Time for the next part of my player-by-player review of the past season. This time it’s the turn of the midfielders.
Ben Sheaf
It’s been a frustrating season for Ben Sheaf. Through injuries and poor form, we’ve barely been able to enjoy him at his best, and even when he has performed like his old self, there has still been a sense that he hasn’t been able to reach the heights of his game that he has done in seasons past.
With that said, whenever he is out of the side, there is a purveying feeling that he would make a difference had he been available. We know what Sheaf can bring to the team; a good ball-winner, and a smart passer, with enough dynamism to also affect the game higher up the pitch, be it with a dribble through the middle or a late entry into the box; he also has good defensive positioning that often allows him to cover a wandering full-back or a missing Liam Kitching. The fact that he can offer all of these things instead of just one or two elevates him to the upper echelon of Championship midfielders.
If allowed a consistent run in a defined role, then providing he also stays clear of major injuries next season, Sheaf should once again show himself to be the main man in the middle. That is of course, the club is able to retain his services over the summer.
Josh Eccles
Another player who has endured a storied season. During the months with Mark Robins still in charge, Josh Eccles was the most consistent performer in the squad, and performed at a higher level to those only previously seen by him on fleeting occasions. Eccles then found himself on the periphery under the new Frank Lampard regime, at least to begin with, as he found himself having to adapt to a new manager’s philosophy for practically the first ever time in his senior career.
Perhaps realising that he no longer had the faith placed in him by his former boss to fall back on in difficult times, Eccles has slowly grown back into contention. The January addition of Matt Grimes provided another speed bump in his road to the first team, but Eccles still occasionally is able to demonstrate that he is able to play a part in this team.
Where Josh Eccles could improve is mentally. He has a secretly excellent technique with the ball, but perhaps the reason it is still something of a secret is because his decision making means he doesn’t always get to show it as much as he could; either taking on silly shots, or attempting passes that are no longer on. This underlines a lack of consistency in his game that needs to be erased in order for him to become the player he sometimes teases to be. His brief cameo in the play-off second leg at Sunderland shows that he can offer just as much as Ben Sheaf. He just needs to do it more often.
Ultimately, he is a player who many feel is at a crossroads in his professional career. Whether Lampard feels he still has the desired capability to offer what is needed to his boyhood club; only the head coach can answer. If not, will he be able to kick on and take the next step in his career at another club, perhaps one that may consider him to be a key player? Time will tell.
Matt Grimes
It’s rare to sign the captain, stalwart, and top player from a rival Championship side. It’s even rarer to do it mid-season, and it’s probably rarer still to do it following said player’s extended family upping sticks and moving house to the area the player is just about to vacate (but there is little data on that). Yet this is what we were able to accomplish with the signing of Matt Grimes. After such a coup – one that came out of almost nowhere – there is already heavy expectation on the player to come good almost immediately, and on the recruitment team to prove that such a move was worth the outlay.
It was clear from an early stage that Matt Grimes has an intelligence that sets him apart from other players in the squad. Combined with good composure and solid work ethic, he has certainly made his presence felt amongst the squad.
The first contribution Grimes has made to the team was mentioned briefly last time out when talking about Bobby Thomas; in that he provides a passing option to our back line to help get the ball moving. There had been too many times prior to Grimes’ arrival, where our defence would simply pass across their line from one side to the other and back again, with little support from the players in front of them. Grimes instead always makes himself available, and has the presence of mind to know where he want to progress the ball to next. At times though, he finds himself in the same situation that predated his arrival, with the next available midfielder a bit too far away to make a serious attempt at progressing the ball forwards.
Because of his habitual manner of acting as the conduit between defence and attack, Grimes doesn’t always influence the game in the higher reaches of the pitch, and this is something that apart from one or two squad members is lacking throughout the centre of the pitch. This could be argued that Grimes doesn’t offer quite what we need to help create goals, but then that is not his main directive. That isn’t to say that he isn’t capable of doing it though, and on rare forays forward we have seen that he can have an impact in creating and scoring goals in this fashion.
Grimes is an atypical signing for the club based off of its current business model and transfer strategy, but it’s clear that his addition is by design to improve the quality of midfield personnel, provide relief for the likes of Sheaf and Eccles in a transitional sense, and offer an experienced head, in a more immediate fashion than what would be expected of a more burgeoning talent. Furthermore, it is highly unlikely that when his time at the club comes to a close, that we will see any sort of meaninful return on the investment made to bring him in. The only real return would be the prize money and TV revenue earned from promotion. That of course, is the plan.
