A lot better

[Guesty]

I thought Porter had a great game, finishing aside. However I'm still not impressed by Murphy despite the praise he's been getting. The bloke has the ball control of a brick wall and surrenders the ball in the tackle far to easily.

 

[alcoblade]

Chris Porter - 8 goals in 56 third division appearances. It's not scapegoating, it's statistics

UTB

 

[sitwell]

banging your head against a brick wall or what ?

 

[stannyblade]

Fernando Torres 15 goals for Chelsea in over 80 games.
Is he shit as well? Better service than porter gets.

 

[LSF]

I thought Porter had a great game, finishing aside. However I'm still not impressed by Murphy despite the praise he's been getting. The bloke has the ball control of a brick wall and surrenders the ball in the tackle far to easily.

Yes, agreed, despite all the undeserved flack Porter is copping for, it was Murphy who apart from his promising opening salvo disappeared somewhat. His exit from the field made me think too.... he barely acknowledged McFaz as they crossed and looked mightily chuffed off. Still undercurrents of his unrest from last season possibly?

 

[alcoblade]

Fernando Torres 15 goals for Chelsea in over 80 games.
Is he shit as well?

Relatively speaking, yes. Of course he is having a bad spell. Porter is having a bad career.

UTB

 

[alcoblade]

Yes, agreed, despite all the undeserved flack Porter is copping for

But seriously. Just how few goals can a striker score before the " flack" becomes deserved?

 

[sheffielder]

Fernando Torres 15 goals for Chelsea in over 80 games.
Is he shit as well? Better service than porter gets.

In my opinion he can't play the front man by himself. doesn't have the skills required. If we changed to 2 up top and you had Taylor or Miller next to him then he would do a good job.

When Weir came in he said he wanted to play 4-5-1 like when everton first did it with Everton, where they had Marcus Bent and that is why we brought Taylor in.

 

[LSF]

But seriously. Just how few goals can a striker score before the " flack" becomes deserved?

But is it really about just scoring goals? Yes, its nice if we have an Evans who scores for fun but I'd sooner have the goals shared out and a bloke who is not as prolific, but adds certain ingredients that others can't.

 

[LoughboroBlade]

His exit from the field made me think too.... he barely acknowledged McFaz as they crossed and looked mightily chuffed off. Still undercurrents of his unrest from last season possibly?

Just looked very disappointed to be subbed tbh, as he probably felt he'd get a chance to score had he stayed on. I thought the movement by him and Brandy worked a treat for most of the game.

 

[DazBlade88]

Just looked very disappointed to be subbed tbh, as he probably felt he'd get a chance to score had he stayed on. I thought the movement by him and Brandy worked a treat for most of the game.

I agree, I think he was just disappointed to be coming off which is never a bad thing.

 

[Northyorksblade]

That, my friends, marked the beginnings of the return of proper football to S2 after far too many soul-destroying years.

We did what I've seen others do to us far too often and far too painfully. Pass, move, pass, move.

I'm quite emotional. I think Weir going to get our SUFC back.

That's just how I feel. After years of anger, frustration and then recently, indifference I hope we've turned a massive corner. (Obviously not as massive one as the other lot .

 

[UnitedBlade]

By the way, did anyone miss Kitson throwing himself on the floor every 2 minutes and Robson trying to run around and achieving nothing.

I thought not, let's hope the days of the expensive ageing journeymen are gone for ever.

UTB

 

[Come from away]

I think Murphy helped set the tone early on and at some point you have to acknowledge what players do off the ball and, for the record, the two chances Porter missed were not that easy given the speed the ball came at him and the first one was shin high. Not outstanding but does not deserve the flack.

 

[alcoblade]

But is it really about just scoring goals? Yes, its nice if we have an Evans who scores for fun but I'd sooner have the goals shared out and a bloke who is not as prolific, but adds certain ingredients that others can't.

I accept that there is a side to Porters game that goes unnoticed. He does do the dirty work and hold the line etc etc. But in no other position are you gifted the ability to judge a player in what really matters. He is a goalscorer who doesn't score goals. No vendetta, no scapegoat, no agenda - he just simply fails to do the main task that is asked of him. The task that wins games.


Anyway, I don't want the early season discussion to be about Porter when we have so many positives to get into



UTB

 

[sitwell]

His task is to win games. We won.

 

[stannyblade]

If we continue to win games without a striker scoring that will do for me.

 

[CopenhagenBlade]

His task is to win games. We won.

Exactly. Football is a team game and DW sets up the side for the team to score goals and win matches. We did both and CP played his part in that. I would probably guess that in our current system it is more likel for the 3 other offensive players to score as they are harder to mark and CP is creating space for them. I bet he is more tightly marked by 1 maybe 2 central defenders while who picks the other 3 up. I bet DW is very happy with CP last night and he did the job that he asked him to do.

 

[pommpey]

When did Shearer , Wright and Suarez play in the 3rd division as a lone striker earning a couple of grand a week ? And when did Edwards put a game of graft in as a lone striker moving defenders all over the place ? Bit of perspective needed here.

