Quote: vastman "TBF on John he has far less to prove than Smith. John was a gamble and at 20? there is plenty left on the clock for this lad. What I don't get is why such an inexperienced player gets the nod every week - I see nothing wrong with him battling it out with Wildie and Wood. Just because he's overseas doesn't mean he has to play especially as he is clearly a project player (whether you think you should use a quota spot up on a speculative player like John is another matter).
It's a gamble that may pay off in spectacular fashion or may be a complete flop - what shouldn't happen is that it hampers the chances of others to get a chance. Frankly if Wood turns out to be the star despite being a pretty underwhelming signing at the time who cares - just so long as the real best man wins and not just the one with the right accent.
Smith on the other hand came with a big reputation and price tag, sadly he needs to perform every week and he isn't. He's not the worst I've ever seen and there are flashes of brilliance but the clock really is ticking for him.'"
If its a choice between Smith and John, I would have no hesitation about choosing John. Like you say he is young and has a career infront of him.I also like his attitude, he took on the kicking role when no one else wanted it. He obviously worked very hard on it because his improvement was obvious after a few games. He also seems a more all round player than Smith. I think the raw material is there to work with but like you say he needs coaching and management. He needs to see Wildie and Wood as credible threats to his position . When those two are playing well he should have a run out in the reserves from time to time, it would not do him any harm.
