[Archived] Mark Hughes - Good Choice ?

[tcj_jones]

Dickov is one of the poorest one on one finishers I have seen,

319086[/snapback]

Yea, because Stead is so much better in that respect!

If we're comparing the two, Dickov made 27 starts and scored 9 goals - thats 1 in every 3 games. Stead made 19 starts and scored 2 - thats 1 in every 9.5 games. Whatever you think about Dickov moaning and whatnot, the fact is he's scored some very vital goals and without them we'd be off to Burnley for two more games this season. Neither record is good enough but Dickov's is better.

As for selling Stead, I'm unsure. Given another season he may come good and return to the form of 03/04, but Hughes might not be willing to take that chance if he can use Stead to get a better player.

319150[/snapback]

Valid points Clare, but take away what, three/four penalties and that's 5/6 goals in 27, a far worse return. Then theres the fact that Dickov is extremely difficult to play along side and next season I really hope we are neither playing 4-5-1 on a regular basis and that Dickov is not starting.

Admittedly I watched far fewer games than you last season but I'd probably say if Stead had any kind of confidence, he'd be a much better one on one finisher. On so many occasions Dickov has had the opportunity to wrap games up or to save them but he's missed, badly.

Not disagreeing with you entirely though, Dickov has scored some good and vital goals this season. But whos to say Stead wouldn't have in his position?

Edited May 28, 2005 by tcj_jones

[bellamy11]

Dickov is one of the poorest one on one finishers I have seen,

319086[/snapback]

Yea, because Stead is so much better in that respect!

If we're comparing the two, Dickov made 27 starts and scored 9 goals - thats 1 in every 3 games. Stead made 19 starts and scored 2 - thats 1 in every 9.5 games. Whatever you think about Dickov moaning and whatnot, the fact is he's scored some very vital goals and without them we'd be off to Burnley for two more games this season. Neither record is good enough but Dickov's is better.

As for selling Stead, I'm unsure. Given another season he may come good and return to the form of 03/04, but Hughes might not be willing to take that chance if he can use Stead to get a better player.

319150[/snapback]

Valid points Clare, but take away what, three/four penalties and that's 5/6 goals in 27, a far worse return. Then theres the fact that Dickov is extremely difficult to play along side and next season I really hope we are neither playing 4-5-1 on a regular basis and that Dickov is not starting.

319199[/snapback]

2 penalties. And he won them both and had a player sent off as a result both times. So it isn't as if they can be struck off. How many penalties did our other strikers win? Pedersen won the one against Fulham and Savage won the one against Chelsea (I think).

Dickov scored 3 penalties last season if you include the goal against Leicester, which takes his goal tally up to 10, but the stats there are working off the league.

[tcj_jones]

Obviously I got confused with the penalties, but even still it's hardly a great return. In the many of the games Stead started he appeared desperately unlucky and, in my opinion, played far better than Dickov had for most of the season. I'm clutching at straws somewhat but even if he has scored more goals, it does not mean he has played the better out of the two, although it is the goals which count.

For arguements sake, if Stead had started the same amount of games and gained some amount of confidence, rather than being chopped anc changed, he could have equalled Dickov's account.

In any case, I think we can both agree that he is not good enough to lead the line next season.

[bellamy11]

Obviously I got confused with the penalties, but even still it's hardly a great return.  In the many of the games Stead started he appeared desperately unlucky and, in my opinion, played far better than Dickov had for most of the season.  I'm clutching at straws somewhat but even if he has scored more goals, it does not mean he has played the better out of the two, although it is the goals which count.

For arguements sake, if Stead had started the same amount of games and gained some amount of confidence, rather than being chopped anc changed, he could have equalled Dickov's account.

In any case, I think we can both agree that he is not good enough to lead the line next season.

319210[/snapback]

We appear to be going round in circles in two threads now Probably best to keep it to the other one. I've addressed the number of games Stead started in last season in there.

Edited May 28, 2005 by bellamy11

[LeChuck]

Stead is the best striker at the club, alright that doesn't say much but we shouldn't be selling someone of his age. We were being offered around £1 million for Dickov in January from Birmingham weren't we? He should go first because of his age.

319027[/snapback]

Rubbish for every goal Stead has scored Dickov has scored 5! Playing Stead all season would have seen us visiting tTurf next year.

