[Archived] Nikola Kalinic

[Hughesy]

Thanks very much.

I'll be taking in a Schalke game soon then!!!

Why are you a scout or something?!

[bellamy11]

Thanks very much.

I'll be taking in a Schalke game soon then!!!

Rakitic is going to be a top player - he has been very highly rated for a while now. There's definitely more than a little element of Luka Modric to his game (obviously a fairly obvious comparison to make). Wish Rovers were after him!

[Majiball]

Why are you a scout or something?!

Have actually taken a new career path in the time I was away from the board. Still the same focus but now being guided by a bigwig in the field.

The ball he played was awesome threading it through all those players with perfect weight on it anticipating Kali's run to perfection. Hopefully their playing on Saturday as I'm away at a conference on Sunday.

[RoyRover]

Great finish and fantastic play for the second goal. More of the same for Rovers please!

[Majiball]

Rakitic is going to be a top player - he has been very highly rated for a while now. There's definitely more than a little element of Luka Modric to his game (obviously a fairly obvious comparison to make). Wish Rovers were after him!

That part of the world IE eastern europe is where I'd be sending the vast majority of our scouts nowadays. They are really doing well and have some fantastic talent coming through. We have to start looking at gambling on kids from these parts of the world (even though he's really from switzerland). Get them here at 20-22 and bring them and sell them and go again, I've long said this is the way forward for our club. Sam thankfully seems to be looking this way as well, but countries like Romania, Czech, Slovakia, Bosnia and the such are becoming strong international forces and they have been at youth level for a while now.

I'm hopeful Kali will come good, but he needs to be on the pitch more getting his 10-20 here and there with much more frequency. He's been here for months now surely his strenght and fitness are up to standard, if not I'd want to know what on earth they doing?

[herbergeehh]

Needed a few hours to digest yesterday's result, and yesterday's second half.

But for me Kalinic looked good, again. I like his hunger, you can see it in his eyes every time the ball is nearby - and last night that wasn't too often.

Threw himself to the ground at one point, but did well in the build-up. He WILL score next time we play him for ninety minutes.

[mellison24]

He scored against the league champs FFS!! GIVE HIM A PREM START!!! Stoke would be the perfect game for him to get a taste of a TOUGH defense and see how he gets on. I'd fancy him to score on a regular basis with regular games. The kid has GOT it, but we dont seem to play him. As you say, the hunger is there and we've seen some lovely play from him in the games he has featured. PLAY THE LAD FFS!!!

[Billy Castell]

Seconded.

I just want to see him play. My dad has already written him off.

[herbergeehh]

I don't understand that. To me, his price makes him more interesting - not the other way around. But had he been a free transfer, the atmosphere would be different.

[Tom]

A lot of people seemed to want to write him off after Sunderland

I think he'll come good eventually, the winner today would be a good start

[Bobby G]

Yet he cant find a start for the life of him.

[Tom]

He'll get a start on Wednesday v the best team in the league then people will write him off some more if he doesn't score

[Tom]

Feel sorry for him now, these are the perfect type of games to bring him on yet nothing. He could have come on and bagged a winner today making the world of difference for his confidence.

All he has had is scraps in impossible situations recently.

I'd like Sam to come out and explain why the guy who he spent £6m on is not getting on the pitch.

[den]

A lot of people seemed to want to write him off after Sunderland

I think he'll come good eventually, the winner today would be a good start

Plainly, he hasn't shown enough in training, or in his brief appearances in the reserves or first team. It's obvious isn't it?

[bubblerrovers]

Why on Earth did we pay 6million for him?? shown less than Grabbi

[graddomi88]

How anyone can say Kalinic has not shown enough or isn't good enough is beyond me. He probably hasn't even played a total of 90 mins in the league yet, how on earth can you expect him to show enough in the 10-20 minute spells he plays, especially with a team lacking in creativity as we are. Once he starts some games and gets a decent amount of time on the pitch is the only time we can judge him.

(Funny how he supposedly hasn't shown enough to get in our team, but yet he has shown enough to get picked for his country (under 21 i know) where he scored and superbly set one up.)

[den]

How anyone can say Kalinic has not shown enough or isn't good enough is beyond me. He probably hasn't even played a total of 90 mins in the league yet, how on earth can you expect him to show enough in the 10-20 minute spells he plays, especially with a team lacking in creativity as we are. Once he starts some games and gets a decent amount of time on the pitch is the only time we can judge him.

