Goals

[Putney Blade]

Chaps,

Can't say we scored freely during pre-season and against some easy opposition. Doesn't fill me with confidence for the coming season. Even think Porter was the top scorer on pre-season. Now that is worrying!

UTB

 

[Jehovah]

Why is it worrying that Porter is the top scorer? Hes our striker and is scoring goals, isnt that a good thing?

 

[Foxy]

Why is it worrying that Porter is the top scorer? Hes our striker and is scoring goals, isnt that a good thing?

Because he's called Porter, therefore apparently the default is whatever he does must be mocked, even if it's a positive.

 

[Putney Blade]

Why is it worrying that Porter is the top scorer? Hes our striker and is scoring goals, isnt that a good thing?

It's worrying 'cos DW will think Porter is half-decent and play him instead of selling to the likes of Mansfield and so freeing up wages for somebody better. Nobody can tell me on the basis of the last two seasons Porter is any good!

 

[SotonBlade]

It's worrying 'cos DW will think Porter is half-decent and play him instead of selling to the likes of Mansfield and so freeing up wages for somebody better. Nobody can tell me on the basis of the last two seasons Porter is any good!

So Porter is bobbins. Ok, maybe he is, but for me he can have his worst game ever, but if he's scoring goals that win us games....I couldn't give a flying feck!

 

[Ballinpigpubs13]

Scored a belter from 1 yard at Cowdenbeath.

 

[SwissBlade]

Preseason isn't about goals it's about getting games in, improving match fitness and finding out your best team and formation.

Lets see how the goals come in the first few games of the season. But if porter is the top scorer getting us goals to push towards promotion then great.

 

[LoughboroBlade]

DW has signed Taylor to add to our options. He clearly though has given Porter a good opportunity to stake a claim to start the season - and by the sounds of it, he's continued how he finished last season - which was positively.

DW is clearly approaching the squad without any preconceptions about the players. Perhaps fans should try and follow suit for the start of the season. I expect Porter to start on Friday.

 

[BornOnShorehamStreet]

This is a new season, a season when, under the right manager and playing style and system, Porter could deliver

 

[Jehovah]

It's worrying 'cos DW will think Porter is half-decent and play him instead of selling to the likes of Mansfield and so freeing up wages for somebody better. Nobody can tell me on the basis of the last two seasons Porter is any good!

Porter is a good striker. Hes a fantastic foil for the likes of Miller, Blackman, Taylor etc he works his nuts off, is not as slow as some make out and is fantastic in the air. He is our leading scorer in pre-season but this apparently counts for nothing. The stick this lad gets is unjustified and I dont know how its come about.

What exactly has he done thats so shit? I remember when we had Craig Beattie and he couldnt hit a barn door. He was therefore shit due to his awful finishing. What specifically is your problem with Porter?

 

[SwissBlade]

Porter is a good striker. Hes a fantastic foil for the likes of Miller, Blackman, Taylor etc he works his nuts off, is not as slow as some make out and is fantastic in the air. He is our leading scorer in pre-season but this apparently counts for nothing. The stick this lad gets is unjustified and I dont know how its come about.

What exactly has he done thats so shit? I remember when we had Craig Beattie and he couldnt hit a barn door. He was therefore shit due to his awful finishing. What specifically is your problem with Porter?

Porter needs more chances to score and needs the balls into him to be better. But I think he's probably the one player that came in during the transition from championship shit to league 1 shit. I've been a big critic of his in the past and I think he'd struggle in a league above. But we're not in the league above.

I agree though, he's a better player than people give him credit for and proved that he can play with others like Miller.

 

[Putney Blade]

What specifically is your problem with Porter?[/quote]

No pace. No creativity. Lacks control. Scores few goals. One footed. When he plays and because of his limitations, we hoof the ball in the air. And against any decent defence he struggles to make an impression, like most of last season.

Working your nuts off is hardly a reason to select him. Get rid.

 

[Maidenhead]

What specifically is your problem with Porter?

No pace. No creativity. Lacks control. Scores few goals. One footed. When he plays and because of his limitations, we hoof the ball in the air. And against any decent defence he struggles to make an impression, like most of last season.

Working your nuts off is hardly a reason to select him. Get rid.[/quote]

and maybe get Wayne Rooney in to replace him?

I hear that he may be unsettled at Man U

 

[TAMUS]

Porter should shave all his hair off and get some Tattoos , he just appears to nice to mix it with grizzly center backs.

 

[KenMcnaughtsNuts]

How long will this new found love of Porter last i wonder?

Presuming wikipedia is right, he has scored 18 goals in his last 103 appearances spanning 4 years for us, derby and shrewsbury. Yet now he has mysteriously turned into one of the best strikers in the division overnight! He lasted a few games for Shrewsbury until they decided he wasn't good enough for them.

I'm all for giving players a chance, but i can't believe some of the stuff i'm hearing on here recently. Suddenly anybody who speaks the truth about him gets "oh what are we gonna replace him with rooney/van persie/neymar huhuhuhu etc etc". The truth being, he's an average substitute for a bottom half league one side.

 

[highpeakblade]

What specifically is your problem with Porter?