What are you on Le Chuck?

319033[/snapback]

Maybe I should have said 'potentially'...but the stats argument is wearing thin now.

Is that how scouts work? Get a list of scorers, pick the highest and buy him? Maybe that's we ended up paying £7 million for Grabbi.

Stead HAS ability, and a lot of it. I can't understand why we'd want to let go a 21 year old with obvious potential for £1.5 million. His goalscoring record last season was poor to say the least...but you can't deny he was extremely unlucky on many occassions. For all this 'poor finishing' talk, he strikes the ball extremely well and, with some more upper body strength, could be a useful threat in the air.

If it happened again for another season then maybe luck couldn't be to blame, but at his age and with the potential ability he's got, he's worth perservering with for another season.

[philipl]

Lechuck... it's all very judgemental.

Steady (who I like a lot) but has had a stinker this season and for every good moment had had a moment you have chosen to forget or

Sparky (Footballing GOD) finding his way as a Manager but clearly his own man with his own ideas who isn't attempting GBH on £2m of BRFC assets (aka Yorke) or turning triumph into abject failure on the back of a face lift.

######, I gave Souness the benefit of the doubt for long enough so anything Sparky does this summer is fine by me or jim mk 2.

[G Somerset Rover]

If Hughsey doesn't think that Stead is good enough, then we should trust his opinion because Hughes would obviously know a good striker when he sees one due to the fact that he was one of the best. I honestly don't think that Dickov or Stead are very good finishers at all. This may not be the best reasons, but of the games I went to last season, when watching the pre game warm up, the best finisher at the club appeared to be Pedersen and then emerton. Dickov imparticularly and Stead persisted in lashing shots wide or straight at the keeper. And this seemed to be the case at literally every one of the ten games I went to. May not seem a good judgement, but it shows that when the pressures off, there not much better then when the heat really is on, as proved last season. It's been mentioned before that when Dickov has time to think, he usually misses, but when it's more of an instinctive strike he usually fairs better, and I think the same can be said of Stead.

[philipl]

Once again Hughes is going up in my opinion as the Blackburn Rovers Manager.

On Nelsen not playing for NZ- unlike Emerton and Neill who have potential World Cup places at stake (and therefore chances to enhance their value to Rovers), Nelsen's involvement in playing for NZ is just an injury risk. As Nelsen reports the conversation, Hughes handled it with dignity and restraint.

Just as Rovers suffer from occasional bouts of player power against us, so Rovers have rightly used their position with Nelsen not yet having received a work permit.

On the offer for sale of Stead, Hughes has said the transfers this summer will be a jigsaw with the pieces falling into place.

Everyone expects we are after two strikers (at least). Assuming two come in, even a rejuvenated Stead would be competing with Dickov for a position on the bench and most people have commented that Dickov is best deployed from the bench. Then there is Gally, Johnson, possibly Jansen, possibly Garner.

Rather than have Stead become a periferal squad player who would be nearly valueless twelve months from now, far better to signal a selling price (£1.5m plus sell-on) to a cash-strapped Sunderland before they have started spending their limited transfer funds.

Until Kuqi was mentioned by Ipswich, all the players we had been linked to were unambiguously better than anything we already had at the club.

Patience- the widow opens on 1 July.

[broadsword]

With respect Bryan, I dont think the club have 10 weeks. In my opinion its 4 weeks, the 25th June deadline for season ticket renewal.

If Hughes or the club dont come up with some possitive action, or even vibes, following the announcement of a Stead transfer by the deadline I see a greater loss of season ticket revenue than originally expected.

319118[/snapback]

It doesn't always work like that, Alan.

Not a season ticket holder myself, so wouldn't wish to be too presumptuous, but I'd be very surprised if all our major signings are in by 25th June. If they are, then it will be disappointing in a way. Because you'd think that big transfers would take longer.

Perhaps they'd need a headline-grabbing signing by then (Bellamy?) but other than that ... well, my guess is season ticket sales will be down anyway ...

[waggy]

the listing off STEAD has certianly stirred a few feathers on this board,i for one being a little puzzled by sparkys decesion,but i was one off the first on here to but his name forward as the new manager.

his forrays into the transfer market have been good,nelsen and mokoena being succsess and savage less so.

our manager made his name as a centre forward,if he does not rate STEAD that is good enough for me,i am sure he will not do a souness and start the season with DICKOV as our number 1 striker.

