Josh Key

[Treehuggerjack]

What happens next for him?

I feel a little bit bad for calling him a cxxt on the match day thread. After all he’s just a player, obviously trying to do his best.
I’m pretty sure when he arrived I watched him being an able defender and doing the basics right.

I wonder if it’s just a case that he’s been coached terribly by the former managers we’ve had. Tymon was never able to defend or stay tight either, but has done so since Matos arrived.
Only difference with Tymon is that he’s great at the other end of the pitch.

I wonder if matos and his staff actually coach him on his position. He has all the physical attributes to do well at RB.

Anyway, time will tell, but I’d prefer Parker, Kev Jon’s, or anyone else until he can sort himself out.

 

[Cinio Dydd Sul]

What needs to happen next is that he needs to be dropped for his own sanity. We're also in danger of not only having a damaged Key on our hands but also a ruined Parker if hes not given a chance. It must be pretty demoralising for the kid to still not get minutes when the right back incumbent has been playing so badly.

 

[Pegojack]

He's put in many excellent performances for us in the past. His current form must be doing his nut in as much as it is ours. He needs to be handled and coached carefully to get him back to what he can be, which is primarily Vic Tomatoes job.
In the meantime, I agree that maybe Parker should be given an opportunity.

 

[Michu78]

The right back role is our highest priority at the moment come January. I got slated years ago for calling him out after the Leicester winger give him such a beating a couple of seasons ago. It doesn't take much effort to glide past him, wingers must be licking their lips when they see his name on the team sheet.

 

[legoman]

What happens next for him?

I feel a little bit bad for calling him a cxxt on the match day thread. After all he’s just a player, obviously trying to do his best.
I’m pretty sure when he arrived I watched him being an able defender and doing the basics right.

I wonder if it’s just a case that he’s been coached terribly by the former managers we’ve had. Tymon was never able to defend or stay tight either, but has done so since Matos arrived.
Only difference with Tymon is that he’s great at the other end of the pitch.

I wonder if matos and his staff actually coach him on his position. He has all the physical attributes to do well at RB.

Anyway, time will tell, but I’d prefer Parker, Kev Jon’s, or anyone else until he can sort himself out.

I don't have an issue with anyone on a forum offering a critical opinion of any player. However, I think your post acknowledges the fact that you may have overstepped the mark when commenting on Key's recent performance, so good on you for recognising that fact.

I would like to think this is a salutary reminder that we should all keep personal insults out of the forum.

 

[3swan]

For whatever reason his form has dropped significantly.

When I've watched games on Sky that he's played in, and the camera has caught him after errors, you can see both his body language and facial expressions that he knows what he's done.
He seems to have no confidence in anything that he's doing, and as many have posted, he needs a rest and some careful handling and coaching.
Whether improvement will come?, but I don't think playing at the moment is the best for him or the team.

 

[Ringwood]

Casey should be our RB.. its been staring us in the face since Sept. If he was one of our own the RB spot would be his no doubt.

The Championship is changing year by year. Anybody noticed our more direct it is now get the ball forward quickly to the faster physical forwards !? The possession based game is not as evident with teams like Preston and Bristol City playing on the transition.

Direct fast football is certainly not Key"'s game.. he lacks the pace and physicality to compete in an open game. Once he is turned over by the half way line he is struggling to recover.

 

[monmouth]

For whatever reason his form has dropped significantly.

When I've watched games on Sky that he's played in, and the camera has caught him after errors, you can see both his body language and facial expressions that he knows what he's done.
He seems to have no confidence in anything that he's doing, and as many have posted, he needs a rest and some careful handling and coaching.
Whether improvement will come?, but I don't think playing at the moment is the best for him or the team.

He can't do right for doing wrong, and it's been going on a long time now. That must be pretty traumatic in such a public arena. I think the best way to allow him to rehabilitate himself would be a loan. Somewhere he can regain his confidence. Otherwise, it's going to be sink or swim and he already looks on a death spiral in that regard. What would I say to him...don't know...I think I'd tell him to remember he's a good player and then go all terminator with 'the future is not set' and what is gone is gone. For my money though, he needs to be out of the firing line for a while.

He has the tools. At one point we all thought he was one of our prized assets. He's just lost his way.

 

[bakajack]

He can't do right for doing wrong, and it's been going on a long time now. That must be pretty traumatic in such a public arena. I think the best way to allow him to rehabilitate himself would be a loan. Somewhere he can regain his confidence. Otherwise, it's going to be sink or swim and he already looks on a death spiral in that regard. What would I say to him...don't know...I think I'd tell him to remember he's a good player and then go all terminator with 'the future is not set' and what is gone is gone. For my money though, he needs to be out of the firing line for a while.

He has the tools. At one point we all thought he was one of our prized assets. He's just lost his way.

Its easy to forget that football players are human beings.
Incredibly well paid human beings mind you, but they have flaws and imperfections just like the rest of us.

Its also true that football is as much a psychological game as it is a physical one, for example the one touch football into a space that you KNEW another player was going to be running into took years of coaching and conditioning but also immense mental strength to know that even if you got it wrong you would do it again next time.

As soon as footballers retreat into their shells and start second guessing themselves the more they try too hard to do the right things and get them increasingly wrong. The two crosses last game are a great example of that, we know for a fact that Key is an excellent crosser of the ball but right now his confidence is rock bottom and his self belief is completely shot.

Careful man management from Matos is needed, hopefully it starts with Key being rested and Parker on the bench on Friday.

 

[Swans Jack]

There is a balance to how far you go with it being personal and if Key is suffering then he needs to be taken aside and helped. But let's get real here, we cannot afford to let 1 player bring down the whole club. And sadly his performance is doing that. He needs to be taken out of squad.

 

[AusinIsOurHero]

I wasn't there but apparently at the fans forum last night, Matos said something along the lines of we all need to get behind him (Key) and give him our support.
Again, context is needed but it sounds like Matos is planning on sticking by him. I'd personally give him some time out and utilise Parker & Casey at RB.

 

[Ringwood]

Key isn't lacking support by the fans... his performances are not helping his own situation.

 

[Whaleoilbeefhooked]

Perhaps we could kill 2 birds with one stone. Rest Key, and put Ronald at right back. Thus improving my mental health from having to endure watching Ronald from doing Jack s**t out wide, yet again.

 

[Treehuggerjack]

Just saw a stat from Vital Swans that in 12 games Ronald has not made 1 successful cross! Mind boggling!
Although when thinking back, I don’t think I’ve actually seen one either.

 

[Treehuggerjack]

On a positive note though, I recon Tymon and EOM have put many great deliveries into the box.