Bloxham

[Sandgroanun]

What has gone wrong with this lad. He looked like someone you could build a team around when he first arrived but since his injury he's looked way off the pace. He's definitely not a striker and trying to convert him into that role just isn't working and affecting his confidence. What's really worrying is though he seems to have lost a bit of pace and for a big lad he falls down a lot and is useless in the air. I think you either play him as an out and out right winger or not all. But then he doesn't fall into the category of Evatts preferred system on wing backs.

 

[Armand_Legear]

If he had been consistently any good then someone would have taken him from Shrewsbury long before we did. Shrews fans were indifferent to his departure.

 

[SouthernSeasider]

Probably knackered from playing every game recently, and has looked rather unfit before Evatt came. He hasn't had that many bad ones, was good against Peterborough and Cardiff.

 

[NewburyOne]

No idea how professional he is away from the club. Was in shocking condition when Bruce was here, could barely run 100m without blowing out of his arse. Another player who is out of position through the middle, he doesn't have a strikers instinct, is caught offside way too often and rarely plays the right pass. Given Evatt doesn't usually play wingers, I don't really see a future for him at our club.

 

[Arriedirk]

What has gone wrong with this lad. He looked like someone you could build a team around when he first arrived but since his injury he's looked way off the pace. He's definitely not a striker and trying to convert him into that role just isn't working and affecting his confidence. What's really worrying is though he seems to have lost a bit of pace and for a big lad he falls down a lot and is useless in the air. I think you either play him as an out and out right winger or not all. But then he doesn't fall into the category of Evatts preferred system on wing backs.

Let’s be honest,we only signed because he ran the show at Bloomfield road vs Shrewsbury.
He has got some nice touches,but that’s about it.

 

[La Gaviota]

Bloxham 149 appearances 12 goals in all competitions. Another case of Management setting up a player to fail. Don’t blame the player.

 

[TANGERINETOWERPOWER]

I have to be honest i had high hopes for him but fear he is going backwards at a rate of knots…no room for passengers and we have at least five in the squad…Bloxham cj Coulson Hansson and Lyons …if Ihiewke and Horsfall continue to make mistakes we look very vulnerable and fragile

 

[Hevster]

I'm not sure what he is anymore and agree with pretty much all of the OP.

He looks most at home out wide and he can roll a player if he gets the right ball into him. He can put a ball in the box if he does get past his man but his other range of passing needs work.

I also agree he has lost a yard or two of pace, could be injury related, and some of his first touch is poor. He seems to get the ball caught in his feet a fair amount when taking a player on face to face, and then looks clumsy. And he isn't a centre forward cos he hasn't the instinct or pace and he doesn't seem to yet know how he could use his size and height effectively.

I find him a conundrum now and maybe he isn't going to fulfil the potential many of us hoped he would. Another instance where I really hope to be proved wrong.

 

[hertfordseasider]

He's bang average at best it's another monumental phuck up by the recruitment team and Bruce.

 

[Seasider1953]

He is still only a young kid , but he does need to nail down a position & train hard to improve , hopefully he can.

 

[20togo]

He's bang average at best it's another monumental phuck up by the recruitment team and Bruce.

bang average is still a damn sight better than CJ.

I don't know where his head is at but he first needs to get fully fit. He's got the ability, he's got enough pace and those attributes are enough to cause teams problems at L1. So not prepared to give up on him yet.

 

[Insider]

Its an understatement to say he's been underwhelming.
John Aspinall did a good interview with his agent in which he clearly stated Tom's preferred postion was on the wing.
After playing him in his preferred position for his first couple of games, when he impressed us all, both Bruce and now Evo have tried to make him into a central striker because he looks like he has the physique to be one. Unfortunately he's not very good in the air, he doesn't use his weight and he's not nasty enough.
In the jokey interviews you get with his team mates they rib him for not being very bright and I'd hazard a guess that he's probably difficult to manage. I have heard it said hd has fallen out with previous managers. He may possibly find it difficult to understand all Evo's "complicated??" instructions. Pure speculation on my part. To give him his due he looks alot fitter under the new training regime and is working alot harder. He doesn't look like he's going to be a centre forward, he's never going to be a WB, so I dont really know how he fits into Evo's plan.

 

[gjr]

Bloxham is best suited to right of a front 3, as is Banks and Bowler.
The recruitment has been baffling.
Im guessing we could possibly play some form of 3 4 3 but as long as we play 3 at the back probably not going to get the best out of Banks or Bloxham.
Im not against 3 at the back or obsessed with 4 at the back but i do think coaches have to look at what they've got and think how best are these lot going to win matches for me.
Too many coaches wedded to one system irrespective of what they have.
Makes succession planning and recruitment so important, we appear to have been shit at both for a few years.

