A reluctant view of Ross Macormack....

[colinwhite]

I have written this post on about three different occasions but since the board has been down it did not get posted . Perhaps that was just as well .
Firstly as a scot I  have always wanted ross to be successful at the club and am proud of him when he has done well. I have never understood why he doesnt get picked for Scotland and why no premiership side has come in for him before. Why would Leeds sell their captain and top scorer to us ? Unfathomable.
Last season we could all see that Ross had bags of skill and were prepared to overlook a bit of petulance because he scored the goals that kept us up in a very poor side. When he had the players around him it would all be different. Slowly but surely I am sorry to say that have come to  believe that Ross to is  part of the problem with our unbalanced squad. He scores or makes most of our goals , and has turned games on their head with flashes of skill ; but at the same time  he has a lack of real mobility or pace and doesnt have the physicality to play as a lone striker . This creates the problem that if we play him and he is to be effective, then we have to set up with 2 up front . Clearly this has cost us in many games. Defending from the front is not one of his strengths either...
One thing that has always bothered me is why Ross has never been dropped or substituted as far as I can remember. He is a player that has been allowed to play his game and as captain had a huge influence over the side . The reports we have read in the paper may or may not be true , but I am starting to think that Ross has a massive  ego , and one of those negative players in a side that no-ones dares to critisize. Dont argue that he deserves his chance to play in the premiership. We could go down if he goes and he doesnt seem to give a damn.
The game against Hull was for me a massive improvement by the lads (toothless as it was ). It  was the first time this season we looked like a TEAM  with everyone pulling in the same direction. Ross is the type of player who always does his own thing , and whilst he has huge amounts of talent, also creates an atmosphere of inhibition in his fellow players if everything doesnt go through him . It would be a huge gamble to let him go buthe can also do alot of damage despite his goals and assists if he stays.

[Beamer]

You could be right but only time will tell. On balance given that we cannot use the money we might get for him before the summer I think I would rather keep his goals in the side until the end of the season - they might just be the difference between relegation and survival. Yes the display looked better v. Hull as a team but we never really looked like scoring. OK there were a few chances but there always will be a few chances in a game and nobody looked like tucking them away. Unless he looks like being a liability in the dressing room (and only the club will know that) then tell him he can go in the summer with our blessing and if he performs at his best for us for the rest of the season the more likely he is to get a better offer then.
This is one of those rare situations where money is really no use to us at present and I dread to think that we might end up the (cash) richest club in League 1.

[bill taylors apprentice]

Everything you say rings true with me.

Its sounds crazy to say it but does he flatter to deceive and is his style detrimental to achieving the team work that grinds out results when necessary? 

He is our stand out player and he does score the majority of the goals but does his personality inhibit others to play to their ability?

He come over as being insular and I have always thought his body language and communication with his team mates on the pitch is poor.
In fact even when things do go well he rarely embraces the crowd or shows much empathy with anyone outside his family who sit in the Cottage balcony.

It would be foolish to allow him to leave now but it may be a good thing to move him on later for the good of the team. 

[nose]

I am astonished!
Our front line was toothless with out ross, the man is the stand out player in our team, not a workld beater but certainly head and shoulders above the rest.

Watch the replays of the goals we score, see how many involve ross, the majority he either scores or is a fundamental part of the build up. We were a better team V Hull because the manager's influence is kicking in ... not because ross was abscent. That linkage is IMO totally inaccurate. The man is a forward and it was at the front we were pathertic V Hull, if ross would have been available we would have won, because we would have packed a goal threat.

I do agree nobody is untouchable and when he doesn't play well he should be treated the same as everyone else but he usually plays well, and even if he doesn't he can still turn up with a goal or two.

Be careful what you wish for, no ross=a disater.

[Burt]

It's an interesting theory and may actually have some merit, but what I can't look beyond is where we wouldn't be without his goals and assists. It's a scary thought.

[JOND999]

i've never seen Ross with a bad attitude.  he has more fight and spirit in him than most.  though i do agree with the main premise - that maybe his style is holding us back.  i'm in favor of selling him to the highest bidder and hoping Moussa/Cauley/Smith can keep us up.

[grandad]

He has been our stand out player since we signed him. If our defence had contributed half as much in performance we would be in a top 6 position.

[colinwhite]

Nose and others. I hope I am wrong and i am not questioning ross's achievements or work rAte. But we were a team without  him and have t been with him in.

[MikeW]

My worry is if we don't sell him what will his attitude be like for rest of season?  I cannot believe as a professional he would not try but if he doesn't leave, a rallying call (from him) to avoid any thoughts of relegation might not go amiss.

[Steven Ageroad]

Is this the Dempsey situation all over again?!

[Dodger53]

I like watching Ross play a lot, his goals have been the only positive in many matches, however he was carrying far to much weight until a few weeks ago and seems to have aimed full fitness for the transfer season rather than the start of the season, our manager situation probably didn't help but as captain and a well paid professional player he should  have eaten fewer pies.

[nose]

Nose and others. I hope I am wrong and i am not questioning ross's achievements or work rAte. But we were a team without  him and have t been with him in.

i absolutely understand and I noticed exactly the same. 
But IMO it was the manager's influence not ross's abscence, i think the re-introduction of Ross will be a bonus. Look on the bright side and let's see what happens when he returns

[BestOfBrede]

Nose and others. I hope I am wrong and i am not questioning ross's achievements or work rAte. But we were a team without  him and have t been with him in.

I'm not sure we are a team without him, more we are just an inconsistent team full stop.
Look at out few big wins - Ross played and contributed in all of them! As a team we start too slow and never have two halves the same. Once this can be sorted, and of course our defence, we would win many more games.

[love4ffc]

Is this the Dempsey situation all over again?!

It sure sounds like it. 

[Buffalo76]

When the captain wants to leave that says it all. Another season I can't wait to see the back of , and its only January.

[davew]

When the captain wants to leave that says it all. Another season I can't wait to see the back of , and its only January.

I have felt like that since October!!

[Apprentice to the Maestro]

On what basis do some believe that Ross wants to leave? A couple of dodgy reports?

[filham]

In Colinwhite's own words we played  well against Hull but  were toothless in attack without Ross. No use playing the best organised football in the world if you don't get the ball in the net.

Goalscorers are worth their weight in gold and as Ross clocks up a good few assist as well as scoring goals he is invaluable to us, we would find it very hard to replace him.
As I said on a previous thread the only time to consider letting Ross go is when he has spent  90 minutes on the bench for about 4 consecutive matches and then only after a sanity check on the head coach.

Middlesboro obviously have quite different views about Ross's worth than Colinwhite.

[Carborundum]

Maybe I'm watching the wrong things, but the association of Ross McCormack with petulance doesn't ring true and doesn't seem fair.  There's no doubt he's the best player we have.  He handles it rather better than the last one of those we were treated to. 

He's not ideal captain material, but no matter, ten elevenths of the team don't need to be.

[Woolly Mammoth]

Most successful teams have more than one Leader, it is not ideal to have just one Captain and ten sheep. A team needs Leaders, Warriors, Fighters, Characters, as well as just a Captain. Every player has to play their part, it's a team effort.