[Archived] Rovers v Wolverhampton Wanderers

[Fife Rover]

Mooney, Crossan, Briggs, Quigley, Langton.

Now THAT was a forward line. Goals galore!

Or alternatively: Douglas, Dobing, Dougan, Vernon, McLeod was pretty nifty too.

In each case all five of them could and did score regularly, and often.

[LeChuck]

Does it not bother anyone that Rhodes goal heroics were all in the division below this? I've been a bit worried by what I've seen of him so far. The Shearer comparisons in some quarters are utterly ludicrous.

Definitely. Jermaine Beckford had a better scoring rate in League One than Rhodes, but he can't cut it at Championship level.

I'm struggling to see what he offers. It's no good just being a finisher in the modern game, defenders are too good for that, even at this level.

He's not a small lad (6'1) so we really need to start working with him to turn him into an all-round player. Not writing him off by any means by I'm very worried.

[Waggy76]

Our best time periods are when we have had out and out wingers ie Wilcox/Ripley, Pedersen/Bentley. Somebody at the club needs to realise this eventually.

That is very true ..Damien Duff to the list

[mhead]

Dave Wagstaffe. Stop worrying about Rhodes and look at the rest of the team.Saturdays midfield performance was the worst I have seen since the early 1970s in the old 3rd Division,and there were always redeeming features in those teams.

[thenodrog]

Back to 4-4-2, first principles, get everyone working to a script, Black has tampered and failed, as I said before, ship Black, Agnew, Shaw and the hangers on out and get a proper manager who will get the players fit and enjoying their football again!

3-5-2 got us up last time remember ......

......... mind you we did have lots of Ferrari's back then instead of the current collection of rusting old bangers. Lets not kid ourselves about tactics and formations cos the truth is that very few of todays squad would get anywhere near the 2000 team. In fact if the two teams could somehow play each other this lot would get murdered.

[m1st]

Mooney, Crossan, Briggs, Quigley, Langton.

Now THAT was a forward line. Goals galore!

Or alternatively: Douglas, Dobing, Dougan, Vernon, McLeod was pretty nifty too.

In each case all five of them could and did score regularly, and often.

The first forward line you mention slightly pre-dates me, Fife; although I saw Mooney & Briggs but my Dad used to go on and on about how good Crossan, Quigley & Langton were.

That one second, though, is one to drool over. What would a comparable one cost these days, eh?

[broadsword]

3-5-2 got us up last time remember ......

......... mind you we did have lots of Ferrari's back then instead of the current collection of rusting old bangers. Lets not kid ourselves about tactics and formations cos the truth is that very few of todays squad would get anywhere near the 2000 team. In fact if the two teams could somehow play each other this lot would get murdered.

2CV's sounds closer to the mark.

[Salgado Is A Hero]

So the feats of the leading goalscorer at the top level of english football over the last 2 decades (by an absolute mile) are down to 2 wingers he played with for about 25% of his career? And to say all his Rovers goals came from crosses is pretty inaccurate as well, I'd say about half were link-up play with his strike partner/created himself/smashed in from distance.

The way his career has developed so far, Rhodes will do well to emulate someone like Bobby Zamora. I really, really hope he proves me wrong but seeing the likes of Bikey, Woodgate, Johnson and Berra dominate him the last 2 home games has made me question the hype.

Bobby Zamora hahaha.....173 goals in 468 for a 31 year old (played for Brighton for a good few years).....Rhodes is currently on 102 in 189 games......even if his goal scoring rate decreased quite a bit as he went up the divisions he would still surely eclipse a guy with a similar goal scoring record to Emile Heskey.

H'field fans have said what kind of player he is.....a guy who will often do absolutely nothing until he pops up with a goal after a chance has been created for him.....so seeing as he's not getting any chances sent his way, why are people even surprised or moaning about him?

Exactly SKH. Quality shines out no matter what the players or service around them is.