No pace. No creativity. Lacks control. Scores few goals. One footed. When he plays and because of his limitations, we hoof the ball in the air. And against any decent defence he struggles to make an impression, like most of last season.

Working your nuts off is hardly a reason to select him. Get rid.[/quote]


Porter is an old fashioned forward. Get the ball in the right area and he will put it away, put it in the air in the box and he will stick his neck on the line and get his head on things.

To think Porters so called limitations as you put it were the reason behind us lofting the ball 60 yards is pathetic. United were forced to hoof the ball up field due to a negative, defensively minded, narrow playing midfield who were unable to beat players, hit the by-line and get the ball into the box. We lacked any form of natural width despite having so called "wingers" in our squad.

Porter is more than capable of knocking in double figures over the course of a season in you play football and get the ball into the box. Of course there are strikers out there with a better goals per game ratio however these players demand wages and were still repairing a broken club.

I really does hope he goes on to silence all of the narrow minded critics who aren't able to look at the bigger picture.

 

[SwissBlade]

How long will this new found love of Porter last i wonder?

Presuming wikipedia is right, he has scored 18 goals in his last 103 appearances spanning 4 years for us, derby and shrewsbury. Yet now he has mysteriously turned into one of the best strikers in the division overnight! He lasted a few games for Shrewsbury until they decided he wasn't good enough for them.

I'm all for giving players a chance, but i can't believe some of the stuff i'm hearing on here recently. Suddenly anybody who speaks the truth about him gets "oh what are we gonna replace him with rooney/van persie/neymar huhuhuhu etc etc". The truth being, he's an average substitute for a bottom half league one side.

Fair enough.... I wonder what that makes KMac then? Attacking midfielder who scores a goal a season....

 

[highpeakblade]

How long will this new found love of Porter last i wonder?

Presuming wikipedia is right, he has scored 18 goals in his last 103 appearances spanning 4 years for us, derby and shrewsbury. Yet now he has mysteriously turned into one of the best strikers in the division overnight! He lasted a few games for Shrewsbury until they decided he wasn't good enough for them.

I'm all for giving players a chance, but i can't believe some of the stuff i'm hearing on here recently. Suddenly anybody who speaks the truth about him gets "oh what are we gonna replace him with rooney/van persie/neymar huhuhuhu etc etc". The truth being, he's an average substitute for a bottom half league one side.

He's been a substitute during his time at United however anyone with half a degree of sense will have seen that without Williamson and Ched in League one we have been unattractive and distinctly average going forward, our final position last season was mainly down to having a solid back four.

It's called giving the lad a chance. He's never really had a fair crack of the whip at Sheffield United yet he's remained loyal to us, he's probably taken a wage drop as well to stay at the club and fight for a place. Not once has he let me down with his lack of effort despite us playing highly unattractive football and as a striker I am more than certain that the last thing he wants is to have to drop deep and try and get on the end of hopeful long balls 40 yards out with his back to goal.

 

[LoughboroBlade]

Presuming wikipedia is right, he has scored 18 goals in his last 103 appearances spanning 4 years for us, derby and shrewsbury. Yet now he has mysteriously turned into one of the best strikers in the division overnight! He lasted a few games for Shrewsbury until they decided he wasn't good enough for them.

His loan at Shrewsbury was from their point of view to plug an injury gap, and from ours to get him match fitness. It served both purposes. More recently, he came back into the first team at the end of last season and did a very good job. Made a real difference at a time Kitson was badly fading, and Ironside's initial promise hadn't maintained. He is not a prolific goalscorer, but give him a decent chance and he'll more often than not score.

Only going on what I've read since Weir came in, but this new formation seems to suit Porter's attributes well. Not worried in the slightest at the prospect of him starting on Friday.

 

[KenMcnaughtsNuts]

He's been a substitute during his time at United however anyone with half a degree of sense will have seen that without Williamson and Ched in League one we have been unattractive and distinctly average going forward, our final position last season was mainly down to having a solid back four.

It's called giving the lad a chance. He's never really had a fair crack of the whip at Sheffield United yet he's remained loyal to us, he's probably taken a wage drop as well to stay at the club and fight for a place. Not once has he let me down with his lack of effort despite us playing highly unattractive football and as a striker I am more than certain that the last thing he wants is to have to drop deep and try and get on the end of hopeful long balls 40 yards out with his back to goal.

Fine, give him a chance. I'd have him on the bench ahead of Ironside every time. But it still doesn't alter the fact he's distinctly ordinary even at this level. And we have no recognised goalscorers even vaguely proven at this level.

One thing i don't remotely get is he "holds up play well for the other striker" in one breathe, then in the other "we're going with one striker up front"... ok so how does that work? he holds the ball up for himself?? Surely, in any sane world, if we play with one up front Porter is about the last person you'd want that one striker to be. Unless we suddenly expect McDonald to turn into Messi.

 

[highpeakblade]

Fine, give him a chance. I'd have him on the bench ahead of Ironside every time. But it still doesn't alter the fact he's distinctly ordinary even at this level. And we have no recognised goalscorers even vaguely proven at this level.

