This blog is basically a report on each player at the club who played under Paul Jewell at the beginning of the season and how I think they have changed.

I’ve then given a verdict on whether they have improved since Mick McCarthy took over. Has Improved is self-explanatory, Hasn’t Improved means either that player has had less impact or just hasn’t improved since Mick took the job and No Judgement basically means it's difficult to assess. Either he has been injured, not played enough or I think it would be unjust to reserve judgement at this stage. The purpose is not to throw cheap shots at Jewell but merely to present the improvements under McCarthy. Scott Loach Under Jewell: Showed early on that he was a decent enough shot-stopper however also showed he struggles to come off his line, The indecisiveness for Heidar Helguson’s header in the 2-1 defeat to Cardiff highlighted this. Under McCarthy: Has been in and out of the team under McCarthy, his kicking is sometimes wayward and he still has a tendency to stay on his line. However, Loach has kept clean sheets and seems to have benefited from a solid and more organised backline who have dominated aerially. He is putting in a strong claim for the number one spot for next season. Has Improved

Elliott Hewitt Under Jewell: Hip impingement surgery meant he had to be patient for his first start but has looked a prospect the moment he has joined. Under McCarthy: Remains highly regarded but McCarthy has opted for experience at right back, the consistency of Bradley Orr and in particular Richard Stearman has meant first team appearances have been limited but has impressed when call upon, may have a bigger part to play next season. No Judgement

Carlos Edwards Under Jewell: Wasn’t and never has been a right-back but was ever-present their throughout Jewell’s reign. He often allowed wingers to come inside onto their stronger foot and the fact the preferred formation was 4-2-3-1 often with Jay Emmanuel-Thomas in front of him meant he was left exposed and his defensive weaknesses were exploited. Under McCarthy: McCarthy seemed as bewildered as the fans as to why Edwards was at right-back and instantly moved him to right midfield. I think McCarthy likes Edwards's committed attitude and the fact that he has high fitness levels for a 34-year-old. Two important strikes recently has shown he is finding an eye for goal, something that right-back wouldn’t have allowed him to do. Has Improved Luke Chambers Under Jewell: Looked a little shaky early on in the season as Jewell failed to find a settled partnership, looked nervous alongside Danny Higginbotham and his distribution was often careless. Under McCarthy: Has been excellent, Has forged a great understanding with Tommy Smith and has barely put a foot wrong, looks more confident and has proved to be a good all-round defender. Has Improved Tommy Smith Under Jewell: Was more often out than in the team and his lack of pace was often exploited when he did play, wasn’t suited to a 4-2-3-1 formation as attackers can run at him and due to midfield being higher up the pitch he often had to compete for aerial balls that left him out of position with space in behind. Under McCarthy: Looks a tower of strength at the back, a rigid 4-4-2 means he can dominate aerially which plays to his strengths. Has been an ever-present and looks to have been guided well, real fans' favourite nowadays and has been touted as a future captain. Has Improved Aaron Cresswell Under Jewell: Despite an impressive first campaign, looked bereft of confidence at the beginning of the season. He was given a difficult time by wingers and struggled positional wise. Under McCarthy: Back to how we know he can play, sound defensively and looks to have been given freedom to join in attacks, something I think he has been advised to do by McCarthy who gave left-back Stephen Ward a similar license at Wolves. Has Improved Guirane N’Daw Under Jewell: Did OK in the early parts of the season, tried to break up play but wasn’t really noticed as the defensive weaknesses overshadowed his good work. Under McCarthy: Has improved if blowing a bit hot and cold, has shown he can really influence games and his tenacity has been appreciated. His ability to win the ball back quickly has allowed Town to get on the front foot. Has improved Luke Hyam Under Jewell: Another who was not always a starter despite fans' calls for him to get a run in the side. This meant that it was difficult to impress. Under McCarthy: Has made the midfield spot his own and his all-action displays have been highly praised. Has been advised to get into the box more and this aspect of his game has improved recently. Has Improved Jay Emmanuel-Thomas Under Jewell: Was played regularly by Jewell and a more fluid formation meant he was a able to roam, however his approach was often viewed as lazy and was often criticised for his lack of commitment and positional awareness. Under McCarthy- “No one gets in my team playing like that,” the words of McCarthy after a lacklustre display in an U21 game. This gave JET an ultimatum and he has responded with some positive, committed performances. It is clear McCarthy is trying to discipline Emmanuel-Thomas and find a balance between him showing his craft and working for the team and he is progressing if slowly. No Judgement Paul Taylor Under Jewell: Showed flashes of his undoubted ability in the early parts of the season without scoring his first goal. Unfortunately broke his foot that has meant he hasn’t featured since. Under McCarthy: Has been unable to feature but it will be very interesting to see how he is utilised by the Town boss next season. No Judgement Lee Martin Under Jewell: His work rate has never been in question but his end product and inability to score goals is something that has been, found it difficult to provide spark early on. Under McCarthy: In a way not much has changed, his work rate and desire to chase is something that has benefited the team. However some still believe the team improves when he is not playing, Out of contract in the summer and his Blues future looks in doubt. Hasn’t improved Michael Chopra Under Jewell: Played as the main striker and was seen as the poacher up front, however at times looked uninterested. His place in the team was never seemed under threat and I think the lack of competition led to some complacency in his game. Under McCarthy: Has put in some honest performances and has popped up with a couple of important goals. I’m not entirely convinced the current system is designed for him; the service hasn’t been sufficient and has been in and out of the team. Hasn’t Improved Daryl Murphy Under Jewell- Played on the left-hand side because of his willingness to work back and was the main outlet for long and often inaccurate long diagonals which meant we conceded possession quite cheaply. Put in a shift but was unable to utilise his strengths in an unnatural role. Under McCarthy: Back in his more natural centre-forward role where his physical presence unsettles defenders and was a good foil for DJ Campbell when he was at the club. What he lacks in technique he has made up for with some tireless and unselfish displays. Has Improved I’m sure some will disapprove of some of my final verdicts. Some of them were not easy to make. Hope you’ve enjoyed the read.

