Le Fondre unsure of future

[Hoop Blah]

Agreed ALF is wrong as the 1 in 451, but POG is not exactly brilliant there, either

Could either work in 4-4-1-1 where we play balls to feet more?

Alternatively why play the striker(s) centrally for clearances? Why not work the channels
playing the striker(s) wide, where it's less necessary to continually use aerial balls?

Pogrebnyak does pull out wide, or has done a fair bit, but there is usually a centre half willing to come out and challenge him as well though.

When we play the ball to his feet he's done a really good job up there on his own (going to ground too easily his biggest fault of course) but you have to remember that there's another team on the pitch trying to stop you do things and we've just not been good enough at working the ball on the deck to stop us reverting to long hopeful balls for Le Fondre or Pogrebnyak to fight for.

[Hoop Blah]

Scoring goals is all very good, but we have seen all too often then when he isn't scoring he doesn't appear to do much else.

Nor did Kevin Philips. Same type of player. They are very rare. We're lucky to have him!

I'd say that's pretty harsh on Phillips, especially in his prime. I think he was also worth a lot more goals (might be wrong on that), and consistently scoring them, to make him more worthy of his place.

[Brum Royal]

ALF and Pog have looked a pretty decent partnership at times, but the main problem they've both had is the absolutely awful service they've had to endure for most of this season. Too many long hopeful balls hoofed in their general vicinity from the back as we've not had the creative midfield to supply him and/or Pog with decent service they can actually work with. Give ALF service and he'll get the goals, as his record shows.

[kwik-silva]

ALF and Pog have looked a pretty decent partnership at times, but the main problem they've both had is the absolutely awful service they've had to endure for most of this season. Too many long hopeful balls hoofed in their general vicinity from the back as we've not had the creative midfield to supply him and/or Pog with decent service they can actually work with. Give ALF service and he'll get the goals, as his record shows.

Agreed, my only criticism in that aspect is that too often Pog would go for the header and ALF would run to the other side of the pitch - with no CM running through the middle to get onto the ball. Just need to work on that a little bit more.

[Royalclapper]

Let's face it, Le Fondre or any other saleable playing asset will be rushed out of the club and into a taxi bound for their new club before they know what's happened.

[Handsome Man]

The thing with LeFondre is that he has a record of scoring goals in the Premiership that might make him attract a high transfer fee, but he isn't much good at getting involved from the beginning of games or carving out chances when he plays for us. Therefore, he seems the ideal player to sell.

[Silver Fox]

I'm convinced to this day that Adkins h8s Alfie for what he did to Southampton when we won the title and that is why he has never given him the run of games he should of, for Alfie's sake if Adkins won't do the decent thing and resign then he should certainly be looking to leave and play for a competent manager that appreciates his talents. This would of course be a bad thing for reading FC, but that's Nigel Adkins for you

[LoyalRoyal22]

I'm convinced to this day that Adkins h8s Alfie for what he did to Southampton when we won the title and that is why he has never given him the run of games he should of, for Alfie's sake if Adkins won't do the decent thing and resign then he should certainly be looking to leave and play for a competent manager that appreciates his talents. This would of course be a bad thing for reading FC, but that's Nigel Adkins for you

Or maybe, rightly, he has recognised unless he is scoring goals he offers nothing to the team. No?

[sandman]

Hasn't seemed to stop him playing Billy Sharp at three different clubs.

[Ian Royal]

The thing about ALF is, that even in a team without fluidity or form, playing half to two thirds of a season, and being a passenger in quite a few games, he'll still score 10 to 15 goals a season.

Put him in a team that's playing fluently and well, with continuity upfront and in midfield and if he starts most games, he'll be the mythical 20 a season man.

It's all well and good having a striker who's involved in every game and puts a real shift in, but if they aren't going to score 15+ goals in a season and you don't have someone else that will. Then they aren't scoring enough and you need someone who will.

[winchester_royal]

Lol at comparing Alf to Kevin Phillips.

[stealthpapes]

The thing about ALF is, that even in a team without fluidity or form, playing half to two thirds of a season, and being a passenger in quite a few games, he'll still score 10 to 15 goals a season.

