Howard needs a rest....

[sparky79]

For me the team is playing to his strengths at the momement rather than its own.

Oakley, wellens, king, n'guessan adams and dyer are all pass and move players who thrive off knocking it into feet and shifting the point of attack quickly.

Knocking long to howard doesn't get the best out of those players overall and playing a one two or quick pass and move with howard is like trying to play catch with a saudi arabian shoplifter.

Howard is GREAT for Fryatt - and while they play up front together - Fryatt will get goals galore. However, we can't just rely on that one dimensional route of attack, as when it breaks down or is nullified by a team (Newcastle put Smith on Howard and he was out of the game) we have virtually nowhere else to go. HE can fulfill that role in the last 30 mins rather than the first 60 for me.

For me Gallagher, Waghorn, Kermorgant (In that pecking order, presently) need a crack next to Fryatt and the hope would be that we can start to pass teams off the park and score different types of goal.

Lump - flick on - Fryatt open goal is great when it works - but will lead only one way when Howard has an off day.

No three points!

Anyone agree?

 

[Profondo Rosso]

I like Howard a lot, but I think people tend to over-rate his contribution to the team, not that it isn't big, but some people seem to think we build the whole team around him, which we clearly don't. I'd say only about 10-20% of our attacks come from Howard's headers or "flick-ons."

I'd much rather have a team without Howard in it, than a team without Fryatt in it.

 

[bocadillo]

This all seems to presume that knocking long to Howard is Howard's fault. I think you need to think about who it is that is repeatedly "knocking long to Howard" rather than "playing a one two or a quick pass and move". You might then discover the greater part of the problem.

 

[slyfox]

This all seems to presume that knocking long to Howard is Howard's fault. I think you need to think about who it is that is repeatedly "knocking long to Howard" rather than "playing a one two or a quick pass and move". You might then discover the greater part of the problem.

Wayne Brown?

 

[sparky79]

when england knock it long to crouch they don't drop lampard, gerrard, terry and ashley cole.
they drop crouch.

same should go for howard.

has kermorgant played much ressies since his debut - as link play is supposed to be his strength?

 

[Blue Maniac]

when england knock it long to crouch they don't drop lampard, gerrard, terry and ashley cole.
they drop crouch.

same should go for howard.

has kermorgant played much ressies since his debut - as link play is supposed to be his strength?

Instead of changing their tactics to create better attacks. Obvious innit? The problem with binning off Howard (which is an idea born of lunacy) would be that we do not, in fact, have a 'plan B'.

 

[Profondo Rosso]

Instead of changing their tactics to create better attacks. Obvious innit? The problem with binning off Howard (which is an idea born of lunacy) would be that we do not, in fact, have a 'plan B'.

Nonsense. People must be watching an entirely different football team than me, we do not launch every ball forward to Howard and play off that, we occassionally do that yes, but the fact Howard has one assisst this season, and that was a header from a corner is very telling. What part did Howard have to play in any of our 3 goals yesterday? None. What part did he have to play in both our goals vs Blackpool last weekend? None.

Howard is an important player, but to say that all we do is launch the ball forward to him and play off him is utterly ridiculous. We do have other creative options there, Wellens most notably, and Fryatt creates a lot of these chanes for himself. Howard is a very good player for us, but he is not indespensible.

 

[Blue Maniac]

we occassionally do that yes

Every time we go behind, the panic sets in for some reason and the ball gets punted forward with stunning frequency. There was intentional hyperbole in my post (mostly because the person I was disagreeing with so badly needed to be disagreed with) but I think I made my point

 

[Profondo Rosso]

Every time we go behind, the panic sets in for some reason and the ball gets punted forward with stunning frequency. There was intentional hyperbole in my post (mostly because the person I was disagreeing with so badly needed to be disagreed with) but I think I made my point

Fair enough, I do agree we tend to do it a lot more when we go behind, but to tag us as a long ball side is doing us an injustice imo. I think we mix it up quite well and do play quite a bit of short passing football at times, but also play the long ball when it is needed. We're certaintly not Wimbeldon or Graham Taylor's Watford, that's for sure.

