[Archived] Pedersen Needs Converting!

[S15]

Well the point is I/we're complaining because I/we don't feel Pedersen is shouldering the responsibility week in week out.

Maybe dropping him will help. Maybe he just doesn't have the attributes. Either way, if and when the goals dry up, he is effectively useless IMO.

[cletus]

Or do you think Peter can be expected to shoulder that responsibility every week?

...we`ll never know, unless we try him.

MGP...scores great goals, fans like him but needs to contribute a bit more to his all round game.

[G Somerset Rover]

There are different types of wingers guys. A left sided player doesn't HAVE to be pacey and hug the line, eg Giggs, Duff. MGP is a more of a Pires type player, who cuts inside in an attempt to score/create goals.

[S15]

MGP is a more of a Pires type player

374840[/snapback]

Pires has pace, skill, flair, great passing range, the ability to play the killer ball, a great crosser and is an amazing finisher.

Pedersen has one of those attributes sorted, and granted it's not the worst, but it's also not enough.

[G Somerset Rover]

"I've yet to read anyone slating Pedersen."

What about these?

Personally I am sick to death of watching MGP playing down our left flank.  However, his wing play is amongst the very worst I've had the mis-pleasure of watching in many a year.

374736[/snapback]

To be fair though Pedersen has played on wing for us a few times with limited sucess. The only time he stands out is when he piledrives the ball into the back of the net. I cannot remember a Pedersen cross living long in the memory and after all that is his job to deliever crosses.

374771[/snapback]

Pedersen has been playing distinctly average for 12 months now. His goals have been his saving grace. He has not had one great game for Rovers from a general play point of view.

If Pedersen doesn't start pulling his weight there is room for one more position on that list.

374779[/snapback]

Edited January 15, 2006 by Somerset Rover!

[G Somerset Rover]

   

Pires has pace, skill, flair, great passing range, the ability to play the killer ball, a great crosser and is an amazing finisher.

374841[/snapback]

Again mate, Im not trying to have a go back, but you could argue that MGP has a fair amount of skill, flair and the ability to play the killer ball. I'm not saying he is or will be anywhere as good as Pires, but I think hes a similar type of player thats all.

Edited January 15, 2006 by Somerset Rover!

[Exiled_Rover]

   

Pires has pace, skill, flair, great passing range, the ability to play the killer ball, a great crosser and is an amazing finisher.

Pedersen has one of those attributes sorted, and granted it's not the worst, but it's also not enough.

374841[/snapback]

I'd say he's got great skill and the ability to play the killer ball down too. His crossing is also pretty good, when he wants it to be

[EIEIEIO]

I've said it once and I'll say it again, I don't doubt Pedersen's talents (although some new ones have been put forward on this thread, ie Pires) but, we need to find a way of putting this talent to better use. He simply cannot either beat his full back or put a cross of real quality into the middle which is his job. That is why others and myself have suggested a change of position to attacking midfielder or to a forward position (Solsjaer, Dalglish etc), simply because it's only when he's in the penalty area that he comes to life.

[eddiewac]

mgp = legend

simple as

374819[/snapback]

Couldn't agree more

[speeeeeeedie]

What I wrote was Pedersens actual performances, IMO opinion, aren't good enough.

As a left winger you need to carry the ball, get quality balls into the box, be able to find a yard away from your man to make deliveries, give maximum width, run faster than 1mph.

At the moment Pedersen isn't doing these things anywhere near often enough. Yes his goals are important, but would be replaced and added to by other players goals if he did these things.

374814[/snapback]

I'm with Rainmaker on this one. What are you on about? Do you have inside knowledge of what Hughes tells him? Pedersen may not be a direct winger but his deadball delivery is great, and most importantly he scores loads of goals; a very precious commodity in a midfielder. What do you want, Keith Gillespie. He can run, get to the byline etc. but he's crap.

[Rovers_4_life]

Completely amazed at this criticism. MGP has been briliant fro Rovers and is one of best players who scores vital goals and creates many more goals. What more do you want from a player!!!! The guy is fantastic and we would be foolish to sell him!

