Mid-season grades (part 2)
How have the midfielders and strikers performed at the half-way stage?
As promised, here’s part two of my mid-season report.
The grades for the goalkeepers and defenders certainly sparked discussion and I suspect that my assessment of the midfielders and strikers will have a similar effect.
As ever, comment below to air your views. And feel free to share From Bromley with love with anyone who would enjoy reading about Bromley from the fans’ perspective.
Midfielders
Billy Bingham
There was a time when I would have said that a fit and firing Bingham was essential to making Bromley tick. But a closer inspection of the stats shows that of the seven games Bingham has missed this season, the Ravens have only lost twice.
That’s not to say that Bingham is of no use to Bromley. He’s still a technically gifted player who makes the side tick when he’s at the top of his game. However, at 32 years of age, it may be the case that Billy can no longer be considered first choice for every game.
We are used to Billy having some injury woes in a season, but this is the first one where younger legs are putting legit pressure on him.
Thanks to a combination of Vennings, Arthurs, and Coleman, Bingham now finds himself in a fight for his spot. In truth, that’s probably where Bromley need to be in order to progress
Half season grade = 6.5/10
James Vennings
I accept that not everyone gets it with James Vennings, but I’ll restate what I said in pre-season: James Vennings is going to play in the EFL. Particularly if he can start adding goals to his game.
My advice for Bromley fans is to spend the next few games watching him. It will soon become apparent how much all-round talent he brings to the park.
He has the ability to play as a screen in front of the back four, as a deep-lying playmaker, as a ball-winning midfielder, or as a box-to-box dynamo. If anything, his biggest weakness, beyond the lack of goals, is that it still isn’t clear what his best role is.
Much like Callum Reynolds, I don’t think Vennings has had many bad games. But, because he goes about his business quietly, it’s possible many don’t see what he brings to the team.
The Notts County stats team reliably informs me that Vennings has completed 87.5% of his passes this season, 13th most in the league. He also wins 60.34% of his defensive duels, which represents a more than decent return for a central midfielder.
For much of the season, Vennings has been a nailed-on starter. However, in light of the competition for places in the centre of the park, I sense he will have to up his level in the second half of the season.
Half season grade = 7/10
Ethan Coleman
Last season, I bumped into former Bromley first-team coach Hugo Langton at Hayes Lane. He was on scouting duties for Kings Lynn Town at the time and we got talking about Ethan Coleman’s pending move to League Two Leyton Orient. Hugo waxed lyrical about Ethan and what a good player he was and how it was a move he deserved.
Fast forward a year and Ethan was sent out on a season-long loan by new Orient gaffer Richie Wellens. Wellens stated that he wanted Coleman to get guaranteed games and offered what seemed like thinly veiled praise: “There is a player in there.”
The thing is, Wellens is right. I can totally see why Coleman is rated. As a physical specimen he fits the bill and he has a good engine on him.
At times, however, I’ve felt it’s been too easy for games to pass him by. Or maybe it’s more that he hasn’t always imposed himself on the game.
That’s not to say that I haven’t seen Ethan have good games. People raved about his performances at Boreham Wood and Notts County, and I thought he was excellent at Southend, too.
It all feeds into my theory that Coleman wants to be “the guy”, not the backup dancer. As with Vennings and Bingham, maybe the increased competition is the best thing for him.
Would you drop him now?
Half season grade = 6.5/10
Jude Arthurs
Whisper it quietly, but Jude Arthurs may well be one of the more important players in the side. Versatile, and with a great engine, Jude is a godsend for Woodman. Interestingly, Jude has only started in three of the league defeats Bromley have suffered this season. Yet, for whatever reason, he hasn’t nailed down a first-team spot.
More often than not, we’ve either seen him fill in at right wing-back or come off the bench as a second-half sub. More recently, however, he’s returned to a starting spot in central midfield.
There is a genuine question to be asked as to whether, in taking advantage of Jude’s flexibility, we’ve diluted his best attributes.
Let us not forget that he has three goals this season. Given our lack of goals in the midfield, that seems hard to ignore.
That said, until Jude can make himself undroppable, it goes down as an underwhelming season for him so far.
Half season grade = 6.5/10
Corey Whitely
Corey has played in all but one game this season. For that reason, I have to be quite critical in my assessment.
He was moved to the attacking midfield role this season, which should have opened up new attacking transitions for Bromley. Sadly, it hasn’t really worked out like that.
