Paulus
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- Jul 17, 2009
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I’ve never quite come to terms with squad numbers but over the years they’ve sunk into my consciousness and I’ve built up a bank of prejudices about squad numbers and what they say about the players who wear them
This is somewhere near my thoughts at the moment –
1 - Starting keeper
12 - back-up keeper
13 – Youth keeper who is too dodgy to use and is grateful for the 13 shirt that no-one else would touch with a bargepole.
2 - Right back
5,6 - Starting center backs
3 - left back
4 - generally decent defender that gets a fair amount of starts due to injury – 3rd centre back if playing 3 at the back
7 - right wing/wide midfield – preferably with gap toothed smile, socks around ankles, possibly Scottish or Irish, 5 foot 8 max.
11 - left wing/wide midfield, more direct than a number 7 – good crosser/dead ball specialist.
10 – best player – hole attacker, attacking mid, takes curling free kicks.
9 – Main Striker either poacher or big bastard, penalty taker.
8, - dirty bugger, midfield enforcer, skill at a premium.
14, 15 - squad midfielder/strikers that rarely score a goal, and you really want to flog off to some mugs for big money
16, 17, 18, 19 - utility players
20 – box to box midfielder who somehow never delivers for 2 matches running and fiercely divides the supporters.
21, 22 – Next great thing youth player
23 upwards - desperation signings, mediocre youths soon to be plying their trade in non-league and previous manager’s signings that every one wishes would go away.
Compare this then with our team at Wimbledon:
25 Moore
13 Wright
5 O'Connell
19 Ebanks-Landell
18 Freeman
21 Duffy
15 Coutts
6 Basham sub 4 Fleck
24 Lafferty
10 Sharp sub 27 L Clarke
11 Done sub 8 Scougall
Got to say it’s a bit of a shambles numbers wise, really only 1 player, 5 O’Connell, who fits in with my prejudices. Now of course this reflects our recent turmoil but even so this nonsense definitely detracts from my enjoyment of matches. I find it harder to spot patterns of play, tactical switches etc. I often struggle to read double digit numbers on shirts and having their names and other assorted shit on them makes it more difficult still. To be honest the only way I tend to identify players at all now is from familiarity, their size, running style, hair colour, mannerism etc. and all so clubs can flog personalized shirts to the gullible.
This is somewhere near my thoughts at the moment –
1 - Starting keeper
12 - back-up keeper
13 – Youth keeper who is too dodgy to use and is grateful for the 13 shirt that no-one else would touch with a bargepole.
2 - Right back
5,6 - Starting center backs
3 - left back
4 - generally decent defender that gets a fair amount of starts due to injury – 3rd centre back if playing 3 at the back
7 - right wing/wide midfield – preferably with gap toothed smile, socks around ankles, possibly Scottish or Irish, 5 foot 8 max.
11 - left wing/wide midfield, more direct than a number 7 – good crosser/dead ball specialist.
10 – best player – hole attacker, attacking mid, takes curling free kicks.
9 – Main Striker either poacher or big bastard, penalty taker.
8, - dirty bugger, midfield enforcer, skill at a premium.
14, 15 - squad midfielder/strikers that rarely score a goal, and you really want to flog off to some mugs for big money
16, 17, 18, 19 - utility players
20 – box to box midfielder who somehow never delivers for 2 matches running and fiercely divides the supporters.
21, 22 – Next great thing youth player
23 upwards - desperation signings, mediocre youths soon to be plying their trade in non-league and previous manager’s signings that every one wishes would go away.
Compare this then with our team at Wimbledon:
25 Moore
13 Wright
5 O'Connell
19 Ebanks-Landell
18 Freeman
21 Duffy
15 Coutts
6 Basham sub 4 Fleck
24 Lafferty
10 Sharp sub 27 L Clarke
11 Done sub 8 Scougall
Got to say it’s a bit of a shambles numbers wise, really only 1 player, 5 O’Connell, who fits in with my prejudices. Now of course this reflects our recent turmoil but even so this nonsense definitely detracts from my enjoyment of matches. I find it harder to spot patterns of play, tactical switches etc. I often struggle to read double digit numbers on shirts and having their names and other assorted shit on them makes it more difficult still. To be honest the only way I tend to identify players at all now is from familiarity, their size, running style, hair colour, mannerism etc. and all so clubs can flog personalized shirts to the gullible.
