Marlon Harewood

[Guest alex]

He's lazy as fuck man. I know he scored on Sunday but he was a disgrace I thought. Makes Shola look like a workaholic.

 

Horseshite tbh.

Hyperbole. The rest's correct though.

[Matty 0]

His first touch is wank, he's as strong as a pint of punch at J69's house party, he has shite awareness of what's around him and where he should be when the other striker is challenging for a flick on, and I don't think I've seen him win a flick on for anyone else yet.

 

I am biased like, cause the lad irritates me for largely unknown reasons to myself, possibly the shape of his stupid face...

 

His goal record is decent though to be fair to him, but I'll stand by my opinion that he probably is the worst striker we've ever had who's scored 5 goals before Christmas.

[Guest alex]

I'd also add that, while we now have a few options in terms of partnerships upfront, Harewood and Shola must be the worst combo we have.

[Barney 0]

If someone had told me 6seasons ago that Shola and Harewood would be our strike partnership, I'd have lol'd.

 

Personally, I lost the plot with Harewood against Forest(probably only his 2nd game). Returning to an old club with a point to prove, he was gash, controlled nothing, didn't run, had f- all fight about him. Gutless.

[LeazesMag 0]

He gets called lazy, which baffles the living daylights out of me because while he's not willing to chase everything like a labrador puppy he puts a decent shift in. I don't expect our strikers to go after every wayward hoof, if they did they'd be blowing out of their arse after 30 minutes.

 

A good point well made. Better to have a striker who looks lazy, but has the energy to score a goal when required that one who expends loads of energy chasing down impossible balls, and heading on to noone ( ) who is then buggered when they get the ball in a good scoring position.

 

People will scoff, but if we go up and someone could convince Mark Viduka to sign on a pay as you play style arrangement he'd be a good aquisition. He knows the area and the team, plus in terms of ability on the ball he's a class above anyone we've got or could realistically hope to get. Obviously in some kind of mid-retirement limbo at the moment, but I'd dare say he could be convinced to play some sort of bit part.

 

/pipedreams

 

I don't necessarily agree with this. I take the point that a world class goalscorer of the Gerd Muller type of quality is worth his place but the essence of forward play is to dictate the pace of the game, control possession and boss the opposition, make the chances and take enough of them to win. This is how consistent performance is achieved ie when you have players with the ability to play like this.

 

The great players, and I mean the great players, are what they are/were because they combine ability and effort and there is no substitute for this. Viduka has had his time here, and apart from what Keegan got out of him, he failed, and the fact that only Keegan got him playing says everything.

[LeazesMag 0]

I'd also add that, while we now have a few options in terms of partnerships upfront, Harewood and Shola must be the worst combo we have.

 

As Shearer and the others said in the studio, we have 4 or 5 players all chipping in with goals and if they stay here then we are looking good for a quick return but its after that the real questions have to be asked and changes made to stay up.

[Marko 0]

I don't like him, I think his first touch is shocking and it lets his game down so much.

 

however, how can you argue with 5 goals in 8 starts? Bring him in on loan for the rest of the season. I wouldnt touch him after that, He can't do it in the premiership. He can get away with it in the Championship which says a lot about this league!

[LeazesMag 0]

I don't like him, I think his first touch is shocking and it lets his game down so much.

 

however, how can you argue with 5 goals in 8 starts? Bring him in on loan for the rest of the season. I wouldnt touch him after that, He can't do it in the premiership. He can get away with it in the Championship which says a lot about this league!

 

I just think that Harewood and Ameobi had almost zero movement on Sunday, they don't make runs into space, they don't show themselves, Harewood especialy doesn't hold the ball or attack it very well. The essence of forward play is to be an outlet and bring others into the game who can support you quickly, the goals tally is hiding the fact that they are not good at this but in this league the finishing is so poor we are top of the league and getting away with it. What Shearer said is right. With these players next season we would be in another relegation fight from day 1.

[Dr Gloom 22198]

I don't think we have any strikers who will cut it in the premiership, apart from Ranger when he is older

 

 

i thought you rated smith as a striker leazes.

 

i'd like to see if smith can do a job as a striker at this level but it seems we rely on him too much in the holding midfielder role, which to be fair to him he has done well since we went down

[OTF 7581]

I don't necessarily agree with this. I take the point that a world class goalscorer of the Gerd Muller type of quality is worth his place but the essence of forward play is to dictate the pace of the game, control possession and boss the opposition, make the chances and take enough of them to win. This is how consistent performance is achieved ie when you have players with the ability to play like this.

 

The great players, and I mean the great players, are what they are/were because they combine ability and effort and there is no substitute for this. Viduka has had his time here, and apart from what Keegan got out of him, he failed, and the fact that only Keegan got him playing says everything.

