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The Liam Polworth Enigma


Robert

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Following on from the informative debate about Iain Vigurs, how do we feel about "he's one of our own" Polly?

I see great unrealised potential, possibly as he is not unleashed in his best position (attacking midfield?) and he sometimes seems disinterested or even lazy.

Can we make him our next star?

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1 hour ago, caleyboy said:

Don't think there is any doubt about his ability but I think there is a big question about his attitude. Pity.

Said this on the Iain Vigurs thread already, but I'm hoping a change of manager will improve Polly - RF's management skills & tactical nous were, well....suspect (polite version)!!

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I haven't seen any radar charts on Liam Polworth I'm afraid.

The expected goal and expected assist charts produced by @TheBackpassRule on Twitter do feature him though.

In terms of xG for midfielders, he sits about where you'd expect, just a little below

https://public.tableau.com/profile/thebackpassrule#!/vizhome/xGper90Midfielders/Dashboard1

In terms of xA he was ahead of the curve

https://public.tableau.com/profile/thebackpassrule#!/vizhome/xAp90/Dashboard1

 

 

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From what I am led to believe he is a quiet lad who can lack confidence, as opposed to having a bad attitude. This could be mistrued as being huffy and gurny at times. 

I think central midfield is his best position as opposed to on the wing. 

I said before it was time for him to step up and take over from the departed Tansey this season.

As with Vigurs, let's get behind him and be supportive. :ictscarf:

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I think conundrum would be more suitable. :wink:

I think Polly has suffered a bit from being in and out the team as well as moved around the pitch, including being played as a winger which is not his position. 

His perceived grumpiness I think is more a display of frustration at things not coming off for him and he's lost a bit of confidence. I've no doubt he has the ability to replace Tansey in his role. But it's up to him to take the opportunity. Robbo has a very positive attitude which I believe can help him do that. Ultimately it is down to Polly.

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Lets face it - Polworth has more of an opportunity to progress than Vigurs does. Vigurs is coming to the end of his career whilst Polworth is peaking. At Championship level Vigurs' experience and undoubted skill level should shine through - even if it is limited to the odd goal and the execution of at least one killer pass per game. Polworth, to me, has to be played in a more effective, preferred position and the bottom line is that - if he does not shine in the Championship - then he aint going to progress at all.

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On 20/07/2017 at 9:00 AM, Caman said:

From what I am led to believe he is a quiet lad who can lack confidence, as opposed to having a bad attitude. This could be mistrued as being huffy and gurny at times. 

I think central midfield is his best position as opposed to on the wing. 

I said before it was time for him to step up and take over from the departed Tansey this season.

As with Vigurs, let's get behind him and be supportive. :ictscarf:

100% agree - think Polly is a decent player & as I said on the Iain Vigurs thread too, maybe all he needs to shine is a knowledgeable, supportive & positive manager...didn't have that last season!!

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Jings Monty--sounds good to me.

I remember when Polworth first came on the scene and what impressed me was his obvious passion and energy. Mind you, that was not yesterday but ...well... a leopard in a leotard doesn't change his spots......:smile:......does he?

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5 hours ago, jingsmonty said:

maybe all he needs to shine is a knowledgeable, supportive & positive manager...didn't have that last season!!

... or the season before.

It is really important that local lads can come through the system and succeed.  I certainly think Liam has the potential to succeed but he is a little bit away from the level of consistency which would make him into a decent premier division player.  IMHO his issue is one of attitude - and I don't mean it in a bad way.  I don't agree with those who say he is lazy at times, in fact, at times he maybe tries too hard.  It may sound odd, but my take is that he tends to see the game from a fan's perspective rather than a player's.

For instance, he has a tendency push the ball too far ahead of him and he gets it nicked away from him.  When he does that, we fans tend to make some gesture of exasperation.  We do it instantly as a natural reaction without thinking.  But Liam does it too. You can see him cursing himself .  He maybe looks to the skies before his shoulders slump as he thinks about getting the ball back. The player's mindset bypasses any visible frustration and focusses on instantly trying to retrieve the situation.  There are occasions where he loses the ball and by the time he regroups and gives chases, his opponent is long gone.

There are also times when he hasn't got the ball that he seems to be watching the game rather than constantly thinking about where he needs to be.  As a result he may not be in a good position to receive the ball from a team mate or he fails to pick up the movement of an opposition player.  It's not laziness, it's just a loss of focus.  

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Polworth is a classic example of player who should've been loaned out a few seasons back.  Surely had he had a season at say an Elgin or Peterhead, playing every week in central midfield, it would've done him far better than season after season of being on the periphery of the first team, shunted into every position possible in order to fill a gap and spending the meantime in the U20s league.  He definitely has talent and he's not a lazy player, he's just never been truly given a chance to grow as a footballer.  Has though the chance for him to really hone the central role here passed though...? 

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Should we be playing him centrally?

His attributes are his use of the ball, his shooting and his passing. These can all be effective in wider areas - we have Oakley and Zschusschen who can be targeted with crosses or long passes. Also, if we are going to play with two strikers then your central midfielders can end up being outnumbered by teams matching up with a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3. Having a wide midfielder like Polworth, as opposed to a pure winger like Mulreany, gives you the option for him to tuck in and solidify in the centre,

 

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Here's a breakdown of Polworths performance, in terms of goals and assists, by position played for the last couple of seasons.

2015/16

Right midfield - 16 games: 5 goals, 5 assists

Attacking midfield - 11 games: 1 goal, 1 assist

Central midfield - 8 games: 0 goals, 1 assist

2016/17

Right midfield - 15 games: 2 goals, 4 assists

Central midfield - 10 games: 1 goal, 1 assist

Attacking midfield - 5 games: 0 goals, 0 assists

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Totally needs to up his game struggled to make any impact today and looks lost at times playing wide right.

The point about loaning him out was a valid one it was the making of Graeme Shinnie but also think that should have been done a couple of seasons ago.

Really want him to do well but not sure how patient JR will be.

 

 

 

 

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I think DD nailed this. Polworth' s 'attitude problem' is not a lack of desire to win or a lack of effort, but is more the result of self-criticism and (perhaps unrealistic) expectations of himself. His response to losing the ball is usually dropped shoulders, shaking head and, as a result, a momentary loss of concentration. This is easily sortable with a decent manager: just turn the frustration into desire to win the ball back! I also think that Polly might end up suffering from the Nick Ross "what's his position?" Dilemma. Holding, wide, centre or CAM? Don't know the answer - I prefer to see him central and advanced, but I' m happy to be proved wrong. The problem is that he needs to depose somebody to really nail down a position as his own. Draper, Tansey and Vigurs have central midfield tied down, so where to play Polworth?

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Polworth on his A-game is a Premier League top 6 player. He's one of the best passers and finishers at the club. I don't think he was well suited to the disorganized kick and rush playing style favoured by our previous manager. Put him in a team set up to play possession football with movement and options around him and he'll do a job for you. Same goes for Vigurs IMO.

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54 minutes ago, finmack said:

Today against Forfar Polworth was the best player on the pitch. 

That's good to hear. I really hope he excels himself this season and shows he can become our next class home grown player.

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1 hour ago, finmack said:

Today against Forfar Polworth was the best player on the pitch. 

I was there today and thought he had a good game. 2nd half was better than first. Let's get behind him. Come on Polly!!

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13 minutes ago, Caman said:

I was there today and thought he had a good game. 2nd half was better than first. Let's get behind him. Come on Polly!!

More of the same next week!

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