Kevin Maher

[Willie Coulson's Red Cheeks]

Although I regularly read SZ, I am a lazy poster but I have felt compelled to write this after reading some garbage on other threads.

At the start of the season when we were playing great football (eg 2nd half v Yeovil) I did not read critical posts about Maher. We were playing well because both Maher and Gutts, in particular, were playing well. Recently Gutts has been injured and Maher has been out of form and, guess what, the team has not played well.

Although this may be simplifying things too much, we clearly need Maher playing well and then, as is happened in the past, the team plays well. Some people on here have suggested that Tilly must be frightened of Maher or he would have been dropped. For goodness sake, being manager is all about man management. Some players need a kick up the backside and need to be dropped to get the best out of them. Others perhaps need to play themselves back into form; to drop the club captain could be viewed as humiliating and therefore more damaging to a very important player.

No player should be above being dropped and I would be the first to advocate dropping Maher if I didn't think he was giving 100%. In my opinion he always does but that does not mean he will always play well. He is, after all, human.

We need an in form Maher to get us back on track so the last thing he needs (and therefore the fans need) is the fans to get on his back.

SS

 

[rabbloke]

Maher is a key player. Even when he is not as inspirational as he can be, his work-rate is outstanding. He is so often overlooked for the contribution he gives in tackles and headers. I agree we need him on fire but for those that call for him to be dropped I say look again. We do not have another player in the squad that can match Maher for the role he plays and I can assure you all that buying a replacement would not be cheap.

 

[Shrimper2thecore]

Gutts carried him at the start of the season!

 

[canveyshrimper]

At the start of the season we took teams by surprise, possibly they underestimated us. Our main strength was central midfield with Maher & Guttridge. Since then most opposition sides keep a player close by Maher to hassle him when he is on the ball, so subsequently he has less time and options. That is now a problem that both Maher & Tilly have to solve, whether it is a spell on the bench or playing him in a slightly different role remains to be seen.

 

[Westcliff Shrimper]

I am a fan of Kev, but he really needs to have competition, with a fully fit Guttridge, Smith and Bentley pushing him. How long will Smithy be out for?

 

[Hooly]

Quote[/b] (Somerset Shrimper @ Dec. 27 2005,20:20)]For goodness sake, being manager is all about man management.  Some players need a kick up the backside and need to be dropped to get the best out of them.  Others perhaps need to play themselves back into form; to drop the club captain could be viewed as humiliating and therefore more damaging to a very important player.

Is that not the point of some of the so called "garbage".  You freely admit that The Crabmeister isn't playing well but argue that there can be no plan B under any circumstances, which just seems let's leave at unfair to the rest of the squad.  You're basically saying that no matter how long this run of Kev not performing well continues he stays in the team so long as he's giving 100%.  Surely all our players are giving 100% in every game so in that situation you'd never drop any of them based on form?  Some man management strategy that is.

Dropping the club captain humiliating?  It didn't seem to do Kenny Jackett & Roberto Martinez much harm.  Don't forget that was at the time the biggest game of the season for the Swans 1st vs 2nd, and IIRC also the biggest game of the day with the top leagues not playing.  Jackett decided that he wanted something different and it worked for him.  Not saying it's bound to work for us, but we're not allowed that option.

As for critical posts, as a regular reader of SZ surely you've noticed the abuse that emanates from some quarters on this list if you dare say that Kev has even misplaced a pass when we've won.  I'm not a great Crab fan & openly admit I never have been but will acknowledge it when he's good, however I'd like to reserve the right when I think he's poor to mention it.  If you can't state it on here what's the other option?  In the ground?  No not for me.  Maybe a frustrated oath when yet another free kick or corner fails to beat the 1st man but no more than that.

The problem as I see it is that if, and it's been like this for a long time, we're not playing well on a consistent basis there's always been one player exempt from any thought of being dropped & personally I don't think that's either right or fair to the other players.

 

[Murkey_Mouse]

Mahar would'nt not playing Vs MK Dons if Smith did'nt get injuryed & Bentley banned for 1 match, so Tilson have no another option than play Mahar.

At Huddersfield, we look bit better without Mahar .....

 

[Richard_Cadette]

Maher would have started if Patrick Vieira had been fit to play for us on Boxing Day. To say he wouldnt just because Bentley was suspended and Smithy injured is nonsense.

Tilson, for some reason not known to anyone else in footballing circles, seems completely reluctant to drop Kevin Maher no matter what he does.

Im neither a fan nor a detractor of Mr Maher, if he is playing well, then thats great for the team, and when he is playing well, he is a huge asset, But when he performs to the level he has been doing over the last 2 months, then im sorry, he is a liability and if it no wonder the whole team seem to be devoid of confidence when they see the captain of there team playing appallingly week in week out, not to mention incorrectly bollocking them for every time he plays a stray pass, and nothing being done about it.

The players now know Tilly has a favourite, and not just Maher either. Eagle has one bad game this season, and was dropped and hasnt been seen since, with Spinner coming in to replace him. Whats up with that? Spinner has made more mistakes since he came back in than Eagle all season and yet is not going to be dropped. What message does that send out to Eagle?

It is getting to be a bit of a joke now, and everyone else can see it apart from, it seems, Tilly.

Grow some balls ffs and drop the man to the bench!!

How much did we miss him at Huddersfield?.... Erm, yeah loads!!

 

[Willie Coulson's Red Cheeks]

Quote[/b] (Hooly @ Dec. 28 2005,12:52)]

Quote[/b] (Somerset Shrimper @ Dec. 27 2005,20:20)]For goodness sake, being manager is all about man management.  Some players need a kick up the backside and need to be dropped to get the best out of them.  Others perhaps need to play themselves back into form; to drop the club captain could be viewed as humiliating and therefore more damaging to a very important player.

Is that not the point of some of the so called "garbage".  You freely admit that The Crabmeister isn't playing well but argue that there can be no plan B under any circumstances, which just seems let's leave at unfair to the rest of the squad.  You're basically saying that no matter how long this run of Kev not performing well continues he stays in the team so long as he's giving 100%.  Surely all our players are giving 100% in every game so in that situation you'd never drop any of them based on form?  Some man management strategy that is.

Dropping the club captain humiliating?  It didn't seem to do Kenny Jackett & Roberto Martinez much harm.  Don't forget that was at the time the biggest game of the season for the Swans 1st vs 2nd, and IIRC also the biggest game of the day with the top leagues not playing.  Jackett decided that he wanted something different and it worked for him.  Not saying it's bound to work for us, but we're not allowed that option.

As for critical posts, as a regular reader of SZ surely you've noticed the abuse that emanates from some quarters on this list if you dare say that Kev has even misplaced a pass when we've won.  I'm not a great Crab fan & openly admit I never have been but will acknowledge it when he's good, however I'd like to reserve the right when I think he's poor to mention it.  If you can't state it on here what's the other option?  In the ground?  No not for me.  Maybe a frustrated oath when yet another free kick or corner fails to beat the 1st man but no more than that.

The problem as I see it is that if, and it's been like this for a long time, we're not playing well on a consistent basis there's always been one player exempt from any thought of being dropped & personally I don't think that's either right or fair to the other players.

You miss my point. I do not know either Maher or Tilly personally but I was suggesting that Tilly perhaps feels that to drop his captain would neither serve the team nor player well and we have to respect that.

I was pointing out that just because he has not been dropped does not mean that the manager is scared of him which seems to be regularly implied on SZ.

Martinez was dropped and perhaps it worked. That was Jackett's call. Maybe he wouldn't have dropped Maher in similar circumstances if he did not feel it right for that individual. As I sai, it's all about man-management.

SS