[rover6]

If you want to compare Pedersen to anyone in the Premiership it is his Scandinavian compatriot, Freddy Ljungberg. Neither are the old-fashioned type winger but players who sneak in goals.

Anyone who thinks Rovers should sell Pedersen to the first club who offers real money are just not thinking straight.

What message does that send out to the other players? That we're a selling club and if you're any good you should leave.

Hughes will fight tooth and nail to keep him.

Maybe if we had a right winger who could take some of the attacking responsibility of him, he would perform more consistently. Man U at their best had Beckham and Giggs on the wing, one who could dribble and one who'd look to get the ball in the box asap. We need a right winger who can run with the ball.

Edited January 15, 2006 by rover6

[S15]

I agree Pedersen should not be sold unless silly money is offered. However, for Pedersen, £7m is silly money.

He doesn't offer the team anywhere near as much as he should. Yesterday was a game where you need your so called creative/flair players to play that killer ball, or score that vital goal. However, Pedersen was nowhere to be seen, and it wasn't the first time.

Nobody can doubt the mans goals have been and will continue to be vitally important. Also, nobody can doubt, he does nothing in any game apart from sometimes score goals, and usually crackers at that.

To get back to the original point of the thread; is Pedersen a left winger? The answer is either no, or it is ''not an effective one.''

At some point Pedersen will go ten games without scoring. Can anybody seriously suggest that if(when) this does happen, his general performances(judging on what we've seen from him so far) will be good enough to compensate for this lack of goals?

Anyone who says yes either only ever watches the Rovers highlights, have Pedersen/Blue and White glasses on, or have seriously low expectations of what a creative midfielder/winger should be doing for the team.

[RevidgeBlue]

For £7m I'd have him out the door faster than a bullet from a gun.

374822[/snapback]

For 7m someone can have one leg.

Trying him at centre forward isn't the worst suggestion I've heard though.

I was stood next to him recently at one of the xmas dos and he's surprisingly tall (must be at least 6 foot) compared to how big he actually looks on the pitch. Very slender though.

[eddiewac]

Look at Beckham, he played right mid and he's not exactly fast! Look how much Real Madrid spent on him!

[S15]

Look at Beckham, he played right mid and he's not exactly fast! Look how much Real Madrid spent on him!

374887[/snapback]

With all due respect, what kind of comment is that?

Who gives a clumsy, hit shift + 8 again!! about David Beckham or Real Madrid?

We are talking about Morten Gamst Pedersen and Blackburn Rovers.

I don't know if you typed it thinking it was an argument winner or something, but I really see no relevance in what you've typed in the context of what we are discussing.

[DanLad]

Here's some of my views on MGP...

MGP has been pretty anonymous when I've seen him play up front for us, but he plays there for Norway on occasion, I believe. What do our Norwegian fans think of this idea?

To say that just because he'll be in the box more he'll score more goals seems a bit over simplistic to me. He can ghost in from the left when playing left mid (as per United), but up front is more back to goal and close attention from a centre half. The criteria applicable to playing either position is different and I don't know whether Gamst can play there effectively. I wouldn't be averse to finding out, though, but we have to temper that with the fact that we seem to have a pretty decent staple of forwards in Bellers, Dickov and Kuqi at the moment. To move MGP up front would be adding a fourth attacking option but a mcuh reduced option on the left. The position on the left is problematic for most of the league. With MGP playing there and Peter looking like a good prospect coming through there we seem to be quite well served in that position. Do we want to disrupt this?

Admittedly sometimes MGP isn't always in the game, but wide players can drift in and out. He's isn't a lightening quick winger, but he's very good in the air. I'd like to see some diagonal balls played up to him with a striker moving across to run off his flicks whilst the balls in the air (preferably Bellers) as I think that would be a pretty terrifying prospect for most PL teams. Play to the lads strengths. There's very few full backs in the league that I can think could consistently beat him in the air.

