Most important player ever?

[PistolPete]

Ridiculous title perhaps, but...

Is Joao the single most important player we’ve ever had?

Without him we’re organised and ok as a team.

Put him in the lineup and everything seems to work better - and goals!

This is not to say he’s the best player we’ve had of course, but take Shorey out of the team and we were only 10% worse.

Gylfi was incredible, Jason Roberts very important. But in a team of very very good players, Joao is the glue

By the way, having one crucial player or ‘talisman’ is, in a way, a bad thing!

[Hound]

Puscas did a good job against Watford deputising, but certainly Joao is absolutely central to what we do

[tidus_mi2]

For me Nicky Forster was our most important player in the 02/03 season, when he got injured in the first leg semi-final against Wolves we were done.

Joao is probably a close 2nd for importance but if we had Meite still I think we would be alright and certainly wouldn't have struggled as much.

[SCIAG]

Forster in 2002-03, Kitson in 2004-05, and Kermorgant in Stam’s season would have to be contenders.

[Zip]

Yeah Forster’s a great shout. How that play off semi final first leg changed when he went off injured. We were in total control before he went off. It goes without saying that without him for the second leg we were just not the same team.

[Zip]

For me Nicky Forster was our most important player in the 02/03 season, when he got injured in the first leg semi-final against Wolves we were done.

Joao is probably a close 2nd for importance but if we had Meite still I think we would be alright and certainly wouldn't have struggled as much.

That game was v Wolves wasn’t it?

[tidus_mi2]

For me Nicky Forster was our most important player in the 02/03 season, when he got injured in the first leg semi-final against Wolves we were done.

Joao is probably a close 2nd for importance but if we had Meite still I think we would be alright and certainly wouldn't have struggled as much.

That game was v Wolves wasn’t it?

It was, I somehow misremembered and I edited it before you clicked the quote button it appears!

[Snowball]

Question is:


Does Velcro want to play the one-up and JOAO fits the system perfectly

OR

Does Velcro play the one-up because we have JOAO in such form?


I really think we need a genuine Plan B or JOAO B, another big player,
possibly the same "type" or may be one more reliant on speed/aggression
like Shane in his best season with us.

And to just suggest a dampener on things... Blackman in that ridiculous
purple patch he had, was awesome. Did he ever do similar before or since?

I love JOAO and he has scored a lot of cracking goals, but he is going to marked
ever-tighter, kicked more and more, get injured etc.

I think we need to get another big 9

[Zip]

Question is:


Does Velcro want to play the one-up and JOAO fits the system perfectly

OR

Does Velcro play the one-up because we have JOAO in such form?


I really think we need a genuine Plan B or JOAO B, another big player,
possibly the same "type" or may be one more reliant on speed/aggression
like Shane in his best season with us.

And to just suggest a dampener on things... Blackman in that ridiculous
purple patch he had, was awesome. Did he ever do similar before or since?

I love JOAO and he has scored a lot of cracking goals, but he is going to marked
ever-tighter, kicked more and more, get injured etc.

I think we need to get another big 9

Getting another big 9 is one thing. Getting one even remotely as good as Joao is another. Puscas can definitely do a job for us. He played well against a good Watford side and has a decent scoring rate for us. I’m not so convinced we need to buy another striker. We have been very unlucky to have three out at the same time. Hopefully that won’t happen again this season.

[Snowball]

Question is:


Does Velcro want to play the one-up and JOAO fits the system perfectly

OR

Does Velcro play the one-up because we have JOAO in such form?


I really think we need a genuine Plan B or JOAO B, another big player,
possibly the same "type" or may be one more reliant on speed/aggression
like Shane in his best season with us.

And to just suggest a dampener on things... Blackman in that ridiculous
purple patch he had, was awesome. Did he ever do similar before or since?

I love JOAO and he has scored a lot of cracking goals, but he is going to marked
ever-tighter, kicked more and more, get injured etc.

I think we need to get another big 9

Getting another big 9 is one thing. Getting one even remotely as good as Joao is another. Puscas can definitely do a job for us. He played well against a good Watford side and has a decent scoring rate for us. I’m not so convinced we need to buy another striker. We have been very unlucky to have three out at the same time. Hopefully that won’t happen again this season.

Meite, Puscas, Baldock, none of them are VG as a target man.

Seems to me that a good target man, even if he doesn't get a lot of goals
would be the replacement for JOAO, sold, sick, injured, off-form.

Is Kane available as back-up?

[Snowflake Royal]

Forster in 2002-03, Kitson in 2004-05, and Kermorgant in Stam’s season would have to be contenders.

Good call.

I think we'd cope ok without Joao if we had Meite and Puscas. It's none of them that's the problem.

But yeah, Joao elevates us from good to great.

[Snowball]

Should add that his (previous?) inconsistency and (current) injury record
might act in our favour in January. he would be, for example, a perfect fit
for Wolves who would be transformed by such a player.

[Mid Sussex Royal]

Going back a bit:

Robin Friday - 1975/76 promotion season

Kerry Dixon - 1982/83, we were relegated but on an unusually high 53 points and Dixon was the leading scorer in the entire football league

[Zip]

Going back a bit:

Robin Friday - 1975/76 promotion season

Kerry Dixon - 1982/83, we were relegated but on an unusually high 53 points and Dixon was the leading scorer in the entire football league

12 wins, 17 draws and 17 defeats from that season is etched in my memory. Probably the most pissed off I’ve been with a relegation

[WoodleyRoyal]

Trevor Morley

[3points]

I always think Sidwell was by far the most important player in the Coppell side. It was like having three in midfield and we saw how difficult it was to replace him

[Pepe the Horseman]

I always think Sidwell was by far the most important player in the Coppell side. It was like having three in midfield and we saw how difficult it was to replace him

It's difficult to make a call on the 106 team, as they just didn't get injured. Anyone got any stats on how many games they each played that season?

[Hendo]

I always think Sidwell was by far the most important player in the Coppell side. It was like having three in midfield and we saw how difficult it was to replace him

It's difficult to make a call on the 106 team, as they just didn't get injured. Anyone got any stats on how many games they each played that season?

Except for the strikers, if my memory serves me correctly, although we were lucky that of Kitson was out, Lita and Doyle were good to go and then when Kitson was back, one of the others were out with injuries. Other than that, I’d be surprised if anyone else from the main XI played less than 35 games that season, maybe even less than 40.

[Pepe the Horseman]

I always think Sidwell was by far the most important player in the Coppell side. It was like having three in midfield and we saw how difficult it was to replace him

It's difficult to make a call on the 106 team, as they just didn't get injured. Anyone got any stats on how many games they each played that season?

Except for the strikers, if my memory serves me correctly, although we were lucky that of Kitson was out, Lita and Doyle were good to go and then when Kitson was back, one of the others were out with injuries. Other than that, I’d be surprised if anyone else from the main XI played less than 35 games that season, maybe even less than 40.

Yeh, that's how I remember it. Can't remember any of our back four missing a game, although sure they must've done. Hunt and Oster played a few games, but mostly sub appearances. Same with Bryn.

[WestYorksRoyal]

Shane Long seemed indispensable in 10/11, but then we went up next year without him. Forster in 02/03 is a good shout, as well as Kermogant as people have suggested.

Also Kitson prior to the arrival of Doyle and Lita. The team fell apart with his injury in 04/05.

But Joao is right up there with all these examples.

Struggling to think of examples who aren't strikers; I guess goals win games. And in all examples, it's not just goals but the way the team has relied upon their focal point.