Is Crouch affecting our balance

[Moschops II]

I don't think you're wrong there at all - given Momo's yellow card fever (which I think is always going to be there in his game, no matter how much Rafa refines him in other areas) and Didi's imminent 94th birthday, I wouldn't argue with the need to bring in a couple of reinforcements in central midfield.

 

The issue is simply who, and the only point we don't seem to agree on is Barton and Parker - both of who you ARE wrong about ;)

 

(All a bit academic anyway, I think, because Parker wouldn't go back to being a squad player, Barton will end up re-signing for Citeh, and I'd put money on us actually signing one or both of O'Neil and/or Whitehead in the summer, depending on whether Didi leaves).

[Red Nick]

I don't get it, work out Crouch? Hasn't he been playing regularly in the premiership for a while now?

 

For me, the player not good enough is Morientes. Crouch still does what is asked of him, although his standards have dropped lately.

 

Just look at how we controlled Charlton yesterday, pinning them down in their own half for the first 45. They resorted to hoofing balls up to the pacey Bents, and got lucky with a dubious penalty. I prefer our style of play.

 

I shouldn't have to tell you this, as it is widely recognised, but Crouch is the player enabling us to press teams higher up the pitch. He needs to work on his finishing, but he is not the one who needs to be replaced.

 

its also about the quality of the final ball from our wide players and the midfield players finishing abillity, not just the strikers, Simao and Gonzales would make a huge difference to our team

[redrosetints]

I don't think you're wrong there at all - given Momo's yellow card fever (which I think is always going to be there in his game, no matter how much Rafa refines him in other areas) and Didi's imminent 94th birthday, I wouldn't argue with the need to bring in a couple of reinforcements in central midfield.

 

The issue is simply who, and the only point we don't seem to agree on is Barton and Parker - both of who you ARE wrong about ;)

 

(All a bit academic anyway, I think, because Parker wouldn't go back to being a squad player, Barton will end up re-signing for Citeh, and I'd put money on us actually signing one or both of O'Neil and/or Whitehead in the summer, depending on whether Didi leaves).

 

Forum in adult agree to disagree shocker.... We cant just be all friendly and leave it, doesnt the fact we disagree on Barton and Parker mean we now have to insult each other for a few hundred posts, before swearing to put each other on ignore ? :party:

 

Seriously though, have you heard anything about Whithead and ONeil being signed ? Are you just discussing recent press speculation or something more concrete ?

 

As I genuinley believe Baton will be in Red by June 1st. (No, no insider stuff, just a gut feeling, maybe it is just the identity of his agent)

[Red Nick]

Kuyt, Simao & Gonzales would make us a Premiership challenging team

 

Kuyt at anfield and Crouch away

[Anny Road]

....fingers in ears.......

 

arrrrrrrhhhhh make it stop arrrrrrrrhhhhhh make it stop arrrrhhhhhh

[Stu Monty]

This is just all an irrelevant debate - if Rashid had the courage of his convictions, he'd say the same thing now that he was saying last summer, and that it obviously grated on him that he'd ever had to stop saying - that Crouch isn't good enough for us, he's a freak and a lanky streak of piss, that he (Rashid) finds having him (Crouch) in the team embarrassing (because in St Albans you're surrounded by Tottenham and Chelsea fans who probably take the piss), and that any time we perform badly, any criticism or discussion of anything regarding other players or the team's performance will be hijacked and turned into another one-note fucking drone about how when everything's said and done it's all because of Peter Crouch.

 

People said this was going to happen, and it has - after grudgingly kissing Crouch's arse when it became unavoidably obvious what a contribution he was making to our good form, as soon as he has a couple of dodgy games or the team hits a bad spell, the same old shit just comes dribbling back out of every post Rashid makes.

 

And if I could just PUT HIM ON FUCKING IGNORE then I wouldn't have to continue seeing him ruin the entire forum.

 

Word.

[Rashid]

Kuyt at anfield and Crouch away

 

Fucking nonsense, how many teams you seen do this?

[Stu Monty]

I can see what you are suggesting with signing another central midfielder but I think that people are being swayed far too much by the scouseness of certain players. I haven't seen that much of either Nolan or Barton this year but what I have seen doesn't leap out at me as "must buy" material. I know that Nolan is basically Bolton's Lampard in that the whole team is set up for him to make late runs onto knock-downs and second balls; would he thrive in another system?

