Max
In a sea of dross I rather enjoyed Max's performance today.
He was bright and inventive on the ball, most notably with his neat control and dinked cross for the goal.
Given his lack of regular first team football and the lack of reserve football played by WWFC it must be bloody hard for him to keep his head up but he delivered today.
It would be nice to see us persevere with him, he's still only 22 and could yet blossom into a terrific player - if he's given a chance.
For me, though, he's a creative midfielder not a forward - either on the left hand side or better still in an advanced central position (depending on the formation being played).
Yes he got knocked off the ball a few times and lost a few tackles but given the dearth of creative players in our squad and given there's no shortage of tough physical players to play alongside him, it's a risk I think we can afford to take.
I do hope the knock he picked up doesn't rule him out of Tuesday or the following 3 matches as its a good opportunity for him to make a case to be retained.
Comments
Sorry not for me..Didn't contribute anything towards the match on the left side..needed to come off long time before his knock.Sellers did more whilst he was on for the last 15 mins or so.
For me he's got the potential and I'd keep him on for next season. I thought at the start of this season that this would be make or break for him. If it wasn't, then next season certainly is. He needs to work on his strength over the Summer. For me, that's one of his weakest qualities.
Don't agree at all @Aylesburyblue. Man of the match to my mind. Did excellently in the build up to the goal.
We don't help him because there is so much up and under. How often did he get the ball to feet? On the rare occasion we got the ball wide he did well and wasn't afraid to get stuck in either.
Max's potential is obvious and has been since he captained the youth team four or five years ago. I too hope he is able to play against Yeovil. He needs a run of matches to build up match fitness. And, yes, he probably does need to make further improvement physically but, having said that, he was not alone today in simply losing his footing a couple of times rather than being muscled off the ball. (And how many times today did the ref contrive to get in the way?)
Came away today thinking our play off prospects had finally been extinguished but hope springs eternal as they say and a win on Tuesday could resurrect them, if only temporarily. COYB.
Man of match! please..Antony steward correct in my eyes.Dont want to slate max but we have a natural winger in Ryan sellers and was sat on bench.With gaz it's all about not losing and not setting up to win the match.So plays players that can help out defensively as well.
Id be amazed if kretch is offered a new contract, simply not good enough,has very little influence on games. We need to offload certain players to enable us to bring others in.
I doubt Max wages are anything to worry about, where as some of these high earners need to go, Hayes sadly his legs have now gone and its time to move on, Thompson please do the decent thing and find a club closer to home so we can get you off our wage bill. I can't see Bean being kept on if Bloomfield and O Nien are kept and McGinn already on a deal for next season.
Outside of the defence, I'd say Thompson was one of our stronger performers this year, behind O'Nien and Harriman.
It's going to be a very busy closed season for Gaz and unless he has someone in mind I could see giving Max a new contract a decent squad player for little money, of more concern to me is the players who we will and could lose. Still if Richie gets his way and we fail to make the play offs Gaz will have just that little bit less to spend yay less choice. ..muppet.
Thompson our strongest performer ?? You and Ainsworth are probably the only two who would agree, he's so ineffectual it's untrue, he must be tied to playing contractually , he wouldn't get near to starting otherwise, him and Hayes are so past their sell by date
I still think Hayes has a lot to offer. Our best finisher no question. Just the service to him is so poor.....we really do miss creativity, we are set up NOT to.lose rather thank playing to win.
I have a feeling Hayes will be offered a player/coach role on reduced terms, as i cant see anyway they can justify offering him another contract as a striker.
I think Gozie and Max will be released, O'nien has to be offered a new contract ?
It's possible that Wood,Bean and Bloomers could be fighting over perhaps just one spot, as creative and better midfielders must be high on Gaz's shopping list.
Releasing Bean would be a big mistake. We do need some creativity in midfield but that doesn't mean we should scrap a holding midfielder altogether. Bean has done a good job of breaking up opposition attacks all season and has played a big part in our remarkable defensive record. He should be given a new deal.
Bean is at the top end of our wage structure, i believe. Agreed i would prefer Bean to Bloomers or Woody.
Personally I'd be very dissappointed if Hayes is not here next season. He's struggled at times this season with injuries and form, but he's still a class act at this level. Sadly, when a player has a few off games and they're past 30, people automatically plump for the lazy 'he's past it' arguement.
