Maynard Vs Reading

[Portland Bill]

it isnt the service he needs though isit. he doesn't need the ball lumped to his head, he needs to play on the shoulder of the last man and make runs which he does and he will score. the problem is GJ wants all players to work for the team but maynard should just play on the shoulder instead of coming back to pick up the ball from defence and midfield inside his own half.

But......have you not noticed that when he trys to play on the shoulder of the last man he is constantly offside, its about being able to time your runs. Unfortunatly at the mo the timing is not there.

He hasnt got any "spark", big money signing but IMO hes out of his depth.

[Laner]

Exactly, he needs balls slide through in behimd the defence not lumped hoffe balls that only 6ft 7 strikers like Adebola can get too.

I still havnt actually seen a ball slide through to Maynard since he has been here :noexpression:

A ball was played through to him exactly like this in the second half yesterday... all he did was get it caught between his feet and then was tackled.

Not a good signing at all IMO... seemed a bit of a 'panic' buy near the end of a frustrating transfer window.

I know he's young... but we're not a Man Utd or Arsenal of this world - if we spend £2M on a young player we need results fast not in 18 months time.

And all this talk of service, whilst correct to some extent, is no different from last season. If our midfield can't or won't play to a strikers needs then why buy the striker? And why spend so much on that striker?

[cityfan]

Two questions here.

First is Maynard getting the service or not? Answer obviously is not. He's a goalscorer, someone has to create chances for him , if he fails to take them then I feel we're free to criticise. Same argument with Trundle last season. My one observation with both is that neither had an extended run in the team and certainly not with a regular partner. It's well established that few forwards perform to their best without a partner that recognizes where they want the ball , where and when they'll make the run, and it becomes an intuitive thing betwwen the two. That's what gives them an edge over defenders. You don't have to be the best,but if you know what you're partner is going to do you're one step ahead.

Secondly, why doesn't Johnson recognize this? Spend this much money on players surely you build the team around them, play to their strengths . If not buy 15 Akindes and rotate them dependant on form. Must confess I'm beginning to wonder if we're starting to his his limitations as a manager. At the very least you have to question his judgement when it comes to his major moves in the transfer market, and if we do trust him to spend wisely then surely he has to trust his own judgement and give his big money signings a chance. I'm beginning to feel a Robbored coming on but I'm looking for a manager who can get the best out of our real talent because we don't have that much at the club.

Good post. You should always play to and build round your strength's because this is where your wins will come from. This is true in any part of life. So our player strength's at the moment are

Basso

Fontaine

McCallister

Williams

Noble

Trundle

John (already, clearly intelligent, strong and does know where the goal is)

Others

Carey when fit

Akinde (definitely looks worth a go)

Dele (To be used to reflect the way we wish to play, but individually he has done nothing wrong)

Wilson (Done nothing wrong and very capable on the right, can definitely get to the by-line)

[RedRock]

For £2.5 million I would be expecting more than 'a one trick pony'. That amount of money should be buying in a multi talented striker - choose 3 from header, turner and run, run on, holder up, tricky, fox in the box.

At best, he's got one card. a 'run on' ability - I'm not even sure he's got that if I'm honest - is he that quick?

Pretty disappointed so far.

At this level just 'one trick', and we can have a debate as to whether the midfield is playing to his single strength, will comfortably be snuffed out by the opposition.

Woefully inept display yesterday... but the cost, effort and time of a 200 mile round trip compensated for by a good drink in BS3 - they've got customer service well sorted - and an enjoyable time in the East End - thank you stewards for applying a commonsense approach to stewarding.

[we8gas]

It is obvious that Maynard isn't doing the business (same as LT when he signed) and when he gets the ball played in behind, he just tries too hard and loses the ball or falls over. Pressure? I am sure it is. Playing John and Maynard yesterday made our front 2 look non existant. Numerous long balls up to 2 of the shortest players on the pitch was confusing to say the least which piled the pressure on the midfield.

Surely GJ new that this wouldn't work so why not start with Akinde if the tactic was hitting the long ball upto the front 2?

We still haven't got a "settled" team yet, serious question marks over Sproule and imo LJ. I would have LT over Sproule anyday of the week and Noble for LJ. With their vision and quality, I am sure Maynard will feed off the balls and hit form but while the team stays unsettled, he needs to be on the bench and brought on with 20 minutes left so he can work his socks off to get his confidence back.

[Samh]

Maynard simply isn't interested and isn't good enough. He was very poor yesterday.

In response to a previous post claiming he made 5 or 6 good runs but wasn't fed by the midfield - you must have been watching a different game to us..... when strikers are going through a drought you still expect them to get in front of goal, make the right runs etc. When you're sat in the stand screaming and pointing as he makes a half hearted effort at a channel run, 5 seconds after he should have gone you actually think this lad simply hasn't got it.

He made a name for himself in the league below playing against a very different standard of centre half. This was clearly a panic signing by GJ after the failed signings of Meteb and Mifsud. Why did GJ look elsewhere after the 1.5 million offer was turned down by Crewe - because he didn't think it would prove value for money.

Regarding Meteb, I can't help but think that he really could have been the icing on the cake after seeing the performances of Zaki, his international strike partner. Real shame he didn't come, perhaps GJ didn't need to be so stubborn.

As for Akinde, he's a raw talent but cannot be expected to start many games in the Championship if we have aspirations to go one better than last year. Just look at the strikers of the top 8 sides - we are talking a different class, as Doyle displayed yesterday. In fact I thought Doyle gave a master class in finishing, link up play and making the right runs at the right time - quality.

Anyway got my ticket for Soton next week so lets see the inclusion of Noble and Trundle and hopfully we'll all be posting someting a little more positive.

[mozo]

I want him to be a success.

But...you can blame the service for his lack of goals, but not for his miserable performances.