(Funny how he supposedly hasn't shown enough to get in our team, but yet he has shown enough to get picked for his country (under 21 i know) where he scored and superbly set one up.)

If he had shown enough, he would be making appearances.

[BRFC1995]

Why on Earth did we pay 6million for him?? shown less than Grabbi

sad but true

[Majiball]

If he had shown enough, he would be making appearances.

I could also argue though that Roberts, McCarthy and Di Santo have also not shown enough, but yet get games and time on the pitch.

Kali needs to be given 3-5 games and told thats his chance, its hardly as if any of the others have done any worse than he could possibly turn out to be.

[graddomi88]

I could also argue though that Roberts, McCarthy and Di Santo have also not shown enough, but yet get games and time on the pitch.

Kali needs to be given 3-5 games and told thats his chance, its hardly as if any of the others have done any worse than he could possibly turn out to be.

Just what I was going to say. None of our other strikers are showing anything but they get picked on experience and because they come from Chelsea and have been promised games.

[den]

I could also argue though that Roberts, McCarthy and Di Santo have also not shown enough, but yet get games and time on the pitch.

Kali needs to be given 3-5 games and told thats his chance, its hardly as if any of the others have done any worse than he could possibly turn out to be.

Doesn't matter what anyone else has shown Maj. Kalinic, to my mind, mustn't have shown anything in training. He's certainly not shown anything in his performances.

Of course I might be wrong. Maybe he's been brilliant in training?

[Bing]

I don't know if anybody else was paying attention to his warm up with Mark Howard at half time.

Howard was knocking the ball to either side of him and getting Kalinic to sprint out to get it, pass it back and then get back to his original position. The lack of effort was absolutely disgraceful. He was ambling over to it - it was barely quicker than a walk. Howard was clapping his hands and shouting to try and get him to up the pace but Kalinic just wasn't interested. You could hardly blame Howard when he just gave it up and went through the drill with Pedersen.

[Majiball]

Doesn't matter what anyone else has shown Maj. Kalinic, to my mind, mustn't have shown anything in training. He's certainly not shown anything in his performances.

Of course I might be wrong. Maybe he's been brilliant in training?

He's barely had a chance on the pitch in my opinion, but for me if he's part of the first team and not a seriously expensive reserve then when the others aren't performing you try one of the other squad members. In my mind having a squad of 22-25 is pointless if you don't shuffle the pack when players are out of form or don't want to play for us.

Everyones saying he needs time to settle in our league but if he doesn't get regular action how can he?

[DE.]

Whilst we only see Kalinic on his rare appearances, the coaching staff see him train every day. If he's not being picked, there must be a reason for it. It's a little worrying that he can't get in front of Roberts in the pecking order, though. For all this talk of Kalinic having to adapt to the premier league... it didn't take N'Zonzi long, did it?

[Majiball]

Whilst we only see Kalinic on his rare appearances, the coaching staff see him train every day. If he's not being picked, there must be a reason for it. It's a little worrying that he can't get in front of Roberts in the pecking order, though. For all this talk of Kalinic having to adapt to the premier league... it didn't take N'Zonzi long, did it?

So what is the reason?

£6 million is one of our biggest transfers ever, and 5 months later he's not up to speed? We were told he wasn't strong enough and with 5 months training and a focus on this he's still not ready? It just doesn't add up.

I'm really beginning to wonder whether we are going to put faith in youth, yes N'zonzi is playing but with us only having two central players he got his 5-7 game run and took his chance becaause we had no choice. So where is Kali's? Di Santo has done no more than him on the pitch and he's not even our player and has had significantly more pitch time than Kali.

Hoillet wants out most likely due to his not getting any pitch time while he also sees players who are performing at sub-standard levels in front of him being picked week in and week out regardless of performances. How demoralising must that be for them?

I'm really beginning to think as I said before he's not rated and we've spunked £6 million. I truly hope I'm wrong.

Benni publically states he wants out yet he gets on more than him, what message does it send to the lad who does want to be here? Roberts has also said similiar and yet he gets games and chances as well.

If by Christmas he's still not had his chance and I was him I'd be asking why and if I didn't like the answer I'd be off.