[Archived] Nikola Kalinic

[LeChuck]

Spurs are the one PL example of a really good 4-4-2 team. Their midfield does allow them to play it successfully though, ours is nowhere near good enough to survive being a man short against most teams.

Would we create more chances with 4-4-2? Honestly, I think we wouldn't. We'd find it harder to get the ball in the first place for a start.

[Majiball]

Kalinic is a bit like a middle aged woman's breasts.

Looks good, but so much better with some support.

Well done on the goal today Niko. Very sharp finish, and the difference between 1 point and 3. Little else created.

I'll wager that's one that will make it straight to the changing room on monday!!!

[1864roverite]

Rovers could easily play 4-4-2 formations IF they had that quality central midfielder.

..........Robinson.........

Salgado....Samba.Jones....Givet

Emerton..NRC...NZonzi.....MGP

.....Kalinic...GUIZA

You can swap the back 4 with adding Nelsen,Chimbonda and Olsson.

You can swap midfield with Diouf, Dunny, Jones, Hoilett and umum Andrews as a last resort.

You can mix and match up front with Diouf (2), Dunny, Hoilett, Samba plus 1 other.

So, as you can see there are plenty of options open to the team IF we were able to bring 2 players in as signings and also bring in replacements for the likes of grella, zurab and Roberts.

[Majiball]

Sam has never played 442 on a regular basis.

1864 can I ask what makes you think NRC is a quality player???

I just don't see it.

[MarkBRFC71]

Spurs are the one PL example of a really good 4-4-2 team. Their midfield does allow them to play it successfully though, ours is nowhere near good enough to survive being a man short against most teams.

Would we create more chances with 4-4-2? Honestly, I think we wouldn't. We'd find it harder to get the ball in the first place for a start.

A lot of it is how you employ the formation. 4-5-1 works for Chelsea, Man Utd and Liverpool because they've got the quality to pass through the midfield effectively, and players who are adept at supporting the front man.

We tend to bypass midfield so from an attacking perspective it's not as effective. We usually rely on launching it for Niko to battle 4 defenders - if we are to accept that percentage football is Sam's way and this is not going to change much if at all, would we not be at an advantage if it was 2v4 rather than 1v4?

Defensively 4-5-1 is likely be more solid as the formation is inherently more cautious, and numerically there's just more bodies in withdrawn positions.

I can see the benefits of both, but again if we accept that we usually bypass midfield and rely on Niko, giving him more direct support must be of benefit?

Not disagreeing with you at all, but I can genuinely see 4-4-2 working with Sam's brand of direct football.

[Dan]

I'll wager that's one that will make it straight to the changing room on monday!!!

Sam will rip it down, tearing it into a thousand pieces, whilst shouting at the top of his lungs "I am the Expert!"

[roversfan99]

Kalinic seems to becoming more and more of a fans favourite at Ewood and rightly so in my opinion. He came to an unknown country, and alot of pressure was placed on his shoulders due to the fee we paid. Hes had to spend a lot of time in the gym, i read somewhere yesterday Sam saying how stronger he has become and how no defender has an easy time against him. He could easily become frustrated up on his own, yet he puts in maximum effort each game, chasing lost causes(something Di Santo was appreciated for) however he has better technical ability and is more likely to bag a goal. Yesterday although bringing on Mame Diouf gave us extra pace and energy, people have noticed how he hasnt yet learnt to close down the defenders and press them like Niko does. He deserved his goal and I hope it gives him the confidence to get many more.

[braddock]

to be fair to mame diouf i think the main reason for him not closing down defenders was because he made about three 40 yard runs as soon as he came on (two chasing down defenders/back pass and one with the ball waiting for support with distin on his back) and was then knackered. i saw him more as a little naive (but i do appreciate the effort he put in) than lazy. hopefully we will be able to help him when it comes to things like that and shape him into a more efficient player. that's why he came here after all.

[den]

to be fair to mame diouf i think the main reason for him not closing down defenders was because he made about three 40 yard runs as soon as he came on (two chasing down defenders/back pass and one with the ball waiting for support with distin on his back) and was then knackered.

Three forty yard runs and he was knackered? I could do that now and I'm in my 60's [well nearly do that].

No Braddock, he needs to learn more about closing down the opposition. He was very poor at that aspect of his game.

[Silencio]

Three forty yard runs and he was knackered? I could do that now and I'm in my 60's [well nearly do that].

No Braddock, he needs to learn more about closing down the opposition. He was very poor at that aspect of his game.

Shouldn't take long to learn that though, should it? What did you think of Kalinic this weekend, Den?

[Hughesy]

To be fair the whole team wasnt chasing them down...we stayed compact & disciplined and let them keep the ball as they just kept going left to right around 40 yards out.

The more chasing that happens, the more spaces that open up & the more chances they would have created.

[den]

Shouldn't take long to learn that though, should it? What did you think of Kalinic this weekend, Den?

Same as I thought all through last season bish. Scotty summed him up in his report.

[Silencio]

Same as I thought all through last season bish. Scotty summed him up in his report.

fair enough. do you think he will do better this season, goals wise?

[den]

fair enough. do you think he will do better this season, goals wise?

