It's rare that I get annoyed by what's said on this forum but really? Not just this post but the overall tone of the people saying "he's good but..." There were three, yes, three, 20+ goalscorers last season. People talk about 20+ as though it's some sort of dividing line that makes you just competent. It's not, it's utterly, utterly exceptional. Only bloody football fans could consider 16 goals in a season disappointing because he occasionally misread the type of shot required. He already is "quite some player". Vin
Just checked. The past three seasons there have been three 20+ scorers. Van Persie(2), Rooney, Aguero, Suarez(2), Bale, Sturridge, Touré. I'm deeply, deeply ashamed that J-Rod's not good enough at finishing to be in that gang. Despite the fact that he doesn't even take our penalties! Vin
Where did I say I found it dissapointing? Also my mistake when I said quite some player I meant a top top player. There's no denying he was fantastic last season, the only thing I'm saying is if he took more of his one-on-one's he would be on a completely different level and probably worth £30m + in todays market.
There are still plenty of buts in Jay's case. He gives the ball away a lot, for a start. He often fails to look up. And when he has time to think, he often hesitates. He has come on a lot and he's had one great season, but if some people remain less than entirely convinced that he's the finished article, do try not to let it annoy you.
His injury was a blow for him and the team. It came at the time he was really hitting his straps. We sometimes struggled to take advantage of our superiority...he gave us a chance just by being on the pitch. We need a player like him...which I guess is why Mane has been brought in (as you can never be sure if a player returning from serious injury will be the same as before).
Okay fair enough, I hold my hands up that was the wrong phrase to use. A better way to put it as at current I would say his chance/goal ratio isn't good enough for International level or the top clubs. I think at that level you may only get 1/2 chances and you need to take it. (a main reason I don't like Sturridge for England, but that's for another thread. A good example is Owen, he could be anonymous for most of the game but if you put him through one-on-one you'd bet your house on him scoring. Top player at international level yet never got 20 league goals in a season.
I did say that he was coming into good form and starting also to be more a more thoughtful player. What more do you want me to say? Lets be honest, as IOAGame said above, most of us were surprised by his England call-up. I think he has exceptional technical ability, I have never said otherwise. What, I think, lets him down is the fact that he doesn't play with his his head up and often charges off into a melee of defenders, sometimes coming out the other side but often losing the ball. True he scored a lot of goals but I bet his chances missed was the highest as well. He also benefitted from playing with very unselfish players around him, notably Lambert. He is a decent player for us and was turning into a very decent player. However, he would never play at Man City. Hopefully as FLT says, his time off may actually make him a stronger player, and decent coaching, a more intelligent one. I think that he is competing with Long for a place although to have him, Long and Pelle all up there and readily interchangeable will cause problems to any defence. ps I understand your 'passion' for Rodrigeuz. I feel the same as you when people criticise any aspect of Cork's play
J Rod is one of the most improved players along with JWP that Saints have got currently on there books. It is true that Pochettino brought the best out of him, but he couldn't have done it if J Rod didn't have it in him in the first place!! Assuming J Rod gets over this injury ok and carries on he will be a first class striker. Not exceptional but most definitely first class. Trouble is it is a very bad injury....I'm thinking of Gasgoin.....Sadly he was never the same player after the same injury. We will have to hope that J Rod being younger than Gasgoin was is able to return to his full potential.
... but ironically, may be not for the fans, as without that injury I don't think he'd be a Saints player today.
Like most strikers, Jay is very much a 'confidence' player. When he first arrived his ball control, decision making and shooting for goal was pretty woeful at times, but the improvement particularly last season was great to watch. I remember when he first arrived watching his off the ball movement when he didn't seem to understand his role within the team and would drift into nomansland. He appears to have a great mental attitude having been seriously injured before, so if anyone bounce back from this injury, Jay can?
Jay came on leaps and bounds last season. Every aspect of his game improved massively, even, or especially, the ones you're criticizing, like playing with his head down, losing the ball often. As the season progressed, he became our best attacking player and if there was anyone I'd expected to break the deadlock in a match, it was Jay. I think he's one of the most athletic players in the EPL, and complements his athleticism with very good technique. As he matures and becomes more experienced player, he'll learn to use his skills to be an even more devastating player.
I'm not sure you can always divorce players' strengths from their weaknesses. I think it's the very fact that Jay goes heads down into the defenders that makes him pop out, sometimes totally improbably, with the ball. If he looked round and thought about it, he'd stop making those mad runs and become just another pass and run merchant. As with so many character traits in so many people, I think his weakness is his strength. Fortunately, I really don't care how many chances he appears to squander (and most of them were ones he'd created totally on his own) if he's banging in 16 goals a season from open play with not a penalty or free-kick in sight. Yes, more would be nice but even without it he's world-class. There, I said it. Less fortunately, it all rests on how he comes back from injury. Will he be physically the same? Will he be able mentally to go balls-out without the possibility of injury weighing on his mind? Who can tell? Vin
Well, we aren't far away then because I think his strength is his weakness Maybe that means the same thing, maybe it doesn't!
He was very good, turning into on of our best players. Who knows how he'll return from injury. It's pure speculation to think anyone would try to sign him.
he came back strongly the season after his ankle fracture sidelined him for three months. it was burnley's last premier league season and he wasn't a first teamer at the time, so it's difficult to tell whether he needed the rest of the season and the summer to regain his confidence. he started the next season slowly but he does every season, so even if he does come back strongly we might not see the best of him this season
Woahh steady on there, great player and I agree about your point of weakness is his strength, but world class, really ? Also agree with flt that if it wasn't for injury he probably wouldn't be here now... Funny old game football ?
Yes. Despite a slow start and barring the injury he was in line for a 20ish goal season from open play in a mid table team. That puts him in with the list I mentioned above (Van Persie, Rooney, Aguero, Suarez, Bale, Sturridge, Touré) without penalties, free-kicks or world-class service. He's also younger than almost everyone in that list. Are they world class? If they are, he is. I don't know what someone needs to do to be recognised. People creamed themselves over Rickie when he scored 15 in 38 appearances (inc penalties and free-kicks) the other year but Jay is seen as "flawed" scoring more entirely from open play and fewer starts. So, yes, I do say world class and, if he comes back from injury as well as he could, he'll show it. Vin
