Our Best Strike Partnership for the Rest of the Season?

[Bandini]

By most accounts

Watch a game, and then give your own opinion.

I did. It just didn't happen to be the one we played against Bristol.

The next word in the post was "Roberts".

[Ian Royal]

Yes, I know that. But given I have seen him play before, and he's clearly been brought in to start, it's a pretty easy to call to make regardless of having seen the game yesterday or not. Especially having seen plenty of our other senior strikers.

And if you want to get picky about it, 77 minutes in a Reading shirt isn't really much of a chance to judge a player, in which case perhaps you should be telling everyone else not to pick him out as part of our best strike partnership without seeing a bit more of him.

[Bandini]

But all you did was refer to other people's accounts of how he played which, as I was hinting at, is rather pointless.

[Rex]

Ref my post Ian.

[Ian Royal]

But all you did was refer to other people's accounts of how he played which, as I was hinting at, is rather pointless.

For the sake of brevity rather than going into an analytical assessment of the various sources of Roberts I have available to me.

Rex, there are always going to be unknowns about any partnership, but when you know at least a bit about the individuals, it's not unreasonable to think on how they'd work together. Most of us have never seen Bignall & Baseya play together, but it's a pretty safe bet they aren't going to be our best strike partnership.

[SCIAG]

Church was a really good foil for Rasiak so I see the potential for him to form a good partnership with Roberts, but I'd prefer Le Fondre and Roberts.

Third choice would be Church-Le Fondre, then Hunt with each of Alf, Church and Roberts in that order.

[Snowball]

By most accounts Roberts can hold up the ball, bring in other players and is a cut above. For me, this means he should work best with ALF, who has a tendency to be a bit anonymous if not fed, but generally has good vision and link up play if given decent balls. He's also a goal scorer and a goal provider.

Agree on Roberts. And U may be right on Alf. But I think people under-rate Hunt. For example his flick
for the penalty was excellent, his set-up for Antonio was excellent, and he almost scored.

Hunt for me is very much a partnership player. He was superb with Doyle, and last season got it really well with Shane.

That leaves the bustling worker Hunt to come on as a sub and bully tired defences.

I'd have him come on for Roberts on 65, rather than Alf

I've been catching up on some of the games I've missed and Church has been irritating me with his tendency to give up on difficult causes and not challenge hard for crosses etc. He ought to be performing a lot better with his attributes but he's just a bit average all round. Try as I might, I just can't see a future for him here the way things are going. I'd like to think he could do a Long, but he seems to lack the sheer bloodyminded determination and strength that Shane always had, even when he lacked quality.

Yes, he's not angry, nasty, "bloody-minded", "daft' or brave enough.

In a way he's like "an elegant midfielder" mentally.

Anyway, ALF and Roberts, should help get the best out of the creative players we have that are capable of passing. McAnuff for example. Kebe will always cause problems and Karacan and Legs have shown they can pass it on the deck. Probably most recently first half against Brighton. I'd like to see Mills back in to give us some balance down the left as well, we were playing better before he got injured.

Not sure why Mills is out of favour.

The management need to instruct the players to play the ball up to FEET

[Negative_Jeff]

By most accounts Roberts can hold up the ball, bring in other players and is a cut above. For me, this means he should work best with ALF, who has a tendency to be a bit anonymous if not fed, but generally has good vision and link up play if given decent balls. He's also a goal scorer and a goal provider.

That leaves the bustling worker Hunt to come on as a sub and bully tired defences.

I've been catching up on some of the games I've missed and Church has been irritating me with his tendency to give up on difficult causes and not challenge hard for crosses etc. He ought to be performing a lot better with his attributes but he's just a bit average all round. Try as I might, I just can't see a future for him here the way things are going. I'd like to think he could do a Long, but he seems to lack the sheer bloodyminded determination and strength that Shane always had, even when he lacked quality.

Anyway, ALF and Roberts, should help get the best out of the creative players we have that are capable of passing. McAnuff for example. Kebe will always cause problems and Karacan and Legs have shown they can pass it on the deck. Probably most recently first half against Brighton. I'd like to see Mills back in to give us some balance down the left as well, we were playing better before he got injured.

This is all very well Ian but the trouble is this is MacDermott`s team we are watching. We do not play the ball into feet so I don`t fancy either 34 year old Roberts or goal poacher Alf endlessly chasing down channels or being the outside man challenging for Fed`s goal kicks. Sadly, unless there is a big change in approach from the manager I would say the combative and energetic Hunt is the best partner for Roberts.