That's fairly irrelevant. The first one was rudimentary lining up of body and hitting the ball cleanly and the second one was reading the game. He is woefully underpowered in both pace, strength and skill for one-up-front at this level. I hear people say 'ooh, he got a few knock-downs' but fuck me, why not play Collins up front then if that is all he is required to do? I used to hear this about Ashley fucking Ward - 'ohhh, he brings people into the game' and 'oooh, he holds the ball up'. No, I'm afraid. What I wanted Ashley fucking Ward to do as I want Porter to do is kick (or head) the ball into the fucking net. That's their job, just as the midfield is to provide those means and the defence to deny the opposition doing the same. Aside from Ched - what was the last prolific striker you remember pulling on the sacred red and white stripes? You know - 20+ per season type prolific? Cast aside Beattie - he's a cunt. Go on. Who? Yep - Brian Deane and Tony Hang-glider back in two golden seasons at the end of the 80s. Both seasons we were promoted. That's what we are looking for from our strikers. Killer instinct, not flick-ons and knock-downs. I don't see a great second-ball artists in our side - we have Doyle who can hit them from range and McMahon who scored from two dead balls i one game last season. Where are the goals coming from? Last night - a newly beknighted CAM player and a Centre Back. No excuses. Porter had the chances and showed he is not fit to wear the shirt.

pommpey

 

[LSF]

No excuses. Porter had the chances and showed he is not fit to wear the shirt.

pommpey

Try telling David Weir that Pommps!

 

[pommpey]

Try telling David Weir that Pommps!

By 68 minutes, I think Weir heard me.

pommpey

 

[Dkc]

Watched the game in pub yesterday afternoon and to be honest I left with the same view oas Pommpey and Alco. We need to get rid of Porter - virtually any journeyman striker could do a better job. I was also wondering about our win stats when Porter plays too. They can't be too impressive.

However, most of those who were actually at the game have a different view and I defer to their better judgment. Porter's probably not going to be our first choice striker for the rest of the season, but if he gets involved and helps to create chances for others, as people say he did last night, he could be a useful squad player at least.

 

[DazBlade88]

Just done a quick check on soccer

Watched the game in pub yesterday afternoon and to be honest I left with the same view oas Pommpey and Alco. We need to get rid of Porter - virtually any journeyman striker could do a better job. I was also wondering about our win stats when Porter plays too. They can't be too impressive.

However, most of those who were actually at the game have a different view and I defer to their better judgment. Porter's probably not going to be our first choice striker for the rest of the season, but if he gets involved and helps to create chances for others, as people say he did last night, he could be a useful squad player at least.

Just done a quick search:

P: 72
W: 35
D: 20
L: 17
%: 48.61

 

[pommpey]

Isn't it more like 45 games, 12 goals or summat?

Piss poor in anyone's books

pommpey

 

[Large Mendonca]

Porter is honest enough and grafts but that will not get us promoted. The two teams that go up automatic this season will have a more potent strikeforce than us at present, and that could still be us if we change it.

 

[pommpey]

He does graft - there's no denying that. I have seen him chase stuff all over the park ... not with much pace, mind. But it's that stuff in and around the box that worries me. He's too lightweight and can't compete effectively and seems to lack that ingredient that puts him in the space behind the defenders that strikers revel on. It isn't about 'mixing it up' and winning penalties and the like. He doesn't seem to have much else to go on. As I said earlier, Friday's game revealed quite a few things about David Weir's new United. The first was he has changed the way we play and it shows us so much more style and promise. The other is that the last few seasons were based on a style of play that was unproductive, unattractive and deserved of our scorn. Porter hasn't moved on.

pommpey

 

[Foxy]

He's too lightweight and can't compete effectively and seems to lack that ingredient that puts him in the space behind the defenders that strikers revel on.

I disagree, his movement at times is good, it's often un-noticed as it's off the ball and we've not had a side that create chances/spot the passes. As I've maintained for a good while now, play him right and create him chances and he will get a few goals. Writing him off and deciding we're toothless after one competitive game of the new system/ideas is ridiculous.

We could very much do with better. Long term, Taylor most probably has more attributes, but that doesn't mean we should hound out Porter after one game under the new management team. The men in charge gave everyone a chance to prove themselves, Porter had shown enough to them that they thought he was the best option yesterday... So why not cut him some slack and see if he takes that opportunity?

 

[pommpey]

Been cutting him some slack for some time now, Foxy. Accepted it is a new season and the first game, but he needs to raise his game. He may run about a lot, but that isn't productive, is it. I'd prefer a lazy shit-liner who spends his time on the end of every cross and ball into the box than someone who spends his time chasing bags in the wind. Grant Holt, for example.

pommpey

 

[Foxy]

He may run about a lot, but that isn't productive, is it.
I'd prefer a lazy shit-liner who spends his time on the end of every cross and ball into the box than someone who spends his time chasing bags in the wind. Grant Holt, for example.

You want a man with the ingredient that puts him in behind defenders but don't want him to run, or waste energy making runs that don't always directly result in goals?

He's spent the majority of his Sheffield United career fielding balls fired at his neck, his back to goal with nobody within 40 yards of him, it'll be interesting to see what he does with crosses and balls into the box. He could have done better with the two on Friday, but that could be said of a number of them.

 

[puppet]

Well i'd swap him for Porter any day. Don't think Notts County would though.

dear me