Choose one today: Jason Prior v Shola

He's saving his energy for the 2017 Champions league final when him and Sammy are ripping apart Barcelona!!

 

Surprises me how many people are foolish enough to take Prior over Shola. Ameobi has played for 12 years in the absolute highest tier of professional football, scored against Barcelona amongst various other fine footballing institutions, he's been through various managers but is still here and has trained for those 12 years with experts and high quality training facilities.

Jason Prior has played non-league football, is 23, inexperienced and has scored a single goal in the reserves. I know it's because he's from non-league that the idea of him suceeding is so attractive, but be sensible; he's nothing compared to Ameobi - in skill, fitness etc.

And I'm not a massive Shola fan myself.

 

Some of us stick our guns though and said after the Spurs game that he will do this a couple of times a season. I'm just hoping his next game of effort will come wihile Demba is absent. I'm sick of the excuses people roll out for Shola. He's sub standard the majority of the time, he's lazy and we need to move on from him if we want to progress. Once upon a time he was half useful. Then Roeder and Souness ****ed his career, he's been turd 9 times out of 10 ever since. I always back him when he pul;ls on the shirt but how anyone can rate him is beyond me. There is a reason no one has ever been really interested in taking him off our hands.

 

Agree he's poor, but a non-leaguer instead? Ridiculous.

 

Oh aye as I said earlier I'd take Shola every time over Prior who I've never seen play. He's 23 and been playing non league, whatever I think of Shola, its insulting to him to suggest some player no one has heard of is better.

 

I've said it half a dozen times at this point, but if someone can name me a third choice striker outside the top six (or seven now...) better than Shola I'd like to hear it.

He could make a real go of it in the Championship, his goals per game ratio when fit for us show that, but he's stayed here (whether through choice or lack of interest, though I doubt many second tier teams would say no if he was available) and made an impact on several occasions despite playing through injury to do so, whether the long term hip issues or the facial injury last season.

Is he fantastic? Of course not. But as third choice backup he's perfectly adequate until such point that we sign someone better, and certainly not worthy of the level of hate he gets.

Worse than a non league player? Get some ****ing perspective, have you ever watched non league?

 

Stoke have Walters, Jerome. Norwich have James Vaughan. Swansea Leroy Lita. Everton Anichebe. Sunderland Ji. Villa have Keane, Heskey, Delfounso. West Brom Cox, Fortune. Fulham Ruiz and Sa.

Not being funny but I'd take a fair few of those third choice strikers over Shola, simply because they move. I'm not one for hating, it doesn't help anyone. I also think saying some non league player is better than him is unfair. But I would say I think he would struggle to get into most PL squads, hence no one has really tried to buy him. I believe in supporting whoever is in B&W but if our club does have serious ambitions of progress and competing in the likes of the Europa League, you won't get far with Shola as No.3.

 

This.

 

I'd argue a few of those (Jerome, Lita, few unproven quantities plus Robbie Keane doesn't count...) and I certainly don't think anyone's vastly better. Your last point is correct though. I'm not even remotely campaigning for him to get more games and I think he will be gradually faded out in time, hopefully to a role within the club as he seems a genuinely clued up player.

It's just the level of hate levelled at him that bothers me, I don't even think he had a bad game against QPR. It was his knockdown that set up the goal, and its hardly his fault we barely attacked for the last half an hour. We won a game and theres 4 or 5 threads slagging him off for a display that was no worse than Best has been for the past few weeks.

 

Does Keane not count because he's on loan? Or is it because he is an instantly dislikeable fat dwarf?

 

This is not a "hate Shola" thread. I could have put Løvenkrands in just as easy.

The point was would you prefer untested but raw talent ( I know it's non-league but not every one bangs in 100+ goals) or very average plodder?

Shola is a fantastic example of local Walker lad made good , but the interests of the team come first.

 

Little bit of column A, little bit column B. I actually don't mind him, and voted yes on that thread last week regards taking him on loan. But yeah, he's gone in February.

In which case I'd take almost anyone over Prior. He could be absolutely amazing, but given the low numbers of 'late starters' who've made it at the top level (Ian Wright is the only one that really springs to mind, was Sir Les one too?) the odds aren't great. If he's better than Airey and Ranger I'd be surprised in all fairness.

 

Frankly, if the performances of Shola and HBA had been switched in the QPR match, people would still have said that HBA played well and Shola played ****e. Neither accomplished anything of note. HBa made one decentish pass and otherwise gave away possession. Shola held the ball up and laid off to Raylor who played in Best for the goal. Both fairly anonymous, but Shola gets slated and HBa gets the benefit of the doubt

 

I agree. I know the loan is seen as dead money by our owners, and to be honest I kinda see their point. Afterall its like renting instead of buying a house. (not that many have much choice in the current climate) I just can't help but feel someone like Keane could have been a good option. I've always felt although I'm that keen on him personality wise, he'd do very at St James. Don't ask me to explain why, just one I could see working.

 

Like an Irish Bellamy pretty much, he'd fit off a big striker fairly well. Could've played the outside left role that Best played for most of the QPR game while Ba was away. No real complaints about not getting him though, always a gamble to see if he's up to it after a spell away.

 

Think he flatters to deceive. Were you meaning a 2 month loan?

 

Aye similar to the others from the US. I too think he has flattered to deceive, I just have an inkling that things would have been different here. I think he likes to be loved and we have no problem showing that if you do the stuff on the big green rectangle. As I say I can't really explain why I think it would work. Some players just seem a good fit.