Leon

Harry Lime · Nov 26, 2004

Do you reckon Leon will start at Ipswich? Im not sure how he felt about being left out at West Ham, then played on the right side against Burnley and substituted again. He left Sheffield Wednesday partly because Turner played him on the right.

Schrödinger's Toad · Nov 26, 2004

One would hope so, but after the shock of West Ham, I'm not counting on anything.

Kinky Gerbil · Nov 26, 2004

if he leaves at the end of the season i cant blame him

Lammy · Nov 26, 2004

If he didn't fall over like he was dead everytime he ran into a moth then I'm sure McGhee would play him up front.

I actually think he is better suited to the wing. Michael Owen is small but he is also strong with it. If Leon wants to play up front at this level then he needs to toughen up.

Set of Tracksuits · Nov 26, 2004

I've given up trying to predict the team to be honest. I wouldn't be all that surprised if Des Lynam trotted out wearing the No. 9 shirt on Saturday.

Uncle Buck · Nov 26, 2004

Lammy said:
If he didn't fall over like he was dead everytime he ran into a moth then I'm sure McGhee would play him up front.

I actually think he is better suited to the wing. Michael Owen is small but he is also strong with it. If Leon wants to play up front at this level then he needs to toughen up.

I think 27 goals last season might suggest he is suited to playing up front. The problem seems to be in the change of management, Coppell was willing to build his side around Knight and his strengths, hence the goals that he scored. McGhee is unwilling to do this and Leon is not your conventional striker and so we are not seeing the same sort of Leon as last season.

Brighton Breezy · Nov 26, 2004

I agree with Uncle Buck.

Leon has talent and is a great forward but playing in a team that does not play to his strengths.

He needs balls threaded behind the back four or deft touches. Not balls humped into the box or long balls for him to hold up.

Set of Tracksuits · Nov 26, 2004

That is the problem, the team as a whole are more important than one individual, so McGhee must play a style that will get us results. With the players we have, it does mean lumping the ball up front for our striker(s) to scrap for.

Having said all this, he did OK last season and we didn't exactly play pretty football, I think the opposing defences just weren't as tight.

Brighton Breezy · Nov 26, 2004

If that is true Set of Tracksuits, why does McGhee build the team around Virgo when he plays?

Uncle Buck · Nov 26, 2004

Set of Tracksuits said:
That is the problem, the team as a whole are more important than one individual, so McGhee must play a style that will get us results. With the players we have, it does mean lumping the ball up front for our striker(s) to scrap for.

Having said all this, he did OK last season and we didn't exactly play pretty football, I think the opposing defences just weren't as tight.

Surely playing with a tight defense and at least two scrappers in midfield (well one plus Oatway), should still mean that we can build our attacking play around Leon's strengths. I would say, McGhee will not do this, as he does not like Leon, which is where he differs to Coppell, who was generally (with the exception of Virgo) it seems a very good man manager.

Set of Tracksuits · Nov 26, 2004

He doesn't. Virgo is just a necessary part of a team that HAS to play a direct style to get results in a division which, truth be known, we haven't really got the quality to compete in.

I don't think we have the creative players in midfield to produce the "through balls and deft flicks" that you rightly said Leon needs to score goals at this level.

Uncle Buck · Nov 26, 2004

Set of Tracksuits said:
I don't think we have the creative players in midfield to produce the "through balls and deft flicks" that you rightly said Leon needs to score goals at this level.

So Currie and Nicolas are not capable of playing that killer ball?

All Knight generally needs is a ball on the ground just in front of him or like Owen, to be on the shoulder of defenders and a ball chipped (not lumped) over the top.

Schrödinger's Toad · Nov 26, 2004

Set of Tracksuits said:
I don't think we have the creative players in midfield to produce the "through balls and deft flicks" that you rightly said Leon needs to score goals at this level.

I think Currie, Nicolas and (although he hasn't been at his best recently) Carpenter are perfectly capable of playing good football - indeed they prefer it, but McGhee seems to be intent on stopping them from doing that. If we concentrated on our own strengths for once, we might start to see Leon at his best.

Set of Tracksuits · Nov 26, 2004

Uncle Buck said:
Surely playing with a tight defense and at least two scrappers in midfield (well one plus Oatway), should still mean that we can build our attacking play around Leon's strengths. I would say, McGhee will not do this, as he does not like Leon, which is where he differs to Coppell, who was generally (with the exception of Virgo) it seems a very good man manager.

I don't know much about the personal relationship between Knight and McGhee, so I can't comment on that. McGhee has stated in the past that he would like to play a more fluid, passing game, but it's clear that he simply does not have the players available to him to make that style of football work against opposition of this quality.

Uncle Buck · Nov 26, 2004

Set of Tracksuits said:
I don't know much about the personal relationship between Knight and McGhee, so I can't comment on that. McGhee has stated in the past that he would like to play a more fluid, passing game, but it's clear that he simply does not have the players available to him to make that style of football work against opposition of this quality.

Not sure that is really true. I suspect if you played Hammond with Nicolas, rather than an unfit Carpenter or the dwarf, then Hammond would do the donkey work and Nicolas would be able to play a more expansive game and to say Currie is not capable of playing a fluid game, well he is certainly not in there for his work rate.

One of the issues seems to be McGhee has his inner circle of about 16 players and will play them rather than bring in others. Hence some of the odd selections and this game that is possibly not bringing out the potential from certain players.

Lammy · Nov 26, 2004

Uncle Buck said:
So Currie and Nicolas are not capable of playing that killer ball?

All Knight generally needs is a ball on the ground just in front of him or like Owen, to be on the shoulder of defenders and a ball chipped (not lumped) over the top.

I don't buy that argument. The only difference between this season and last is the oppositions defenders. They are generally bigger and quicker. Leon does not have lightening pace. If he were to play off the last defender as you suggest the defender will simply shoulder him off the ball.

How many of Leons goals came from penalties last season? Another difference between last year and now is the lack of protection from the refereees. They have him pegged as a diver (quite rightly) and will very rarely give him anything.

Set of Tracksuits · Nov 26, 2004

Uncle Buck said:
So Currie and Nicolas are not capable of playing that killer ball?

All Knight generally needs is a ball on the ground just in front of him or like Owen, to be on the shoulder of defenders and a ball chipped (not lumped) over the top.

I'm not sure they are, no. Currie is the best dead-ball player I've seen at the club, but I'm not convinced that he is the kind of player who can create a lot of chances for others during open play. Nicolas, is a great player, no denying that, but I think his strengths lie in winning the ball, rather than spraying it around and/or creating chances.

I would LOVE to see us playing attractive attacking football, but I just don't think it would work in this division.

Uncle Buck · Nov 26, 2004

Lammy said:
How many of Leons goals came from penalties last season? Another difference between last year and now is the lack of protection from the refereees. They have him pegged as a diver (quite rightly) and will very rarely give him anything.

OK, then how many of the goals from open play came when Coppell was incharge and we were playing to Leon's strengths?

I would suggest that it is the change of management that has led to a change of style and so a different Leon.

b.w.2. · Nov 26, 2004

MM surely must correct HIS mistake, and play Leon up-front tomorrow... Claridge can increase the correct type of supply to Leon, IMHO...

Lammy · Nov 26, 2004

Don't get me wrong. I'd like to see Knight playing up front alongside Claridge. Claridge is exactely the sort of player Knight needs up there with him.

Our midfield is NOT capable of putting through balls into his feet or little deft touches. Otherwise they would have been sold by now!

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