[Archived] Nikola Kalinic

[RibbleValleyRover]

The argument expanding to **"we've never put any decent crosses in for the last 15 months"** is really getting silly.

**which is pretty much what some folk are saying.

So you don't think our crossing ability and consistency has declined since Bentley left?

[deryck guyler's spoon]

The few crosses we do put in tend to come from miles away and so again you have Niko and the opposition Centre Backs facing away from goal. Obviously my view on TV only these days but we rarely, if ever, seem to get our wingers beyond full backs and firing in crosses that turn the opposition and give Niko a bit of a chance.

[den]

So you don't think our crossing ability and consistency has declined since Bentley left?

That wasn't aimed at you RVR, it was aimed at the poster who said Nicko's not scoring because we don't get good crosses in.

Well, he's been here 15 months and there have probably been hundreds of decent crosses put in, in that time.

[thenodrog]

So you don't think our crossing ability and consistency has declined since Bentley left?

Of course it has! Bentleys right foot is exceptional. He was even being compared to Beckham in crossing ability. He was sold for £17m! Those sorts do not grow on trees and especially when a manager has no money to spend.

Tell you what RVR tell us all who we can sign for nothing and who can play on the wing like David Bentley. I'm sure Sam Allardyce will be eternally grateful to you.

[Exiled_Rover]

Eh? We have decent crossers. Emertons poor but MGP, Diouff, Dunn, Olsson and Salgado can all send a good cross over.

If thats all Kalinic is good at then he will have to sign for Blackpool. Most other Prem clubs these days require a lone striker to play with his back to goal.

Your post is just plain daft but you've collected 4 ticks. Not only mystefying but slightly worrying.

He could play upfront on his own if the two attacking midfielders that are meant to support him could actually get anywhere near him. He's pretty decent with the ball at his feet. Nine times out of ten though he's left isolated against two hulking centre halves and asked to do the impossible. It's simply not his game - Benjani and Roberts can do it because they're both hulking behemoths and simply plonk themselves in between the defender and the ball and wait for help to arrive. Kalinic can't do that - he's too slight, even after a year of Premier League weight training.

As for the crossers. Diouf is the only consistently good crosser in the side. He puts in some delightful balls and you can see the frustration on his face that nobody is getting on the end of them - mainly because the only guy in the middle is generally Kalinic and he's being crowded out by a host of defenders. Dunn can't stay healthy enough to put crosses in, and even when he does make a cameo he's so slow that he rarely beats his man these days. Pedersen can put a good cross in, but I'm not convinced it's intentional and Olsson can't cross.

Basically, Kalinic has nothing to feed on so he looks like crap. As any striker of his ilk would.

[Amo]

It's simple, Theno - Name one Rovers striker who IS benefiting from these exceptional crossers of ours?

[den]

It's simple, Theno - Name one Rovers striker who IS benefiting from these exceptional crossers of ours?

Oops.

[den]

There seems to be a feeling that strikers don't have to do anything for themselves. Supposedly they just have to hang around the area waiting for tap ins - is that right?

Watch proper strikers and they make a lot of chances, - for themselves.

[Eddie]

We have some good striking options, but only one of our available forwards really fits into the system that Allardyce insists on playing and he is rotting away in the reserves.

I am sure that Kalinic could score goals in this league, he just isn't particularly useful in the role that he is given. He also isn't helped by the fact that none of our central midfielders can get forward and support him and so he is so incredibly isolated that even if he played a blinder every weekend he would struggle to really do anything.

[thenodrog]

It's simple, Theno - Name one Rovers striker who IS benefiting from these exceptional crossers of ours?

1. Come come Topman. Keep it accurate. Dens swallowed the bait but I haven't.

I used the term 'decent' to describe our current players crossing abilities and 'exceptional' to describe David Bentley's. I'm sure most would agree with that too.

2. Approx half our seasons goals to date have come from crosses of one type or another so somebody must be benefitting..... even if one of em is Charlie Adam!

[den]

1. Come come Topman. Keep it accurate. Dens swallowed the bait but I haven't.

Eh? The smilie was for an own goal from Topman. No striker is benefitting from these exceptional crosses, because our striker aren't exactly exceptional, are they!

[Amo]

Most of our goals come from set-pieces, because we take so bloody many of them. It's a free-for-all. The only stand-out goalscorer we've had under Sam is Dunn, who can create something out of nothing and plays behind the striker.

Looking at Kalinic, it's obvious that:

1. he's not suited to Sam's tactics.

&

2. isn't supported by his team-mates.

Players like Roberts & Benjani can get away with the first one, because they are (or were) physical strikers who can play with their back to goal and hold up play. Kalinic isn't that kind of striker. I don't know why some fans find this concept so hard to grasp.

Eh? The smilie was for an own goal from Topman. No striker is benefitting from these exceptional crosses, because our striker aren't exactly exceptional, are they!

When our strikers feed off scraps how can you judge? Of course, you think strikers are a one-man team, so I can see why we disagree.

[den]

When our strikers feed off scraps how can you judge? Of course, you think strikers are a one-man team, so I can see why we disagree.