He is a player who relies on service.....that's his game, always has been, probably always will be......if you want to criticise him for not getting any then go for it.

Is that what Yakubu did? Or did he have to rely on service before banging them in?

[JAL]

When Wolves scored their goal I'd have thought any manager worth his salt would have substituted Danny Murphy at a convenient point soon after for his careless mistake showing everyone else that this is not the standard he expects or would tolerate from any of his team.

[den]

He is a player who relies on service.....that's his game, always has been, probably always will be......if you want to criticise him for not getting any then go for it.

Is that what Yakubu did? Or did he have to rely on service before banging them in?

You can make a judgement about a player no matter what the players around him are like - that's what I said. Some fans apparently can't do that.

No idea what you're trying to argue.

[AggyBlue]

You can make a judgement about a player no matter what the players around him are like - that's what I said. Some fans apparently can't do that.

No idea what you're trying to argue.

Really

You can't judge a goal scorer on his goal scoring talents when he's only touching the ball around the halfway line.

[Salgado Is A Hero]

You can make a judgement about a player no matter what the players around him are like - that's what I said. Some fans apparently can't do that.

No idea what you're trying to argue.

My argument is based around the fact that some players play well in different systems that they are suited to.....if a player is not being played correctly then they imo can't be blamed for not playing well......although according to you players can't be inhibited by tactics so I'm not sure why I'm even bothering.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Mooney, Crossan, Briggs, Quigley, Langton.

Now THAT was a forward line. Goals galore!

Or alternatively: Douglas, Dobing, Dougan, Vernon, McLeod was pretty nifty too.

In each case all five of them could and did score regularly, and often.

Ferguson, McEvoy, Pickering, Douglas, Harrison wasn't bad either.

[den]

You can't judge a goal scorer on his goal scoring talents when he's only touching the ball around the halfway line.

No, but you can tell how good a footballer he is. My point is that some fans pass off a poor performance, because of a lack of service - like someone said earlier, happened with Kalinic. My only judgement about Rhodes is probably unfairly based on one TV appearance and reports from people who have seen him play live. My comment after the 'Boro game was "based on his game today he's not worth £8m". We'll see how accurate that was.

[Mike E]

Bobby Zamora hahaha.....173 goals in 468 for a 31 year old (played for Brighton for a good few years).....Rhodes is currently on 102 in 189 games......even if his goal scoring rate decreased quite a bit as he went up the divisions he would still surely eclipse a guy with a similar goal scoring record to Emile Heskey.

H'field fans have said what kind of player he is.....a guy who will often do absolutely nothing until he pops up with a goal after a chance has been created for him.....so seeing as he's not getting any chances sent his way, why are people even surprised or moaning about him?

He is a player who relies on service.....that's his game, always has been, probably always will be......if you want to criticise him for not getting any then go for it.

Is that what Yakubu did? Or did he have to rely on service before banging them in?

Feed the Yak and he will score. No feeding = no goals. I reckon similar with Rhodes tbh.

[Tom]

Yakubu often only needed half a chance to be fair

His debut goal against arsenal proved how clinical he was

[LeChuck]

Yakubu often only needed half a chance to be fair

His debut goal against arsenal proved how clinical he was

Exactly. Very, very few of Yakubu's goals were laid on a plate.

[braddock]

I could have scored the penalties though.

Nerves of steel.

When was our last penalty?

[onlyonejackwalker]

I am am not taking sides, nor criticising Rhodes just for the sake of it as it is clear service has been poor to him, but on a couple of recent occasions a lack of pace has prevented him from getting a sight of goal when seemingly well placed. I am yet to see him beat a man one and one with technical skills either. This concerns me somewhat as defenders get faster the higher the standard you play at and in recent games he has been comfortably in the back pocket of the opposition. As others have pointed out, as the focal point of our attacks he must contribute more to matches when not scoring.

