It would be easy to think that Rickie is disillusioned about our style and his part in it, but I saw him interviewed recently and he was as full of confidence about the future as before...he's just temporarily off form. If our style doesn't suit him, he is good enough to cope with it.
Age catches up with people at different times and in different ways. It could simply be he can't read the game as fast as he could have. It could even be he is carrying a injury, who knows?. All I do know the Lambert I have seen play this season is nothing like last season. He seems to be slow at thinking what to do and when. Yes he can still hold the ball up and do the odd great lay off, but look how many times he has either been too slow to react or clueless.
You can call it whatever you want really, but you have to ask yourselves, although he hasn't played to the level we expect or are used to seeing, is he a liability? Is he costing us points? Is anyone in the squad a better replacement as a target man/hold up player up front? No is the answer. He has had poor games, but he has had so many great ones, even this season.
Hard to disagree with what you have said there. Has the England call ups affected him do you think? Or do you think teams/managers/opposition players are more aware of him and are dealing with his threat more suitably in this campaign?
In a game? Or because you know what quality he has and is capable of, and you haven't seen it often enough this season?
Those three I know aren't up to it. But with Lambert I'm more worried he's on the decline. Yes he may not be (and I hope I am wrong) but it happens to every player in the end.
Hmmm, it is a concern, but he is playing a different role than he was last season. I really don't think our style suits his game at all.
It's not just our style tho. He makes weird decisions like chipping the ball into the box a hundred times even tho it didn't work the first 50 times. It's like he's switched off the quick thinking he needs and had last season. I just hope he proves me wrong at Cardiff.
Put in our style, he has to drop deeper, and so is always looking for balls into the box. Sometimes you would like him to be on the end of his own passes, although not the one he did on Sunday which just went straight out for a goal kick. He is such an unselfish player, and that is probably one of his faults as he finds himself in many positions where a shot is the obvious thing to do, but he passes that opportunity up. I really do back him to come through this 'blip' and prove he is still that player from the last few seasons. At least, I sincerely hope so.
Lambert was directly involved in a goal every 136 minutes last season. This season it's every 139 minutes. If you throw penalties out of the equation then Lambert has been directly involved in a goal every 157 minutes this season and 156 minutes last season. By directly involved in a goal I obviously mean that he has been either got a goal or an assist. As a team we've scored 1.29 goals per game this season. Last season it was the same average for the team, 1.29 goals per game. The form is extremely similar for both Lambert and the team in terms of end product. In terms of overall contribution I'd argue he's actually be contributing the same as last season. He's offering more when we lose the ball. Last season he was offering next to nothing in terms of defensive contribution. His form is slightly lower in attack but it's certainly exaggerated on here. When it comes down to it he's still got five goals and four assists this season.
I understand some of the regulars being frustrated right now, missing 4/5 regulars at the back has left them playing with some who are, frankly, not good enough for the Premiership. It's derailing our season and I am sure Lambert especially (approaching the tail end of his career) can't stand it. Sure it was said to Jos as well and all got blown over and apologised for behind closed doors.
Seems to me Rickie`s legs have gone, and needs a rest - he was playing like he had lead boots on on Sunday. He was on his heels all the time, won nothing in the air, didn`t press their defence when they had the ball. The Spurs CBs had an easy afternoon. And apart from the OG, I didn`t think Jos had that bad a game.
He did also let Adebayor run through him for the winner, and he probably should have made more of an effort to cut out the cross for their opener, so he played a role in all of their goals. Apart from that though, he was ok Lambert did win 3/7 headers by the way. Not hugely impressive by his standards but not nothing.
I am usually a big defender of our players, however there was a little more wrong for Jos than that. The number of times he was skinned wasn't impressive either. I do wonder how much playing alongside Fox affects him.
You lot have got it all wrong. I just asked Chelsea's John Terry for his opinion on what Rickie was supposed to have said and it was Terry's opinion that what Rickie actually said was: "Did somebody just shout "get Jos off, he's terrible"?". He was asking a question to seek clarification and not making a statement about his team mate's effectiveness as a footballer. So not guilty and Terry should know as he is an expert in these matters.
Does it appear to you that Rickie had figured out that Jos had totally lost confidence after yet another OG, his mind simply was not on the job and that isn't surprising, I am sure with the benefit of hindsight, Maya could have at least replaced him and would probably done better, but it didn't happen and it's no good going on about it, move on.
Good point. We expect so much of him, that even a small drop in quality is noticeable to us. He still contributes however, and is far from a liability. We would scarcely notice if our defence was more solid and not costing us points. MP has to keep spirits and confidence up (difficult as he probably wants to call them a bunch of morons as well)...a team that has done so well by brimming with confidence can deflate like a pricked balloon once confidence is lost. Have to work through this blip.