DanLyles added 16:23 - Apr 24 Good blog Edmunds5. Where would you play Taylor? I would like to see him roaming behind McGoldrick (if/when he signs) in a free role. Would provide a great link between midfield and attack. Plus his pace and ability to beat a man would give us an extra dimension going forward. I think Wordsworth should partner Hyam in the engine room to give us more creativity with his passing and an added goal threat. Looks like Tabb will be signed for left midfield and then we could sign somebody like Adomah for the right wing.

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MaySixth added 16:27 - Apr 24 Thank you. Good read, can't disagree with much of that. One thing I do know is we would of definitely been relegated if Jewell was still in charge. DanLyles - I haven't seen Taylor in the flesh for us but I would think he has some job on his hands getting straight back in the team after his injury and off-field issues. Agree with Wordsworth in central midfielder, especially at home. The only truly creative player in the squad.

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MaySixth added 16:28 - Apr 24 Forgot to mention Emmanuel-Thomas. To be fair, he is creative.
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Edmunds5 added 16:53 - Apr 24 Thanks for the comments, @DanLyles- I agree with that, I would like to see him in a free role behind McGoldrick but the problem is our style of play, Taylor for me is ideally suited to a fluid 4-2-3-1 type formation where he can pick the ball up and drive like a Sessengnon or a Mata I suppose. The problem is if we go direct to McGoldrick and Hope Taylor gets the knock downs I'm not sure thats the right way to use Taylor, who needs the ball to feet. That's why he did well at Peterborough, full backs linking up with him and the midfield like Boyd, McCann, Rowe, Tomlin. Taylor would fit into Palace where Stephen Dobbie plays and think the set up has to suit him. Its the same with Chopra in a different way, he loves service from outwide and alot of what we do comes down the middle so Chopra is another who I think needs to have the right service and I dont think he gets that the way we play at the moment.

