I find it hard to judge a player in international games, Rooney is a 20+ goal striker yet usually is **** for England. It's very hard to find players who always play good for there team and international all the time unless your talking about world class players.
Have to disagree with you here Rooney let's himself down in competitions sometimes and it's usually on the big occasions, but his absolutely leagues ahead of most of the other England players in qualifying and friendlies. A lot of people seem to expect him to score a shedload of goals but his really an inside forward/Number 10 player who brings people into play, look at this way it's not like he has forwards like Owen/Shearer/Lineker etc up there with him too, he has a wide forward who has the tendency to make silly decisions and do things like overrun the ball, astray passes and make poor shots on goal, the **** that comes off the bench is no better. As for Toivonen great news but we'll see what happens I never trust the media too much.
I think many people have unreasonable expectations when it comes to the national team playing. I thought he had two decent headers and he got the one on one shot on target but the keeper blocked it. Given that he's an AM playing up front, I still think he did well enough.
Maybe a better example was Thierry Henry, never peformed well enough for France but was unreal in the premier league. you can see where im coming from though! IF we sign him, then I will be happy and I could imagine him and RvW getting a good partnership going. But if its true about how he likes to get the ball to his feet and getting an attack going then I could see him being the perfect partner alongside Johnson and then have Hooper alongside RvW but I really cant see that happening if we got Ola.
I don't think he is regarded here as playing out of position. Whilst he may play deeper for PSV, his experience with his Swedish club sides and national teams seems, from what I can gather, to be as a striker and he is being judged on that basis. That said, I tend to agree that his overall game was not that bad but I guess the Swedes can't see past the missed opportunities. Think Emil Heskey
I would guess the grumbling tonight comes in part from the fact that it was against the Faroes and the media and fans expected a cricket score?
Agree about his form this last season KIO, but I don't actually agree that "Holt's way past his best now". He MAY be a bit past his best, but I think the main problem was his being unsettled by off field events. I don't believe Holty is the sort of guy who would stick around just to see his current contract out, so I think what happens to him this summer mostly depends on how HE feels about next season and beyond.
Holt was asked to play a different role last year that's why he did not score as many One only had to watch the last two games to see what could have been had we got to safety earlier Holty is the exact guy to have on the park with Wolfe as he will take the knocks and give Wolfe the space, Holty is a pure team player who does as requested and not search out glory for himself over the team , we currently don't have a replacement for that and will be a weaker squad if he were to leave
They really needed a cricket score to bolster an unhealthy GD. With Germany bossing the group and both Ireland and Austria being competitive, their qualification hopes are looking slim.
But, as I said in my original reply, the fact remains that, for all the change of system and his role in it, Holty had many chances which he might have been expected to put away but didn't, which he almost certainly would have put away in previous seasons, and which, if he had put away, we would have been safe much sooner than we were. So, much as I agree with you and dave about his virtues and importance to the team and about what he still can give us, it is a fact that he was a lot less "lethal" with his finishing last season.
NEWS UPDATE: Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf had Technical Director Marcel Brands confirm that Norwich City have enquired for Toivonen and that the club asked to speak with the player. Brands: "Norwich have come to us to request permission to talk to Toivonen for a possible transfer." The newspaper also adds that it seems extremely likely that Toivonen will leave PSV Eindhoven this summer as he refuses to sign a new contract. The club has threatened the player to demote him to the youth squad on the first of July if he doesn't pen a new deal. The article in De Telegraaf also says that The Swedish International player stated earlier that he was interested in going to the Premier League but that he has his doubts about Norwich City. Source: http://www.telegraaf.nl/telesport/voetbal/buitenlands/21641638/__Norwich_aast_op_Toivonen__.html
The sports journo from the Glasgow Evening Times thinks that this move signals the end of Hughton's interest in Hooper. Me, I'm not so sure http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/celti...falls-off-radar-for-norwich-127088n.21317969?
The stats suggest otherwise. A decent conversion rate of 15% for the season remains higher than Suarez, Bale, Dzeko, Aguero, Torrez, Ba, Defoe, Cisse, Carroll, Jelavic and any number of others. However, his number of shots averaged at less than 2 per game compared to 5 or even 6 for some of those.
cove, thanks for that local news update. sounds like the reports of our interest are accurate then if someone at the club has confirmed. not suprised he has doubts, psv have european football next season, although the other teams who have apparently shown interest in england don't, like Norwich. maybe a chat with RvW might help, or one of our swedish ex-players.
This is what I think, give Holt chances and he will score, it was the defensive set up and his isolation as a result, that left him scoring less. Holts still got it and I'd love to see him playing with wolfswinkle (Don't be rude!) Even some of the premier leagues most prolific scorers needed countless chances, Andy Cole, Torres (Chelsea) but even in their most prolific days they would still only score 1 in 5, Cole 1 in 20 they just got a truckload more chances. With the more attacking ex manager, Holty would of had at least double the chances and scored roughly double the goals. Holt + Chances = goals, simples! Bah!
it's only natural that when better players come in, others who have been mainstays for years drift down the pecking order. holt has acquired legendary status at the club and rightly so for all he has, and will continue to do for us, but he will not play as much next season - this is beyond doubt. he is far from perfect and there are better, more gifted forwards who we are looking to bring in. this isn't a sleight against the big man - its natural progression. it would be a mistake for the club to sell him (and i can't them doing so - they'll get rid of vaughan) but that doesn't mean he shouldn't be replaced in the team by someone better. many pundits claimed holt had a poor season last year - he didn't. he didn't take as many chances as usual but his overall game was very good, up until around christmas when he was poor until the final few weeks of the campaign - so patchy at worst. i've seen signs that his game is waning though and i suspect hughton has too. again, that's only natural - he's 33 next season. he can't go on forever, especially the way he plays the game, being so physical - it takes its toll on the body. he may end up getting frustrated if he's not playing every week, likewise his ego may hurt from being toppled as 'top dog' at the club. that's tough frankly - it'll be down to him to fight his way back into the team. we shouldn't look at the situation and think 'holty is still capable' - we should say 'can we sign someone better than holty'. and quite right too
