Brooker Plays 90 Mins

[sparkyboy72]

Listened to the Cheltham v Millwall game to night, the plus point being that SB played 90mins but didnt impose himself in the game at all.

The game wasn't a classic by any means but the center backs had SB in there pockets and just did'nt create anything.

On this game as KM was there tonight i can only imagine what he will tell GJ tomorrow we need someone else.

Ok first 90 for him but needs to raise his game to get in the first team.

Come on u Redddzzzz

[bcfc06leon]

well if they want to buy someone they will have to hurry as not long left really in transfer window

[Maltshoveller]

One step at a time

hes got 90 mins under his belt

its going to take another 10 or so

games for him to be back to his sharpest

You only have to watch micheal owen

to see it takes time to get 100%

[Guest]

He's playing in a team close to the bottom of L1, not a Championship side at the top of the division.

While I agree he's not exactly done alot for Chelts, it's hard to compare to how he might work in our current 11.

Anyway, would he be a worse option than LT & DB right now?

[Big Stan Hibbert]

He's playing in a team close to the bottom of L1, not a Championship side at the top of the division.

While I agree he's not exactly done alot for Chelts, it's hard to compare to how he might work in our current 11.

Anyway, would he be a worse option than LT & DB right now?

Agree, except for the last bit... I think he can do a job for us this season and I think LT and DB are different options, horses for courses and all that.

[Ixion]

He's playing in a team close to the bottom of L1, not a Championship side at the top of the division.

While I agree he's not exactly done alot for Chelts, it's hard to compare to how he might work in our current 11.

Anyway, would he be a worse option than LT & DB right now?

Yep, an astute observation Tom I don't think that point has been stressed clearly enough and God knows we've had our own share of decent players playing in mediocre City sides before now who went on to achieve major awards in better sides i.e Andrew (Andy) Cole stands out. Brooker, untried/yet to be proven in the CCC could come back and suprise a lot of people.

[spectator]

Steve has gone to CTFC to get games and match fitness.

If you've read any match reports, he's spent the games holding the ball up and flicking the ball on.

Massively frustrated that the ball isn't being played on the ground a la BCFC and can't wait to get back.thankfully he's fit and uninjured, so hopefully he can now return and get a bit more involved.

Could be the something different we need as the season starts to move to the business end ?

[bh_red]

.......for another month according to Richard Latham on Soccer Night,

on the basis of tonights performance for Cheltenham, he believes it's best for City and for Steve Brooker to leave him at Cheltenham for another month, still reckons he doesn't look anything like the player he was just yet.

Be interesting to see what Millen made of his performance

[Nibor]

He's only there for fitness isn't he? If he's fit bring him back and put him on the bench, it's the only thing that makes sense.

I don't see how playing in a league one relegation battle where he will likely be starved of service is going to help him get acclimatise to playing at the top end of the Championship and equally I don't see how we can justify leaving him on loan when we have quite obvious goalscoring problems.

[Guest ashtonyate]

He's only there for fitness isn't he? If he's fit bring him back and put him on the bench, it's the only thing that makes sense.

I don't see how playing in a league one relegation battle where he will likely be starved of service is going to help him get acclimatise to playing at the top end of the Championship and equally I don't see how we can justify leaving him on loan when we have quite obvious goalscoring problems.

He had a good shot just over the bar and I would soon he played an hour for us then go off he better than trundle and could link up with Byfield well

[The Humble Realist]

Hard to jduge Brooker til we see him play for us. Lets wait and see how he gets on. My own personal opinion is that he should stay at Cheltenham for duration of his loan period (atless we don't bring someone in)

[Guest Eamer]

If he's fit bring him back and put him on the bench, it's the only thing that makes sense.

The complete opposite! If he's just got himself fit surely sitting him on his ass on the bench is the worst idea possible. He has to keep his fitness up and keep pushing himself not play a few games for Cheltenham then come sit down on the Bench with us. How's that going to help him?

[Nibor]

The complete opposite! If he's just got himself fit surely sitting him on his ass on the bench is the worst idea possible. He has to keep his fitness up and keep pushing himself not play a few games for Cheltenham then come sit down on the Bench with us. How's that going to help him?

He's not going to walk straight into our first XI even if he plays at Cheltenham for 3 months so at some point he has to sit on the bench and win a start from there. Might as well be now because he's fark all use to us at Cheltenham.