Victor Torp
Following his arrival and subsequent rushing into the fray in the January of last season, the unanimous feeling was that Victor Torp would truly benefit from a rest followed by a good, full pre-season. For the most part, Torp has been able to develop his game, and be available for large stretches of the season, which has been beneficial to a squad lacking in attack-minded central midfield players.
Very much an ‘on his day player’, Torp has a tendency to either deliver in spades, or go missing for large portions of a game. Perhaps underlined by the fact that only one of his goal contributions came away from home (a hooked assist for Ellis Simms’ opener at Ewood Park), Torp is in his element when the whole team is in attack mode.
A player with the ability to play some smart passes, and with good striking technique, Torp has added a physicality to his game that Frank Lampard has noted in his pointing out that he could play in a double pivot. When put into practice however, it is still clear that Torp has work to do on the defensive side of his game, but you cannot deny his work rate.
When in his preferred role, Torp certainly has plenty to offer. It is only the form of Jack Rudoni as the season progressed, that has relegated him to either the bench or a deeper midfield position. Finally, an injury early on against Portsmouth at home curtailed his season. It would have been interesting to see what Torp could have provided in the run-in, especially against the more defensively set opponents we faced. Could he have been a difference-maker? Food for thought.
Jamie Allen
Alongside Ben Wilson, Jamie Allen is the last surviving member of the squad that saw the team promoted from League 1. In spite of the club’s continual progression in the division, Allen has been able to keep himself a viable squad option.
What has helped Allen keep a place in the team, is his unrelenting work ethic. What he lacks in passing range, physicality, or positional utility when compared to his peer group, he makes up for in sheer hard running. Also loved by Mark Robins for his tactical understanding, in being given a job and doing his damndest to do it, there have been games this season where Allen’s inclusion has been a massive benefit to the team, yet at the same time, there are others where you just wish he was anyone else, such are his technical limitations. In games where you need someone to do the basics and do them sufficiently, he’s the man. In games where you need a bit of quality to make the difference, he isn’t.
Having had to wait his turn under Frank Lampard, Allen was eventually given a start at Carrow Road, and although the result was unfavourable, the team’s performance was personified by Allen. Dogged and workmanlike, it was very much an example of Allen being the sort of man you’d want in the trenches. This was later followed up with a near-perfect undergoing of his duties in the 3-0 victory at home to Sunderland, in the epitome of what the ball-winning midfielder should be.
With all that said, as his contract runs out this summer, it would be fair to say that Jamie Allen is probably on his way out. Despite the contributions he can make, it feels like he is one of the easiest players in his position to improve upon, at least when being able to make a contribution higher up the pitch. Like what was said previously about Jake Bidwell, he is another player indicative of where the club’s true ambition lies as we look towards next season, and having either player still seen as a viable squad member might be seen as not doing enough to achieve our ultimate goals.
Jack Rudoni
Starboy. A lot of what has transpired this season, not least in the second half of it, has lived and died by what Jack Rudoni has been able to offer. A versatile attacking midfielder, who can play in pretty much any role in the midfield and has had to do so to varying degrees throughout the season, Rudoni has cemented his berth as the no. 10 of choice for the club.
Following a slow start emblematic of the team’s struggles early on, Rudoni settled into the team quite comfortably, and eventually blossomed under the stewardship of Frank Lampard. Wearing the number five shirt in homage to Zinedine Zidane, Rudoni has produced displays to back up the tribute, at least befitting the level he’s playing at anyway. Blessed with elegant footwork, a cultured delivery, and the physicality required to score several headed goals, Rudoni has the capability to become as complete a midfielder as Gus Hamer was before him.
It’s hard, what with recency bias, to really pinpoint weaknesses in Rudoni’s game and areas where he could improve. The best advice really would be to just carry on as he is doing, and hopefully the rest of the team will get up to his level. The main concern this summer naturally will revolve around being able to keep hold of him, and ward off the baying crowd of suitors for his services. Should the club sell him, it will at least be for a good amount of money, which makes Rudoni the perfect exponent of the club’s business model. He will however, be a very hard player to replace on current form.
Tatsuhiro Sakamoto
Show me a man who doesn’t like Tatsuhiro Sakamoto, and I’ll show you a man who has no joy in his world.
