[Archived] Rhodes or Best?

[Wing Wizard Windy Miller]

We all recognise that Rhodes is a quality finisher and his goals have been vital this season...However, we often end up under pressure due to his inability to hold up the ball. He also seems unable to create opportunities for himself.

Best has the ability to hold up the ball and provide a physical presence, as well as contribute some goals.

Don't know how Appleton lines his teams up but if we continue to play one up front, who should get the lone striker role?

[Ricky]

Both. We were told when we signed Jordan that we need to play him off a big man up top to get the best out of him.

[Waggy76]

Midfield is the problem , far to weak and slow to play 2 forwards

[Stuart]

Both. We were told when we signed Jordan that we need to play him off a big man up top to get the best out of him.

+1

Looking forward to seeing them play together.

Hopefully some time this season!

[Wing Wizard Windy Miller]

Midfield is the problem , far to weak and slow to play 2 forwards

Agreed - we can't play 4-4-2 unless midfield is strengthened. When Best is fit, his game will suit the lone striker role much better and no doubt bring in other players. On the other hand, Rhodes invariably scores but contributes next to nothing. Do you take the goals or try to improve the team performance?

[Baz]

Play both. I have thought all season 2 up top in this league would be an effective weapon.

We only play 4 across midfield as it is the 2nd striker / attacking midfielder rarely either gets forward enough to score or create, or back defensively anyway.

[Andy]

Rhodes.

The lad has genuine quality and can score goals. As in, lots of goals.

Best is a pretty poor player in my opinion and offers little.

I'd like him to prove me wrong, but having followed his career loosely to date, he's not a good player.

[RibbleValleyRover]

Sceptical that we can play both as I don't think we have the midfield to play both up front in a 4-4-2. If we can only play one it's Rhodes every single time. Best is far too overrated, he has never been a prolific scorer.

[Amo]

Must admit, I can't see where all the hype is coming from with Best. His goalscoring record on paper is distinctly average and I always worry about players who have long lay-offs. This cruciate injury seems to be following his career in the past few years.

[jim mk2]

The lad has genuine quality and can score goals. As in, lots of goals.

Rhodes scores goals given the time and space against weak defences such as Peterborough but outside the penalty area he is worse than useless which is why he will never cut it in the Premier League and cannot be described as "quality".

It makes you wonder what these players and coaches do on the training field every day. Rhodes needs to be taught and needs to learn how to play with his back to goal, how to get his body between the ball and the defender and how to keep the ball under pressure from a close-marking defender and pass to one of our own players.

At the moment he can do none of these things with the result that when we are under pressure we have no one up front who can relieve the pressure and keep hold of the ball. He also lacks pace and has a strange running style which makes him look like he's running through treacle.

Top strikers like those in the Premier League have to be more than just goal-scorers. Rhodes is not "quality".

[imy9]

Rhodes will score goals given a chance. Premier league, la Liga- wherever. Full stop. The problem is we don't give him enough opportunities at the moment. I predict we will see a new version of Rhodes once we play Best up front with him.

[jim mk2]

Jordan Rhodes is La Liga - now there's a thought. A very funny one.

[keaney23]

Rhodes and Best would be a great partnership , Best has got the legs and Rhodes has got the quality to finish chances. When Best is back we should not be short for goals or chances.

[imy9]

Jordan Rhodes is La Liga - now there's a thought. A very funny one.

Jordan Rhodes IS la liga that's a funnier thought!!

[Guest Norbert]

Perhaps, now this is off the top off my head something like this could work

Kean

Dann/Givet/Hanley

Henley Olsson

Lowe/Etuhu

Rochina

Best/Rhodes

Might be a bit light in midfield though, so Murhphy could be in for Rochina to put another body in there at the least. Of course, that is if everyone is fit.

[rossyrover]

Rhodes is a box player who scores goals. Best is a striker with a poor goal scoring record you don't win games if you you don't score also Rhodes needs feeding a job which Rochina,CKR,and King all glory hunters not team players seem at the moment incapable of doing.

