Long - time for a change?

[Ian Royal]

Well, there we go - finally Long remembers where the back of the net is and doubles his tally from open play for the season.

I really hope that this will kick start a good scoring run for him - as I said in my opening post, his workrate up to the 18 yard box is unquestionable so the only thing that has been missing is goals.

However, I am still reserving judgement until he does go on a decent scoring run as "one swallow does not make a summer". Still, a very welcome 3 points and the league table makes good reading tonight!!

Very good sign for me that he scored a header finally. That used to be a strength of his, but his finishing from headed crosses has been woeful this season otherwise. He needs another goal in the next couple of games. If he gets it he might crack on, but there's still the possibility he'll go on a little run over half a dozen games and then it'll be back to a barren run again. I hope not, but he's got form there.

[T.R.O.L.I.]

He needs another goal in the next couple of games. If he gets it he might crack on, but there's still the possibility he'll go on a little run over half a dozen games and then it'll be back to a barren run again. I hope not, but he's got form there.

Agreed. Hence why I'm not getting too excited just yet. If he can score in, for example, 3 of the next 5 games then I'll be a lot happier!

[paultheroyal]

Well, there we go - finally Long remembers where the back of the net is and doubles his tally from open play for the season.

I really hope that this will kick start a good scoring run for him - as I said in my opening post, his workrate up to the 18 yard box is unquestionable so the only thing that has been missing is goals.

However, I am still reserving judgement until he does go on a decent scoring run as "one swallow does not make a summer". Still, a very welcome 3 points and the league table makes good reading tonight!!

Very good sign for me that he scored a header finally. That used to be a strength of his, but his finishing from headed crosses has been woeful this season otherwise. He needs another goal in the next couple of games. If he gets it he might crack on, but there's still the possibility he'll go on a little run over half a dozen games and then it'll be back to a barren run again. I hope not, but he's got form there.

Yep, pretty much all bases covered there.

[T.R.O.L.I.]

It's the old "splinter arse scenario"

[Ian Royal]

He needs another goal in the next couple of games. If he gets it he might crack on, but there's still the possibility he'll go on a little run over half a dozen games and then it'll be back to a barren run again. I hope not, but he's got form there.

Agreed. Hence why I'm not getting too excited just yet. If he can score in, for example, 3 of the next 5 games then I'll be a lot happier!

Totally. For me he needs to get about another 6 goals over the next 12 ish games, preferably from open play, otherwise it's just another short lived purple patch. But he's made a good start against his favourite club.

I won't be holding my breath - as I think others have said, it would be typical for us to go on a short scoring run over the next 3 weeks, only to stick with what we have upfront and then go on a drought.

[Snowball]

Well, there we go - finally Long remembers where the back of the net is and doubles his tally from open play for the season.

I really hope that this will kick start a good scoring run for him - as I said in my opening post, his workrate up to the 18 yard box is unquestionable so the only thing that has been missing is goals.

However, I am still reserving judgement until he does go on a decent scoring run as "one swallow does not make a summer". Still, a very welcome 3 points and the league table makes good reading tonight!!

Judge over his career so far, even including the barren run

35 goals, TWENTY-NINE in open play, 1 goal every 2.75 games

Only £7Million Gilfi has done better under McDermott

[Ian Royal]

Just how many starts do our other attackers have in comparison under McDermott? Just to give a picture in some context?

[SLAMMED]

35 goals, TWENTY-NINE in open play, 1 goal every 2.75 games

So you think 16 goals a season is good enough for a striker?

[Snowball]

Totally. For me he needs to get about another 6 goals over the next 12 ish games, preferably from open play, otherwise it's just another short lived purple patch. But he's made a good start against his favourite club.

I won't be holding my breath - as I think others have said, it would be typical for us to go on a short scoring run over the next 3 weeks, only to stick with what we have upfront and then go on a drought.

You are such a pratt.

How is scoring in your 5th, 13th, 15th, 17th, and 21st games a short-lived purple patch?

Including his two Ireland goals it's 5th-11th-15th-17th-19th-20th-24th Games, a fairly healthy spread.

This short purple patch started September 11th, 14 weeks ago

September 11th
October 8th IRELAND
October 23rd
November 6th
November 13th
November 17th IRELAND
December 18th (2)

[Snowball]

35 goals, TWENTY-NINE in open play, 1 goal every 2.75 games

So you think 16 goals a season is good enough for a striker?

Last season, just SEVEN out of 90+ strikers in the CCC just these players managed 16 or more

1 Peter Whittingham 22 Cardiff City MIDFIELDER
2 Nicky Maynard 20 Bristol City
3 Gary Hooper 19 Scunthorpe United
3 Michael Chopra 19 Cardiff City
5 Charlie Adam 18 Blackpool MIDFIELDER
6 Andy Carroll 17 Newcastle United
6 Kevin Nolan 17 Newcastle United
6 Rob Earnshaw 17 Nottingham Forest
9 Gylfi Sigurdsson 16 Reading

[Harpers So Solid Crew]

Snowball Long has started 70 league games and comer on as sub in 79 games for RFC up to today, (soccerbase) scoring 29 league goals.

