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I don't know, probably not many. I don't even know if he will ever be good enough, if i had to place a bet then i'd say that he wont. My main point is that he does have something to offer and that he hasn't really been in a position tactically where he can show his positive attributes. Hopefully that changes
29 appearances for us (don't know how many starts but Mad Mick played him and so did Neil Harris) and just 4 goals (don't know how many assists). 16 appearances for Newport (under Flynn who I believe didn't start him many times) and other than that it's been Port Vale & Wrexham. 3 Wales caps this year.
I think I'm with you on this but yeah, been a square peg in a round hole for us but not his fault.
I think he's improved massively too and I'm really pleased for him. I know a lot of his substitute appearances have been fleeting but I didn't realise it had been 11 starts.
I've found myself pendulum swinging over performances over the last couple of seasons though as it's all been so chaotic and it's hard to judge sometimes. There have definitely been times for me when he's felt anonymous but I do appreciate that's hardly surprising with our team performances.
It's all about playing them to suit their strengths and we haven't.
He's had to come in at short notice like a last minute boxer..and the only one of them I've seen show up was the Spanish lad who boxed hattons lads head off...in other words it's hard to achieve and quite rare.
Jamie Vardy was still a non league player at 22 I believe.
I really like Harris. Whether he'll make it at this level is another matter but he's got good movement and his attitude is spot on. Technically, I'm not sure but it was a great finish and occasionally he does incredible things like his finish at Birmingham away. He's come on leaps and bounds since he broke through and needs chances. For me, he has to play and we need to play on the front foot. I think it'll help with Giles at LWB as he'll be a natural outlet.
Harris is one of the few players we have that looks to go at people. I also think having him alongside Moore helps KM out, as he's not completely isolated. We've got to stop playing with the handbrake off though, or we'll just strangle Colwill, Harris etc and we'll go down with a whimper.
Let's be frank, we need Harris, Colwill etc to come off, as they'll be first team regulars next season with the budget cuts to come.
Realistically, some of them already are. 15 league games played so far this season. These are the stats (sub appearances in brackets):
Joel Bagan - 9 (+1) apps
Mark McGuinness - 7 apps
Rubin Colwill - 6 (+7) apps
Mark Harris - 5 (+6) apps
Kieron Evans - 1 (+3) apps
Sam Bowen - 3 (+1) apps
Interestingly (or maybe not!), Bagan has played the most for the first team, played for the u23s tonight while the others (Bowen apart, who would have been involved if it wasn't for an injury) all played vs Stoke. I think some time out of the lime light might do Bagan some good, he shouldn't be relied on to play every minute, especially not in a struggling side.
Paul Parry was 23 when he joined City from Conference side Hereford in 2004. He did alright.