OWTB's Player of the Season 2012/13

[Stevie_J]

 

The OWTB Player of the Season 2012/13

in association with

RedStar Creative

 

It's now a couple of years since OWTB ceased to be the Oldham Athletic's official fans' forum and as such we no longer present our Player of the Season Award at the club's end of season awards dinner. In any case, given that we're just about covering the bills, we can no longer stretch to a trophy (if anyone would like to sponsor a trophy in future, feel free to give us a shout).

 

So this post constitutes the announcement of OWTB's Player of the Season for the 2012/13 campaign.

 

This (virtual) award is based upon the Man of the Match polls on OWTB throughout the season, covering all competitions. Using the same system as last season, points are awarded for each game as follows:

• MotM: 4pts;
  
• 2nd: 2pts; and
  
• 3rd: 1pt.
  

For players tied at the end of the season, the number of MotM awards will dictate who finishes first, but this did not turn out to be an issue.

 

That said, unlike last season where Keiran Lee absolutely ran away with it, this time around it was extremely close.

 

So, without further ado, the top 5 countdown goes like this:

 

5. Dean Bouzanis 31pts (4 MotM awards) (0.74pts/appearance)

One of Latics' trio of Australian keepers, Bouzanis ousted his compatriot, Alex Cisak in the early stages of the season, making the goalkeeper jersey his own and proving a steady performer between the sticks. The man who was surprisingly released immediately after the season's end sneaks into the running in fifth place.

 

4. Matt Smith 47pts (6 MotM awards) (1.18pts/appearance)

Matt Smith has had a great many doubters since arriving at Boundary Park and has done a great deal this season to silence them. His performances against Forest, Liverpool and Everton in the FA Cup will long be remembered by Latics fans and appear to have secured him a move to the Championship for next season. He also scored important goals in the end of season run-in to help secure club's League One status. Smith actually tops the points to appearances ratio but finishes fourth of a very close top four overall.

 

3. Jose Baxter 51pts (9 MotM awards) (1.13pts/appearance)

Bringing this talented scouser to the club was a masterstroke on Paul Dickov's part. Most did not expect him to be here as far as the end of the season, let alone to be contracted for another two years thereafter. His goals have been crucial to the club avoiding relegation. Destined to play at a higher level and will no doubt be gone as soon as Latics receive a reasonable offer for him, Baxter finishes second to Smith for points per appearance and third overall.

 

2. Jean-Yves M'voto 52pts (8 MotM awards) (1.06pts/appearance)

The big Frenchman has been a rock in Latics' defence this season and misses out narrowly on the Player of the Season accolade. Had he not picked up a fairly needless suspension for his sending off at Crawley, he may well have taken the award. Arguably the club's most consistent performer this season. M'voto is another player who seems destined to leave Boundary Park after his contracts expires this summer.

 

 

 

And the winner is...

 

1. LEE CROFT 55 pts (10 MotM awards) (1.04pts/appearance)

This season's winner signed on a season long loan from Derby, after enjoying a previous loan spell with the Latics as a youngster at Manchester City. After his contract at the Rams was terminated at the turn of the year, Croft signed a deal to stay at Boundary Park until the end of the season. The wingman didn't enjoy the greatest of starts to the season but his run of form since Christmas, which coincided with a new diet and a slimline Croft saw him turn in several outstanding performances, not least against Everton in the FA Cup. He pips M'Voto, Baxter and Smith to the top, having notched no fewer than ten man of the match awards. Whether he will be at the club next season remains unknown.

 

Congratulations to Lee Croft, OWTB's Player of the Season for 2012/13.

[rudemedic]

Interesting a lot of people, including me, thought he was lucky to get fan's POTS at the do. This shows that perhaps he wasn't.

 

Although it might be that he played very well in a moderate number of games and so on the points system got the award and didnt have to be all that good in the other games.

 

Thanks for your efforts with this, Stevie and the other mods.

Edited May 4, 2013 by rudemedic

[Stevie_J]

Interesting a lot of people, including me, thought he was lucky to get fan's POTS at the do. This shows that perhaps he wasn't.

 

Although it might be that he played very well in a moderate number of games and so on the points system got the award and didnt have to be all that good in the other games.

 

Thanks for your efforts with this, Stevie and the other mods.

I think you're right and I think it's borne out by the fact his points per appearance is score is the lowest of the top four, whilst also having the most MotM awards. His outstanding performances in the second half of the season have pushed him up there.

 

Slightly worryingly, if a decent offer comes in for Baxter we may lose all five of these players from next season's squad.

[Magic Mikey]

Unspectacular consistency (Grounds) can lose out to occasional match winning brilliance (Smith). But I'd say the winner is a fair reflection on the season.

[BP1960]

Does the winner receive an OWTB award ?

[Stevie_J]

Does the winner receive an OWTB award ?

They used to. We can't afford one these days.