The problem is Thompson, he's been ok, but no more than that and the Hayes / Thompson partnership clearly hasn't flourished as Ainsworth had hoped. Ideally Thompson would be released and Hayes retained, but with Thompson certain to be here next season, sadly it's likely to be Hayes who's let go in order to fund a new striker which we clearly need. I'd be very sad to to see him go, as he's been absolutely fantastic for us and a great leader on the pitch.
Hayes must be offered a new contract, as he's our captain, and when we get the ball down and play to his strengths, what he does can be magical.
I'm so disappointed in Thompson. Should've scored that chance yesterday, and doesn't impact as much as Hayes would with a pacy striker.
As for Max, did well in the contribution for the goal, but lacks any bulk which is vital at this level.
Not sure @alfstewart how you translate this into "our strongest performer"!
If I had to decide between Paul Hayes and Garry Thompson, the former would get my vote. @rmjlondon reckons his legs have now gone - an odd turn of phrase. They seemed to be working pretty well when he made that run toward goal late in the second half, knackered as he may have been at the end of it!
If only we could afford to pay Thompson off, lets be honest nobody is likely to try and sign him from us.
We have strayed from Max. He seems to divide opinion but on balance I sense that a small majority would favour releasing him. As I've said above, I see unfulfilled potential which will only come to fruition if he plays more than two or three consecutive games. Same could been said about the unfortunate AAH.
Could we have a few more opinions on Max please.
Bean has to be retained. He gives 100%, breaks up play and must be a pain to play against. He has the additional asset of being able to fill in adequately at full back as he did last season.
I would keep Max and Gozie just as squad members. We don't have the financial resources to have say 18 quality players fighting over a starting place.
Despite them being loyal players over the years I would release Woods and Bloomfield (unless the latter takes on a coaching role). Like others I would try and offload Thompson.
I wasn't there yesterday, but over the last few years Max has continually impressed me with his technique, vision and accuracy of passing. We all seem pretty fed up with the brand of football currently being played, so I'm surprised that people are then advocating releasing one of the only players in our squad with the sort of qualities that our performances are so often crying out for. Yes, he is very lightweight and at 22 I don't know how much more 'bulking up' he can really be expected to achieve, but also it's a sad indictment of the way football is played in this country that all technically able but small players are simply expected to bulk up, rather than focus on maximising their talents.
As others have said, his wages are most likely minimal and whilst I agree he is not best suited to the role of striker, he is undoubtedly versatile across the midfield and attack and that should count hugely in his favour in such a small squad.
If we are to play better, more attacking football next season, then retaining Kretzschmar would be a small step (or at least a signal of intent from GA) towards achieving that.
I think keeping Max is a no-brainer. He's cheap, he's versatile and he adds a creative element. I realised soon after the start of the match why he was playing yesterday ahead of Sellars. With Jacobson out Max is the only player who can take a decent corner. It would be crazy to get rid of a player who adds different dimensions, seems willing to accept his lot as a squad player but always appears motivated when picked, and - I repeat - is cheap. Definitely keep.
Yes, I think if GA is wanting to tweak things in the summer and have us playing the ball on the floor a bit more, then I'd like to see Max retained, as he can be a classy player if the playing style suits. If GA sees long ball as the way forward for us, then Max is not really the player for us and would be better off seeking new pastures. As someone said above, what happens with Max in the close season may reveal a lot about GA's thinking for next season
Max is easily our most creative player, though not necessarily a player that suits ainsworths style. If GA wanted to tweak things next year and play more passing based style I think a midfield three of Bean, McGinn and Max just ahead of them would be a very good place to start.
That midfield just isn't fast enough
We have Harriman we can use in midfield, he's fast enough?
I don't think central midfielders have ever had to be fast, I'd play Harriman wide right and Woody left would give us enough pace.
If we're planning on playing a different style of football next season is this achievable with the current group of players? Surely Wood, McGinn, Bean and Harriman aren't going to turn into a creative midfield over preseason? Great as industry players but there is a distinct lack of flair in the current squad.
Retain Max @Snakes? I'd see him as a more thoughtful, creative alternative to Sammy.
Are we going to get a like for like or better replacement for the same money, drive or determination? Doubt it, I'd give him another year he's a solid enough bench player and at least gives his all minimum requirements at this level.