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bluefeast added 17:11 - Apr 24 Thanks for the blog ,it should help the thousands of so called supporters who don't turn up and watch.
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Len_Brennan added 17:53 - Apr 24 Thanks Edmund, good read and accurate. The question that yourself & Dan are pondering re: Taylor is one that I have been scratching my head over since he signed. I like him as a player and think he is good enough to get into any team in this league, but am still not sure why we signed him at the time. He didn't fit into how the team was set up to play & for the money paid we would have been better spending it elsewhere. Having said that, I thought it was a good price for a player of his ability & age and I kind of came to the conclusion that we bought him because it was too good an opportunity to miss out on and the club needed to appease very restless supporters with a signing of that magnitude. Should he come back to his best & full fitness for next season, he will be a great addition for Mick, who I'm sure will have weighted up the strenghts of his squad better than his predecessors and set the team up in a balanced way that allows guys ike Taylor to play in their natural positions, where they can be most effective. I agree with you guys when you suggest that playing Taylor in behind McGoldrick would seem like the right selection and am looking froward to seeing that partnership in action come August, with the right support behind and around them..

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Edmunds5 added 18:48 - Apr 24 Len Brennan- I agree about Taylor, He has great quality and Mick will find the right solution as to where he fits in, I even think he may end up playing on the right of midfield in a 4-4-2. Also agree about questioning why he was signed,at a time when we had struggled it did feel almost like an expensive luxury that was done to try and make fans more positive amongst alot of dicontent, I don't mean that against Taylor. It will be good to see him get going again but just hope its in a system that suits him.

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Tractorcookie added 19:21 - Apr 24 Would quite like to see Taylor paired with Nouble up front - it would be the first "little'n'large" pairing since Kuqi & Bent. Views??
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Alwaysablue added 01:42 - Apr 25 Tractorcookie Kuqi and Bent are roughly the same height believe it or not, but I think the Taylor and Nouble shout may work well both possess plenty of pace and trickery and with Nouble also possessing some aerial threat
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Jeff_winger added 10:25 - Apr 25 Bent is just under 6ft which i suppose in todays football could be considered small
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CalneBlue added 12:43 - Apr 25 Ls
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CalneBlue added 12:57 - Apr 25 Liked the blog. In spite of all of his off-field problems I think you're right about Chopra not having a system that suits him. At Cardiff and elsewhere he has usually benefited from being a second striker e.g. Jay Bothroyd. Don't think that has happened much at Town where his strike rate is currently 0.23 goals/game vs 0.32 career record. Somehow can't see this changing much next season though still an asset on his day.

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theobald1985 added 21:08 - Apr 25 a good read. i think cresswells improvement has been partly down to martins work rate. to say that 'some believe we improve when he is not playing' is giving far too much of an ear to a few very vocal idiots. lee has played the majority of mcarthys games and are form since mm took over has been play offs. i hope he does not go in the summer and as with chopra if they do go i bet they will go to a team who finish above us this season.

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pazelle added 17:54 - Apr 26 I must disagree about Martin, he did fook up against forest but it was still a harsh red. Considering he is playing with little confidence he certainly puts a shift in and maybe a goal will see him finally blossom as a player. I agree with theobald, he would be snapped up by a higher placed Champ team if we can't agree terms. Which would be a shame, because he's a right little rascal and definitely has it in his locker. Could do with getting on the weights though! Good blog - cheers.

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SouperJim added 09:44 - Apr 29 Lee Martin won't be here next season. I would put money on him never being a success at this level and he will have to drop down a division. He's powder puff, he can't tackle, he doesn't track back consistently, he gives away needless free kicks, he gets himself booked or sent off time and time again, he offers very little going forward despite some bluster and effort and he has next to zero end product. His 10 minute cameo against Birmingham was a really eye-opening reminder of how poor he is, especially when compared to a decent pro (Jay Tabb) who has about half his natural ability. An utterly miserable Roy Keane signing and the sooner we are rid of him the better. I wouldn't give him another contract even if we paid him in peanuts.

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