Craig Woodman

[The Dolman Pragmatist]

I'm not normally one to point the finger at individual players, but on the basis of last night's performance, and in fact on the basis of the last five years, am I the only one who feels that Craig Woodman is one of the poorest players ever to wear the City shirt? He is timid, indecisive, nearly always chooses the negative option and rarely tries anything unexpected. Is it just me? Am I missing something? Considering our proud history of left backs in the past 20 years, he really is not what we need...

[Guest Topbuzz]

He's steady nothing special adds depth to the squad though.

[Guest Browner]

Totally agree with you.

Just plays a pass inside every time and stands to admire it. You never see him busting a gut running up with left beit going for a pass or simply to drag the right back out of the game.

Last night our central midfield had no options either side of them, therefore getting caught on the ball and making them look inept.

[Andy Horsman]

Sadly seems to have lost his way, and has become a very one dimensional mediocre type of player.Will no doubt be gone in June. No pace, poor tackling, no imagination, no threat.Don't have an axe to grind, has served the club well enough, but simply lacks the quality we now require IMO.

[Guest brizzlered1]

Sadly seems to have lost his way, and has become a very one dimensional mediocre type of player.Will no doubt be gone in June. No pace, poor tackling, no imagination, no threat.Don't have an axe to grind, has served the club well enough, but simply lacks the quality we now require IMO.

Totally agree - he had no creativity in him last night whatsoever. Everytime he got the ball last night it was the simple ball - he was probably worst last night in the formation that we played so it's probably not fair to be too harsh.

[Bristol Boy]

Craig Woodman is a left back.

As an emeRgency and with key players out, he can play LWB, very occassionaly.

We know it.He knows it.

You would think that after over a year at the club in Johnsons case and several years in Millens that they'd know it.

Woodmans left wing role was one of the significant factors in The Millenium Debacle that, quite rightly, cost DW his job.

He didn't play well however, neither would Chris Weale if he wasn't in goal.

I've suggested other uses of the players available in another thread about formation & tactics so I won't repeat it.Suffice to say, we didn't make the best use of the players available.

[Guest Browner]

We have had top quality left backs over the years and one of their strengths was the ability to play a pass inside and go for the return, not just standing still scared to cross the halfway line.

Yes Woodman is a left back but it would be nice to at least see him attempting to either go for the return ball (or at least giving the central midfield that option) or dragging the right back out of the game by making a run.

He is just too casual in his game. He never makes sure of the pass, he just bobbles it along the ground etc.

I'm not saying he should be weaving pass defenders ala Giggsy but at least showing enthusiasm in making those runs.

[Bristol Boy]

We have had top quality left backs over the years and one of their strengths was the ability to play a pass inside and go for the return, not just standing still scared to cross the halfway line.

Yes Woodman is a left back but it would be nice to at least see him attempting to either go for the return ball (or at least giving the central midfield that option) or dragging the right back out of the game by making a run.

He is just too casual in his game. He never makes sure of the pass, he just bobbles it along the ground etc.

I'm not saying he should be weaving pass defenders ala Giggsy but at least showing enthusiasm in making those runs.

What summed the game up for me was when Fontaine moved forward and had CW in acres of space to his left.He preferred to blast the ball ten feet over the bar....or was that ten yards, than shift it to CW.That tells you how much confidence he had in him, in that role.

CW has rarely played over the last 2/3 months and he probably won't be in the squad, never mind the team at BHA with McAllister back.

Playing CW there is a similar antic to playing Skuse wide-It's not the best use of the players available and I put last nights performance, if one can call it that, 100% down to GJ.Most City fans would, not could, have selected a better line up from the players available.

You're quite right about decent left backs like Scott, Drysdale, Barnard & Bell-However, rarely were they forced to play left wing and even Micky Bell, a far better footballer then Craig Woodman, although arguably, not a better defender, struggled on the odd occassion he moved forward.

This position has been a problem for about 2/3 seasons now and will continue to be so until we sign a quality, LEFT FOOTED, pacey OUTSIDE LEFT.

[Whale Eye Beef Hooked]

We have had top quality left backs over the years and one of their strengths was the ability to play a pass inside and go for the return, not just standing still scared to cross the halfway line.

Yes Woodman is a left back but it would be nice to at least see him attempting to either go for the return ball (or at least giving the central midfield that option) or dragging the right back out of the game by making a run.

He is just too casual in his game. He never makes sure of the pass, he just bobbles it along the ground etc.

I'm not saying he should be weaving pass defenders ala Giggsy but at least showing enthusiasm in making those runs.

So, what were those runs up to the byline and a few good crosses in the first 30 minutes then ??

He has been out of the team for a long time and come back for 2 big games and has not let anyone down. He is mr. steady.

[bh_red]

Woodman is decent cover at left back for a team at this level, nothing more nothing less,

very much a steady eddy type, has never really progressed to anything outstanding, but is always fairly solid and reliable when called upon, he has had some big boots to fill over the years with the likes of Scott, Barnard, Bell, McAlllister and is nothing like the quality of those players.

though I think it's a case that he know's his role at the club and for a while he is willing to accept it, at left back he's decent at left wing/wing-back not got enough in him, though he did do a very good job in that role on Saturday.

to say he is one of the poorest players ever, is totally uncalled for, he's never really let us down or done anything wrong, if you are looking at poor players think Paul Tisdale, Phil Barber, Henry McKop, Jason Fowler, but not woodman!

[Bristol Boy]

Woodman is decent cover at left back for a team at this level, nothing more nothing less,

very much a steady eddy type, has never really progressed to anything outstanding, but is always fairly solid and reliable when called upon, he has had some big boots to fill over the years with the likes of Scott, Barnard, Bell, McAlllister and is nothing like the quality of those players.

though I think it's a case that he know's his role at the club and for a while he is willing to accept it, at left back he's decent at left wing/wing-back not got enough in him, though he did do a very good job in that role on Saturday.

to say he is one of the poorest players ever, is totally uncalled for, he's never really let us down or done anything wrong, if you are looking at poor players think Paul Tisdale, Phil Barber, Henry McKop, Jason Fowler, but not woodman!

Quite right and Managers seem to select players on the basis that they'll suddenly "morph" into someone else and start doing things they've never done and are genuinely incapable of.......they see it fail.....and then..........***k me, if they don't do it again!!!!!

[Guest Paul Hudd]

Totally agree - he had no creativity in him last night whatsoever. Everytime he got the ball last night it was the simple ball - he was probably worst last night in the formation that we played so it's probably not fair to be too harsh.

That was part of the problem last night though-we weren't playing the simple ball enough................

Johnson and Noble in particular were going for fancy passes all the time when the simple ball would have sufficed.

[GrahamC]

I like Craig, I know he's had minimal first team football in the last three months and I've defended him in the past, but to me last night he looked totally bereft of confidence (and this was at home to a bottom division team, FFS!) and he didn't even make decisive decisions with the ball at his feet, which regularly meant that by the time he released it, the guy he'd given it to was marked by about 3 players, or it went square yet again.

I'm sorry to say it but I doubt we'll see him in the first team much more, if at all, McAllister is a clear first choice at left back and I think Fontaine would get the nod as cover now if there was a vacancy there in future and even with the absence of Wilson and Betsy for JPT games, I doubt we'll see a repeat of him playing wide left in BS7 next Tuesday....