[Archived] Santa Cruz

[thenodrog]

Ronaldo has scored again today, so Roque will probably have to score tomorrow in order to get the award.

But he missed a penalty at WHU which would have made it 2-0 an action that changed the match and resulted in MU losing 2-1. I dont think Fergie would allow him to accept it!

RSC's goals should have converted into points and they didn't so my tip would be Berbatov after he's scored 4 today for the media luvvies Spurs.

[T4E]

So how many points do the team get if Santa wins this award thing? Enough to take us in to the top 6?

[winner]

I would just like to add my praise to Santa.

He is a fantastic forward. The best we currently have.

I would like to see him for another year before I say he is the best since Shearer.

At the moment Jansen still rates above him. Jansen was a God.

Santa has only been doing it for half a season, if that.

[jim mk2]

What a wonderful signing, not only skilled on the ground and in the air but an excellent defender too - witness his vital tackles and defensive headers today. When he's too old to play up front he'll make an excellent centre half.

[Blueboy Downunder]

never mind his golascoring, but his alround footballing ability is outstanding so it is with this in mind that i ask.."if he is not the best since shearer, then who is"??

[RevidgeBlue]

never mind his golascoring, but his alround footballing ability is outstanding so it is with this in mind that i ask.."if he is not the best since shearer, then who is"??

Bellamy.

Santa Cruz is very very good though and has proved me completely wrong.

Like tnr I can't believe he has such a strong work ethic for one of those "lazy South American types."

Plus in addition to his less than impressive goalscoring record at Bayern I think it was Philip who dug out a foreign article claiming he had turned standing around with his hands on his hips into an art form.

Just like we seemed to get the useless doppleganger with Grabbi, we got the decent one with "our"

Santa Cruz!

[AggyBlue]

Bellamy.

Who. Who's that?

[philipl]

There must be a Rovers effect- Bellamy, Speedie, Shearer and now Roque were/are being roughly twice as prolific in goals per game than at any other club in their careers.

Davies and Grabbi drank from the wrong side of the glass!

I agree with jim re Roque converting to a great central defender later in his career. The lad has everything from what I can see and the way he snaffled that chance at Derby, is adding goal poacher. Earlier this season he would not have been there to get the rebound and if he had, he would have not hit the tiny window to score in.

[Presty On Tour]

There must be a Rovers effect- Bellamy, Speedie, Shearer and now Roque were/are being roughly twice as prolific in goals per game than at any other club in their careers.

Davies and Grabbi drank from the wrong side of the glass!

davies and grabbi were bloody nil by mouth !!

[joey_big_nose]

What a wonderful signing, not only skilled on the ground and in the air but an excellent defender too - witness his vital tackles and defensive headers today. When he's too old to play up front he'll make an excellent centre half.

Weren't you, uh, somewhat negative about his prospects at Rovers...

[thenodrog]

Weren't you, uh, somewhat negative about his prospects at Rovers...

Thats a rhetorical question jbn. The old duffer is negative about absolutely everything..... Except steam trains of course.

[USABlue]

Far better all around player than Bellers, while I admire Bellamy and what he did for us I don't think he holds a candle to rocky as an all around footballer.

[thenodrog]

At the moment Jansen still rates above him. Jansen was a God.

Confirmation that absence makes the heart grow fonder.

Remind me again............ just how many times Bayern came in for Matt Jansen then winner?

[thenodrog]

Davies and Grabbi drank from the wrong side of the glass!

Wasn't that Le Saux?

anyway ....... As did Ostenstad, Ward, Per Pederson, Blake, Yorke and even Cole.

[philipl]

All of them were quite close to their career career average goals per games whilst playing for Rovers although thankfully Per Pederson didn't get ebnough starts to prove that one wrong.

As for Le Saux, his alleged homosexuality has I think fairly conclusively been consigned to myth status perpetrated by homophobes.

Back to Roque and I agree with USA that he is proving an all round footballer. The more I see of him, the more I think Chris Sutton but with all the good personality traits where Sutty had bad ones.