Corey’s man-of-the-match performance at Wembley in the FA Trophy final showcased his possibilities, but a record of no league goals this season has raised questions as to whether he should be moved back to left wingback. That’s assuming Bromley persist in playing a three-man defence.
His ability to attack from deep was a great asset last season, and garnered five league goals, but a move to what is arguably Corey’s better position hasn’t worked out (yet).
More recently, we’ve seen Corey start as a left inside forward in a 4-2-3-1. Perhaps this is where we will see Corey playing in future?
Importantly, all is not lost. But for Corey to have a major impact on this season, difficult decisions may need to be made as to how we utilise his talents.
Half season grade = 6/10
Louis Dennis
It is no exaggeration to say that Louis is Bromley’s most technically gifted player. But another injury-afflicted season has left him on the periphery of the squad on many occasions.
He has only started on four occasions, with just two full 90 minutes to his name. In spite of that, he has the most goals from midfield this season (3).
Those goals have won Bromley seven points. He bagged winners at home to Torquay and away to Southend, and nabbed an equalising goal at home to Gateshead.
On the flip side, Louis has been an unused sub six times and has been out due to injury on five occasions. Yet I say this with a full chest: If Andy Woodman can find a way to keep Louis fit and play him more regularly, I have no doubt that Louis Dennis will be Bromley’s X-factor in the second half of the season.
Half season grade = 6/10
Forwards
Michael Cheek
The one thing that I didn’t factor for this season was Cheek not scoring goals. A record of 5 goals in 20 league starts is as horrible a season as he could possibly have.
It just hasn’t happened this season and I'm not sure anyone really has the answers. My personal theory is that Cheek expected to leave last summer for the last big move of his career and it didn’t materialise.
At that juncture, he was constantly banging in 20+ a season, had been integral to us ending in the playoffs, and had fired us to the FA Trophy final and scored the winning goal in the final itself. Or, to put it another way, he’d pretty much achieved all that he could at Bromley.
This season has been a slow one. Cheeky has looked a touch off it, and chances he would have gobbled up in the past have gone begging.
That said, this is still Michael Cheek we’re talking about. You don’t turn your nose up at someone with his goal record.
Woodman will continue to play him, as he should, in the hope that once it clicks (and it will) he remains our best hope of getting into the playoffs.
Half season grade = 6/10
Adam Marriott
At the time of writing, Marriott hasn’t scored in his last eight games. But his overall season record reads 16 games (13 starts) and 8 goals.
That’s quite a return, but there is still a sense that we haven’t seen the best of Marriott. It would be great to see him dovetailing dangerously with another striker. That fact that he hasn’t begs two questions: Are he and Cheek too similar? Do they need someone to run beyond the defence for them?
Marriott is an excellent goal poacher, but perhaps more understated has been the quality of his hold-up and link play. The challenge for Woodman now is finding the way to utilise him most effectively in Bromley’s starting lineup. Perhaps the key is being shrewd in who he plays with.
If that conundrum can be cracked, and Woodman gets Marriott and Cheek firing at the same time, then the playoffs will be the result.
Half season grade = 7/10
George Alexander
Marriott’s arrival has pushed George Alexander down the pecking order this season. The former Millwall u23 talent hasn’t got going yet, but it can be hard to get going when you’re not first choice.
He has six league starts, two substitute appearances, and one goal to his name. Yet, ironically, I’ve seen more of a reason to start George this season than I did when he was getting regular game-time last season.
That’s not because I think he will score a lot of goals. It’s because, of the strikers at the club, George is the one who is most likely to run beyond the defence and find space in the channels.
It goes back to my previous point about Marriott and Cheek. Can they work together, or should Alexander (or a new striker) play alongside one or the other?
Half season grade = 5.5/10
Mason Bloomfield
It was recently announced that Mason has departed for Farnborough. To be honest, I’m fine with that. The robust frontman never really got an extended run in the team and, for me, never looked likely to affect games consistently enough to deserve one.
Moving to Farnborough offers him part-time football, which probably suits him, and hopefully reignites his career.
Half season grade = 5/10
Thanks for taking the time to read the match synopsis above.
Please note all photographs in this article are by Martin Greig - please follow him on Twitter here
All articles are edited by Peter Etherington you can link to him here
If you havent as yet make sure you read the other articles in the archive.
If you’d like to show an appreciation for the work that goes into this newsletter you can buy me a coffee through the link below.
You can also find Machel St Patrick Hewitt on Twitter - here
Most importantly of all subscribe to the newsletter to ensure you get these updates direct to your inbox.