[Archived] One F In Shefki - Tractor Boys Verdicts

[herbergeehh]

Agree about Bellamy, worst case scenario for me with Bellamy / Kuqi upfront from the start, and nothing to add from the bench.

Friedel

Neill, Zura, Nelsen, Gray

Emerton, Savage, Thompson, MGP

Dickov, Kuqi

Subs: Lee, Mokoena, Bellamy, Bentley, Peter

[ihateburnley]

Just imagine if Kuqi had have signed for us when he had a trial with the club in the 1999/00 season (i think)! Now I know the guy isn't a world beater, but surely is better than the likes of:

Kevin Davies

Ashley Ward

Egil Ostenstad

Marcus Bent

Nathan Blake

Ben Burgess

James Thomas

Kaba Diawara (remember him?)

That big Spanish guy who could head

...and that's just off the top of my head. And Shefki was FREE! Happy days!

[Eddie]

That big Spanish guy who could head

369790[/snapback]

Yordi was class.

[Seggie]

Hakan Suker anyone

[bellamy11]

Hakan Suker anyone

369792[/snapback]

We never had a player called Hakan Suker. But yeah, he was crap for us too.

I'd take Bent off that list. I thought he did a very good job for us in division one and he has a few goals in him at Prem level. Blake was good for us in the promotion season before his injury too. I believe he was outscoring Jansen when both of the pair were fit.

[Exiled_Rover]

Kaba Diawara had a knack for hitting the woodwork.

[roversWASmylife]

Ashley Ward was sensational to be honest.

[herbergeehh]

Disagree on Sukür, he had a few very good games for us. Bolton, was it?

Class player, but perhaps not the person Souness was looking for

[bellamy11]

Disagree on Sukür, he had a few very good games for us. Bolton, was it?

Class player, but perhaps not the person Souness was looking for

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Fulham away. Scored twice in a 4-0 win.

Bolton at home was a diabolical game for him. He was so sluggish and disinterested it was unbelievable. I think this was perhaps after the incident at Old Trafford where he spat his dummy out at Souness for playing Cole and Yorke.

[herbergeehh]

That's right, great 2nd goal against Fulham. He did make a bit of an arse of himself, with the way he left and behaved while playing for the club, but I don't think he deserves a mentioning in the same sentence as Ashley Ward and Kevin Davies. Neither does Marcus Bent btw, in my opinion a very underrated striker!

[chris]

yeah seeing Sukurc play at Fulham was a great day to be a rovers fan, didn't do much else though.

Bent was pretty good though, funny thing with Bent at every club he starts off on fire and fades badly.

[Jan]

People may say many awful things about Ashley Ward (most of them accurate), but on the programme of "the game that never was", we had Craig Bellamy modelling the latest kit. Now it's obvious who's the better footballer, but as a kit model, there was no contest. Ashley was one of the best (sorry- david Beckham just beats him). In fact, looking at him you could almost believe a football kit was sexy- until you looked around at all the supporters wearing one!

In fact, if we'd just kept him as a kit model and not allowed him on the pitch, I'm sure we'd have done much better (in kit sales AND goals)

[nonaynevernomore]

Remember Wards misses v Man U sending us down. Sad days, the donkey. Ward just happened to be our striker in the barren couple of years 99 n 2000. Kuqi would of done much better.

[waggy]

anyone see the crewe guy trying to do shefki's dive poor effort

[Eddie]

That's right, great 2nd goal against Fulham. He did make a bit of an arse of himself, with the way he left and behaved while playing for the club, but I don't think he deserves a mentioning in the same sentence as Ashley Ward and Kevin Davies. Neither does Marcus Bent btw, in my opinion a very underrated striker!

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He's not so under-rated anymore. It was only a couple months back that he was being tipped for an England spot. Fallen away with Everton this season but I always rated him. Had it not been for the need, and it was justified, to raise cash to bring in Cole then there was no reason to let him go.

[Yorick]

He's not so under-rated anymore. It was only a couple months back that he was being tipped for an England spot. Fallen away with Everton this season but I always rated him.

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The value of the Graveson / Carsley partnership never seems to get mentioned. I really do wonder why? No matter how unlikely it may be but Graveson would be a superb aquisition for us.

[Yorick]

As for Shefki. He definitely brings something to our attack that has been missing for 10 years in desire, strength and effort but his first touch is so bad that yesterday one attempt at control cannoned off a Wigan knee and set Bellamy up to perfection.

Oh and from what I saw on the tele in the pub his intentional passing was so bad that it probably cost us two goals.

I can't help liking him though.

