orrsome wrote: ↑01 Jun 2020, 21:15
Mike was a much better player in 2017 when linking with Jake Webster on our right hand side, and to a lesser extent with Ben Roberts, a combination which suited him perfectly.
Since then he seems to have lost form and gradually confidence appears to have deserted him, maybe because we have chopped and changed personnel on our RHS, but maybe also because other clubs were showing interest?
IMO Mike still has lots of ability and could once again get back into the England squad, but has become greatly under utilised for us and if he hasn't already been tempted away by a 'bigger' club, we really need to work on his combinations with Peanut and our half backs to bring the best out of him.
In fairness, every player was better in 2017 than they have been over the last couple of seasons.
But McMeeken was at an age where he should have kicked on, not regressed.
We are three years on and many of that 2017 team have gone or become squad players. Just because McMeeken was good that year, it doesn’t mean we should keep him forever.
We have a new team now. In the back line, only Shenton remains a first-team regular. In the forwards, Watts has out-performed all of the players who were here in 2017, and we’re likely to lose Moors (and possibly Millington and JSL) at the end of 2020.
We perhaps need to realise that McMeeken will never hit the heights he did in 2017 again, just like almost every other player from that year. In the words of Boris, it’s time to move on.
COYF!