[Archived] Di Santo -

[Gally]

If Franco can get the goalscoring side to his game sorted then there is absolutely no reason he can't make it to the top. That said, it's rather hit or miss whether or not a young striker gets more clinical as they mature. I remember Carlton Cole not being able to hit a barn door until very recently, and now he's give or take England standard, by the same token Kevin Davies (for all of his supposed strengths) can't really finish any better at 30 odd than he could at 19.

I'd still take Franco in a shot though, if we can get him on the cheap so much the better.

[den]

I think that is one and the same thing...

The guy is 20 and further down the line than any target man striker of his age in the Premier League.

At his current rate of progress I would say he is two years away from being a top-four club player.

Keep thinking who he reminds me of and it dawned on me recently that it is Graeme Sharp. He was another target man who took stick for failing to score goals at first. He cracked it quite quickly and became a better player with age. I think that is the path Di Santo will follow.

Plus 'never' is a very long time.

is it heck. Not being one of the top strikers in the world doesn't mean he's being written off.

I would say this - if he can add goals to his game, he would be one hell of a player.

[Sysagent]

Could someone remind me where Didier Drogba was when he was 20?

Playing Premier League football?

Playing for Chelsea?

Playing for Blackburn Rovers?

No, he was in Le Mans reserves in the French Second Division with his coach reckoning he wasn't strong enough to be a player...

I would not be so quick to write off Di Santo considering what he has done so far and the fact that he leads the line so well for a kid of his age.

Right now he is already your number one striker, keeping out someone who was bought for £6 million and two old hands with plenty of experience on a regular basis.

Tell me another 20-year-old in the Premier League who is doing that.

But... But... Nicko stop posting sense on the forums, you know it does not compute with the majority!

;-D

[Blue n White Rover]

Peanuts to who? NZonzi cost £600k.

Had he taken his chance against Liverpool we would be in 10th - that 1 goal alone would put us in a place where we would earn £2.5m more than planned when we said 13th!

If he can start banging enough in to make Chelsea up their price then we will probably of finished 8th or higher......to me thats win, win - regardless of what happens after!

You can't just point to NZonzi and use him as an example all the time. We got Keith Andrews for around £1m +. With him missing that opportunity he has cost us £2.5m in that case Hughesy? That is the way you're looking at it.

[JAL]

I think that is one and the same thing...

The guy is 20 and further down the line than any target man striker of his age in the Premier League.

At his current rate of progress I would say he is two years away from being a top-four club player.

Keep thinking who he reminds me of and it dawned on me recently that it is Graeme Sharp. He was another target man who took stick for failing to score goals at first. He cracked it quite quickly and became a better player with age. I think that is the path Di Santo will follow.

Plus 'never' is a very long time.

Another key point here nicko is, the fact that the team is a little unsettled especially in the midfield attacking area, once this are becomes settled the consistency from Di Santo will become all the more apparent and then his career shall really begin to take off.

The cynic in me says he is just wanting a move to rovers on a permanent contract - flopping in front of goal so chelsea let him go cheaply - then he'll start scoring and show Chelsea what a player they missed. I can hope can't I?

Sure can, fingers crossed this is a scenario that pans out for Franco.

[Tom]

Lets hope he can do a Bentley and bag a hattrick tonight (ok not exactly the same but did Bentley not get his hattrick the day he signed full time)

[JAL]

One should have 'gone' early the other should have stayed deeper. Elementary stuff and certainly not the wingers fault.

Did the winger look up ? This has been a big problem with Aaron Lennon at Spurs passess or crosses blind.

[RevidgeBlue]

For god's sake send him back to Chelsea now, we need a proven goalscorer who actually knows where the back of the net is. We already have one permanent striker on the books short on experience and confidence in Kalinic, we simply can't chance to be bringing another in on loan in Di Santo for the crucial second half of the season.

[philipl]

For god's sake send him back to Chelsea now, we need a proven goalscorer who actually knows where the back of the net is. We already have one permanent striker on the books short on experience and confidence in Kalinic, we simply can't chance to be bringing another in on loan in Di Santo for the crucial second half of the season.

Completely disagree

[Bobby G]

Rev, I am against you on this one too.

Best at the club in a number of attributes.

I still rate him a better finisher than someone like Roberts, even though he has only scored one goal. Its the technique in it all.

[Darwen Rover]

Deffo think this guy is a star in the making.. Really impressed with his all round play...

I think the fundamental issue he has is the lack of support he has when / if we attack, he works so hard to get the ball often in very difficult circumstances, buy then either loses it or has a lack of real options to play with I.e a one two with another player. This is not just a fault of the formation but to me seems like a lack of desire from players to want to win... Apart from Dunny / Di santo I don't see many bursting a vessel when we are countering???

[Muddboy]

Di Santa will be an excellent player in time, there's no doubt about that, but we need goals NOW.

I don't think we can afford to sit around and wait for him to find the back of the net.

If his loan being extended is dependent on us naming him in our starting 11 for every game, I think we have to send him back to Chelsea.

I watched Di Santo and Benni going through their shooting practice before the start of the game yesterday and Franco failed to find the back of the net with a single shot from 18 yards – it was pretty embarrassing.

[John]

Apparently on Sky, during our match yesterday, they said he must be starting because of a condition of his loan contract.

He is missing chances and for me does not do enough, how long are we going to wait.....?

