Originally Posted by
paul_oshea
Reading that article and looking at gibsons pass against oldham last night got me thinking. Assuming that Maddens form isn't a flash in the pan and he keeps scoring consistently over the next few seasons, a lot comes down to the manager really doesn't it? You would think that all managers in the Professional system in England would be able identify a players best or most natural position and play him there, but also that a player would be able perform with those around him or if not, can it be said that those around him just aren't on the same level?
It seems that the manager at Yeovil let him play the way he wanted and where he wanted, which got the best out of him, but its worrying that the manager at Carlisle never gave him that chance. How many other players haven't got this chance?
The parallel with Gibson, is that the ball he played in was good, but the defending was poor, however the defenders didn't anticipate that pass, so something tells me that the forwards at Oldham might not have anticipated that either. Gibson could hit those balls all day long in the 2nd division and those around him and his manager might think he is useless at picking out his man. I'd like to think though from even playing at u14 level you can identify when a good ball is played or not, regardless of the outcome.