[Blue blood]

Just imagine if Kuqi had have signed for us when he had a trial with the club in the 1999/00 season (i think)! Now I know the guy isn't a world beater, but surely is better than the likes of:

Kevin Davies

Ashley Ward

Egil Ostenstad

Marcus Bent

Nathan Blake

Ben Burgess

James Thomas

Kaba Diawara (remember him?)

That big Spanish guy who could head

...and that's just off the top of my head. And Shefki was FREE! Happy days!

369790[/snapback]

Bit harsh on some of those players. Bent was excellent for us in division one and never got the chance with us in the premiership (why Souness why?) Having said that he's done well with everton and ipswich in the prem so I think we can safely say he's a decent premiership player. In fact his leaving is one of the first things that really annoyed me about souness.

Not sure why Yordi aka the big spanish guy gets on there either. He was cheap, on laon, did his job and bagged a couple of goals. No world beater but he didn't rip us off.

Even Blake and Ostenstad did their bit for us and made some contribution. Both scored a few in the first division winning us some crucial points, however in both cases I'm inclined to think it was a purple patch for both of them. However they certainly didn't do enough to warrent their high fees and wages over the course of their rovers carear. As for Blake why did he always celebrate his goals by taking his shirt off and getting booked. The first time is understandable but he must have got booked 4/ or 5 times for it - the guy must have an IQ of a glass of water.

As for the rest don't get me started. Maybe Grabbi should get on there too.

Totally agree with yorick about Kuqi - as strong as an elephant but with just as much ball control. I like him though and he's a top class attitude and goal celebration.

[Eddie]

As for Blake why did he always celebrate his goals by taking his shirt off and getting booked. The first time is understandable but he must have got booked 4/ or 5 times for it - the guy must have an IQ of a glass of water.

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I don't remember this. I didn't think they booked you for taking off your shirt back then. Duff, for example, used to do it all of the time and was never booked for it.

[Blue blood]

Yep, I'm sure - well fairly sure - I didn't imagine it. I think it's on the promotion campaign video as well.

[Modi]

Yep, I'm sure - well fairly sure - I didn't imagine it. I think it's on the promotion campaign video as well.

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I seem to remember Blake almost get sent off for taking his shirt off against Liverpool in the FA Cup when he scored the winner, and Graham Poll had a quiet word in his ear instead. Probably only sensible piece of refereeing from Poll ever.

[thenodrog]

I seem to remember Blake almost get sent off for taking his shirt off against Liverpool in the FA Cup when he scored the winner, and Graham Poll had a quiet word in his ear instead.  Probably only sensible piece of refereeing from Poll ever. 

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Not being conned by Sheringhams dive at the millenium was a taj higher on my oersonal scale.

[S15]

I find the fact that the fans decide to chant Kuqis' name repeatedly no matter what he does well and truely embarrassing, more so than watching him play for us. Our fans seem to love chanting the name of Kuqi and Reid (who has played Okay in the last two games, but is still not first team material) but have a hard time acknowledging the quality players in the team who actually do their jobs; ie, Bellamy, Neill, Nelsen etc.

Yes I'm happy when he scores, but nothing has changed, he is nowhere near good enough. He never will be. He needs replacing in the team before we can get to the level of european contenders.

Edited January 2, 2006 by shillito15

[chris]

i've not really said anything about Kuqi but that was probably one of the most shocking performances i have ever seen yesterday, I though Diawara (spelt like that) was bad, but wow Kuqi was shocking, worst game by a mile, totally out his class.

Nice bloke though, probably score next week, but thats how i saw it on Monday, sure he's better then that performance.

on the other side of the coin for 33 years old Dickov was very good, very impressed

Edited January 3, 2006 by chris

[joey_big_nose]

i've not really said anything about Kuqi but that was probably one of the most shocking performances i have ever seen yesterday, I though Diawara (spelt like that) was bad, but wow Kuqi was shocking, worst game by a mile, totally out his class.

Nice bloke though, probably score next week, but thats how i saw it on Monday, sure he's better then that performance.

on the other side of the coin for 33 years old Dickov was very good, very impressed

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He does seem to be extrodinarily patchy the big man. When I have seen him, which admittedly is rarely, there seems to be a very simple rule. If you deliver the ball at shoulder height or above there doesn't really seem to be anyone better in the business. His wins the ball consistently and put flickons in dangerous areas with an awareness of where his partner is.

Below that altitude and he is completley stimied.

If only we could have someone with his heading ability, strength and work ethic plus a bit of technique and guile. That would be awesome. And, unfortunately, is unlikely to happen.