 

My point was that if you have forwards that are constantly attempting to 'dictate the pace of the game', and close down opposing players it can sometimes be to the detriment of them scoring. There's plenty of forwards who are lazy as fuck who have made a great career out of scoring enough goals to make managers, chairmen and supporters forget about the other 70 odd minutes where they're doing fuck all. To name but a few there's Van Nistelrooj, Crespo and Yakubu. It's the midfield that should largely be dictating the pace of the game and bossing possession.

 

I didn't mention Viduka because he's Australian, but because he's 'free' and I think could actually have a positive impact. At any length I even noted that it was just a silly pipedream. Viduka did ultimately fail here, largely because he was just about never fit to play. When he did take to the field he was clearly still capable of things that no other player in our team were (not just in the pie eating stakes). He's gone anyway and won't be playing any more professional football in a competitive league so I'll put that back to bed.

[Guest alex]

I think he just wanted him to make the odd run into the channels when we were in possession rather than try and beat Shola at musical statues.

[khay 10]

Was not best pleased when we signed Harewood and his first couple of games. However 5 goals is all right in 8 starts.

 

I would probably rather have someone else but it would not be the end of the world to keep him on till the end of the season.

[LeazesMag 0]

I don't think we have any strikers who will cut it in the premiership, apart from Ranger when he is older

 

 

i thought you rated smith as a striker leazes.

 

i'd like to see if smith can do a job as a striker at this level but it seems we rely on him too much in the holding midfielder role, which to be fair to him he has done well since we went down

 

So did Alex Ferguson before his injury a few years ago.

 

I think he is very good in this holding position, so good I would keep him there. If we have severe selection problems he could play up front for a game or two I suppose.

[khay 10]

I don't think we have any strikers who will cut it in the premiership, apart from Ranger when he is older

 

 

i thought you rated smith as a striker leazes.

 

i'd like to see if smith can do a job as a striker at this level but it seems we rely on him too much in the holding midfielder role, which to be fair to him he has done well since we went down

 

So did Alex Ferguson before his injury a few years ago.

 

I think he is very good in this holding position, so good I would keep him there. If we have severe selection problems he could play up front for a game or two I suppose.

 

 

Then we would have to play Nicky Butt and Kevin Nolan in the middle. Either of those with Guthrie does not sound good either.

[LeazesMag 0]

I don't necessarily agree with this. I take the point that a world class goalscorer of the Gerd Muller type of quality is worth his place but the essence of forward play is to dictate the pace of the game, control possession and boss the opposition, make the chances and take enough of them to win. This is how consistent performance is achieved ie when you have players with the ability to play like this.

 

The great players, and I mean the great players, are what they are/were because they combine ability and effort and there is no substitute for this. Viduka has had his time here, and apart from what Keegan got out of him, he failed, and the fact that only Keegan got him playing says everything.

 

My point was that if you have forwards that are constantly attempting to 'dictate the pace of the game', and close down opposing players it can sometimes be to the detriment of them scoring. There's plenty of forwards who are lazy as fuck who have made a great career out of scoring enough goals to make managers, chairmen and supporters forget about the other 70 odd minutes where they're doing fuck all. To name but a few there's Van Nistelrooj, Crespo and Yakubu. It's the midfield that should largely be dictating the pace of the game and bossing possession.

 

I didn't mention Viduka because he's Australian, but because he's 'free' and I think could actually have a positive impact. At any length I even noted that it was just a silly pipedream. Viduka did ultimately fail here, largely because he was just about never fit to play. When he did take to the field he was clearly still capable of things that no other player in our team were (not just in the pie eating stakes). He's gone anyway and won't be playing any more professional football in a competitive league so I'll put that back to bed.

 

 

I'm not deliberately picking holes in your point of view, I just have the view that all round footballers with desire to impose themselves and make things happen are better front players. Now and again you get someone outstanding like RVN and Crespo but they have to be that good to make up for the other side of their game. At this level, our strikers are scoring goals, but Ameobi, Harewood in particular lack movement, desire and control to do better at a higher level.

[LeazesMag 0]

I don't think we have any strikers who will cut it in the premiership, apart from Ranger when he is older

 

 

i thought you rated smith as a striker leazes.

 

i'd like to see if smith can do a job as a striker at this level but it seems we rely on him too much in the holding midfielder role, which to be fair to him he has done well since we went down

 

So did Alex Ferguson before his injury a few years ago.

 

I think he is very good in this holding position, so good I would keep him there. If we have severe selection problems he could play up front for a game or two I suppose.

 

 

Then we would have to play Nicky Butt and Kevin Nolan in the middle. Either of those with Guthrie does not sound good either.

 

So he stays where he is. For the moment it is going well. You should not really change winning teams unless someone particular outstanding is waiting to come back into the team.

[Craig 6700]

Harewood IS shite, yes. Lazy, yes. But he's banging in goals and so long as he's doing that, we're getting our money's worth.

 

Definitely one for the Championship, not the Premiership but on the evidence so far I'd extend his loan to the summer.