[Guest ashtonyate]

The complete opposite! If he's just got himself fit surely sitting him on his ass on the bench is the worst idea possible. He has to keep his fitness up and keep pushing himself not play a few games for Cheltenham then come sit down on the Bench with us. How's that going to help him?

he is more use playing a part of a game for us than playing at cheltenham e have only 2 strikers at the clubw

[Gary the Dogs Johnsons]

He's not going to walk straight into our first XI even if he plays at Cheltenham for 3 months so at some point he has to sit on the bench and win a start from there. Might as well be now because he's fark all use to us at Cheltenham.

Surely it's better to leave him at Cheltenham and if he starts banging them in recall him?

[Nibor]

Surely it's better to leave him at Cheltenham and if he starts banging them in recall him?

Why? Look at our bench last Saturday - would a fit Brooker have not made it stronger? Would we have struggled so much in the last 20 minutes if we could have brought him on?

He was at Cheltenham purely to get a few games under his belt, he's done that, there's no benefit to us in leaving him there when we are having trouble scoring IMO.

[Rednready]

Brooker lasted 90 minutes without putting himself about too much and risking injury.

The timetable for Cheltenham reads an away game Saturday then another Tuesday match next week against the SAG at the Mem.

Will GJ risk having Brooker against the Sag, perhaps being over zealously marked and injured. Having played 81 and 90 minutes the last 2 games, Brooker is doing better than the current City strikers who regularly get substituted after 75 minutes. Even without a new striker, we have Trundle, Byfield, Showumni and Brooker.

Next Tuesday will definately show how GJ is thinking. If Brooker does get left to face the sag, there will probably be a good quota of City fans there for the challenge.

[havanatopia]

One step at a time

hes got 90 mins under his belt

its going to take another 10 or so

games for him to be back to his sharpest

You only have to watch micheal owen

to see it takes time to get 100%

And Owen was utter pants tonight as were the entire magpies team.. I was there. It was a totally one sided contest and had Arsenal stepped out of 2nd gear, yes 2nd, they would have hammered Newcastle by 6 or 7.

[old_man_terry]

He had a good shot just over the bar and I would soon he played an hour for us then go off he better than trundle and could link up with Byfield well

Brookers better than Trundle? based on what?.......it's unproven and no one can tell yet?

you can't base it on brookers performances at this level, because he's never played in this league before......so you can only base it on their performances in league one? look at the stats.......i.e Goals and Assists........Trundle wins hands down?

but I'd be interested in hearing how you came to your decision????

as for Brooker, he needs not just fitness but also to find some sort of form at the moment he's still struggling for both, he's better of playing for them at the moment, over the next 10 days they have 3 games compared to our 2, personally I'd leave him there till those 3 games are out the way at least. Then reasess the situation.

Tonight he's just got through his first 90mins, 2/3 more of those then he's going to be looking to be in contention for consideration for our team in the meantime I'd leave him in a less pressured situation of league one for now, if he can get through 90mins at that standard and take a few physical battering and stand up to them......then is the time to bring him back,

Bringing him straight back right now part fit and throwing him straight back into the team, will be doing him no favours, plus it will be very disrepectful to those players who have worked hard to get us where we are this season, when he comes back he has to be FIT and FIRING.....no half measures.

One thing Johnson has done well that has gone unoticed is that since joining City is to sort out the players fitness regimes alot of which is down to Glen Schmidt, we have probably the fittested squad ever and they know exactly what they are doing with Brooker right now, they have regular eyes on him at Ashton Gate but it getting vital games. For now.......it's perfect.

[old_man_terry]

Brooker lasted 90 minutes without putting himself about too much and risking injury.

The timetable for Cheltenham reads an away game Saturday then another Tuesday match next week against the SAG at the Mem.

Will GJ risk having Brooker against the Sag, perhaps being over zealously marked and injured. Having played 81 and 90 minutes the last 2 games, Brooker is doing better than the current City strikers who regularly get substituted after 75 minutes. Even without a new striker, we have Trundle, Byfield, Showumni and Brooker.

Next Tuesday will definately show how GJ is thinking. If Brooker does get left to face the sag, there will probably be a good quota of City fans there for the challenge.

his loan deal goes till the day after the Rovers game I believe and he can't be recalled before then so I'm sure he will play.

personally I think Rovers is the perfect game to really test him in, they will be rough and tough on him YES, but he needs to prove to the City coaching/medical staff and himself that he can handle it phyically AND MENTALLY without breaking down again, if he can get through that he's hopefully should be in the right frame of mind to really push on and rediscover his previous form.

thinks some people do forget how long he's been out for LONG TIME and 4 games is still TOO EARLY

[Rednready]

Brooker and Gillespie up front against Danny Coles and Phillips for the sag. You could not make it up.