Yeah, he has got that ability to be in the right place at the right time, so he will score more goals. My doubts are centred around his lack of the things usually needed to succeed at PL level - real pace, good strength, being a clinical finisher - or failing that, being highly gifted technically. I don't see much evidence of any of those qualities.

This season is a big season for him IMO. If he doesn't make good strides forward, he'll be gone.

[Hughesy]

Yeah, he has got that ability to be in the right place at the right time, so he will score more goals. My doubts are centred around his lack of the things usually needed to succeed at PL level - real pace, good strength, being a clinical finisher - or failing that, being highly gifted technically. I don't see much evidence of any of those qualities.

This season is a big season for him IMO. If he doesn't make good strides forward, he'll be gone.

I think he has the strength & finishing abilities...they just need abit more development. His ability to finish was shown at Spurs away last season....and he hardly got pushed off the ball by Distin who tried his best to bully him.

[den]

I think he has the strength & finishing abilities...they just need abit more development. His ability to finish was shown at Spurs away last season....and he hardly got pushed off the ball by Distin who tried his best to bully him.

The ideal lone striker then Hughesy?

[LeChuck]

The ideal lone striker then Hughesy?

I know that post is 100% in jest Den, but for the sake of discussion I'll take it literally...

He's definitely not ideal, but then very, very few strikers are. There is probably only Didier Drogba in the PL who is ideal in every way to be a lone striker.

The rest have to adapt their game to make the best of the situation. To be fair, there are a million different ways of playing with a lone striker as well, and the way we play definitely makes it harder. But nonetheless, I'm sure the likes of Rooney, Torres, Bent etc. would love to be playing off a target man who will do their donkey work.

The fact that Sam got the best out of Anelka in a 4-5-1 though, despite him not being any more suited than Kalinic, does give me hope that things will get better.

We've only just managed to get fighting spirit and a strong defence sorted, so if we're building from the back then hopefully it won't be long before attacking improvements can be seen. £100 million to spend on players will help a bit...

[Majiball]

I know that post is 100% in jest Den, but for the sake of discussion I'll take it literally...

He's definitely not ideal, but then very, very few strikers are. There is probably only Didier Drogba in the PL who is ideal in every way to be a lone striker.

The rest have to adapt their game to make the best of the situation. To be fair, there are a million different ways of playing with a lone striker as well, and the way we play definitely makes it harder. But nonetheless, I'm sure the likes of Rooney, Torres, Bent etc. would love to be playing off a target man who will do their donkey work.

The fact that Sam got the best out of Anelka in a 4-5-1 though, despite him not being any more suited than Kalinic, does give me hope that things will get better.

We've only just managed to get fighting spirit and a strong defence sorted, so if we're building from the back then hopefully it won't be long before attacking improvements can be seen. £100 million to spend on players will help a bit...

Didn't Sam stick Davies on the right and then aim the ball at him to head it across to Anelka/play him in???

He just moved the target man out wide.

Kalinic would do better if we had a couple more players with pace & the stamina to get up and support him asap. Especially in the middle.

[67splitscreen]

Who exactly is going to develop Kalinic's potential?. Roberts!.

[LeChuck]

Didn't Sam stick Davies on the right and then aim the ball at him to head it across to Anelka/play him in???

He just moved the target man out wide.

Certainly from set plays they still used Davies as a target man, especially long throws.

Their approach from open play wasn't that crude though. They had good passers of the ball in midfield so they were looking for his runs a lot of the time.

[den]

I know that post is 100% in jest Den, but for the sake of discussion I'll take it literally...

95% in jest leC.

Not many people agree with me about Niko and many people reckon he's gonna be a star, but if he can't play the lone striker, then why not? He must be lacking something - but I never read anything about his weaknesses. Before we start, you don't have to be great in the air to play that role.

[Majiball]

Certainly from set plays they still used Davies as a target man, especially long throws.

Their approach from open play wasn't that crude though. They had good passers of the ball in midfield so they were looking for his runs a lot of the time.

check it, para 4.

I'm sure there was more to the play but he still used it with frequency, worked mind you.

[joey_big_nose]

95% in jest leC.

Not many people agree with me about Niko and many people reckon he's gonna be a star, but if he can't play the lone striker, then why not? He must be lacking something - but I never read anything about his weaknesses. Before we start, you don't have to be great in the air to play that role.

It will help Niko a bit I think to have Olsson and M Diouf coming in on the wide positions. Both have a lot of pace, both can get beyond him, both look to come inside. Kalinic will get a lot more support than he did last year I think. Also if M Diouf plays right wing he has an arial presence which will give a different angle of attack, like K Davies was used to do at Bolton.

[John]

There is a bit of momentum of praise building up for Kalinic at the moment.

Jamie Redknapp was on Sky tonight singing his praises, saying he is a talented player - he also mentioned Modric mentioned to his Dad (Harry) that Kalinic is quality.

I know its Paul Merson but here is his view: NIKOLA KALINIC - If he plays well, Blackburn have got every chance. He plays up front on his own and he'll need to hold it up well. If the ball keeps bouncing back then Arsenal will put too much pressure on Blackburn. He didn't get loads of the ball against Birmingham, but every time he did he made something happen. I like the look of him.

[Amo]

The Paul Merson Seal of Approval®? Poor Niko doesn't have a prayer....