Put him in a team that's playing fluently and well, with continuity upfront and in midfield and if he starts most games, he'll be the mythical 20 a season man.

It's all well and good having a striker who's involved in every game and puts a real shift in, but if they aren't going to score 15+ goals in a season and you don't have someone else that will. Then they aren't scoring enough and you need someone who will.

Something like this.

[winchester_royal]

The counter argument to that would be that in order to have a team that plays with fluidity and creates lots more chances than the opposition you need to have a striker who is able to contribute to all phases of play.

[sandman]

Lol at comparing Alf to Kevin Phillips.

Yeah LOL at comparing Alf to a decent, goalscoring, striker with a reputation for one season in the PL. They're nothing alike.

[winchester_royal]

Kevin Phillips... Lower league goalscorer?

You've finally lost it Sandy.

[Hoop Blah]

I'm convinced to this day that Adkins h8s Alfie for what he did to Southampton when we won the title and that is why he has never given him the run of games he should of, for Alfie's sake if Adkins won't do the decent thing and resign then he should certainly be looking to leave and play for a competent manager that appreciates his talents. This would of course be a bad thing for reading FC, but that's Nigel Adkins for you

And what was McDermotts reason for using him in almost an exact same fashion?

[Hoop Blah]

The thing about ALF is, that even in a team without fluidity or form, playing half to two thirds of a season, and being a passenger in quite a few games, he'll still score 10 to 15 goals a season.

Put him in a team that's playing fluently and well, with continuity upfront and in midfield and if he starts most games, he'll be the mythical 20 a season man.

It's all well and good having a striker who's involved in every game and puts a real shift in, but if they aren't going to score 15+ goals in a season and you don't have someone else that will. Then they aren't scoring enough and you need someone who will.

I can see your logic, but there's nothing to show that he would score those goals (he scores goals in clusters) or that a team at this level could play fluidly or consistently with him in the side.

[Ian Royal]

The thing about ALF is, that even in a team without fluidity or form, playing half to two thirds of a season, and being a passenger in quite a few games, he'll still score 10 to 15 goals a season.

Put him in a team that's playing fluently and well, with continuity upfront and in midfield and if he starts most games, he'll be the mythical 20 a season man.

It's all well and good having a striker who's involved in every game and puts a real shift in, but if they aren't going to score 15+ goals in a season and you don't have someone else that will. Then they aren't scoring enough and you need someone who will.

I can see your logic, but there's nothing to show that he would score those goals (he scores goals in clusters) or that a team at this level could play fluidly or consistently with him in the side.

He's done this in struggling sides. He has a very strong shot conversion rate (28% - Pog 18%, McCleary 8%, Blackman 13%, HRK 13%, Nugent 14%, Vardy 8%, Ings 15%, Vokes 20%), so it's reasonable to say that if you put him in a side that creates more chances, he'll score more goals.

We were in the bottom 10 clubs for shots created, shots on target, passing accuracy and possession in the division. Turn the creative malaise that is symptomatic of around, and you'll see ALF flourish. He has been a factor in that poorer performance certainly, but he is very far from the only or major factor causing it.

Now maybe, even in a side that's playing well and creating, his sometimes anonymity will prevent him getting to Ings' and Nugent's level of 140 odd shots. But if he can get 15 goals off 53 shots starting 25 games in a stuttering team, he can certainly get 18 in a better functioning team playing the whole season. So we'd be crazy not to use him (barring big money moves). It's not like he needs to score 25 goals to be worth having. If you've got a striker who can reliably get you 18 goals a season, they don't really need to do a whole lot else as long as your team functions and others muck in.

I think that's quite a lot of evidence and quite compelling.

[RoyallyFcuked]

The last 2 seasons he has done well to score as many goals as he has with poor service and often limited game time. Put him in a team that creates chances, plays decent passing football and give him the right strike partner he could score 25+ goals in the Championship.

[Hoop Blah]

Ian, those stats are really evidence of how a side can become consistent and fluid with him on it, it's all bade around his conversion rate. There's no doubt he's a good finisher, like many of his type it's his game outside the box that prevents him playing more.

Personally I think at times he links up well and plays some clever balls. What let's him down is he makes far too many wrong decisions and costs us more attacks (and therefore shoots for the statsmen) than he should do.