Rovers built their team tactics around Bellamy. I suspect if he had the right quality in central midfield Hughes would do the same around Benni but it is a much more difficult job to build around a goal poacher than a lethal speedster who rus the channels and exploits the gaps. This is why a relatively self-sustaining unit like Roque is so valuable when we have lots of issues in midfield and defence.

[ihateburnley]

I've heard that West Ham are wanting rid of Bellamy. Just think....we swap Benni for Bellamy (which would be a great deal for us) and then.......Santa and Bellers up front! Surely that would be one of the best striking partnerships we have ever had in the modern era?

I think he's wages could be a stumbling block but I reckon if West Ham are sniffing around McCarthy then this is the only deal we should accept? Thinking about it maybe McCarthy and Bellamy are on similar wages anyway...?

[herbergeehh]

Something I do miss in Santa Cruz's game, are runs into space behind the defence. He likes to be that big striker up front who can hold up the ball and then wait for someone else to make the runs, and that's all good, he does it well too. But sometimes when he's the only player up there, and Tugay or Bentley moves towards him with the ball, he seems almost unwilling to make a run out wide or through the defence. It just seems like he's stuck in a pattern sometimes, I feel.

He's scored ten goals this season already though, so I won't complain at all. Top, top signing!

[thenodrog]

I've heard that West Ham are wanting rid of Bellamy.

I think he's wages could be a stumbling block but I reckon if West Ham are sniffing around McCarthy then this is the only deal we should accept? Thinking about it maybe McCarthy and Bellamy are on similar wages anyway...?

If WHU want rid then there are not many places left to go to for Craig Bellamy.....City about his best option.... unless he lowers his sights and his wages. He's only ever done any good at Norwich, Coventry and us. Despite his opinion of his own talents the rest of his career has been one big underachievement.

[Eddie]

We can't afford to get rid of Benni and bring in Bellamy, he's injured far too often. If we were lucky we'd get half a season out of him every year. How many games has he even managed to play for West Ham this year?

[bubblerrovers]

Have i missed something why on earth would you swap benni Mccarthy with a player who is always injured???? are you mad,

[Rovermatt]

It would seem that injuries and lack of opportunities at Bayern were the root of his problems in Germany rather than any deficiencies on his part.

What impresses me most about him is how rarely he surrenders possession. While most of our team are either too cavalier or lazy with the ball at their feet, Santa Cruz's forward play is textbook stuff and a very good example to youngsters learning the game. He always plays the way he's facing and always finds his nearest colleague with a simple, well-placed pass before moving himself into a better position. The knowledge that the ball is safe with him makes him a joy to watch sometimes.

[T4E]

John Aldridge just been on SSN touting Santa for a move to Liverpool.

[gumboots]

John Aldridge just been on SSN touting Santa for a move to Liverpool.

One of the reasons he came to us was because he wanted to play and we were virtually guaranteeing him forst team football, which he hadn't had consistently at Bayern. Why would he then want to leave after half a season to play in Rafa's rotating squad? Aldridge can say what he likes but I don't see anyone at Rovers or santa Cruz himself agreeing with him unless there's a dreaded clause and I don't mean Santa!

[Fife Rover]

Sorry I did not notice this topic sooner; I realise it is a bit thick to be pooping the party at this late stage, but logic is logic and I am just surprised that nobody has apparently noticed this grave error sooner.

[Fife Rover]

I would just like to point out a serious error in the logic of this poll. The question we are being asked to vote on is:-

Is Santa the best SINCE Shearer? That has only one possible interpretation ie Is Santa the best striker we have had starting from the time immediately AFTER Shearer has departed? It therefore CANNOT mean is he better than Shearer, or even equal to Shearer. It implicitly RULES OUT any comparison at all with Shearer. The only comparison is between Santa and any strikers we had on the books the day after Shearers departure, and all strikers since then to the present day.

This also negates completely the last quoted option; and all those who have voted on this choice have automatically nulled their own vote.