Cod Almighty | Diary

Meditating on the middle

15 November 2024

How do you solve a problem like Kieran Green? Your A46 Diary has been considering this all week: Thompson and Davies have got some minutes, Luker, while yet to force his way in, is on the cusp, Khouri has been special and McEachran has brought a quiet quality to an effective midfield.

So, does and will Green keep his place? In the short term, absolutely and we're all delighted about that. Green has been the brightest light of the season so far. Somehow, he has embodied our bold new design, a player who has evolved from one thing into another, from basic to flourishing, a cactus to a flower, a Seat to an Audi. There's a simple and easy joy in watching someone make something work, and, like an ice road trucker who’s always ready to power through but without the skill he’s sunk, Green is the one who exemplifies all that is good and hopeful about what we're trying to be.

What about the long term? When we have our fully fit squad, does he make the starting line up? Back in August, the starting midfield three were probably Thompson, McEachran and Davies, and few would complain if they were to turn out for Town tomorrow. But, Green and Khouri have shown that they're ready to be the first choice.

Khouri is still developing, still young, still inexperienced despite performances that make him look like none of those things. I imagine that DA will be looking forward to allowing him a break and even more excited to have him as a proven option off the bench. This isn't the Khouri of the last couple of seasons, this is a player who has made himself vital to our progress and so he will start lots of games after Christmas and make lots of appearance as a sub.

McEachran is probably the constant; the discipline he's shown in the deeper role he’s played so far this season has been impressive, his range of passing, ability to pick up the loose ball and win tackles have made him one of the first names on the team sheet. So far this season it's felt like any fit midfielder is one of the first names, but McEachran has shown maturity – it’s very easy to forget that he's still only 24 – and professionalism that make him a shoo-in.

With Thompson and Davies fit, then, I think Artell will go with that initial first choice. What's exciting about that is McEachran being freed up to play further forward in something like the role that Khouri plays now while Thompson covers the defence. Given the mobility of McEachran, he won't need to play the all-action role that saw him almost single-handedly drag us up the table in the first half of this year. There's a footballer in Thompson and in a better midfield I’m sure we’ll get more opportunities to see it.

Which brings us back to Green. Right now, he keeps his place ahead of Davies and in a month or two he may find himself on the bench, but both scenarios give amazing options off the bench. Imagine if we'd had Davies/Green and Khouri on the bench in the last three home games.

So, is there a problem? No, only opportunities and options. The next few weeks will shape the rest of our season and the squad is coming together nicely. The starting 11 might be quite different come those two home games against Notts and Chesterfield in the middle of January, the game against the former hopefully giving us a clear idea of how far we’ll have come in the six months between the fixtures.

Newport tomorrow. A chance of six away wins in a row tomorrow. Perhaps a chance to see some of our soon-to-be outstanding midfield options come off the bench.