Craig Mackail - Smith - The Dilemma

[Uncle Spielberg]

I LOVE Craig. I want him to stay and succeed at the club. He started off every bit the £ 3.2m stiker but lost his way quickly. Whether this is down to our style of play, team selections, management or lack of ability at this level I am not sure but I want him to be here next season. I feel it is unfinished business and he has not fulfilled his potential yet.

No player that finds the Onion Bag 36 times in a season is short of ability, no matter what level it is.

I have found however that more and more he seems to make up for lack of goals and not playing very well with running EVEN FASTER every match. Sometimes he runs so FAST to EVERY ball , he loses it or miscontrols it when a more less intense sytle of play may be beneficial to him.

Craig's game seems to be based on running VERY VERY fast now and even FASTER than the start of the season.

I am sure there are more facets to his game but that's all I see nowadays.

Can Gus please give Craig some Valium before he starts a game to make him chill out a bit as he seems to be like a Turkey on Xmas Eve most games.

I feel sorry for Mrs Mackail-Smith as if he is like this in the bedroom it is likely to be a very short episode each time.

What are your solutions to make Craig thrive next season with us ?

 

[The Original]

Thought he had one of his better performances last night. Some of his first touch and close control was sublime. Still lacking the end product though...

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

Thought he had one of his better performances last night. Some of his first touch and close control was sublime. Still lacking the end product though...

True but Craig is like Forrest Gump on acid most games.

 

[Simster]

What are your solutions to make Craig thrive next season with us ?

Get Hoskins fit and firing on all cylinders, and play them side by side. I still can't believe we let Hoskins go to Sheff Utd on loan, and it's looked a poor decision in hindsight as he might have been an excellent option to have on the bench against Reading, Burnley or Watford...

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

Fair call Simster.

 

[NickBHAFC18]

I want him to be a success, I think everyone at the club does. I think he dipped in form a bit, well the whole team did, and since then has found it hard to get back, especially with the rotation of the team and him not having a guaranteed starting place. Hopefully next season he can start fresh, they'll hopefully be some new additions that can maybe provide the service to him that he is missing, and hopefully Gus might relax a little on his ideas, and play to a style that suits him better. He puts too much effort into each game, it would be a shame to see him leave.

 

[NickBHAFC18]

Get Hoskins fit and firing on all cylinders, and play them side by side. I still can't believe we let Hoskins go to Sheff Utd on loan, and it's looked a poor decision in hindsight as he might have been an excellent option to have on the bench against Reading, Burnley or Watford...

I love Hoskins, think he is a quality player and that goal against Cardiff at the start of the season (I think it was Cardiff? correct me if I am wrong) was a top goal. I don't think he is getting the playing time he expected at Sheffield United though...but I would love to see him with us next season and performing to the ability everyone knows he is capable of.

 

[Stat Brother]

If he were to leave us (which I don't think will happen) I have already made up my mind, I'm going LARGE on him being the top scorer, in whatever division he's in.

 

[Ninja Elephant]

Get Hoskins fit and firing on all cylinders, and play them side by side. I still can't believe we let Hoskins go to Sheff Utd on loan, and it's looked a poor decision in hindsight as he might have been an excellent option to have on the bench against Reading, Burnley or Watford...

Hoskins asked to leave, that was his call. Sheffield United have barely played him.

As for CMS, he will be fine. The team have achieved this season, if we were bottom half we would have been more determined to get the team playing his way. We haven't ever changed style because we haven't needed to. Don't panic, with our upturn in individual ability over the summer, he will be banging them in from all angles next season. Eees no complicated.

 

[essbee]

Much as it pains me - I'm with Simster on this.

One of the most disappointing points of the season was when we loaned
out Hoskins. The guy tore us apart at Brizzle Rov. last season. Ok - so he
asked to leave - but why?

I think he might have been the missing link that CMS needed.

 

[Simster]

Did he really ask to leave? That wasn't my impression.

 

[Rugrat]

Hoskins asked to leave, that was his call. Sheffield United have barely played him.

Well .. Hoskins never said that. If I remember right he was pretty pissed off that a deal had been done to loan him to B'Muff without even knowing about it. Then he wanted to stay and fight for his place but next thing he's off to Sheff ... maybe, just maybe, he wasn't being given a fair crack and that's what led him to ask to go and find football anywhere.

Who knows?

 

[Simster]

well .. Hoskins never said that. If i remember right he was pretty pissed off that a deal had been done to loan him to b'muff without even knowing about it. Then he wanted to stay and fight for his place but next thing he's off to sheff ... Maybe, just maybe, he wasn't being given a fair crack and that's what led him to ask to go and find football anywhere.

Who knows?

this!!!!

 

[essbee]

I'll go as far as to say I was well pissed off when I found he'd be loaned out. I was
looking foward to seeing him given a fair runout....the guy was quality. I don't get
pissed off very easily.

 

[Seasider78]

Much as it pains me - I'm with Simster on this.

One of the most disappointing points of the season was when we loaned
out Hoskins. The guy tore us apart at Brizzle Rov. last season. Ok - so he
asked to leave - but why?

I think he might have been the missing link that CMS needed.

I think in pre season we all assumed that would be our strike force but with the hip injury and our determination to only play one out and out striker his chances faded.

At derby he linked really well with CMS and a shame we have not seen more from that partnership.

One of the big 'what ifs' from this season

 

[stss30]

He didn't ask to get loaned out, that's absolute bollocks.

 

[Rugrat]

In theory, great, but aren't you a bit alarmed by the fact he seems to have done bugger all at Sheffield United?

He's not played much tbf ... not sure why they wanted him in the first place with the goals they were banging in and Evans on fire .... maybe it always was a case of cover for injury? There's defo more to it than meets the eye ...well not defo but wouldn't surprise me

 

[Dougie]

He hasnt lived up to the billing thats for sure . I thought when you signed him that it was a hell of a fee for a fairly decent striker and maybe he hasnt handled the hype very well . Murray , for us , hasnt gelled as yet . But with a tweek here and there and a decent partner he will do ok .