A goal scoring midfielder are worth their weight in gold. You can't say that when he's not scoring he should be dropped (not saying anyone has). He has to play to score. He's one of the few players in the team that can do that something magical, that little bit special and win a game. He didn't do this against Bolton, but he's not going to do it every game.

The lad's a star! I'm very pleased that we've got him!

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Pedersen will never make a " winger " if he lives to be a thousand, he has absolutely NO pace at all ,I wouldn't mind betting that over 20 yards he's slower than Freidel. What he has got is speed of thought and two great feet , normally given these attributes he would be worth trying up front, but given his lack of pace and very light physique I think he would be less successful than he is now. O.K. he's got a good spring and can sometimes surprise defenders in the air, but most of his headers are miss directed, how many headers has he actually scored from ? Another thing- his corners are getting worse.

[tchocky]

You're all idiots.

[philipl]

You're all idiots.

374897[/snapback]

Agreed- MGP is a very good player and getting better. He is no more a natural forward than Bentley is.

[Tris]

His corners aren't getting better and better - if anything they're getting worse and worse!!

When he scored all those goals direct from corners in the one game he obviously got them all out of his system, because IT'S NOT WORKING IN THE PREMIER LEAGUE SO STOP ****** TRYING IT!!!!

Edited January 15, 2006 by Tris

[Anti Euro Smiths Fan]

I was stood next to him recently at one of the xmas dos and he's surprisingly tall (must be at least 6 foot)

He's exactly 6ft - and a slim 11st 7lbs, Rev.

I've always wanted a 6ft blonde with slender legs....

I agree with shillito15 though that Pedersen needs to do much more in games. Yes, he scores some cracking goals, but at the highest level you need to do more than that.

I wouldn't want MGP to be sold though because it would send out the wrong message to the players and to the supporters. It would signal a lack of ambition and would fuel further disenchantment among fans.

When Sparky first took over, Pedersen was dropped from the team for more than 3 months and didn't feature in any matches between October and December 2004 last season. He was brought back into the side for the FA Cup 3rd round tie against Cardiff in January 2005 - where he scored - and has been a regular in the team since.

The fact that he was dropped for more than 3 months after Sparky took over indicates that Hughes felt that a lot of work needed to be done on the training ground to bring him up to Premiership level.

While MGP clearly has a talent for scoring spectacular goals, he needs to continue working hard on all other aspects of the game - becoming more involved in midfield, improving his running with the ball and delivering better quality corners and crosses from the by-line.

Both he and Emerton can be frustrating players at times. Good wide players can be a key to success and at the moment both of them aren't consistent enough.

[S15]

You're all idiots.

374897[/snapback]

Hhhhmmmmm... Would expect a guy stuck out in Oslo to have a much more thorough view on Pedersens performances for Rovers.

[AussieinUk]

Both he and Emerton can be frustrating players at times. Good wide players can be a key to success and at the moment both of them aren't consistent enough.

374910[/snapback]

Thank you! Lets not just be 'picking on' MGP.. I think there is alot of player's, that need to improve their 'all-round game'.

MGP should not be sold.. Too unsettling on the team.

[herbergeehh]

Here's some of my views on MGP...

MGP has been pretty anonymous when I've seen him play up front for us, but he plays there for Norway on occasion, I believe. What do our Norwegian fans think of this idea?

374892[/snapback]

I can't remember a single match where he's played upfront for Norway, he's a left midfielder and not a striker.

To say that just because he'll be in the box more he'll score more goals seems a bit over simplistic to me. He can ghost in from the left when playing left mid (as per United), but up front is more back to goal and close attention from a centre half.

374892[/snapback]

Very good point! This is, imo, Gamst Pedersen's most valuable asset, (combined with the good finishing of course) and will not be as effective as a striker.

I don't understand why MGP gets this criticism now, we all know he's not the Damien Duff kind of player. He can pass the ball well from his left midfield role, and can hold up the ball well. Not the typical winger? True. But it's a hell of a lot better than the Duff kind of winger on the opposite side, who beats his man once every match.