[Rainmaker]

i am sure he will not do a souness and start the season with DICKOV  as our number 1 striker.

I certainly hope you are right.

Even Dickov at number 2 striker is a disaster, at best he should be a sub.

[DavidMailsTightPerm]

I am certain that Stead would have stayed if Rovers financial position had been better.

Unfortunately I don't think we can wait to see if Stead comes good - we need somebody in now. Looking at it reaslitically - in Johnson, Derbyshire, Garner etc we have players with potential - what we need is a 20 goal a season striker that will give us premiership safety.

If the Stead transfer pays for that - then his sale is a necessary evil of current financial situation. I wouldn't be surprised if (after that transfer has been completed) Hughes admits that he would have liked to keep Stead if our financial position had been different.

[Duff's Minder]

oops wrong thread

Edited May 31, 2005 by Duff's Minder

[John]

How long is Sparky's contract as manager?

[philipl]

Whatever it is, extend it!

[waggy]

Whatever it is, extend it!

326966[/snapback]

all this worry about strikers,only the sane have sense

[Presty On Tour]

he keeping his cards close, dont think i heard any comments off hughsey in the post season. JW does all the talking

[Mark Atkins' Bald Patch]

How long is Sparky's contract as manager?

326901[/snapback]

He's got another 2 years left on his current contract ...

Here's an article comparing Hughes and Souness. It does state the obvious a bit ... but interesting enough all the same.

http://www.blueandwhites.com/news/article00172.htm

apologies if this has been posted somewhere else.

[Alan75]

What a refreshing change, from Souness and his annual quotes of our ambition is to stay in the premiership.

Hughes is certainly getting me excited about the new season.

Hughes Aims For European Place.

[Ozz]

Hughes stock appears to rise daily, and I personally love the guy.

But only in the way football inspires, not the Canal St kind of love.

[John]

I don't think Hughes is putting on this positivity which we have been hearing from him recently.

He seems a very positive man and manager, and that appears to rub off on the playing staff. He seems to talk very positively and has this effect on the training ground. Looking at the staff around him (Mark and Eddie), he has a huge amount of confidence in their ability and the players seem to love the training sessions.

Take the Jansen situation, IMO Matt could not be in better hands under Hughes & Co. and will have no better chance to getting back to normal, rather than if Souey was in charge. Hughes is talking positively about Matt coming back to his old self. A

Hughes is talking about getting into Europe, why not? The emphasis he puts on training, preperation and the mental side of the game makes me genuinely excited about next season. I always refer to his intelligence, and that alone gives me great hope for the future of our club. He also has a deep passion to win at all costs and we saw that rub off on the team in certain games last season in terms of their character. Hughes suffers no fools, either. Certain players, opposing managers and press have found this out, he always backs his side's corner.

No wonder our board are backing Hughes - Deep down I always thought they would back him. He is impressing me more and more each day.

[1864roverite]

Go to agree John.

I have been gutted about the lack of activity throughout the close season with incoming transfers and I was stunned when Kuqi was brought in on a freebie.

Then the big shock transfer after the downer with McCarthy that brings in Bellamy. Further to that we hear the rumblings of yet another signing being made in the not too distant future.

Hughes certainly has pulled off a master stroke with the signing of Bellamy. he guarantees us goals, he guarantees chances and he guaranteees effort.

I just hope that Rovers pull together from the off and bring to us performacnes that HUGHES has promised.

The team unity will clearly be evident when we kick off at Wham next month.

I just hope that whilst I am on holiday this next 3 weeks that I pick up the papeers in Ibiza and see another possibly 2 players coming into the club. I will be certainly be over the moon if we could also offload a few including amoruso, douglas and gray.

granting free transfers to the three of them should do the trick

[skiporovers]

Why do so many people wanna get rid of Gray......I never saw much wrong with the lad and was shocked when he went to Leeds!! Hes certainly a lot better than the waste of spece Grescko and as for Matteo........I' ve seen rocks move faster!!

[1864roverite]

matteo was a rock in 8 of the last 12 games

[stuwilky]

matteo was a rock in 8 of the last 12 games

330922[/snapback]

1864 dont let facts get in the way of a matteo slagging off.