[Eaglesfan27]

May 24, 2014 -

I'm asking my coaches to report the 10 most improved players from this point last year. I'm also asking them to report the 10 players who have lost the most skill in the past year.


First the good news:

1. Antonio Ortega - This 20 year old Spanish Right Winger is now considered a Wonderkid and I really do need to get him more PT with Schreurs. My scouts report that he has become the fastest guy on our team. He has the best acceleration of any player on our team. All of his mental attributes have improved considerably. His creativity and flair are most notably improved. His technique has significantly iproved. He has become a world class finisher and is a very good scorer for a right winger. His first touch has significantly improved and he is excellent at crossing the ball. His only real weakness is his lack of tackling and marking. I expect him to become an elite right winger in the next 2 years. He already should be getting much more time in the upcoming year as long as he doesn't regress.

2. Stephen Wright - This 20 year old English Striker has developed nicely in the past year. He has improved every facet of his game and he has excellent pace. However, my scouts still feel he needs to improve considerably before he will get time with our first team. The good news is that if he continues this pattern of development, he could become a servicable EPL Striker.

3. Bob Wright - This 22 year old English Striker is unhappy with his lack of playing time. I'm not sure if we can sway him with some first team action, but he has earned it. He has improved considerably in every area of his game, and he is the best leaper among my strikers and he has become good at heading the ball. He has an all around good game but doesn't really excel in anything except leaping and heading the ball. However, he is good enough to play some with the first team next year and he will get some PT. Also, the scouts rave about his teamwork and ability to play with others.

4. John Gray - This 21 year old English Defensive midfielder has developed some good skills. He is showing significant growth in technical skills as well as mental skills. However, he is still quite far away from being an EPL Contributor. As a result, despite his growth, I might look to move him soon.

5. James Bailey - I transfer listed this 19 year old striker, but he doesn't want to go. He has responded with significant growth this past year. He has very good pace and excellent all around physical abilities. He still needs to develop significantly from a mental standpoint, but he is starting to do that. He is also developing some decent technical skills. My coaches feel he could be a contributor within 2 years.

6. Paul Kelly - This 22 year old English midfielder has continued to develop, although not as much as he did last year. He has improved his passing, dribbling, and first touch the most. He also has continued to improve his mental attributes. His main lacking areas are passing and crossing ability which are only average at best and aren't EPL quality. This is unfortunate as these are important qualities for my midfielders. I hope he might improve his passing some more this year. He could become a solid contributor with another year of development.

7. Adriano - This 22 year old Brazilian wonderkid striker didn't have much room to improve. Therefore, he hasn't improved as much as some of my players, but the fact that he has improved as much as he has is incredible. My scouts feel he is one of the best players in the world at finishing and shooting long shots. His technique continues to improve. He lacks creativity and flair or he would be truly one of the best strikers in the world. As it is, he has very good pace and acceleration and he can run by most people. He continues to iprove his dribbling and if this becomes better, he could take that next step. Our coaches also feel that he has become the best passer and that if his vision gets better he could be an almost unstoppable passer.

8. Craig King - My other former wonderkid striker. He is now 24 and probably is reaching his full potential soon, but he had significant improvement in the last year. My coaches believe he is an elite finisher. His technique has improved this past year as well. He is one of the best at playing headers. He also is an extremely good passer. His anticipation is top notch and he always makes the right decision with the ball. His biggest gains this past year have been in technical ability.

9. Barry Parker - My 24 year old English midfielder has become better than I ever thought he would. He has improved all of his technical abilities and he is a much smarter player on the pitch. He is an excellent leaper and great at marking his man. He has excellent intangibles. His main weakness is lack of footspeed, but he will likely be ready to step into the first team this year much more frequently. Djemba isn't going to last much longer as an every game sort of player, and Parker will be the answer in the future I think.

10. Darren Evans - My 19 year old English keeper is developing nicely in our reserve system. He has improved his aerial ability and reflexes the most, but he is improving in every area. He could become our backup keeper in 2-3 years if he continues to develop at this past year's pace.



Now that we have covered the good news, we look at the bad:

1. Cristian Chivu - My 33 year old Romanian left back/centreback has lost quite a bit of ability since his serious injury. The interesting thing is that he is still a good left back, just not a great one like Schmidt already is. However, Chivu still has quite a bit to contribute and I want to use him more in the upcoming year (which will likely be his last) unless he nosedives quickly in talent.

2. Mikael Silvestre - This 36 year old left back is DONE. He has lost all of his foot speed. He isn't really good at anything except tackling people if he can somehow catch them. Still sharp from an intangible stand point, he'd likely make a good coach if he wanted to do that.

3. Alan Smith - This 33 year old striker is starting to lose abilities quickly, and I suspect that in the upcoming year he is going to become nearly useless. He still has a bit of football left in him though as he did have 6 goals and 4 assists in 3 starts and 11 reserve appearances. However, if his decline continues, he won't have too much more left.

4. Lucio - This legendary 36 year old centreback is still a good centreback, maybe even a very good centreback. However, he has lost quite a bit of footspeed but is still fast. The question is how fast is his foot speed going to dive? Also, his positioning is deteriorating as are all of his technical abilities. He is signed for one more year, and I suspect he will be a useful contributor, but if he declines more quickly he could become bench fodder at some point in the upcoming season.

5. Rio Ferdinand - I didn't use him very much this past year, but this 35 year old centreback is still a good or even very good centreback. He is losing his abilities to mark players and tackle, and I suspect that he will be less useful than Lucio in the upcoming season. He is also signed through next year and I think he is more likely to be bench fodder next year.

6. Wes Brown - This 34 year old right back has lost quite a bit of footspeed. He is losing his leaping ability and he isn't positioning himself as well. He is still a good right back, but I suspect that his decline will accelerate during the next year. I doubt he will be an everyday or even every other game type of player next year. He is signed for 2 more years, so I hope I'm wrong.

7. Eric Djemba Djemba - This 33 year old midfielder is starting to show significant signs of decline, but he is still a very good midfielder. He is signed through next year and I'm hopeful that he will be a good contributor this upcoming season. However, I will work Parker and Cook more into the midfield.

8. Stewart Downing - This 30 year old left winger is still an elite left winger, but he is starting to show the first signs of decline with decrease in his acceleration and footspeed. Even more concerning is that his crosses aren't as sharp. He will start next year most games, but the signs of decline are starting to be evident..

9. Zdenek Grygera - This 34 year old right back is showing significant signs of decline. His pace isn't as good and he is losing abilities in all areas. I might get by with him and Brown at right back again next season, but it is time to find a good young right back to work into the rotation. Grygera is signed through the upcoming season. I won't be extending his deal after that.

10. Souleymane Mamam - This 28 year old midfielder is actually decent at everything, but I've just put him on my blacklist due to poor performance when I first took over the team. He really doesn't excel at anything. As a result of not being used much, his skills are starting to deteriorate. I actually would use him if I had a rash of injuries in the midfield. I've transfer listed him and feel bad about him languishing here. His contract will be up after this season and I won't try to re-sign him.