Who Shot JR? Posted March 23, 2010 Report Share Posted March 23, 2010 The question is begging to be answered - do we really need a BIG target man to play off when Maynard and Haynes are playing such irresistable football? Perhaps this has been one of the problems this season.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riaz Posted March 23, 2010 Report Share Posted March 23, 2010 no target man and we score 3 headed goals... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbored Posted March 23, 2010 Report Share Posted March 23, 2010 Same players - different instructions. Thats the only difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magicdaps Posted March 23, 2010 Report Share Posted March 23, 2010 I was going to post something similair to this... Good to see 2 players linking up on the deck and causing problems with pace and movement rather than working off flick on's and gambling in behind of long balls and knock downs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Batman Posted March 23, 2010 Report Share Posted March 23, 2010 I was going to post something similair to this... Good to see 2 players linking up on the deck and causing problems with pace and movement rather than working off flick on's and gambling in behind of long balls and knock downs. so true I wrote on here after Preston game on opening day that it was one of the best games i'd seen city play as standard of footy was brilliant. the forward 3 were haynes, maynard and clarkson and it was all passing, pace and movement. Everyone knows that Arsenal play the best football in England, they don't thump it up long ball to the forwards, i know we aint arsenal but defenders at any level do not like pace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Who Shot JR? Posted March 23, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 23, 2010 I was going to post something similair to this... Good to see 2 players linking up on the deck and causing problems with pace and movement rather than working off flick on's and gambling in behind of long balls and knock downs. It's so refreshing to see. Stefan Maierhofer - bye bye! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bristolian76 Posted March 23, 2010 Report Share Posted March 23, 2010 It's so refreshing to see. Stefan Maierhofer - bye bye! I have a feeling we wont be seeing Lurch again.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nibor Posted March 23, 2010 Report Share Posted March 23, 2010 Who needs a big target man? Teams low on confidence, prone to panic. It does seem to me that by putting a big lump up there you do discourage the confidence and encourage the panic. There's a place for a strong physical presence, no denying that, but we don't have to have a giant to have that and we don't have to base our main game around one particularly at home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Popodopolous Posted March 23, 2010 Report Share Posted March 23, 2010 Not on current evidence, no definitely not. However- as Nibor says there is always a place for one. It is an ideal Plan B, a big physical presence can certainly unnerve any defence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinman-is-god Posted March 23, 2010 Report Share Posted March 23, 2010 The question is begging to be answered - do we really need a BIG target man to play off when Maynard and Haynes are playing such irresistable football? Perhaps this has been one of the problems this season.... It has definetly been a big problem, starting Haynes and Maynard means we have to play it on the deck and the 2nd half was brilliant tonight, we were fantastic. We do, however, need a big target man type so we can mix it up and go for 'Plan B' - the question is whether Akinde is already that man? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nibor Posted March 23, 2010 Report Share Posted March 23, 2010 the question is whether Akinde is already that man? No question about it - he absolutely isn't. Akinde might be big but he likes to be running at people with the ball or running in behind, not heading it and holding it up. I think some people just see his size and ignore his actual game. I'd see him far more as competition for the hard working running forward role that Haynes seems to fill at the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinman-is-god Posted March 23, 2010 Report Share Posted March 23, 2010 No question about it - he absolutely isn't. Akinde might be big but he likes to be running at people with the ball or running in behind, not heading it and holding it up. I think some people just see his size and ignore his actual game. I'd see him far more as competition for the hard working running forward role that Haynes seems to fill at the moment. The question I asked was open ended - I personally can see where you are coming from, but at his age and with his physical attributes, I hope that he will be able to learn how to play a 'big man' role because I can guarantee that that is how he will be played during his career. I think with the right coaching, a bit of confidence and improvement in his touch and strength, he could become a decent target man, although I too am unconvinced that he is at that stage now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartolona Posted March 24, 2010 Report Share Posted March 24, 2010 Mark Robins - "We couldn't handle their pace up front" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chinapig Posted March 24, 2010 Report Share Posted March 24, 2010 In the modern game the big centre forward is much rarer than he once was. As fitness and defensive organisation (well, excluding ours ) have improved teams have had to find different ways. It is a little ironic however that many had called for 4-4-2 with 2 wingers and a centre forward but are now happy that Keith has reverted to the 3-5-2 system with 2 quick mobile forwards that Gary preferred earlier in the season and for which he was criticised. In fact Keith is so keen to do so that he was prepared to play JCR out of position. Rather suggests that it is not formations that fans are really bothered about but mindset. On the admittedly limited evidence so far Keith seems to differ from Gary in his attitude, being less cautious (saying for instance that we will probably have to put up with shipping goals for the remainder of the season), rather than formations. As to Akinde, I would not want him to be converted to an old fashioned centre forward. His combination of pace and power will give defences problems if he is running at them rather than playing with his back to goal. Whether he is good enough anyway remains to be seen of course but he seems to have the raw material. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red_Mat Posted March 24, 2010 Report Share Posted March 24, 2010 It all depends on the game you play and, to a lesser extent, the opposition you play against. And also what striker or strikers you've got up front. If we - and I specifically mean Carey and Fontaine, and occasionally Orr on this - continue to bang long balls up top, expecting the likes of Maynard and Haynes to win headers against the likes of the Barnsley defence, then of course we're better off with a big striker like Adebola who can: a) win the ball in the air and b) hold it up to bring others into the game. If we continue to expand on the game we played last night, which involved playing the balls down the channels more and trying to beat their offside trap which we did again and again, then the pace and intelligence of Maynard and Haynes is much better. What impressed me most last night was Ribeiro's reluctance to hit the long ball early when he had it, instead holding on and waiting for players to find space. When they didn't - which happens with three defensive midfielders - he created his own space, bringing the Barnsley midfield and defence out and creating space behind it for our strikers to run into. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mindjuicer Posted March 24, 2010 Report Share Posted March 24, 2010 Haynes has been amazing in several games the season. Hartley has been patchier. I think Haynes has been the better signing. Maynard, as we all know, has stretches averaging 1+ goals a game or 0 with no inbetween and little discenable difference in his play. Scoring 5 is great but relying on it isn't going to win us many games. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Who Shot JR? Posted March 24, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 24, 2010 Not on current evidence, no definitely not. However- as Nibor says there is always a place for one. It is an ideal Plan B, a big physical presence can certainly unnerve any defence. You're right of course. Always good to have in your locker; but let's keep 'em in the locker for a while longer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcfcbs20 Posted March 24, 2010 Report Share Posted March 24, 2010 to answer the original question who needs a big target man england, arsenal, chelski, spurs, villa etc.......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marshy Posted March 24, 2010 Report Share Posted March 24, 2010 to answer the original question who needs a big target man england, arsenal, chelski, spurs, villa etc.......... Barcelona won the Champions League without one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcfcbs20 Posted March 24, 2010 Report Share Posted March 24, 2010 Barcelona won the Champions League without one. but now they have ibrihimovic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Batman Posted March 24, 2010 Report Share Posted March 24, 2010 but now they have ibrihimovic they do indeed, i'd still rather have eto'o though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marshy Posted March 24, 2010 Report Share Posted March 24, 2010 The question is begging to be answered - do we really need a BIG target man to play off when Maynard and Haynes are playing such irresistable football? Perhaps this has been one of the problems this season.... The search for a big target man ultimately cost Johnson his job. He relentlessly pursued a replacement for Adebola to the extent that a hypnotist would soon have been needed to cure him of his fixation. While all the time, as many on here posted, he was looking in the wrong place, as other parts of the squad were in more urgent need of attention. Still are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marshy Posted March 24, 2010 Report Share Posted March 24, 2010 they do indeed, i'd still rather have eto'o though. And so would I, as Eto'o, Henry, and Messi were able to constantly change position in a very fluid formation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superjack Posted March 24, 2010 Report Share Posted March 24, 2010 The question is begging to be answered - do we really need a BIG target man to play off when Maynard and Haynes are playing such irresistable football? Perhaps this has been one of the problems this season.... I read a post on here that claimed that the decline started when we signed Adebola. This IMO is true because as good a player as he was for us, he completely changed our style of play to the point where a lot of the time a punt upfield was the only option. A class target man like Iwelumo is a wonderful asset if used as ONE option AMONGST OTHERS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Batman Posted March 24, 2010 Report Share Posted March 24, 2010 And so would I, as Eto'o, Henry, and Messi were able to constantly change position in a very fluid formation. exactly. Not that I wanna get off topic but i think this will be why i think arsenal will beat them at emirates next week. There is no way that Ibrahimovic will play out wide and swap with one of the other forwards, eto'o did it vs chelsea for Inter milan and did it for Barca as well many times. Mind you, Messi is unstoppable at the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redhyde Posted March 24, 2010 Report Share Posted March 24, 2010 exactly. Not that I wanna get off topic but i think this will be why i think arsenal will beat them at emirates next week. There is no way that Ibrahimovic will play out wide and swap with one of the other forwards, eto'o did it vs chelsea for Inter milan and did it for Barca as well many times. Mind you, Messi is unstoppable at the moment. They're not really playing with Zlatan at the minute, he's their plan B as he's playing really badly! It's a rotating front line of Pedro Rodriguez on the left, Messi on the right and Henry who's being played more as a number nine. What the difference is between the players playing 1 up and the target man stereotype we English love is that all these players do more. Eto'o, Rooney, Torres, Bedtner, Drogba, Henry etc can all hold the ball up. None of them are weak. but they also have pace too. Even Dele wasn't a slouch. Iwelumos can work, but that position thankfully is dying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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