[LeChuck]

Both. We were told when we signed Jordan that we need to play him off a big man up top to get the best out of him.

I'm sure almost every striker would play better if they had the luxury of playing off a big man, but it's just not possible to do that anymore. This is what Michael Owen said on the subject recently:

"The way the game has gone over the last few years is that strike partnerships are few and far between, whereas five to 10 years ago it was popular such as the SAS (Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton). Players like me are a dying breed now, ones that play off the big man."

Rhodes needs to change his game quickly, no good being a player that's a dying breed when you're 22 years old.

[jim mk2]

The problem with Rhodes is he is a poor footballer who does not have the basic skills required of a modern striker. He is also not big and physical enough. He needs to put in alot of hard work in the gym and on the training field if he wants to make progress and play at the highest level.

[A cup of beans]

Rhodes needs to change his game quickly, no good being a player that's a dying breed when you're 22 years old.

Nonsense! Rhodes is an instinctive goalscorer. He doesnt have the attributes to play as a target man or lone striker.

For me, when Best is fit, Best will probably play as a deep lying forward- similar as to where Gomes started the season.

Rochina and Vuckevic will have to play wide, if it all, as the hole would be unavailable.

[LeChuck]

Nonsense! Rhodes is an instinctive goalscorer. He doesnt have the attributes to play as a target man or lone striker.

Which is exactly the sort of striker that is a dying breed. He's got to learn to lead the line if he wants to be a penalty box player.

You wouldn't say Defoe, Van Persie, Suarez etc (the list is endless) are natural leaders of the line, but tactics nowadays are such that they've had to learn and had to adapt. That's just the way the game is. All those strikers would probably love to play alongside a big man doing the donkey work for them.

If Rhodes can't adapt his game then he'll be a lower Championship/upper League One player for the rest of his career. He's got the techique and work ethic to do it, the change in coaching staff since his arrival won't have helped at all.

[RibbleValleyRover]

Whilst he is scoring goals on a regular basis I don't see the point in criticizing him. Without his goals we would be far lower down the table and I would certainly take him over any other options we have up front. He might not cut it in the Premier League but we aren't in that division and might not be for years to come.

There is no way Rovers would be scoring more goals if it was Best up front on his own. He has never been a prolific scorer and there aren't many goals from midfield in this team.

[Pedro]

Are people seriously critcising Rhodes? Seriously? The lad has scored a hatful in an absolutely awful Rovers side. He does his job very well...to score. As the more enlightened have correctly stated, give him better service and he'll score more goals.

[LeChuck]

There is no way Rovers would be scoring more goals if it was Best up front on his own. He has never been a prolific scorer and there aren't many goals from midfield in this team.

But some games we are just crying out for someone to get hold of the ball up front. Friday night was a great example. If we were able to have Best for the last thirty minutes instead of Rhodes then we might take all three points from that game.

As the more enlightened have correctly stated, give him better service and he'll score more goals.

As the more perceptive have already recognised, this excuse was used for Kalinic as well.

It's not meant to come across as having a go, it's constructive criticism. The lad has had the luxury of League One football so it's understandable that he'll take time to adjust. Just some games we are crying out for a presence up front, we can't afford to be carrying a passenger in some games.

I'd honestly be starting Best ahead of Rhodes in tricky away games like Friday.

[K-Hod]

The excuse for Kalinic might have washed if he'd bagged as many as Rhodes though.....

Rhodes has a brilliant chance conversion rate, Kalinic couldn't hit a barn door even when he did get chances!!!

[LeChuck]

The excuse for Kalinic might have washed if he'd bagged as many as Rhodes though.....

Rhodes has a brilliant chance conversion rate, Kalinic couldn't hit a barn door even when he did get chances!!!

Fair point. I think it's just an easy thing to say when a striker has a bad game. Good players make things happen.

It's impossible to provide good service to a striker in every single game. Rhodes has to work out a way of influencing the outcome of those games where he isn't getting much service. The higher up the ladder he moves, the more sparse service will become.