Ryan Woods: Scout Report — Millwall 2019/20

Ryan Woods started his career at Shrewsbury Town before Brentford snapped him up in 2015. He played for Brentford for 3 years before joining Stoke City for a fee of around £7 million pounds. In the 2018/19 season Woods made 27 appearances for Stoke along with 8 further league appearances this season. He struggled to get into the team consistently and therefore moved to Millwall on loan, in January, to play for his former boss Gary Rowett. In this blog, I analyse Woods’ performances, compare him to other central midfielders in the league and decide whether he would be a good signing for next season.

Millwall mainly play two formations under Rowett — a 442 and a 523. Both of these play with a 2 man midfield and Woods has slotted in to the central midfield position. Our central midfielders sit in front of our centre backs stopping the opposition threading balls through to the strikers’ feet. Millwall’s central midfielders need to be both good on the ball and just as good without the ball. They need to possess a good passing range and be able to compete and win the midfield battle physically, winning the ball back and starting the transition quickly. Playing for Millwall also requires determination and a high work rate., which also pleases us fans!

Ryan Woods is 5'8 with an average build. Despite his small frame, Woods takes small, quick strides…