It always surprises me, the lack of consideration given to players who may be young, inexperienced, at clubs in bad situations, at various stages of their career etc etc etc
There’s always a bigger picture and lots of external factors to consider.
I have to qualify that and say that a) it’s not by everyone. It’s often just a smaller part of any fanbase at any club b) often the criticism at that moment is often justified in its observation if not it’s timing.
But it’s more often than not just not made with due consideration given to the whole story.
Players like Nathen Bishop, Emile, Isaac, Charlie, Lewis Gard, Richard Taylor, Miles MN, Tyrell….even players like Rene Batlowka and Michael Klass were all placed in a very very bad situation that was ever worsening, probably way ahead of their time.
For some (Nathen, Isaac / Charlie / Emile) they were fortunate that it looks like any damage done was at best not terminal and at least they’ve managed to succeed to a degree in spite of…..
But for others like Tyrell, MMN, Rene, Michael it may have been a major contributing factor to a short pro career…..we may never know.
What is certain though is although some of the criticism of some of these players may have been, at the time, seemed perfectly justifiable, it was probably ill-judged in respect of what was fair.
Isaac was flimsy. He was (and still is) inconsistent, he was (and still is
) poor in the air but it’s all a work in progress. He was trying to play Centre midfield in a league 1 team where we spent most of the game being overrun. He was 19 and about 11 stone. The very attributes he needed were the exact same attributes he was desperately needing nature to help him with. He didnt possess the game knowledge or the physicality to do what most fans wanted from him. The criticism was fair….the timing of it wasn’t. Technically he was good enough. Physically he wasn’t. Athletically he was good enough, mentally he wasn’t.
It’s the same for Emile. Emile’s problem was that physically he was ready and so to the naked eye it was frustrating for fans because it seemed so easy to at least “put yourself about a bit”. However mentally he had no idea how to use his physicality to his advantage. Also, technically he wasn’t ready and he was unable to do things that he now can.
These players were being asked to be men. To be leaders. But they were in teams that had little or no guidance alongside them….and for long spells at the helm…and they were finding it very very hard.
Add to that the off field issues that no player let alone young players should have to experience.
I make no apologies for it and I’m being completely honest, my genuine belief is, that Isaac is only just recovering from some mental scars that have affected his development as a player…..in some ways it’s helped him and made him resilient and experienced but also my feeling is there was some deep rooted “imposter syndrome” (also not helped by experienced elsewhere btw)
For Emile, I feel he’s coming into a period of his career where his technical and mental abilities are starting to align with his physical ones. As with Isaac I’m sure some of the experiences have helped shape him and make him what he is, whereas other experiences will have hindered him and been hard to shake off.
It is what it is. Who knows how you’re shaped without those bumps in the road….in another lifetime a sliding door moment makes Rene and Michael pro footballers and Isaac and Emile playing local non league…..who knows?
I’m pleased for Emile. I’m pleased for any player who shows the required level of resilience, determination and dedication to overcome adversity and make a success in anything they decide to do.
These lads were just kids. Literally kids. Their mates were getting p!ssed down the park and trying to earn enough money for a night out and hopefully a bit of fun with a local girl come closing time, at the same time they were getting pelters for trying to do a job they weren’t ready to do, in front of 5000 people
It makes some it breaks others….and don’t get me wrong there are and were many up sides and they experienced many things most of us can only dream of…..but I’ll always maintain it’s probably more likely in spite of rather than because of…
) more a cumulative effect of them (the players) being in the wrong place at the wrong time, a time when the football club in general was starting to spiral….
