knows their physical and mental states as well as their footballing ability and experience, and makes a calculated decision based on the sum of his knowledge to select an eleven that he thinks gives us the best chance of winning the game?
I agree it would be good to see what Sellers can do in a longer stint, but I'm sure that GA has genuine reasons for not starting him yet other than sheer bloody-mindedness...
Fidget you have said similar things before I believe with regards to this ? I am convinced the manager does know more about his abilities than us from seeing him in training but this does not change the fact that when the guy comes on he is vastly more effective than Wood this season . It is all well and good going on about training all the time , what about match day evidence ? Wood is falling way short of the mark game after game and when Sellers comes on he is making a positive impact . I was certainly DevC and possibly yourself who berated a lot of people on here for moaning about the 433 formation . The same "we can't see then in training " and "the manager has much more knowledge than us " statements were made then . We have since changed to 442 and improved a great deal . Where as I doubt it is just down to pure stubbornness by the manager you can't blame Onlooker for wondering why Sellers is not given a go . My guess is that time will soon be upon us if Wood carries on with his poor form .
As it happens it wouldn't surprise me in the least if Sellers, Max and Rowe (if fit) were given a starting role on Sunday.
You have still spectacularly missed the point on two counts
1) Unless you went to BRS for the LDV thingy, you will never have seen Sellers play in a competitive game for more than about 15mins. You can therefore have no idea whether he is likely to be effective or not. The manager seems him every day, can assess his fitness, his footballing nous and judge whether he is yet ready for a starting role, which is plainly a very different job than a 10 minute at best cameo at the end of the game. Your desire to annoint him as thge prodigal son based on a handful of cameos is frankly a bit silly. He'll get his chance, as GA has a history of doing with young players, when GA thinks he is ready. I am happy to trust his judgement.
2) Until very recently the very small squad had significant injuries. What I and others were saying was that at the time, if GA was right that Sellers was not ready, there were simply not the players to play your beloved 442. For me , and GA it seems , you pick the best 11 players you have available and fit a formation to accomodate them. You do not fixate on 442 and shoehorn players playing out of position into a system. To repeat yet again GA has had enough success this and last season at playing a variety of systems accomodating whatever players he has available to deserve a little more respect than those so qucik to slate his footballing nous by not religiously playing 44bloody 2.
I suspect GA would agree that his best 11 probably does line up as 442 with hardworking wide midfielders rather than pout and out wingers. There will however be times when that formation needs to be changed either to combat opposition strengths or simply becuase of injuries/form.
And it seems a further opportunity to blood youngsters and give them some experience, albeit just a friendly, will now come next weekend. it would be surprising if your beloved Sellers doesnt start one of the next tw games at last. If he does and we lose a couple, I wonder how long it will be before you are slating him as rubbish, naive, conference level at best.........