Shrimpsvoices

Cranston has been sold for an “undisclosed fee” to Solihull - now it all makes sense why we had 3 left backs

https://www.morecambefc.com/news/2020/august/cranston-transferred-to-solihull-for-undisclosed-fee/

Good piece of business, Solihull Moors splashing a bit of cash it seems. They signed Cameron Coxe who was released from Cardiff as well.

I always thought Cranston was okay for us, occasionally brilliant but always had an error in him.

Just a good job he signed that contract earlier in the Summer or we would have lost him for nothing.

That makes it 4 still to come in now so let's see who signs.

Good move for the fella.

Able to live at his Wolverhampton home with his family rather than in digs in Lancaster during the week.

Also will release a wee bit of money for potential signings.

Will be interesting to see who DA brings in next. Additional striker or midfield creative player.....

I actually preferred Jordan in midfield. Good luck to him.

I liked Cranston. Carried the ball well and quickly in a way not many in our squad can, and had a great left foot on him. Bit of a liability defensively sometimes though. Seems like a really nice guy, and looked to be a good addition in the dressing.

But ultimately, either one of Conlan or Cranston had to go and while I would probably have preferred having Cranston over Conlan, the deal for him to Solihull seems to have lined up quite nicely for everyone. We get a fee, balance the squad better and free up a wage. He's dropped a division but it's still a good level and Solihull are looking to compete at the top end of the table. Location obviously a big factor for him, and sounds like the manager wants him and that he'll have a better chance of playing more games there.

I'm sad to see Jordan go, he was a decent performer at this level but I think the fact that nobody really knew where his best position was hampered him. Conlan is a specialist left back so I think i would prefer to keep him.

Derek is breaking up a side that was not good enough for League 2 and bringing in his own players. A fee and a wage bill off the books allows him to mould the squad a bit more. Win win I reckon.

Jordan will always be remembered for his goal on 17 minutes that put Jimbo head and shoulders above Scholes as a League Two manager.

Jordan also spoke regarding his experiences with depression.

"Moving away from my family was tough and during the season I rarely get the chance to go home.

“Sometimes I would just get back from training and go straight into my bedroom.

“I was in and out of the team, having problems at home and I was sent off against Port Vale in October, so I was having a hard time.

“I remember telling my manager at the time, Jim Bentley, and my family that I was on anti-depressants and I had to come to terms with having depression".

Being closer to home will hopefully make that side of his life easier too.

Jordan is a really lovely fella and great to have around any club, which is something that will definitely be missed.

His highlights for me will be the goal away at Tranmere from about 35 yards, which was absolute quality (our only moment of quality); his performance and goal against Cheltenham, when virtually our entire midfield was injured and we moved him there against his old club and he helped us to a 2-2 draw; the goal away at Oldham, which was a great night.

Having said that he came to us as a defender and a defender he most definitely isn’t. His first home game I think was against Exeter when his positioning was awful, got skinned several times and gave away a penalty. I’ve never seen him play well at left back. When we moved him into the centre of midfield he was always better as an attacking or box-to-box midfielder rather than a defensive one. At Notts County he gave the ball away on the edge of our box twice for their only two efforts on goal and at Cambridge away, when Paul McKay’s legs went, Jordan dropped deeper and suddenly went from looking comfortable winners to potential losers. We brought on Alex Kenyon for McKay and pushed Jordan upfield and he promptly went and got the late winner.

Part of it was his inability to time a tackle. He got 13 yellow cards in his first season and that didn’t help him later in games.

As a result, I was really surprised when he got a two year deal at the beginning of last season. However, it got us some money so no complaining.

He’ll be a big loss around the club as a person. As a footballer I hope Solihull can find a midfield role for him that plays to his attacking strengths. The fact no club previously, including us, has understood where he’s best is why he’s off again.

[quote="Keith"]Jordan also spoke regarding his experiences with depression.

"Moving away from my family was tough and during the season I rarely get the chance to go home.

“Sometimes I would just get back from training and go straight into my bedroom.

“I was in and out of the team, having problems at home and I was sent off against Port Vale in October, so I was having a hard time.

“I remember telling my manager at the time, Jim Bentley, and my family that I was on anti-depressants and I had to come to terms with having depression".

Being closer to home will hopefully make that side of his life easier too.[/quote]

Exactly. Remember his interview a few weeks ago about having to leave his home in Wolverhampton at 6.30am to get to pre season training on time.

Last season he was living in a flat with team mates in Lancaster but missed his family and that for me effected his play. So glad that he's now able to live day to day at home and play for Solihull Moors. Expect bigger things from him now that he's back home where he can find peace and family love.

Posh wrote:As a result, I was really surprised when he got a two year deal at the beginning of last season. However, it got us some money so no complaining.

Agree completely with your assessment of Jordan. I’m surprised that Cranston, Conlan and Halstead got 2 year deals. Conlan has always showed an okay level of consistency, and Mark performed quite well at times during his first season - Luke and Mark are decent back-ups in my opinion but glad we managed to get a fee for Cranston, especially considering the move benefits him and his family as well. A win-win!