One thing i don't remotely get is he "holds up play well for the other striker" in one breathe, then in the other "we're going with one striker up front"... ok so how does that work? he holds the ball up for himself?? Surely, in any sane world, if we play with one up front Porter is about the last person you'd want that one striker to be. Unless we suddenly expect McDonald to turn into Messi.

The part I would like to take away from Porters game more than anything is the holding the ball up. for me you need to be encouraging him to flick the ball on from open play and telling him play in and around the the 18 yard box. With the lack of finances that we have we need to be utilizing what we have to the best of their ability. The players we have brought in should suit Porter. We now have players again who can beat a man, hit the by-line and get the ball in the box. This style of play has shown to have been suiting Porter in pre-season and will continue to do so in the season. He's got a few goals and he's getting the nod downs in the box as well.

The blend and the minute seems to suit a good few players.

 

[LSF]

What specifically is your problem with Porter?

No pace. No creativity. Lacks control. Scores few goals. One footed. When he plays and because of his limitations, we hoof the ball in the air. And against any decent defence he struggles to make an impression, like most of last season.

Working your nuts off is hardly a reason to select him. Get rid.

Obviously you haven't seen him a great deal or if you have, don't appreciate why he's in the team or the role he's expected to fulfil?
Whilst he ain't the best bloke we've ever had in this role, he sure isn't the worst and I've no problem him starting the season in the position DW seems to have him assigned to. Please watch him a little closer, he's a better player with a surprising amount of subtleties than many critics on here give him credit for.
His biggest downside is his injury record and whether his body will hold up to a full season of the shit being kicked out of him....

 

[Bergen Blade]

Fine, give him a chance. I'd have him on the bench ahead of Ironside every time. But it still doesn't alter the fact he's distinctly ordinary even at this level. And we have no recognised goalscorers even vaguely proven at this level.

One thing i don't remotely get is he "holds up play well for the other striker" in one breathe, then in the other "we're going with one striker up front"... ok so how does that work? he holds the ball up for himself?? Surely, in any sane world, if we play with one up front Porter is about the last person you'd want that one striker to be. Unless we suddenly expect McDonald to turn into Messi.

In the new system we need both widemen (Murphy/Brandy) and McDonald to get into the box and score goals. I expect Taylor to become first choice eventually, but I'm glad we have Porter as well.

A relevant concern - if Porter plays, and McDonald is behind him we have no pace down the middle and we'll have to see if we can stretch teams and create enough through creativity/movement, and the pace from the flanks.

 

[sheffielder]

In the new system we need both widemen (Murphy/Brandy) and McDonald to get into the box and score goals. I expect Taylor to become first choice eventually, but I'm glad we have Porter as well.

A relevant concern - if Porter plays, and McDonald is behind him we have no pace down the middle and we'll have to see if we can stretch teams and create enough through creativity/movement, and the pace from the flanks.

I see McDonald being the flexible guy allowing either Brandy and Murphy to move inside at times while he moves into their position. From what little I have seen a think this flexibility will take a few months to kick in. In Friday's game I saw Brandy too far back covering at times in my opinion. I see Coady more as the man to pull the strings from the holding position allowing the front 4 and 2 full backs to make space

 

[mattbianco1]

No creativity. Lacks control

Seriously?

His control and ability to flick on balls for others (creativity) are his best attributes....

Where's that ignore button gone

 

[Gavlar]

its interesting reading all this porter stuff. for me he's the type of striker we need, big and strong, a real team player, honest as the day is long. he wins most things in the air and pretty good in a defensive role at set plays where needed. but I also think its a fair criticism to say if he's the only striker in a 4-5-1 type formation then we will struggle to score goals. lets hope the likes of brandy, murphy (and taylor wherever he fits in to the formation) do the running for him and score goals aswell. bottom line is, we must score more goals than last season if we're gonna go up, esp at home.

 

[Flakey]

Porter was and is good at winning the ball and laying it off, hence his partnership with Miller had real promise, trouble is that when he was the only player the otherside of the halfway line, who could he lay it off to?

 

[Bladesway]

It's worrying 'cos DW will think Porter is half-decent and play him instead of selling to the likes of Mansfield and so freeing up wages for somebody better. Nobody can tell me on the basis of the last two seasons Porter is any good!

Nothing pisses me off more than when our strikers are scoring goals. Bastards.

 

[Jim Chimmerney]

If, as seems likely, Weir goes with one up front then as others have said, Porter will only be fully effective if the likes of Brandy and Murphy do their stuff. From what I've seen in this division in the last 2 seasons, a lot of teams are happy playing against a lone striker, so the key is the players around him, not necessarily Porter himself. Last season this is where we were sadly lacking but the signs pre-season are good.

It will be interesting to see what he does when Miller is back fit and available but for the moment, I expect we'll be seeing a lot of Porter and Brandy being replaced by Taylor and McFadzean midway through the 2nd half.

 

[Trafford]

Seriously?

His control and ability to flick on balls for others (creativity) are his best attributes....

Where's that ignore button gone

I agree that he is good at knocking the ball on for others, particularly from headers, but his close control is poor - the ball bounces off him rather than sticking.