Kuyt....

[tomasjj]

Judging by the above stats, neither are of the required standard then. As I mentioned yesterday, our squad lacks real quality with regards to forwards. There's no doubt in my mind that Rafa will address this in the summer.

Aye.
I have full faith in Rafa seeing this and sorting it without mercy.

[paulcooper4]

Aye.
I have full faith in Rafa seeing this and sorting it without mercy.

[desertscouser]

Aye.
I have full faith in Rafa seeing this and sorting it without mercy.

So do I. Rafa's record for moving players on who don't make the grade is second to none. He's ruthless in that department. I remember GH would keep players who were sh!te for years, usually until their re-sale value dropped to pennies.

[AFII]

Judging by the above stats, neither are of the required standard then. As I mentioned yesterday, our squad lacks real quality with regards to forwards. There's no doubt in my mind that Rafa will address this in the summer.

Torres and Gerrard are our more or less only goal threats. One striker and one midfielder.

[Marky]

It's an odd one - Kuyt scored plenty of goals in Holland, obviously doesn't mean he'd score plenty here but it did prove he knew where the goals were. What's annoying and frustrating is the easy chances he is missing. No-one expects him to beat 2 or 3 players and curl the ball in like Torres can. What we do expect though is for him to bury the easier chances when they come.

He just aint doing that. His second touch is usually a 50/50 tackle and he doesn't even seem to be able to make simple passes at the moment.
He can't have become a bad player, we all know he can score goals.
It has to be a case of poor form/low confidence.

He needs a goal, then the goals will come. But he just can't get that goal.
It's a vicious circle

We all loved him when he first arrived, we just need to get behind him and see him through this period.
We did it for Crouch. We'd do it for Torres.

Indeed he did big man, put on Euro Goals on a monday evening, more often than not the Diggler was in the goals, his finishing was top ****ing quality.
Poorer opposition of course but like you say he still knew where the net was, i don't know how he's gone from that player with a natural instinct of finding the net more often than not to the player we're seeing game in game out struggling to score at all.
Thought his goals away at Marseille and Newcastle might have got him up and running, proper strikers goal and all that but since then he hasn't looked like scoring.
I'm really getting pissed off with his inability to get his ass into the box, even just the **** in there and miss and it wouldn't be as bad but when we're on the attack you see him either in the centre circle or out on the wing, talk about putting your hair out

[paulcooper4]

So do I. Rafa's record for moving players on who don't make the grade is second to none. He's ruthless in that department. I remember GH would keep players who were sh!te for years, usually until their re-sale value dropped to pennies.

correct.

A blind man can see that kuyt, voronin AND crouch for various reasons have not done enough to warrant a long term future at this club.

Just dont see the point in the constant slagging of them from some on here though.

Rafa is not daft and will get rid of players not good enough when its best for the club. Hes proved that time and again. He wont get rid just for the sake of it, only if he has a genuinely better option to come in (which may not be possible in january).

A good few reds on here need to realise that while these players are still at the club they are probably gonna give us more with a bit of support (no matter how much you dont like them)

Threads slagging kuyt in a match when hes actually played well are helping no-one.

[paulcooper4]

Torres and Gerrard are our more or less only goal threats. One striker and one midfielder.

benayoun is a big goal threat too IMO. Dont think it will be too long before Babel will be either.

One thing is for sure when we play benayoun and Alonso in the same side we will create a hell of a lot more (easy) chances to score cos they are the only clever passers of a football we have.

[desertscouser]

Torres and Gerrard are our more or less only goal threats. One striker and one midfielder.

Not sure AF. I reckon Benayoun is definitely a goal threat and when he's not actually scoring he's helping create chances for others so he's definitely one I would include in the list.

And given a little more time and some more opportunities, Babel will be a consistent goal threat for us. He has the killer instinct, loves to shoot at goal at any given opportunity. This time next year I think we'll see the best of Babel.

[dww]

Correct, unfortunately for us, with Gerrard not far behind him.

Dont see the point of slagging our own players off on here full stop tbh but if people have an urge to do so at least be fair.

There where far worse performances yesterday than what Kuyt gave. He was actually one of our better players on the day.

I agree in general but to be honest yesterday was so frustrating. I think I along with many others was guilty of scapegoating Kuyt and feel bad about it now. He deserves our support as unlike some who have worn the red shirt he always gives his all and plays with pride.

[paulcooper4]

I agree in general but to be honest yesterday was so frustrating. I think I along with many others was guilty of scapegoating Kuyt and feel bad about it now. He deserves our support as unlike some who have worn the red shirt he always gives his all and plays with pride.

[AFII]

Not sure AF. I reckon Benayoun is definitely a goal threat and when he's not actually scoring he's helping create chances for others so he's definitely one I would include in the list.

And given a little more time and some more opportunities, Babel will be a consistent goal threat for us. He has the killer instinct, loves to shoot at goal at any given opportunity. This time next year I think we'll see the best of Babel.

Rafa should play Benny/Gerrard/Kewell behind Torres.

[tomasjj]

correct.

A blind man can see that kuyt, voronin AND crouch for various reasons have not done enough to warrant a long term future at this club.

Just dont see the point in the constant slagging of them from some on here though.

Rafa is not daft and will get rid of players not good enough when its best for the club. Hes proved that time and again. He wont get rid just for the sake of it, only if he has a genuinely better option to come in (which may not be possible in january).

A good few reds on here need to realise that while these players are still at the club they are probably gonna give us more with a bit of support (no matter how much you dont like them)

Threads slagging kuyt in a match when hes actually played well are helping no-one.

Good post that Coops.

We are stuck with them until we can replace them with something better. That is not as easy as it seems, and might take time.
I would be surprised if we bought a new striker in January.

[Neil Young]

Probably a good comparison to Baros, though I think I'd rather Baros in the side right now to Kuyt.

Not that it really matters I suppose but I couldn't disagree more. At least Kuyt knows where is teammates are.

I can't think of a single striker of ours since Owen who I think might improve our current pool of strikers. That's not to say I think they're all great, it's just they are all an improvement on what we had before.

I'm including Fowler in that - not the one who left to join Leeds but the crocked God who came back.

Heskey was too unreliable, Cissé was a massive disappointment, Baros was a headless chicken, Bellamy proved within a half a season he wasn't good enough...and of course Owen is now probably half the player he once was.

Now that's what I call a tangent.

[paulcooper4]

Not that it really matters I suppose but I couldn't disagree more. At least Kuyt knows where is teammates are.

I can't think of a single striker of ours since Owen who I think might improve our current pool of strikers. That's not to say I think they're all great, it's just they are all an improvement on what we had before.

I'm including Fowler in that - not the one who left to join Leeds but the crocked God who came back.

Heskey was too unreliable, Cissé was a massive disappointment, Baros was a headless chicken, Bellamy proved within a half a season he wasn't good enough...and of course Owen is now probably half the player he once was.

Now that's what I call a tangent.

spot on that neil, im as perplexed as you as to where the comparisons between kuyt and baros are too

[Shaggy]

Well they both run around like headless chickens, for a start.