[Stuart]

Apparently on Sky, during our match yesterday, they said he must be starting because of a condition of his loan contract.

He is missing chances and for me does not do enough, how long are we going to wait.....?

Must he? Did they also give out last night's lottery numbers?

IMHO, Di Santo is doing exactly what he is being asked to do by the manager. And doing it very well. Yesterday he was easily the best player on the pitch. At one point he, under pressure, hit a hopeful ball up towards the front lines and NO-ONE chased it. Well, no-one except for Di Santo.

I was embarrassed for the lad yesterday. Some of his colleagues need a rocket up them and then shipping out in January. After Dunn (and probably Kalinic in fairness), he's the only person who is going to go after a lost cause. Goodness knows we have enough lost causes which need following up and Benni, for all his skill, barely chases up worthy causes.

Di Santo WILL come good. I just hope that he's still at Rovers at that point.

More like him please.

Finally, MOTM? Grella? FFS. His second touch was nearly always a mistimed tackle. Di Santo did more in his time on the pitch than Grella did in the full 90.

[John]

Must he? Did they also give out last night's lottery numbers?

No they did not give out the lottery numbers, why do you think they would do that?

How long you going to wait? More like him please, what? We want more players who are going to miss chances....?

[JAL]

IMHO, Di Santo is doing exactly what he is being asked to do by the manager. And doing it very well. Yesterday he was easily the best player on the pitch. At one point he, under pressure, hit a hopeful ball up towards the front lines and NO-ONE chased it. Well, no-one except for Di Santo.

I was embarrassed for the lad yesterday. Some of his colleagues need a rocket up them and then shipping out in January. After Dunn (and probably Kalinic in fairness), he's the only person who is going to go after a lost cause. Goodness knows we have enough lost causes which need following up and Benni, for all his skill, barely chases up worthy causes.

Di Santo WILL come good. I just hope that he's still at Rovers at that point.

More like him please.

Finally, MOTM? Grella? FFS. His second touch was nearly always a mistimed tackle. Di Santo did more in his time on the pitch than Grella did in the full 90.

Well said, was it not Grellas poor forward pass that led to Peter Crouch second goal completely catching the whole team out.

[den]

Well said, was it not Grellas poor forward pass that led to Peter Crouch second goal completely catching the whole team out.

Yes it was, as it was the same players poor pass forward that lead to Ngog hitting the bar last week.

[Tom]

Di Santo's approach play is good it just seems to wrong once he gets a shooting chance, at one time yesterday he could have got a shot away but dwelled to long you can see the confidence isn't there

[thenodrog]

Did the winger look up ? This has been a big problem with Aaron Lennon at Spurs passess or crosses blind.

In most cases wingers shouldn't need to look up at all. When they do it gives the defenders a split second to guess their intent. Wilcox, Ripley and Le saux were told not to look up but to cross to the penalty spot as soon as they got to the corner of the pen area. And when we know that we can all understand how Shearer was able to time his runs and get his shoulder in front of the centre halves so well. Of course it helped greatly that AS could head it harder than Roberts can kick it!

Just as an aside I don't see any special heading ability in Di Santo apart from doing flick ons.

[thenodrog]

Well said, was it not Grellas poor forward pass that led to Peter Crouch second goal completely catching the whole team out.

Personally I've no problems with Grella apart from his fitness, yesterday he again finished the match with a slight limp. The midfield certainly looks far more compact when he is playing and he is what Souness used to describe as 'spikey'. Everbody misses passing top a colleague occasionally, Tugay did it plenty too.

[slough_rover]

I'd keep him on loan until the end of the season but no way would pay the £7 million Chelsea supposedly want for him. Were still waiting for our £6 million striker to start bagging.

[Stuart]

No they did not give out the lottery numbers, why do you think they would do that?

How long you going to wait? More like him please, what? We want more players who are going to miss chances....?

Because Sky Sports know as much about what's in Di Santo's contract as they do about what numbers were going to be picked out. In other words they are guessing.

John, like you, I would love for us to go out and by a proven PL goalscorer but we are not in that market anymore. We take a punt on young, untried prospects (N'Zonzi, Van Heerden), opportunities (Kalinic, Di Santo, Jacobsen) or players who are out of favour at their clubs (Diouf, Givet)

Whilst Salgado is Sam's comfort blanket signing brought in his experience and presence in the dressing room (Sam's version of what Tugay was to Souness but with less skill), Di Santo is doing what he's being asked to do - lead the line - and is doing it well. He IS capable of scoring goals and once he starts, I'm sure he'll go on a run.

What is missing at the moment is the desire (or ability) from a second forward or midfielder to get himself on the end of a flick-on or knock-down.

Yes, a couple more players like Di Santo would definitely be on my wish list. He's been here 5 minutes and displays more passion and heart than players who have made their careers here, such as Pedersen.

[JAL]

Personally I've no problems with Grella apart from his fitness, yesterday he again finished the match with a slight limp. The midfield certainly looks far more compact when he is playing and he is what Souness used to describe as 'spikey'. Everbody misses passing top a colleague occasionally, Tugay did it plenty too.

True.

[waggy]

am i the only rovers fan not overimpressed that he is staying in the new year,if we do not get a goal scorer to play along side him in the new year,1 goal is a very poor return

[S15]

I'm not overly impressed with him but I think he has the potential to be very good so I'd rather we kept him and kept him on loan rather than splash out all our money on him right now.