Don't underestimate the part Aarran has played in the rise of WFC. His presence on and off the field has been immense. The inconsistencies of our performances would have been lessened with Aarran in the side this season and he would have been the first name on the team sheet in the National League. Nonsense to suggest otherwise. Without Buddy and Aarran it will harder to maintain the standards that have brought consistent rewards over the past few seasons.
No-one has underestimated the part Aarran has played, nor the immensity of his presence. No-one can argue that stalwarts like Aarran and Buddy didn't set and maintain high standards for us either, because they did.
A grown up conversation can be had however around where we are now and where the team is going. Sure we'll need height, strength and presence wherever we end up. Additionally however 'upstairs' and increasingly so at this level, pace, speed of thought, touch, vision and trickery is needed in greater and greater quantities.
The inconsistencies of performance didn't only start when Aarran was injured... he was on the field at Braintree, and Maidstone too. What was becoming consistent though, especially when teams set up to defend against us, was that just like a Quarterback, everything went through him. Triangle, triangle, opposition retreats, pass to Aarran who then has a crowd of 20 players ahead of him to try and pick a killer pass.
Yes the inconsistencies have continued, but we don't play like that any more. What we see now is far less one dimensional, we break out via the wings, we break out through the middle, an EARLY long ball will get used sometimes too. It's a more flexible, adaptive and less prescriptive approach.
Everyone is entitled to their opinions, none are "nonsense" and none are more or less valid than the other. And other opinions are definately available when it comes to the hypothetical scenario of
IF he was still playing and
IF we found ourselves in the National League
WOULD he be the first name on the team sheet.
We would have to match the vast increase of the aforementioned "pace, speed of thought, touch, vision and trickery" of the opposition we'd face each week. We'd need more precision instruments, less blunt instruments... and that is a compliment
NOT a criticism by the way... he was a fantastic, stopper, leader and presence, the best.
It's a moot point anyway because he has retired and we are a long way off the National League, but I guess having given a valid alternative viewpoint, we'll just have to agree to disagree.
