[Archived] Nikola Kalinic

[Blue n White Rover]

no, read it again. Chimbonda is better on the left cos he's weaker on that foot. he therefore keeps it simple.

What a joke. You want to start with 6 recognised defenders? Good job you aren't our manager. We have the likes of Hoillet who can do a job on either wing and you don't want to include him in your side?

[Eddie]

One of our best performers tonight? He did well towards the end as the game started to stretch and he was called into a couple last-ditch tackles, one of which in particular was very good, but he struggled, like most of our team, for the majority of the match. He aimlessly hoofed balls forward (although I'm sure that is the fault of instructions rather than judgement), but was also beaten a few times. Givet was the weakest of our defenders and Nelsen was caught out for pace a few times, but there isn't too much that he can do about that. To say that Chimbonda was "one of our better performers" though is like saying I'd rather ###### out a golf ball than a football.

Kalinic, Robinson and MGP were the only starters who I thought did OK. Hoilett and Benni did as well as they could really in the circumstances.

Givet, Diouf and Roberts were particularly bad.

[mellison24]

What a joke. You want to start with 6 recognised defenders? Good job you aren't our manager. We have the likes of Hoillet who can do a job on either wing and you don't want to include him in your side?

Good point. But just because they have recognised positions, doesn't mean their qualities can't be used elsewhere. That is a solid back 4. Chimbonda can run and cross so maybe try it. I agree with Hoilett ahead of Salgado, missed that one.

[Tom]

Surely he has to start on Saturday with either Benni or di santo, or even Dunn if fit. I think theres enough on how alreayd with Kalinic to show he has all the tools he just needs to use them better. His first touch is a million times better than Roberts and he looks like he can make something happen on the ball. That flick in the first half was very Benni'esq.

[Blue n White Rover]

One of our best performers tonight? He did well towards the end as the game started to stretch and he was called into a couple last-ditch tackles, one of which in particular was very good, but he struggled, like most of our team, for the majority of the match. He aimlessly hoofed balls forward (although I'm sure that is the fault of instructions rather than judgement), but was also beaten a few times. Givet was the weakest of our defenders and Nelsen was caught out for pace a few times, but there isn't too much that he can do about that. To say that Chimbonda was "one of our better performers" though is like saying I'd rather ###### out a golf ball than a football.

Kalinic, Robinson and MGP were the only starters who I thought did OK. Hoilett and Benni did as well as they could really in the circumstances.

Givet, Diouf and Roberts were particularly bad.

Robinson nearly conceded the 3rd when he should have caught or parried Jerome's shot, which went to Benitez but I don't know how he missed. He did the same for England VS Russia, when he should have either caught the ball or parried it out of danger, and he did neither which cost England the goal. He made a decent save towards the end but you can't really rate his performance as he had very little to do. MGP was shocking, other than his set-pieces he was rubbish. Everytime he received the ball he rarely crossed it into the middle, when he did it didn't beat the 1st man as usual. He got into a decent shooting position in the 1st half but just didn't pull the trigger and the chance was gone. He has to go!

Chimbonda defended well at times and didn't create to many mistakes. I'm not saying he was brilliant tonight, he was just one of the better performers from a very bad bunch.

[Dan]

You want to drop Chimbonda when he was one of our best performers tonight?

Did you watch a different match to me? Do you not remember the winger getting past him all night? Do you not remember him bombing forward then losing the ball every single time? He was ###### tonight.

[Blue n White Rover]

Did you watch a different match to me? Do you not remember the winger getting past him all night? Do you not remember him bombing forward then losing the ball every single time? He was ###### tonight.

Which winger was getting past him all night? The only time he was done was when Benitez was through on goal and he made that last ditch tackle. He was going forward and was the one that made the effort to try and get an attack going in the first half. Unlucky for him none of the other team mates were on their game tonight. He wasn't outstanding by any stretch of imagination, but he was one of the better performers from a very very poor bunch.

[RoyRover]

I was impressed with Kalinic tonight. I thought he showed well for the ball, won some good contests with their centre backs, bought others into play, looked like he could beat a man and had two great chances, one where he got his legs tangled with Ridgewell and one where Larsson cleared it off the line. Hopefully there will be more to come from him and he starts against Spurs, because he was by far our best player tonight.

[Hughesy]

Looked very good to me - extremely unlucky at the end with his header too!

This boy has it all, he created chances for himself and he looked very up for it...once he gets 1 he will be away.....Looks a very clever bit of business to me.