Putting words into my mouth Topman. I said earlier that in the 15 months he's been here, there will have been hundreds of good crosses into the box. 4/5/6 per game at least.

[tony gale's mic]

I think it would be an awful lot simpler to evaluate the lad if he was played to his strengths (i.e. goal taker) rather than trying to make him play in a role not natural to him (i.e. goal maker). I don't think it can help his confidence to be consistently asked to play with his back to goal and starving him of goal-area chances. Confidence is everything at Premiership level, and it doesn't take a rocket scientist (or an expert for that matter) to see the current style of play is destroying Kalinic' confidence.

I'm convinved he would be a different player if we had some decent crossers of the ball in the team, playing balls into the strikers in the area facing goal...

Oh, yes, I see the flaw in that system... that's called football, isn't it...?

No, the real flaw in that system is that decent crossers would cost a fair amount of money unless you got lucky.

I'll tell you what, he'd really benefit from having an Okocha in the team to create openings for him, or being paired up with a clinical scoring machine like Anelka. It's not like Sam would ever be in for players like that though, so what's the point?

[Amo]

Putting words into my mouth Topman. I said earlier that in the 15 months he's been here, there will have been hundreds of good crosses into the box. 4/5/6 per game at least.

That's the impression you give, Den. You say that the best strikers can adapt to any style of management, regardless of their strengths, weaknesses and disposition. Kalinic isn't even the finished article, so why he would bracketed with the PL's best beggars belief.

The one time we actually played it down the wing (vs. Arsenal), Mame Diouf scored. I can't remember us creating a clear-cut opportunity like that, a few half-chances here and there, but otherwise we create #### all from the wing. There's a lack of ideas in the final third, and a lot of our breakaways just grind to a halt.

[Torgeir]

Watch proper strikers and they make a lot of chances, - for themselves.

Whoa! Hold your horses there cowboy. Are you claiming Luca Toni, Filippo Inzaghi and Miroslav Klose aren't proper strikers? They keep it simple in the build-up play and are not renowned for creating many chances on their own.

[den]

That's the impression you give, Den. You say that the best strikers can adapt to any style of management, regardless of their strengths, weaknesses and disposition.

Not quite what I said. I said the best players are generally always the best players in a team, no matter what tactics the manager chooses to use. The standard might be poor, but talent will always stand out. That being the case, Niko is by no means one of our better players and that's not down to Sam either.

[Mr. E]

Not quite what I said. I said the best players are generally always the best players in a team, no matter what tactics the manager chooses to use. The standard might be poor, but talent will always stand out. That being the case, Niko is by no means one of our better players and that's not down to Sam either.

lol, did you happen to miss the World Cup this summer? Very, very few of the world's best players actually stood out. For England, Rooney, Gerrard and Lampard could barely get a pass right. Messi cannot stop scoring for Barcelona, for Argentina he is close to pathetic. Portugal's tactics killed Ronaldo's ability. And Brazil? The greatest, most exciting team on the planet? Played 1 and 1/2 decent matches at most. The Italians? Still have some of the best players in Europe, but rightfully were outplayed and knocked out by Slovakia. Same for France. It was negative tactics all throughout, and few players lived up to their potential.

Kalinic is a good player, he has shown it in the rare occasions we have played some decent football, but in the lone-man very-limited-amount-of-help role he can't do much. No one can. The reason why Santa Cruz was successful was largely because of Bentley.

[darwenblueswearehere]

Kalinic isn't worth the 6 million we paid for him. 2 or 3 million would have been a fair price.

[MarkBRFC71]

Watch proper strikers and they make a lot of chances, - for themselves.

I can disprove that in two words - "Gerd" and "Muller". Or maybe "Gary" and "Lineker"? Anyone else want a go?

[den]

I can disprove that in two words - "Gerd" and "Muller". Or maybe "Gary" and "Lineker"? Anyone else want a go?

Yeah, me. "you're" and "joking".

[Hughesy]

Most strikers get plenty of chances to score in a game, whether it be from crosses, or simple passes - our boy generally recieves it with his back to goal, around chest high - with a defender or two holding him ....hardly rocket science why he isnt banging them in isnt it.

Give him chances & he will score...Same goes for Mame Diouf.

Olsson on the left more will help create more once fully fit - Diouf if he continues will also help, & also Dunn.

Emerton wont create much as he has very little pace on the ball & is too obvious in his choices.

Jones wont create much in midfield either as he is a defender.

Gamst is Gamst – sometimes he can create…however he is very inconsistent.

[Amo]

Hoilett, Olsson out wide. Let 'em bomb forward. I don't care if they run into blind alleys, we need players who can get forward and support the lone striker. That's exactly what you need in our formation, but we insist on labouring the ball downfield without any guile or pace, leaving Kalinic or whoever to work miracles on his own. Let the quickest players off the leash and give 'em the chance to prove themselves. Spurs did it with Lennon & Bale.

[47er]

Kalinic isn't worth the 6 million we paid for him. 2 or 3 million would have been a fair price.

In reality he's no better than Di Santo who went for.......?

[Exiled_Rover]

In reality he's no better than Di Santo who went for.......?

£1m, and we should have signed him up too.