 

[Hazi]

Still young I still have high hopes especially as he has never really played his best position on the right wing

 

[Marmite]

Last night as a centre forward he was hopeless....but he's NOT a centre forward.
When he drifted wide he was ok.
Due to all the injuries he's playing out of position, clearly.
That said, playing home there isn't working and hasn't done.
For that I blame trying to make players who are not suited to a position, play in a system that doesn't suit the players available.

 

[Joey_Rex]

Bloxham is best suited to right of a front 3, as is Banks and Bowler.
The recruitment has been baffling.
Im guessing we could possibly play some form of 3 4 3 but as long as we play 3 at the back probably not going to get the best out of Banks or Bloxham.
Im not against 3 at the back or obsessed with 4 at the back but i do think coaches have to look at what they've got and think how best are these lot going to win matches for me.
Too many coaches wedded to one system irrespective of what they have.
Makes succession planning and recruitment so important, we appear to have been shit at both for a few years.

Exactly this. A few of our attacking players would be better suited to 343 or 433 and then Bloxham could play wide forward. He's clearly not an out and out striker. This would probably suit Bowler/Banks and Hansen as well.

 

[20togo]

both Bruce and now Evo have tried to make him into a central striker because he looks like he has the physique to be one. Unfortunately he's not very good in the air, he doesn't use his weight and he's not nasty enough.

yep, we already know that about Fletcher but this thread is about Bloxham.

 

[Arriedirk]

bang average is still a damn sight better than CJ.

I don't know where his head is at but he first needs to get fully fit. He's got the ability, he's got enough pace and those attributes are enough to cause teams problems at L1. So not prepared to give up on him yet.

CJ scored more goals than him.

 

[Armand_Legear]

Dj scored more goals than him.

DJ or CJ? A world of difference, 'Arrie'.

 

[HodderSeasider]

We should be playing 4-4-2 or 4-3-3 which would allow both Bloxham and Banks to take up wide positions. We were much better when we switched to four at the back last night.

 

[Arriedirk]

DJ or CJ? A world of difference, 'Arrie'.

you tell me who it is,
could be both have.
Edited young un.
Well spotted though.

 

[Evoknows]

I think there are a few selective memories about Bloxham playing on the wing and playing well. He actually in his first few games for us played striker cos we had injuries when he signed and he played well and scored 2 or 3 then got injured himself. When he came back he played on the wing and was pretty average at best and this season he has been poor wherever he has played.
He's a young kid though, clearly short on confidence and truth be told probably not playing with the ideal strike partner in Fletcher.
I still have hopes for him though. There isn't a single player in our squad who has been decent this season so the fact he is struggling is no real surprise.
I think he will come good but he needs a period out to reset I think.

 

[WIZARD OF TANGERINE]

Bloxham is not playing in his natural position and when we get our strikers back he will probably revert to the wing. I still rate him very highly and he has worked his socks off in the last couple of games. .Its a hell of a lot difference playing as a winger where you usually receive the ball with space around you and you only have to beat 1 player to get your cross in .

If you play as a center forward you are usually man marked and sometimes have more than one defender near you .This is probably one of our problems with the whole team and that is having 5 of our players being wingers and usually having a bit of space and only one actual striker fit and he is having to work his socks off too.

I think you have to play football to understanding it sometimes. There is nothing wrong with Bloxham ,and I feel he is still our best winger.

 

[AngelBFC]

Let’s not single him out . The team as a whole have struggled .

He’s 22.

We didn’t pay £10 million for him in fact we didn’t pay a great deal at all .

He’s still young and still developing.

Really hope it works out for him . He was delighted when we beat Peterborough and it looked like it was the start of a new dawn for him .

Let’s not crucify him but support him and hopefully we will reap the rewards.

If in the end it doesn’t work out so be it . Didn’t cost much and he won’t be on big money .

Despite his size and presence he’s still a kid . Give him a chance .

 

[SeasideKurt]

I remember when I got told we had recruited him for years and I called it out as absolute and utter bollox. There’s a player in there but only wide of a front three. Not a striker.

 

[fcblackpool]

I think there are a few selective memories about Bloxham playing on the wing and playing well. He actually in his first few games for us played striker cos we had injuries when he signed and he played well and scored 2 or 3 then got injured himself. When he came back he played on the wing and was pretty average at best and this season he has been poor wherever he has played.
He's a young kid though, clearly short on confidence and truth be told probably not playing with the ideal strike partner in Fletcher.
I still have hopes for him though. There isn't a single player in our squad who has been decent this season so the fact he is struggling is no real surprise.
I think he will come good but he needs a period out to reset I think.

Thing is we have Bowler there now. He'll play every time ahead of Bloxham. And then if Bowler is out we have enough to cover, at least for a couple of games.

Harsh on Bloxham, but he's no CF and there's no room at the (w)inn(g). He's surplus I think, and not alone in that.