Oh, I fully accept that he, as a player, isn't to blame for all his lack of proficiency with regard finding success as a goalscorer. We have been serially bobbar fucking about playing passing drills out by the dugouts, endlessly wanking about with the ball using Norwood as a distributor and failing to get the ball (properly and accurately) in as a dangerous cross or threaded pass.
But a few things:
1. When McBurnie gets a half chance, he invariably half hits it, doesn't get venom into the header or misses the target entirely. Compare Billy Sharp to that who, although he misses a lot and fluffs a few, hits the fucking back of the net with many.
2. McBurnie, for some reason, considers himself some sort of Droghbaesque playmaker. Didier was skilled outside the box and deadly inside it. He could go fetch and carry, beat five player, lay off and be on the end of Hazard's return pass to clip it into the net. Two, maybe three times in a game in fact. Similar contemporaries were also gifted. Kanu, Henri ... Kane. Their work rate and vision outside the box is what makes them what they are, pretty much fucking bomb proof with goals to games rations as proof. McBurnie is pretty ineffective as a playmaker. He is slow, not just in the legs department but in the vision one too, and lacks spatial finesse. He doesn't belong anywhere except inside the 18 yard box. Leave the flair stuff to MGW and Berge, leave the fetching and carrying to Fleck and Norwood and the flank stuff to the wingbacks.
3. Shithousery. We love a committed player. We love someone who is in the wars and wears the badge with every challenge. But for fucks sake. Get into the box, draw the tackle, make it look like you've been fucking fouled. Bring the player onto you and get him to make the mistake. Get out of the refs face - he's not given it and possession has changed hands and now they are off up towards our goal. Get the fuck up, put your arms down and your bottom lip away and get on with the fucking game.
4. Headers. It's all very well waving Fodders and the back three to pump the ball up the pitch but come to some agreement with where its going next after it's left your fucking melon, because currently, you are just gifting their players with the second ball. MGW, Berge, Fleck, the wingbacks are nowhere near where it ends up. You win most headers in the game, make at least 50% of them find our players instead of benignly finding theirs. It's needless possession-turning-over.
pommpey
