I want to say something about Steven Gerrard and Ryan Babel

[bobbyfallon]

Well you do now!

[bobbyfallon]

I imagine we will just have to agree to disagree on this.

looks like it alright.

























but your wrong

[Shaggy]

when he does jump to head a ball its that badly timed that he gets no power or in most cases nowhere near it,

ok i will add he is poor at jumping also to my criticism of crouch.

jumping and heading go hand in hand in my opinion. ??????????

In an ideal world yeah, they do, and it’s hard to be a great header of the ball without having a great climb – but just because someone has a good climb/leap it doesn’t in any way follow that they should be a good header of the ball.

My best man is 6’6 and used to have a great leap too. He used to play centre-half for our school team. Could he head a ball? Could he ****!

We're slightly off-course here anyway, cos Crouch doesn't have a great leap. He has a height advantage but that doesn't mean he has a divine right to be great in the air.

[Pablo]

Ass first? Was it not shin first? Could’ve been horrendous…he really clattered into it.

I believe it was ass first (not that I was staring ). And yes it did look bad. In fairness I didnt laugh until the replays when we already knew the big man was ok.

As as for Crouch's heading prowess, or lack thereof, its just so frustating to watch him head a ball. He has got a decent enough leap on him to be lethal in the air. But he consistently times his jumps wrong so hes on the way back down when the ball arrives. And when he does make contact his neck acts as a shock abosrber and drains all the power from the cross.

I would suggest heading is something that can be taught, i cite Michael Owen as an example of this, and think more time should have been spent with the coaches improving this since he joined.

[bobbyfallon]

In an ideal world yeah, they do, and it’s hard to be a great header of the ball without having a great climb – but just because someone has a good climb/leap it doesn’t in any way follow that they should be a good header of the ball.

My best man is 6’6 and used to have a great leap too. He used to play centre-half for our school team. Could he head a ball? Could he ****!

We're slightly off-course here anyway, cos Crouch doesn't have a great leap. He has a height advantage but that doesn't mean he has a divine right to be great in the air.

agree he has no divine right.

but as you know as a football coach you have to use your strengths. he is 6'7 he should have been coached accordingly. he will never be quick so to add to his game he should have learned to be an effective headerer of a ball...

one eg was a final i played in years ago. our team mainly 6'0 plus, other team mainly 5'7 or smaller. we kept the ball i the air, they kept it on the floor using speed. (gaelic football)

why??

both managers had done their homework and worked our ways of playing to their strengths

[Skillz]

Yes.

In fact I often take a jump around when there are no footballs in the immediate vicinity.

Great fun.

Made me laugh

[Shaggy]

but as you know as a football coach

Now if you don’t mind…the rain has ceased and it’s time to get back out on to the field!

[bobbyfallon]

Now if you don’t mind…the rain has ceased and it’s time to get back out on to the field!

[Shaggy]

I don’t wish to have a pop at the much-maligned Syd , but this is a crap title for a thread!

Why not just 'Babel & Gerrard'? Why the need for ‘I want to say something about…”?

My next thread will be called “I want to say something about ****s with crap taste”…or something.

[Exiled_red]

Indeed. If Kuyt scores 17 more goals this season I'll be very happy.

If Kuyt scores 17 goals this season I'd be very happy

[Pablo]

If Kuyt scores 17 goals this season I'd be very happy in my mental assylum complete with padded cell.

[Shaggy]

My hair-tearing frustration with Dirk Kuyt is all but gone now, however. It’s turned to pity and sadness.

I don’t mean this in a mocking or patronising way, either.

Last night I felt really, really sorry for him, and wanted him to score more than I ever have. But, of course, he was never going to score…not even against League One opposition.

You have to wonder how David Moores feels when he watches Dirk plodding around. £10m out of his own pocket? For him? He must really despair.

Poor Dirk. He's had a rough trot, what with his father passing away, and now the season from hell when he was supposed to leave behind the form of his average first season and show us all what a good player he is.

[Mattimetal]

This thread is becoming more about Crouch so I'll have my say

I agree about his aerial ability and have said so since last year already. He really cannot head a ball properly and besides his wonder header against the Arse last year the rest have been average headed goals. You'd also think if he was so thin (therefore weaker than your average player) they'd get him on to a protein shake and doing weights or something why can't he bulk up...?

I gave Crouch as much support as anyone over the past 3 seasons but I really think we can do better and ‘I’ve seen this better striker than Crouch’ playing for LFC his name is…. Lindfield