Rabotnicki 2nd leg match thread

[BigChief]

1 Question.

Is Ngog good enough for our back up striker?

The Commentator said he should have had 3 tonight and if it was against good opposition he wouldn't get that many chances. So , is he good enough to lead the line for us in Torres's absence or should he be No3 pick?

Good question, I've been pondering that all evening. Despite his 'stats' he's not as comfortable putting the ball away as we would hope. So the obvious answer is an immediate no. But that's too simple, with Cole/Gerrard/Jova and Kuyt (in for Pacheco) Ngog offers a great foil. Works hard, actually possesses good skill and is bigger/stronger this season.

So if Gerrard, Cole and Johnson weave their magic then Ngog should be enough. Just. But another proven finisher (Aguero, hehe) would be nice to win the league once and for all.

[Shanks]

Good question, I've been pondering that all evening. Despite his 'stats' he's not as comfortable putting the ball away as we would hope. So the obvious answer is an immediate no. But that's too simple, with Cole/Gerrard/Jova and Kuyt (in for Pacheco) Ngog offers a great foil. Works hard, actually possesses good skill and is bigger/stronger this season.

So if Gerrard, Cole and Johnson weave their magic then Ngog should be enough. Just. But another proven finisher (Aguero, hehe) would be nice to win the league once and for all.

It'll put a lot of pressure on our defence, if we rely on our new Brazilian RB getting forward all the time.

[Nicey]

1 Question.

Is Ngog good enough for our back up striker?

The Commentator said he should have had 3 tonight and if it was against good opposition he wouldn't get that many chances. So , is he good enough to lead the line for us in Torres's absence or should he be No3 pick?

I think so,
Hes 21
He gets into the dangerous positions consistently
He gets shots on
He gets shots on target
He holds the ball up extremely well
Actually i think his stats stand up very well
Top young striker in my books, will only get better ..
Hes legit

[Craig_H]

Joe Cole, Jovanovich and Kelly were the star performers today and special mention to Ngog. The lad can finish. I'm still worried for the game against Arsenal though, they could really test our defence with this new attacking formation.

Except when he cant

Through on goal ffs.

[el matador]

1 Question.

Is Ngog good enough for our back up striker?

The Commentator said he should have had 3 tonight and if it was against good opposition he wouldn't get that many chances. So , is he good enough to lead the line for us in Torres's absence or should he be No3 pick?

i think if you are looking for a player to play up top by himself then he has to have certain attributes like height, pace, movement, strength and link up play. Ngog has all of those but the only thing he lacks is experience.

He is still only 21 and i think he's doing really well given that in terms of strikers he's just a kid. He will get better but he will only do that if he gets enough game time to learn his trade.

If we bring in another striker to be torres no.2 then i dont think ngog will become the player that he probably can. The other thing to consider is that at least he's getting into goalscoring positions - even if he misses.

But look at where he is now compared to a year ago. The difference is absolutely immense which shows that he's definitely improving and he he keeps on going at this rate then he could become a real talent.

[SB]

Joe Cole, Jovanovich and Kelly were the star performers today and special mention to Ngog. The lad can finish. I'm still worried for the game against Arsenal though, they could really test our defence with this new attacking formation.

I agree. Let's get 10 men behind the ball and totally park the bus and hold out for 0-0 draw

I so look forward to seeing that

[Shaggy]

Always debates about Ngog's pace but without being truly jet-heeled I think he's rapid enough. Not searing pace but pretty quick. Dunno what they give him on the game but if I was dishing out Football Manager stats I'd give him 15.

[Craig_H]

I think we need another striker, one as explosive (pace) as Torres. Ngog lacks a bit of pace IMO but his hold up play is good. He's still very young and playing in as difficult a position. Thing is, people tend to compare him to Torres, which is unfair. That's why we probably need another more experienced striker. I'd welcome back Voronin with open arms.

You really do yourself no favours at all.

For me, we have plenty of attacking midfield options, and that opens the door to use Kuyt or Babel as a striker, if needed. I still maintain that if Babel was played as a proper striker and given a fair crack of the whip, he'd do a good job.

[Exiled_red]

I think people are being a little harsh on Ngog again. Yes he missed some chances but all strikers do that. Torres does it, but because he is Torres' understudy every time he misses a chance or chances he gets the comments like "Torres would have scored that". And to my mind that's a little unfair, there is no guarantee that Torres would have scored those chances, if Torres misses a sitter, people will just say "that's unlike him" or "you'd have backed him to score" and then it's quickly forgotten about. Ngog gets quite alot of stick for it and is younger, and less experienced, but almost has more pressure on him because he has to live up to Torres.

Lets not forget that Ngog has scored 3 goals and won the penalty that resulted in a 4-0 win on aggregate whilst playing as a lone striker, yes it might be against so called lesser opposition, but it was also early in the season when players aren't at their sharpest. Lets cut the guy some slack.

[Craig_H]

I think people are being a little harsh on Ngog again. Yes he missed some chances but all strikers do that. Torres does it, but because he is Torres' understudy every time he misses a chance or chances he gets the comments like "Torres would have scored that". And to my mind that's a little unfair, there is no guarantee that Torres would have scored those chances, if Torres misses a sitter, people will just say "that's unlike him" or "you'd have backed him to score" and then it's quickly forgotten about. Ngog gets quite alot of stick for it and is younger, and less experienced, but almost has more pressure on him because he has to live up to Torres.

Lets not forget that Ngog has scored 3 goals and won the penalty that resulted in a 4-0 win on aggregate whilst playing as a lone striker, yes it might be against so called lesser opposition, but it was also early in the season when players aren't at their sharpest. Lets cut the guy some slack.

Not got a problem with N'Gog, he is what he is - a kid who's learning his trade and developing. I like him.

He's not ready to be our 2nd choice striker though.

[Exiled_red]

I think we need another striker, one as explosive (pace) as Torres. Ngog lacks a bit of pace IMO but his hold up play is good. He's still very young and playing in as difficult a position. Thing is, people tend to compare him to Torres, which is unfair. That's why we probably need another more experienced striker. I'd welcome back Voronin with open arms.

That is a joke right?

[Craig_H]

You realise that it was tongue in cheek.

With anyone else, i would. But you're you. And you're in another world

[Exiled_red]

Not got a problem with N'Gog, he is what he is - a kid who's learning his trade and developing. I like him.

He's not ready to be our 2nd choice striker though.

I'd like to see us sign another good striker, but I don't see many who could play the lone striker role who would be happy to sit on the bench when Torres plays.

I think the problem with Ngog last season is that the team weren't creating many chances or scoring many goals, which put extra pressure on him to delivery in Torres absence. I think with other players in the squad capable of getting on the score sheet, that would take the pressure off him a little more when Torres isn't available.

[Craig_H]

I'd like to see us sign another good striker, but I don't see many who could play the lone striker role who would be happy to sit on the bench when Torres plays.

I think the problem with Ngog last season is that the team weren't creating many chances or scoring many goals, which put extra pressure on him to delivery in Torres absence. I think with other players in the squad capable of getting on the score sheet, that would take the pressure off him a little more when Torres isn't available.

Hopefully now with Jova and Cole added, that'll help in this respect. Plus Maxi and Aquaman should be more settled, theoretically.

[Rudo]

I like N'gog myself. Say what you want about him but he can hit the net and whilst he isn't always clinical, he's always in the right positions.

Despite all this, it will be criminal if we don't bring in another striker!!