[Snowball]

Good Point

[loyalroyal4life]

Baseya and Shephard for me

[Ian Royal]

This is all very well Ian but the trouble is this is MacDermott`s team we are watching. We do not play the ball into feet so I don`t fancy either 34 year old Roberts or goal poacher Alf endlessly chasing down channels or being the outside man challenging for Fed`s goal kicks. Sadly, unless there is a big change in approach from the manager I would say the combative and energetic Hunt is the best partner for Roberts.

I live in eternal optimism waiting for us to play better football Jeff. What can I say? I can see the potential for it there, but I'm an RTG fool.

I suspect your pick will be the favoured one by McDermott. ALF seems to have passed down the pecking order in recent months.

[Negative_Jeff]

This is all very well Ian but the trouble is this is MacDermott`s team we are watching. We do not play the ball into feet so I don`t fancy either 34 year old Roberts or goal poacher Alf endlessly chasing down channels or being the outside man challenging for Fed`s goal kicks. Sadly, unless there is a big change in approach from the manager I would say the combative and energetic Hunt is the best partner for Roberts.

I live in eternal optimism waiting for us to play better football Jeff. What can I say? I can see the potential for it there, but I'm an RTG fool.

I suspect your pick will be the favoured one by McDermott. ALF seems to have passed down the pecking order in recent months.

Don`t tend to do UR\G but if you are right could there be a surprise move for Alf back north?

[SLAMMED]

Obvious poll is obvious.

[Franchise FC]

Is it too obvious to say Alf Roberts

[grey_squirrel]

The fact that there is a Poll for this says it all!

What do we have now? 9 strikers on the books?

4th in the league and our proven chosen strikeforce pairing is still undetermined. (Quite an amazing statistic in itself some would say!)

In the meantime I agree with these comments (below), but will wager that neither Williams nor Sheppard will not play a competitive game for us. Just a hunch.

vvv

Doesnt make much difference which strikers we play.

With zero creativity from the centre of midfield, one effective winger and full backs who dont overlap we wont create enough chances.

Until the options have played then surely we can only surmise.

[Ian Royal]

This is all very well Ian but the trouble is this is MacDermott`s team we are watching. We do not play the ball into feet so I don`t fancy either 34 year old Roberts or goal poacher Alf endlessly chasing down channels or being the outside man challenging for Fed`s goal kicks. Sadly, unless there is a big change in approach from the manager I would say the combative and energetic Hunt is the best partner for Roberts.

I live in eternal optimism waiting for us to play better football Jeff. What can I say? I can see the potential for it there, but I'm an RTG fool.

I suspect your pick will be the favoured one by McDermott. ALF seems to have passed down the pecking order in recent months.

Don`t tend to do UR\G but if you are right could there be a surprise move for Alf back north?

I hope not, I'd rather lose Hunt, Church or Manset. I think he'll be fine, McDermott's just been struggling with his pairing recently and I'd guess he thinks ALF isn't the man to get you out of a slump when you aren't playing to well. I still see him being favoured over Church again soon.

[Snowball]

I think we have to remember that


1 The front two have been living off scraps

2 None of the strikers were big target men

3 Now we HAVE a big target man

IOW it's a new set of rules


Unless there are "other factors" I see Churchy as least likely to get play-time.

His role has been "lots of running" and we don't need him to do that. He's never
been "Mr Deadly", whereas in the past both Hunt and Le Fondre have shown themselves
capable of a very good strike rate

[Negative_Jeff]

Lots of wins and no defeats with Roberts and Hunt. Could Brian know more about football than Hob Nob?

[Ian Royal]

Lots of wins and no defeats with Roberts and Hunt. Could Brian know more about football than Hob Nob?

I think that's a given Jeff!

The combination is working well and suits our style. Now I've seen more of Roberts I'm not sure how well he'd work with ALF as a starting partner. Roberts has a tendency to, shall we say, pace himself through a game? ALF isn't exactly what I'd call full of hard work and graft either. I'm not saying his lazy, but he's not an energetic chaser like Hunt, or to a lesser extent Church. I still think we'd play better football with him in the team, but I don't think either he or Roberts are especially good at winning headers and we don't have a play maker.

Noel is a bit like his brother IMO. Not big on technical skill, but a lot of enthusiasm and determination. And he is a fantastics crosser of the ball.

Interesting to see a plan develop where ALF comes on if we're chasing a game and CHurch comes on if we're looking to see one out. Suggest to me McD thinks ALF is more likely to score or create, but Church is more likely to keep up the hard work of Hunt and help break up attacks before they've begun.

[arthurfondrelli]

Noel has looked class in the last few games, long may it continue

Le Fondre is more than capable of starting, but if it ain't broke don't fix it