 

One player that I also have seen very little of but have been impressed with as a driving force in an average side is Steven Davis at Villa. Got him in a my fantasy team so have been looking out for his progress for a while and would like to see a few more full Villa games to judge if he is a real talent.

 

I think that things that we lack at the moment are pace, penetration and finishing. If we have Crouch and Morientes there in no threat of a through ball so they can defend much further from their goal. I don't particularly rate Cisse but he would be a better option than Moro just because he brings pace.

 

This is like a little haven in a storm. Just ignoring the idiots and focusing on the regulars might be the way of the future if the current trend continues and Rashid doesn't get eaten by a bear.

[aws]

I'd play Crouch and Cisse with Fowler on the bench for the next month or so and see how that works.

[Moschops II]

Forum in adult agree to disagree shocker.... We cant just be all friendly and leave it, doesnt the fact we disagree on Barton and Parker mean we now have to insult each other for a few hundred posts, before swearing to put each other on ignore ? :party:

 

Seriously though, have you heard anything about Whithead and ONeil being signed ? Are you just discussing recent press speculation or something more concrete ?

 

As I genuinley believe Baton will be in Red by June 1st. (No, no insider stuff, just a gut feeling, maybe it is just the identity of his agent)

 

No, nothing concrete - the very few people I know with vague contacts at the club have told me we've got an interest in both O'Neil and Whitehead, but only in as much as we've got an interest in a lot of younger British players. It's just a gut feeling here too - O'Neil's been linked consistently for a long time now, and I can see why Rafa would like him as a player, and with Whitehead, the stories about him seemed to have a substance about them, and I can see that he offers something specific we could do with (his passing ability is genuinely impressive, and so I think he could deputise for Xabi far more effectively than anyone else we have).

 

They're young, they both seem to have a good attitude, I can see what role they'd play and they'll both be relatively cheap (especially Whitehead). And that's that.

 

:party:

[Stu Monty]

I'd play Crouch and Cisse with Fowler on the bench for the next month or so and see how that works.

 

So you're using Fowler's weight to test the tensile strenth of the bench then...did I read that right?

[redrosetints]

I can see what you are suggesting with signing another central midfielder but I think that people are being swayed far too much by the scouseness of certain players. I haven't seen that much of either Nolan or Barton this year but what I have seen doesn't leap out at me as "must buy" material. I know that Nolan is basically Bolton's Lampard in that the whole team is set up for him to make late runs onto knock-downs and second balls; would he thrive in another system?

 

One player that I also have seen very little of but have been impressed with as a driving force in an average side is Steven Davis at Villa. Got him in a my fantasy team so have been looking out for his progress for a while and would like to see a few more full Villa games to judge if he is a real talent.

 

I think that things that we lack at the moment are pace, penetration and finishing. If we have Crouch and Morientes there in no threat of a through ball so they can defend much further from their goal. I don't particularly rate Cisse but he would be a better option than Moro just because he brings pace.

 

 

Im not just quoting those two cos they are scouse. Though I think that would be a positive, cherry on cake kind of thing, to get a very good player who also happened to be a scouser. In Nolans case, he's 23 ? and captain of a top 6 side who are int eh latter stages of Europe. Say what you willl of Boltons style, but for NOlan to be captain, of a team doing very well, with all their 'past it stars' suggests he has both the physical talent and mental strength required for a top club like ours. With Barton, I know what you're saying, but I think he is good engouh to fit into another system and style. For me he is quality and if its not us, it will be the Mancs or Arsenal in the summer. NOt seen Davis, though I remember you mentioning Milner the other day, and perhaps he or Pennant would be good down the right.

 

I dont like to pin my hopes on one player, Im not going to say we SHOULD sign x or y (though I may have just done that! :D ) but I'd like us to continue our measured transfer policy and look back to the days of old when we succesfuly went for big fish in little ponds. Players like Barton, Nolan, Pennant, Whitehead, Davis, Milner, ONeil would be my preference for the summer.

[Moschops II]

I can see what you are suggesting with signing another central midfielder but I think that people are being swayed far too much by the scouseness of certain players. I haven't seen that much of either Nolan or Barton this year but what I have seen doesn't leap out at me as "must buy" material. I know that Nolan is basically Bolton's Lampard in that the whole team is set up for him to make late runs onto knock-downs and second balls; would he thrive in another system?