Ever popular, and with good reason, it was an early treat this season to see Sakamoto well on the path to recovery following a bad injury that cut short his debut season with the club. However, it still took him a long time to get anywhere close to the level of individual brilliance that he had displayed at times last season. Sakamoto is at his best when fully confident, and with the team off-colour early on, and lacking some bravery following the injury, this meant that along with partner-in-crime Milan Van Ewijk being off form in the first half of the season, fans had to wait for the Sakamoto of old to appear.
As with many this season, Sakamoto’s form hit an upswing following the change in management, and his goals and assists started to increase as a result. At his best, Sakamoto is any opposing wide player’s nightmare. Always able to work a crossing angle, and with the delivery to match, he also has the pace and a killer work ethic that means he is effective at both ends of the pitch. On his off-days, he isn’t necessarily bad; just ineffective. There have been times this season where Sakamoto ideally could have been rested, or swapped out for a more direct winger, as Tats’ only other drawback seems to be that he has a tendency to slow a move down, in favour of cutting back onto his left foot, or attempting to beat his man one more time.
There is little to suggest that Sakamoto won’t be here at the start of the new season. Already a favourite of Frank Lampard for his attitude and application, and well-loved by the fans, it can only be hoped that Sakamoto now has a full season of the form he is capable of.
Ephron Mason-Clark
After being loaned back to Peterborough as part of the transfer that brought him to Coventry City, fans had to wait with baited breath to see what Ephron Mason-Clark was all about. However, when he finally was able to show what he could do, it was at first underwhelming. Once again, Mason-Clark only really got into his stride following Lampard’s appointment; scoring his first goal for the club in Lampard’s first game in charge, at home to Cardiff. This was the spark that lit his flame, and he went on a crusade for the month of December, with seven goal contributions in six games. During this time, he was electric; his direct and tricky running combined with good upper-body strength meant he was consistently getting the better of his full-back, and his ability to play the ball with both feet added an unpredictability to his game.
Sadly coming off at half-time during a routing at home to Plymouth, Mason-Clark never really was able to return to that exciting level of form again after his return from injury – only scoring and assisting once more each for the remainder of the season – before a second injury ended his campaign, though he was able to return to the fold in time to score in the second leg against Sunderland, in another good performance. The hope is that upon his return, Mason-Clark will once again be the winger we saw during his purple patch. If the squad can be bolstered to compensate for his absences, then even better.
I also enjoyed that at one point, his goal celebration was always preceded by him looking over towards the linesman for any potential flag.
Jamie Paterson
The homecoming kid. Jamie Paterson’s arrival served its purpose; providing added depth to the attacking midfield positions. His late winning goal at home against Portsmouth shall live long in the memory of those who were there to witness it, and for Paterson himself it was the stuff you could have ripped straight out of a story book.
There were enough flashes of quality in his other appearances to suggest that an additional year for Paterson wouldn’t be the worst option to take up, but given his advancing years you would hope that the club have other options in mind as well.
Raphael Borges Rodrigues
The most enigmatic signing the club have made in quite some time. It’s been hard to say anything about Raphael’s season other than we would have expected to have seen a bit more than a few late cameos. After signing for the club last June from the Australian top-flight, very little was known about Raphael. One season later, we still know very little about him, other than we could easily pick him out in a crowd, given his numerous modelling jobs for the clubs’ merchandise.
Following Mark Robins’ allusions that the player had work to do in order to meet the rigours of Championship football, and an apparent injury setback early in pre-season, the eventual hope was that Raphael might get the courtesy of an appearance or two later on in the season, be it in cup matches, against lower opposition, or in matches that had been comfortably sewn-up. Sadly, for whatever reason, these situations did not present themselves. Even after Frank Lampard mentioned the players’ desire to feature more, albeit with the caveat that Lampard was waiting until the right opportunity, it has become clear that if the opportunity was never there, perhaps Raphael isn’t at the desired level.
Unless he returns from his summer holidays having undergone some sort of freak transformation in his capabilities, a loan move would be the most sensible outcome for Raphael this summer. Otherwise, he may find himself sliding further down the rungs of the club’s pecking order into oblivion.
Hopefully you’ve given yourself enough time to digest all of that. Next time, to the surprise of nobody, I shall provide my thoughts on the plight of our strike force. That’s going to be an arduous one.
Oh and I just remembered that we had Kasey Palmer to begin with. The best review I can give for him comes courtesy of a tweet from Matty on Twitter:
Until next time.
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