Nile Ranger = Impact player?

I said a few months ago that Nile Ranger could be the next Adebayor. Good pace, good ball control, Ranger has outstanding upper body strength for only a 19 year old. Even when Carroll was here, i said he's the strongest player we have. No defense can handle this kid easily, and even though he hasn't scored any PL goals, yet, he will in time. I've seen him finish, and boy can he finish.

This kid will not only frighten defenses and be a massive part of our attacking play, but he'll also win us alot of free kicks and penalties. Did you see the difference in our play when Ranger came on? He was the heart of our attacking pressure on Arsenal.

However, i think he is better coming off the bench than starting. Teams will see our line up, and then prepare for us, and decide how they are going to deal with certain players. Everytime Ranger comes on, the opposition defense are ****ting themselves. How many penalties could Ranger have won because of his shirt being tugged? He frightens the **** out of people. He just needs a really fortunate goal to make him believe in himself infront of goal.

I think we should play our usual 4-4-2 or 4-4-1-1 for say 60-70 minutes every game, and then stick Ranger on to really push for the result. In my opinion, he could be better than Carroll, certainly on the ground anyway.

Thoughts?

 

If we want him to improve and become the next number 9 then he needs to be starting games and given the chance. 20 minutes here and there may work for the team but he'll never improve to be the player we think/hope he can be.

 

Aye he needs to get the odd start now. Squad is thin and Lovenkrands is hardly setting the world alight.

 

I hope Ranger gets good and becomes a massive player for us, but i can't see him being the next number 9. We might aswell give it to Shola for the last few years of his career. He's not a great player, but he scores goals and he's good enough. He's a local lad and a very likeable figuire around here. Why not just give it to a player that we know wont leave us?

 

Perch is versatile but he's not a striker.

 

Why are you calling him a 'kid' when you're the same age, if not slightly younger than he is? It looks stupid.

And I'm not sure how you can say that he's better coming off the bench when, as far as I can recall, he hasn't actually started a game yet. He needs a start and he needs to play for the full 90 minutes, or at least most of it. I think we'll see what he can really do when he can settle into the game right from the beginning along with his team mates.

 

We dont just give out the number 9 for the sake of it, or because a player is deemed barely good enough to stay, but wont leave us. We can just go without a number 9 for a while til we find a worthy wearer. And I agree with Toon fuddle, it may be better for the team if he comes on as a sub all the, but he'll never reach his full potential with cameos.

 

The game in which he's looked least effective, was the Fulham game in which he played 75 minutes. And i'm calling him a kid, because he is still a kid. Age has nothing to do with how mature you are, and as far as i've heard from Pardew and other people, Ranger's attitude is mostly appauling. He may be 19, but he's still got alot of growing up to do mate.

 

What's wrong with Shola. He's been ok, and the main thing is he's passionate about the toon, and regardless of the fact that he's never going to be world class, he is and always will be a legend around here. Ok he'll not be in the same caliber as Shearer and Beardsley, but he has a special place in our hearts none the less.

I can't wait for Shola's testemonial.

 

Pot kettle...

Anyway who DID look effective in the Fulham game? I don't think he could have done anything with the way the team were playing. The whole thing sucked.

And 75 minutes isn't a start. He needs a start along with the rest of his team. Then we can see what he'll do properly. Don't get me wrong, he might not fair well. However, we need to try. It could well be what he needs.

 

Newcastle number 9s arent generally described as "ok" though are they? They have to be an outstanding talent, and while Shola is a legend, he is not a number 9. He has made the number 23 his own.

 

I'd rather we retire the number 9 forever than give it to anyone in our squad at the moment.

 

Maybe not retire it but keep for 'when' we do get a genuine #9.

 

He didnt stand a chance in the Fulham game. We could have had a 27 year old Shearer and he would've done nothing in that match.

Ridiculous to judge anyone from that, nobody had a good game.

I am a big Ranger fan (despite his Twitter/FaceBook 'gangsta' persona) and i think he has a very bright future.
I really hope he gets starts now, certainly deserves one after his performance against Arsenal. And lets not forget, he made a mockery out of them at the Emerates aswell (got Kosielny, or whatever, sent off) and also made Liverpool's defence look like a Sunday leagues at St James'!

 

You've answer your own question there.

OK isn't worthy of #9

 

A prick?

 

I didn't judge Ranger on that performance, i simply said he was less effective. The way the rest of the team is performing doesn't necessarily effect Ranger. Ranger doesn't really feed off crosses and deliveries that much, he seems to prefer running towards goal, smashing through defenses and making his own chances, or running and linking up with players. He's not the sort of striker that will be fully dependant on the service he gets. The ball will be passed or played up to him, and he'll cause havoc. That is my opinion anyway. He didn't look that good against Fulham, but i'm willing to forget that.

I more than anyone want Ranger to start, and i have done so since i saw him against Chelsea and Liverpool. But the impression he's gave me so far, is that he seems to be one of those players that will come on later in the game, and have the oppositions defenses worried and having to rethink their strategy at the back. But before they have the chance, he's in and he's been hacked in the box for a pen or even scored, because the opposition just couldn't deal with him.

 

Ranger is a good player but I think he is best at running at tired defences late on in the game so for now I'd say give him 20-30 minutes to stop their defence getting a rest

 

Other than the fact it completley does. It's a team game. Even Messi and Ronaldo have crap games if the rest of the team isn't performing.

 

he definitely deserves a start, mainly to justify my name