You're right but I hate this. When you watch footage of old players from the day when they drank and smoked, you can see they aren't as skillful as the players are now, but the defenders were so much worse that these attackers' bits of brilliance looked exactly that, brilliant. Nowadays everyone is so fit and strong and competitive that they all sort of cancel each other out and nothing happens. Except on the continent of course, where technique is still quite important. It also means that players who are skillful but lack power and fitness (Cairney?) don't make the grade and people like Harper play instead.
Well, that's what he was doing for the most of last season. He certainly wasn't playing on the shoulder of the last defender.
I know what you mean but can't say I fully agree. This is one of the first things people (rightly) say about Barmby but he's obviously got a lot more to offer than effort. I think Mclean has a role to play next season, probably in the way Barmby was used at the beginning of this season - come on after 60 minutes if we need something out the game and make a nuisance of yourself.
A pointless point TBH! When You think of Wayne Rooney, first thing I think of is hard work. The Barcelona side that made Manure look like a pub team recently Iniesta, Xavi, Messi. Above all else the first thing I think about is how hard they all worked offensively and defensively!!! Does that mean that they aren't very good too? Ian Rush, one of the most prolific forwards in my generation was renowned by Liverpool as being a centre forward and the first line of defence, due to his work ethic. I'm not comparing Aaron McClean to Messi or Iniesta et al, but work ethic is very important in today's game. I'd rather watch a team of players win lose or draw that had bust a lung over 90 minutes, than players like Folan, Bullard etc who just couldn't give a toss. Some golfer coined the phrase...... 'the harder I work the luckier I get.....' one of my favourites, and if you compare that to McClean and his hard work - then his luck will change!
That quote was not made by a golfer, it's a very famous quote from the film producer Samuel Goldwyn. I might be greedy, but I'd rather like all of our plays to be hard working and have skill, I really don't want to be depending on players that have only one of these attributes.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, he's been given a role which he's not suited to. If you watch him most games you'll notice that every goal kick the ball is pinged up towards him with the hope that he can knock it down or flick it onto Fryatt with his head. Even though he's got an incredible leap on him his stature is not suited to a target man role of such. When he does get the ball on the deck he can get defenders on the back heel but makes far to many mistakes when he gets the opportunity to do so.
The quote "the harder I practice the luckier I get" has been accredited to Gary Player (or Jerry Barber). OLM you are right though with the Samuel Goldwyn quote
Are you actually kidding me? I am **** at football but guess what i can go chasing shadows any day! A striker is meant to score not set them up for others thats why you have a midfield is it not? (to create the goals) McClean is a very poor player and i couldnt see him getting in any other Club in the top half of the Champ. If we want to get anywhere next season we defo need to be getting Simpson on the pitch a lot more then McClean!
Gary Player also used the quote, not sure when, but irrelevant! Great quote anyway! Not sure I said anywhere in here that skill wasn't important? If you're meaning McClean then has he just bluffed his way into professional football? He must have a degree of skill to match that work ethic?
I don't think Mclean bluffed anything, he's a good League One player, unfortunately, we're not in League One.
Emile Heskey has never been a prolific goalscorer, but almost every striker that has played with him has said that his workrate, and the way he moves defenders around, allowed them more opportunities to score. Maybe NP sees this sort of strikers role for McLean?
From what I saw last season, he does have the passion and drive to succeed, I'm just not sure he has the potential to achieve what he wants. I stand by the fact that he makes a much better ball winning midfielder or winger than he does a striker as he is very physical despite his height. However, like everybody else, I am happy to be proved wrong if he turns it on next season. As for Cullen; leave the poor lad alone will you? He's played like 20 games for us and he is still only 18. You can't compare him to players that are more experienced than him; of course they will be better. The lad has bags of potential and will come good. He probably needs game time at a DECENT club who are going somewhere, maybe somewhere like Sheff Wednesday or Chesterfield.
What's more common, a manager taking a skillful player and trying to improve their fitness, or a manager taking a cross country runner and trying to teach them how to kick a ball? He'll have to drop Fryatt if he does. You could see after that terrible open goal miss that Fryatt had lost confidence in him completely. From then on when he looked up to pass the ball and saw it was McLean he decided to take the shot on instead. That's not going to come back in a hurry.
