But if your legs don’t allow you to get into the position quickly enough to do that then it’s one and the same. To “win a header” you have to first get in position to win a header. To “hold the ball up” you fist have to be in position to hold the ball up. If you are a split second late then the defender is a split second more prepared.
When I watch him I don’t see a lack of effort. I see a player that simply isn’t good enough anymore, after a very serious injury in advancing years.
Does anyone think Matt could have done a job in defence on Saturday? Just putting it out there. While we have a defensive crisis against physical teams. I mean it couldn’t have gone any worse.
After Saturday I struggle to see how there’s any possible justification for playing him up front. As EN, says he’s just not mobile enough.
No that was someone completely different
You saw his header back into the danger area for their 2nd goal didn’t you 
I hadn’t realized that was Matt. Blimey it’s getting harder and harder to build any sort of case for him playing.
You could be right mate, but for me I see literally nothing.
He seriously can’t be that unfit or off the pace?
Well I don’t think he is “unfit” as in, literally not in shape, or that he hasn’t recovered medically yet.
I believe it was an ACL that he was injured with when he came to us(Edit: no it wasn’t). People don’t quite appreciate how devastating that is to an athlete. It’s a huge issue in the NFL, where teams are spending millions and millions on R&D & sports science, to not only help players come back quicker than the months and months it takes now, but to come back at all.
That is high end athletes with company’s with billions behind them. Matt is playing in a sport where teams are lucky to turn a profit, at an advanced age, when I don’t believe pace was particularly his forte anyway preinjury.
It’s why I hold out zero hope for Earing. It’s not impossible to come back from, before I am given millions of examples of it, least of all Joe Edwards, but it ends or seriously hampers more careers than it doesn’t, particularly when you are on the downswing anyway.
This is a very good post. Add in the mental side for some as well, where there’s just that slightest doubt in their own minds so, sub-conciously, they’re not quite making those same stretches or movements because there’s doubt about whether their body can do it. As you say, NFL, NHL, even Premier League now spend massive amounts on the rehabilitation. We and others like us can spend very little therefore much more falls on the player. Some make it, some don’t. I’d offer Mantom as one who didn’t, in the same circumstances to which I refer.
I think what is clear is that at 34/35 Matt isn’t suddenly going to get better and currently he’s not really even good enough as a squad player to bring on in games or to play the odd game covering injury or suspension. With that in mind and with the increasing likelihood that Draper gets recalled to Lincoln City it leaves us currently with Johnson who is currently out of form or unhappy depending on who you want to listen to, Oteh whose best season has been 8 goals and Doug Taylor who doesn’t look capable of playing for a side with designs for the top half of L2 yet. So all in all we’re well short, I hope this new football structure we now have is identifying the right forward players to bring in, in January.
I’ve spot a problem.
It was Stevens that had the ACL. Matt has only had one injury, which was his hand, since 2016.
Ah, I’m getting the two FGR players mixed up 
Christ I was trying to give him the benefit of the doubt. Really isn’t much excuse then.
What an absolute shock.
Personal vendetta, number 2?
Hes poor, very poor. But not even close to being the worst.
What’s Rambo up to?
Last i heard he was a postman true or false not sure
Yes he was not now though from what I heard
And that’s the sad thing here, we all want our players to do well for us and the club, and obviously themselves.
I’ve watched Matt before and after the games and he’s very supporter friendly, someone calls him over for a selfy or an autograph and he’s straight on it, you just know he’s trying but it’s not going for him which is really quite sad … for him and us
He is in my view. I’d take ngoo, Gaffney, Barrowman, gisjbert bos any day of the week over this guy. Be boring if we all thought the same wouldn’t it
Fair enough. But weighing it up from a talent, financial length of contract, bang for your buck and what ever else. Is he really the worst when you think about it?
The kid is probably on a few hundred quid a week. As it stands, theres no way theyll exercise that extra year option on him, in my opinion. Financially, he was worth a punt as a 3rd, 4th, 5th choice or whatever.
If we were all to stop and think for a minute … striker options when Draper returns January, unless DJ can get over whatever is causing him or the club to be leaving him off the team sheet more than he’s on it who else do we seriously have … 