Some good arguments in this thread. Those stating he is not the finished article and that he is a young player learning his trade, with a great deal of improvement to make are quite correct. Those saying the service to him has been poor of late are also correct.

Those mentioning the Yak in the same breath as this lad do him no favours. The Yak is a PL quality striker with finishing skills to match. Rhodes is unproven even at this level, let alone anywhere higher up.

[mhead]

Lack of pace! We have been so lacking in energy and imaginative passing that the only speed has been shown by the opposition. And Murphy slows us down from 2nd Gear to 1st Gear. Plus the ball going back to pedestrian Defenders to hoof forward. And don't get me on Robbo - the chief culprit. Dire.

Just thinking of Gally thru ball to Stead for great goal at home to Man U(?)...that's what we need,then you will see him in real action.

[LeChuck]

Just thinking of Gally thru ball to Stead for great goal at home to Man U(?)...that's what we need,then you will see him in real action.

You are aware that Gallagher left in 2009?

[Salgado Is A Hero]

Feed the Yak and he will score. No feeding = no goals. I reckon similar with Rhodes tbh.

I agree.

Those mentioning the Yak in the same breath as this lad do him no favours. The Yak is a PL quality striker with finishing skills to match. Rhodes is unproven even at this level, let alone anywhere higher up.

It was more the principle....that some strikers only thrive on service and if that isn't coming, it's not really their fault was my argument....the Yak was just a recent example.

[onlyonejackwalker]

I agree.

It was more the principle....that some strikers only thrive on service and if that isn't coming, it's not really their fault was my argument....the Yak was just a recent example.

The Yak hardly got decent service and chances laid on a plate though in our relegation season did he? But still managed a very healthy return scoring a myriad of different goals home and away. There is a reason he was often free in the box, in the right place at the right time and we are yet to see whether Rhodes has those instincts at a higher standard. On the evidence of the last three or four games it is clear he nees to learn the subtleties of his trade at this slightly higher standard. Not suprisingly really as a new player, at a new club, following a big money move.

[Steve Kean's Hypnotoad]

Bobby Zamora hahaha.....173 goals in 468 for a 31 year old (played for Brighton for a good few years).....Rhodes is currently on 102 in 189 games......even if his goal scoring rate decreased quite a bit as he went up the divisions he would still surely eclipse a guy with a similar goal scoring record to Emile Heskey.

H'field fans have said what kind of player he is.....a guy who will often do absolutely nothing until he pops up with a goal after a chance has been created for him.....so seeing as he's not getting any chances sent his way, why are people even surprised or moaning about him?

Zamora's scoring record at Brighton was marginally better than Rhodes at Huddersfield, and since then he's gone on to become an established PL striker and has made the England squad. He's a far more realistic but still impressive player to compare Rhodes to than Alan Shearer. The latter comparison is frankly acute insanity.

Well to be its not good enough for an £8m striker playing in the 2nd tier to say I'm not getting any chances, don't expect me to do anything. I'm not totally slating the guy cause its early days. I just hope we start seeing more from him.

[LeChuck]

Zamora's scoring record at Brighton was marginally better than Rhodes at Huddersfield, and since then he's gone on to become an established PL striker and has made the England squad. He's a far more realistic but still impressive player to compare Rhodes to than Alan Shearer. The latter comparison is frankly acute insanity.

Zamora made himself into an all round player, that's why he survived. He's not a very prolific goalscorer but he's a target man with excellent technique and teamwork skills.

This is his history after League One:

2003–2004 Tottenham Hotspur 16 (0)

2004–2008 West Ham United 130 (30)

2008–2012 Fulham 91 (20)

2012– Queens Park Rangers 19 (5)

If he was simply a goalscorer he would have found himself back in League One pretty sharpish because that's quite poor.

Rhodes has to develop an all round game like Zamora did, he can't simply be a passenger when he's not scoring.

Another comparison is Jermaine Beckford, and he's been founding wanting at Championship level.