What Has Ellis Got To Do

rumour going the rounds today that Ellis has asked to leave

He warmed up prior to the teams coming out with Ken Veysey,Bevan and Brough. Speaking to the players in the family stand, they said he had a pulled leg muscle Dave.

As I said Paulr I talked with Mark for a good ten minutes before the game today and can tell you he has no injuries and is 100% fit. Players not in the squad are often sent out to do some running etc while the squad go though their perpetration.

Rob, I would not have given man of the match today to Hodges, he did do well, but at many games I have seen him play there it is clear he has some short comings in that position. Even if Bucks believes Hodges is the best player to fill the role, Ellis could have still been on the bench and give 15 Min's at the end.

The problem is Rob that Ellis may no longer want to wait for what he may see as forever waiting , to even get his chance, he is a really nice young man to talk too, who wants to play football and is not getting any proper chances.

Being young and waiting for chances might suit some players, but some will not want to wait around and then might look elsewhere. All I'm saying for now is, I would not like to see him go when I believe he has so much to offer our club.

Its fine fans keep going on about having a squad that has depth this season, but we need to use it more, or else it will end up a shallow pool.

One player cant consider himself above others it is a squad game. Lets face it he is still on a learning curve and Hodges is an experienced pro. Ellis time will come. Lets be honest his errors cost us last season inexperience or whatever but he will come good ............Chill out Mark....

Last season there was a very persistent body of dissent bemoaning "hoof ball"...........to which Bucks made his intentions clear at the beginning of the season by playing Hargreaves as a central defender who would be expected to "play the ball" out of defence. Hargreaves difficulties with the more traditional aspects of central defence brought heaps of derision, but the manager has persisted with a "ball playing" type there more often than not and Hodges is the preferred choice. Just occasionally has he paired Ellis and Robertson and I believe he must still regard these two as raw but players of potential and thus to play them together as being a risk of them being pulled apart by experienced front men.

Now that Woods has comeback into the equation more following the illness of Todd, we have seen a pairing of two players (Woods and Hodges) who's natural instinct seems to be to "lay off" the "first strike" ball winning one of the pair. Only once have I seen this get into real trouble and this was at Eastbourne on Tuesday................and boy were they ripped apart! Granted the midfield opened up alarmingly in front of them also that night, but I don't think the manager is the type to throw the baby out with the bath water over one bad experience.

Ellis' main attributes are the same as Robertson's. They've both lost their places through injury and as I'm forever saying, because we are playing so well will have to bide their time and that time is best spent addressing their weaknesses (and in both their cases it is their distribution) and developing a tactical awareness to notice the positions of their forward team mates within the general pattern of play whilst they are watching matches either from the bench or the stands.

We can't have our cake and eat it.

We can't expect to have a good squad and not have good players out of the first sixteen. We can't expect to see "football the way it is meant to be played" and pair two big raw and young ball winners together so that the ball keeps winging back with regularity....................and we can't have an effective squad system if those "champing at the bit aren't champing"!

We can't provide the level of support to allow the club NOT to treat EVERY cup with due importance as regards money raising potential and profile raising, so to expect the manager to field a less than first choice side in cup ties is unreasonable.

As the tragedy of Todd showed, every player will get their chance and when they do, they have to be good enough and lucky enough to hold onto it so that someone else then takes on the mantel of "he who waits".....................it's not ideal but it's better than a slimmed down squad of just sixteen isn't it?

I'm not surprised that this thread has started . At Eastbourne on Tuesday night about 30mins prior to ko I noticed Ellis wander out of the players tunnel in his TUFC tracksuit and wander along the terrace, hands in pockets . he appeared .... upset? disconsolate, aimlessly wandering along towards the main grandstand eventually ending in the goalmouth by the TUFC supporters , kicking a ball about with the others subs after the team had finished warming up and reentered the dressing room.
Obviously the team sheet had been recently handed in ......