 

One player that I also have seen very little of but have been impressed with as a driving force in an average side is Steven Davis at Villa. Got him in a my fantasy team so have been looking out for his progress for a while and would like to see a few more full Villa games to judge if he is a real talent.

 

I think that things that we lack at the moment are pace, penetration and finishing. If we have Crouch and Morientes there in no threat of a through ball so they can defend much further from their goal. I don't particularly rate Cisse but he would be a better option than Moro just because he brings pace.

 

This is like a little haven in a storm. Just ignoring the idiots and focusing on the regulars might be the way of the future if the current trend continues and Rashid doesn't get eaten by a bear.

 

I haven't seen a huge amount of Davis either, but on the odd occasion I have he's impressed me, and people I know who see Villa a lot reckon he could go all the way.

 

I think the Mancs were sniffing around him quite heavily earlier this year, and Villa ended up tying him to a long-ish contract as a result.

 

Know what you mean about the scouseness thing - I do like Nolan a lot and I can see why Barton's popular too, but I can't help thinking if either of them came from Torquay we wouldn't even be discussing them - and that if someone like Michael Carrick was from Huyton, there'd be loads of people saying we should bring HIM in.

[aws]

So you're using Fowler's weight to test the tensile strenth of the bench then...did I read that right?

 

Yup - and after that we'll see if he can weigh in with a few goals.

[Stu Monty]

I haven't seen a huge amount of Davis either, but on the odd occasion I have he's impressed me, and people I know who see Villa a lot reckon he could go all the way.

 

I think the Mancs were sniffing around him quite heavily earlier this year, and Villa ended up tying him to a long-ish contract as a result.

 

Know what you mean about the scouseness thing - I do like Nolan a lot and I can see why Barton's popular too, but I can't help thinking if either of them came from Torquay we wouldn't even be discussing them - and that if someone like Michael Carrick was from Huyton, there'd be loads of people saying we should bring HIM in.

 

Yep, that's what I'm thinking.

 

I'd imagine it wouldn't be that hard to buy him from Villa, they are hardly rolling in money. I was quite surprised about the response to that Milner thread I put up because every time I've seen him he looks very good, guess there's no accounting for taste though eh?

 

Taylor from Portsmouth is another one that looks good on highlights packages. Whether he is consistent or not I have very little idea.

[Guest brendan]

Lurch has four goals in 24-odd Premiership games.

He's affecting our goal-scoring balance, that's for sure.

One of my first posts on here was that Lurch and Spanish Erik were the worst strike-force Anfield has seen for decades.

It's truer every day.

[Stu Monty]

Lurch has four goals in 24-odd Premiership games.

He's affecting our goal-scoring balance, that's for sure.

One of my first posts on here was that Lurch and Spanish Erik were the worst strike-force Anfield has seen for decades.

It's truer every day.

 

Why do you call him Lurch?

 

Seriously.

[aws]

His name's Crouch.And stop mocking Meijer.

[Guest brendan]

Why do you call him Lurch?

 

Seriously.

 

He looks like Lurch from The Addams Family. Obv.

[Stu Monty]

He looks like Lurch from The Addams Family. Obv.

 

Okay. He obviously doesn't, he's just tall and awkward.

 

So why do you feel the need to mock him when most people want to embrace their players and support them?

[RedKnight]

Okay. He obviously doesn't, he's just tall and awkward.

 

So why do you feel the need to mock him when most people want to embrace their players and support them?

 

He does it because he's only twelve; and that's what they do.

[Guest brendan]

He does it because he's only twelve; and that's what they do.

 

What? 12 year olds in particular? Odd.

[Guest brendan]

Okay. He obviously doesn't, he's just tall and awkward.

 

So why do you feel the need to mock him when most people want to embrace their players and support them?

 

He looks more like him than any other person I've ever seen, and I can't be the only one that thinks that, as Lurch is a fairly common nickname that he's had for years.

 

I don't mock him overly, and I don't enjoy it when other fans pick on him for his height, but quite frankly he'd get a fuck of a lot more abuse if he was actually any good and could score goals.

 

Our strikers are becoming a laughing stock. Fact.

[RedKnight]

What? 12 year olds in particular? Odd.

 

I don't know. I'm far too tired to get into a discussion/slanging match over it. Just show some respect to the players and stop giving them idiotic nicknames. That is all.

[Paul]

I don't know. I'm far too tired to get into a discussion/slanging match over it. Just show some respect to the players and stop giving them idiotic nicknames. That is all.

True dat.