[miketh2nd]

his loan deal goes till the day after the Rovers game I believe and he can't be recalled before then so I'm sure he will play.

personally I think Rovers is the perfect game to really test him in, they will be rough and tough on him YES, but he needs to prove to the City coaching/medical staff and himself that he can handle it phyically AND MENTALLY without breaking down again, if he can get through that he's hopefully should be in the right frame of mind to really push on and rediscover his previous form.

thinks some people do forget how long he's been out for LONG TIME and 4 games is still TOO EARLY

There is a link in the EV or the BCFC offical site saying that they will asses him after this match and could have him back bythe end of the month depends really.

I'll trust when ever they(gj and his coaching team) bring him back, but I rmeber them rushing him back because they had to last season this tiem no rush and if gets near what he used to be like he'll only get better. It must be hard for SB to see City flying but him in a yellow cheltenham team fighting where he has been all his life.

[Redhyde]

I'm all for Trundle and Byfield having 4-5 games on the trot. I'm all for chopping and changing it. I'm all for doing whatever it takes to win games.

only if we start losing will we care or analyse it closely.

I want our players at Cheltenham to stuff Rovers then come back on a high with our full support.

[sparkyboy72]

He's playing in a team close to the bottom of L1, not a Championship side at the top of the division.

While I agree he's not exactly done alot for Chelts, it's hard to compare to how he might work in our current 11.

Anyway, would he be a worse option than LT & DB right now?

I understand what you are saying Tom, I should have worded it better, SB's loan finishes somewhere around the 7 Feb, so plenty more games for him to reach his peak but last night CT where playing against a team in the lower reaches of league 1 and still Brooks was marked out of the game.

Someone mentioned about Owen, he has been back for a couple of months now and still not affective, do we have that amount of time to wait for Brooks to become CCC match sharp by the time that happens our season could be over by then in regards to Auto or Play-off Promotion.

So that was why i said we need someone in be it a Loan or a Signing just to bolster the front line until Brooks is up to it, I like many others cant wait to see SB back in the City shirt but i don't think its going to be anytime soon.

Cheers

Come On You Reddzzzz

[Redhyde]

For his own sake i'm glad he came through 90 minutes. 1st time since February!

[Guest ashtonyate]

He's playing in a team close to the bottom of L1, not a Championship side at the top of the division.

While I agree he's not exactly done alot for Chelts, it's hard to compare to how he might work in our current 11.

Anyway, would he be a worse option than LT & DB right now?

Tom how could you undermining our strikers anyway Byfield is OK I would like to see him and Brooker up front

[bh_red]

I believe he stays at cheltenham until the 7th Feb regardless, he can't be recalled during the first month of the loan,

I think the confusion is that Johnson has said he could come back at the end of the month, I believe he means at the "end of the months loan" not "end of the calender month"

[Dolman Block B]

I wouldnt play Brooker against the Sags.

Sure to get given a hard time and some niggly takles could force him out even longer.

[bh_red]

He's playing in a team close to the bottom of L1, not a Championship side at the top of the division.

While I agree he's not exactly done alot for Chelts, it's hard to compare to how he might work in our current 11.

Anyway, would he be a worse option than LT & DB right now?

all it's fair to say, would he be any worse than the forwards currently at the club? but just as equally Would he be any better.

It would be a different story if it was a fit steve brooker who had come through a solid pre-season, but he's played 4 games in the last year and has only just completed his first 90mins, we've rushed him back into our team and expected too much, too many times in the past.

At the moment, like the players up front or not, they are still proving effective players in the team.

The biggest question is still unanswered though, will Steve Brooker ACTUALLY BE GOOD ENOUGH at this level? Byfield and Trundle both have scored alot more goals in league one and have both been a mixed bag at this level so far. It does worry me slightly that if Trundle for all his ability in league one has reproduced that form so far in this divsion? it has to be asked? Can Brooker?

['Orns]

I believe he stays at cheltenham until the 7th Feb regardless, he can't be recalled during the first month of the loan,

I think the confusion is that Johnson has said he could come back at the end of the month, I believe he means at the "end of the months loan" not "end of the calender month"

Spot on. They could do another loan spell and put a 24hr recall clause in there.

I think he's better off at Cheltenham for the time being, having a (potentially) unfit striker, who's never played at this level, on the bench isn't really going to do us a lot of good. Regardless of whether we get anyone in or not, he's better off getting 90 mins under his belt on a more regular basis. If he starts finding his form (and the net) then bring him back and get him in. We need the Brooker of 2 seasons ago, that would be as good as any signing we could make in the next 2 days, but I don't think we're there yet.