[waggy]

Looked very good to me - extremely unlucky at the end with his header too!

This boy has it all, he created chances for himself and he looked very up for it...once he gets 1 he will be away.....Looks a very clever bit of business to me.

he is a centre forward who can't score,when he kicked fresh air in the 1st half i felt sorry for him,we have 4 forwards that can't do the job of SCORING

[T4E]

I wouldnt go as far as "very good", but again Kalinic was a positive. I feel for him, everything is up around his head, or 20 yards in front of him. We don't have anyone in midfield with the ability to play a pass that he can genuinely do something with.

[mellison24]

I wouldnt go as far as "very good", but again Kalinic was a positive. I feel for him, everything is up around his head, or 20 yards in front of him. We don't have anyone in midfield with the ability to play a pass that he can genuinely do something with.

With this in mind, would it be an idea to play kalinic up front with 2 supporting strikers of Dunn and Benni? This allows MUCH creativity and can be adjusted into our favoured front line of Dunn behind Kalinic and Benni.

[herbergeehh]

I quite like that idea.

Robinson

Chimbonda, Samba, Nelsen, Givet

Grella, N'Zonzi, Emerton

Dunn, McCarthy

Kalinic

Alternatively, just play Di Santo or Benni alongside him, with Dunn in the hole.. Dunn alone would make a huge difference.

Thought Kalinic did really well last night.

[T4E]

With this in mind, would it be an idea to play kalinic up front with 2 supporting strikers of Dunn and Benni? This allows MUCH creativity and can be adjusted into our favoured front line of Dunn behind Kalinic and Benni.

Since our wingers seem completely incapable of anything, I would say yes this is a good idea.

[LeChuck]

I quite like that idea.

Robinson

Chimbonda, Samba, Nelsen, Givet

Grella, N'Zonzi, Emerton

Dunn, McCarthy

Kalinic

Alternatively, just play Di Santo or Benni alongside him, with Dunn in the hole.. Dunn alone would make a huge difference.

Thought Kalinic did really well last night.

Givet couldn't play left back in that system as we'd have absolutely no width. It could work if Chimbonda was moved onto the left with Salgado or Jacobsen on the right.

[den]

Thought he was poor again last night.

[T4E]

Thought he was poor again last night.

You're wrong.

[den]

You're wrong.

No, I definately thought he was poor. I'm sure I thought that.

[T4E]

You were still wrong.

[den]

You were still wrong.

You think I didn't think that?

You're wrong.

[Ozz]

As was the case, dare I say, with Grabbi-Rovers fans are willing him to be better than he really is. Mainly due to the fact he appears to run around a lot and tries hard, (doesn't perform the double tea pot if the ball is not laid on a plate to him) and partly because he cost so much. I doubt we will ever part with £6 million on one player again, so I get the feeling we are a little more forgiving, desperate for him to be a success, which I am beginning to doubt he will. Not with us anyway.

[T4E]

You think I didn't think that?

You're wrong.

You were wrong. You were wrong. I've even used italics for you.

[den]

As was the case, dare I say, with Grabbi-Rovers fans are willing him to be better than he really is. Mainly due to the fact he appears to run around a lot and tries hard, (doesn't perform the double tea pot if the ball is not laid on a plate to him) and partly because he cost so much. I doubt we will ever part with £6 million on one player again, so I get the feeling we are a little more forgiving, desperate for him to be a success, which I am beginning to doubt he will. Not with us anyway.

I think there's a lot of truth in that Ozz. Of course he could score three against Spurs and make some of us [well me] look even dafter than ever.

I'm sorry guys, but I don't see a player with the skills necessary in this league.

[mellison24]

I think there's a lot of truth in that Ozz. Of course he could score three against Spurs and make some of us [well me] look even dafter than ever.

I'm sorry guys, but I don't see a player with the skills necessary in this league.

He has shown all the necessary skills for a very good premier league striker bar one: finishing. It's a matter of scoring one and opening the floodgates, I'm sure of it. With Grabbi, he WAS pure and utter dogshizzle.

[rebelmswar]

By now, with his lack of scoring, I thought that I would be worried.

Strangely: I am not.

I do not know why exactly, but I feel like something is going to happen when he is on the pitch.

I somehow feel that if he gets chances like Roberts does he will put them away.

Surely a pairing of him and 'Santo, should be on the cards against Spurs.

With Mr Dunn behind them we should do well.

I feel that once he "pops his league cherry" he will become a goal nymphomaniac.