Sod the minutes, how many of the goals came from the started games, how many when he came on as a sub, and how about a pen breakdown as well, over the two sets of figures.

Started 70 goals ? pens?
Sub 79 goals? pens?

no cup games, internationals, no breakdown of minutes added together to get an irrelevant goals to minute ratio,

[roadrunner]

Keep it short. He scored two today and that's fantastic, but his record as a striker stinks, and his overall game hasn't improved nearly enough since he came here what is it, four years ago now?

Great today, but calm down.

[Ian Royal]

Just how many starts do our other attackers have in comparison under McDermott? Just to give a picture in some context?

Don't expect I'll get an actual answer, so done it myself.

League games only to keep it simple:
McAnuff: 43 (0) - 3 goals
Long: 39 (2) - 12 goals (4 pens)
Kebe: 32 (8) - 13 goals
Sigurdsson: 23 (3) - 14 goals (5 pens)
Church: 17 (24) - 10 goals (1 pen)
Hunt: 7(10) - 3 goals
Rasiak: 5 (11) - 3 goals

Edit: Cup games included
McAnuff: 48 (0) - 3 goals
Long: 41 (6) - 15 goals (4 pens)
Kebe: 36 (11) - 15 goals
Sig: 28 (3) - 17 goals (6 pens)
Church: 23 (25) - 12 goals (1 pen)
Hunt: 8 (10) - 3 goals
Rasiak: 9 (13) - 4 goals

I see I'm getting more abuse for no good reason...

Edit again: must have double counted goals in one of the games for Long. maybe I didn't miss Plymouth afterall...

[Harpers So Solid Crew]

you need to put the pens in Ian, take them from Long and put them on Kebe, for example and it all looks very different.

[Ian Royal]

you need to put the pens in Ian, take them from Long and put them on Kebe, for example and it all looks very different.

Working on a sample to include cup games (missed plymouth as the match report on here doesn't work too) I'll have a look at bracketing in number of pens whilst I'm about it.

[Snowball]

Just how many starts do our other attackers have in comparison under McDermott? Just to give a picture in some context?

I posted this already in terms of minutes played. Here it is starts/minutes/goals

2009-10 - - - 2010-11 - - - Total
20 (07) - - - - 15 (03) - - - - 35 (10) - - - - 3,526 Minutes - - 15 Goals - - A Goal every 0,229 Minutes - - Kebe
16 (05) - - - - 21 (01) - - - - 37 (06) - - - - 3,460 Minutes - - 15 Goals - - A Goal every 0,225 Minutes - - Long
23 (01) - - - - 04 (00) - - - - 27 (01) - - - - 2,607 Minutes - - 18 Goals - - A Goal every 0,163 Minutes - - Gylfi
15 (10) - - - - 09 (13) - - - - 24 (23) - - - - 2,408 Minutes - - 12 Goals - - A Goal every 0,202 Minutes - - Church
08 (09) - - - - 01 (01) - - - - 09 (10) - - - - 0,970 Minutes - - 04 Goals - - A Goal every 0,241 Minutes - - Rasiak
00 (00) - - - - 09 (10) - - - - 09 (10) - - - - 0,831 Minutes - - 03 Goals - - A Goal every 0,254 Minutes - - Hunt

[Snowball]

you need to put the pens in Ian, take them from Long and put them on Kebe, for example and it all looks very different.

Working on a sample to include cup games (missed plymouth as the match report on here doesn't work too) I'll have a look at bracketing in number of pens whilst I'm about it.

He scored two versus Plymouth, one open play, one pen when HRK was brought down (9oth minute winner)

[Snowball]

Long scored 9 last year, six this year (all under Mac)

but you have managed

Long: 41 (6) - 17 goals (4 pens)


neat

[Snowball]

Keep it short. He scored two today and that's fantastic, but his record as a striker stinks, and his overall game hasn't improved nearly enough since he came here what is it, four years ago now?

Great today, but calm down.

His record as a striker doesn't stink.

[T.R.O.L.I.]

Well, there we go - finally Long remembers where the back of the net is and doubles his tally from open play for the season.

I really hope that this will kick start a good scoring run for him - as I said in my opening post, his workrate up to the 18 yard box is unquestionable so the only thing that has been missing is goals.

However, I am still reserving judgement until he does go on a decent scoring run as "one swallow does not make a summer". Still, a very welcome 3 points and the league table makes good reading tonight!!

Judge over his career so far, even including the barren run

Why should I? My concern was the lack of goals our number 1 striker has provided in recent games and how many gilt edged chances have been missed. As I said, if he goes on a scoring run then fantastic, however I am not going to get overexcited off the back of one good scoring performance.

Judgement well and truly reserved for the time being.