 

[Blue Maniac]

Fair enough, I do agree we tend to do it a lot more when we go behind, but to tag us as a long ball side is doing us an injustice imo. I think we mix it up quite well and do play quite a bit of short passing football at times, but also play the long ball when it is needed. We're certaintly not Wimbeldon or Graham Taylor's Watford, that's for sure.

We're certainly not a long-ball side, that's obvious from yesterday's first half - we were even playing the ball out of defence rather than hoofing it. I do, however, get concerned when the central defenders start to panic (for example, when faced with two up front like in the second half) because they just hack it upfield and more often than not it falls to an opposing player.

Still, at least we don't have Danny Coyne in goal :icon_lol:

 

[Profondo Rosso]

We're certainly not a long-ball side, that's obvious from yesterday's first half - we were even playing the ball out of defence rather than hoofing it. I do, however, get concerned when the central defenders start to panic (for example, when faced with two up front like in the second half) because they just hack it upfield and more often than not it falls to an opposing player.

Still, at least we don't have Danny Coyne in goal :icon_lol:

:icon_lol: That was quality.

And yeah, I agree with what you are saying, our defenders do tend to hoof it when they are panicking, which is I think why a lot of us want to see Tunchev there, he has a calmness about him that Hobbs and especially Brown don't quite have.

 

[Mike - True Blue Tinter]

:icon_lol: That was quality.

And yeah, I agree with what you are saying, our defenders do tend to hoof it when they are panicking, which is I think why a lot of us want to see Tunchev there, he has a calmness about him that Hobbs and especially Brown don't quite have.

And it never goes to Howard. The only one who plays hoofball and always gets it to Howard is Weale from goal kicks and long free kicks.

What other option does he have from a goal kick? Chancy ball to a full back? Blast it in a low volley like a cruise missile?

 

[Harbro-Fox]

I don't think he needs a rest but if Pearson things we need to change our style of play then drop him.

 

[Brauny Blue]

That league table has still not been updated.............lazy......very lazy.

 

[Blue Maniac]

That league table has still not been updated.............lazy......very lazy.

That's modern-day BBC standards for you.

 

[Si Nick]

But... every game last season when Howard didn't play, we struggled.

Of those additions to the striking options, can't see Gallagher & Fryatt working as a combination, Waghorn with his strength would appear to be the more likely, haven't seen Yann to be able to judge

 

[suffolk fox]

I cannot understand this apparent hatred of Howard Is it the Derby connection? Oakley doesn't appear to get as much stick?

I believe he is invaluable to our team for his strength and pullling other defenders away in order Fryatt or others can score. (A bit like Heskey for England).

Some people say he can't score from headers, Leeds last season anyone, he could have had two goals this season already but for great saves by the opposition keepers, Newcastle and yesterday.

Yes, he misses chances, as was highlighted also yesterday, but all strikers do that including Fryatt.

He is invaluable to our team, and without him we will struggle as was proved last season.

 

[Profondo Rosso]

But... every game last season when Howard didn't play, we struggled.

Of those additions to the striking options, can't see Gallagher & Fryatt working as a combination, Waghorn with his strength would appear to be the more likely, haven't seen Yann to be able to judge

We didn't really struggle when we beat Southend 2-0 to clinch promotion

 

[Profondo Rosso]

I cannot understand this apparent hatred of Howard Is it the Derby connection? Oakley doesn't appear to get as much stick?

I believe he is invaluable to our team for his strength and pullling other defenders away in order Fryatt or others can score. (A bit like Heskey for England).

Some people say he can't score from headers, Leeds last season anyone, he could have had two goals this season already but for great saves by the opposition keepers, Newcastle and yesterday.

Yes, he misses chances, as was highlighted also yesterday, but all strikers do that including Fryatt.

He is invaluable to our team, and without him we will struggle as was proved last season.

Who has said they hate Howard? Everyone on this thread has said he is a good player for us who does a lot for the team.

 

[Blue Maniac]

We didn't really struggle when we beat Southend 2-0 to clinch promotion

That's because Southend were terrible.