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The 12 best wide midfielders in Scottish football right now


skygod

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As voted by members of The Terrace Scottish Football Podcast.

In 2017 we wrote that there wasn’t a great depth of quality in the wide areas in Scottish football. A year on and it has improved slightly. One only has to look at a trio of players who didn’t make the list. Patrick Roberts, one of the most talented players in the league, has been hampered by injuries and fell down the pecking order at Celtic. Colleague Jonny Hayes was second on the list last season but drops out completely as a broken leg sustained at Dundee in December followed on from a slow start at his new club. Then there is Brandon Barker. This writer (who voted for him) is not sure why the Hibs winger didn’t make the cut. Perhaps an erratic end product or, again, injury. But one thing is for sure, there are wide men operating in Scotland who excite and entice fans out their seats, plus there is a great variety. There are strong runners, mazy dribblers, crossers, bye-line hitters and inverted wingers. Some even fit into more than one category.

So which 12 have made the list?

12. Chris Cadden (Motherwell)
11. Lewis Morgan (St Mirren)
10. Niall McGinn (Aberdeen)
9. David Milinkovic (Hearts)
8. Gary Mackay-Steven (Aberdeen)
7. Josh Windass (Rangers)
6. Jamie Murphy (Rangers)
5. Martin Boyle (Hibernian)
4. Scott Sinclair (Celtic)


3. Jordan Jones (Kilmarnock)

It is ironic that the Northern Irishman missed the end of the season due to a twisted testicle as it is something he has been doing to opposition full-backs all season. Both Aberdeen and Rangers have shown an interest in the player, back when he could have been described as raw and picked up on the cheap - or so they and Ayr United manager Ian McCall thought.

Like so many under Steven Clarke, Jones has kicked on and found a consistency which has pushed the winger from frustrating to promising to fully-fledged.

The player recently tweeted his thanks to Killie, talking about his fear of starting a new journey 150 miles from home when he moved in 2016 and how it was his last chance he couldn’t waste. He’s made the most of it.

The 23-year-old is easily one of, if not the most exciting player in the league. When fans go to games they want to see players who transfix, those who, when they have the ball, you can’t take your eyes off them. Jones is that player. Former England international Chris Waddle said that when he was at Sheffield Wednesday he would hear a clattering when he got the ball as fans got out their seats, ready to be taken in by his ability to beat opponents. Jones is of that ilk.

He twists and turns as if performing some interpretive dance, weaving past opponents, happy to go either way, while he packs a punch with his shooting as he showed with a fabulous goal against Hibs. Because he is still relatively inexperienced in terms of game time, an improvement in his decision making will see him reach the top level.

Best moment: The player made his Northern Ireland debut in November in a World Cup qualification play-off encounter with Switzerland, a reward for his work at Killie.

Stat: With 399, Jones leads the leagues in dribbles — 119 more than anyone else.

2. Daniel Candeias (Rangers)
1. James Forrest (Celtic)

(Joel Sked, Scotsman)

 

 

Edited by skygod
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I was a Jones critic I admit, always knew something was there but never felt he gave us enough. I still think he should score more and his final ball or decision making is horrendous at times but f**k me we've not had an exciting a player as him for years. His first half performance against St Johnstone in the midweek game a few month back was possibly the best 45 minutes I've seen from a player in a killie shirt. 

We probably miss him more than anyone else when he's not there, we don't have a replacement 

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On 5/19/2018 at 12:31 AM, All the Wine said:

I was a Jones critic I admit, always knew something was there but never felt he gave us enough. I still think he should score more and his final ball or decision making is horrendous at times but f**k me we've not had an exciting a player as him for years. His first half performance against St Johnstone in the midweek game a few month back was possibly the best 45 minutes I've seen from a player in a killie shirt. 

We probably miss him more than anyone else when he's not there, we don't have a replacement 

I have to agree with this. I don't get to all that many games and missed a load during the Eremenko era, the best that I can remember someone play was Naismith against Falkirk at Fir Park in what I think was a cup semi final. I was at that St Johnstone game and while I would still pick the Naisy game JJ ripped them to shreds.

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