Long - Time to go.

[Snowball]

Gradel, Hammill & Cywka are NOT on loan.

sorry, mis-read their wiki entries

obviously loans turning into signings is becoming commonplace

[Snowball]

Shane Long is now in the Actim Top 100


Rather shoots-down the theory that goals control who gets in, doesn't it?

http://actimindex.files.wordpress.com/2 ... p10065.gif


Shane is 98th


Ian Harte is RFC's highest player.
I'll repeat that.
Ian Harte is RFC's highest player.

61 Ian Harte
62 Jobi McAnuff
75 Adam Federici
83 Jimmy Kebe
98 Shane Long


Mills has just slipped out of the 100

So Wyc, whatchafinkofthat?

[Wycombe Royal]

sorry

Quoted for added emphasis.

[Wycombe Royal]

Shane Long is now in the Actim Top 100


Rather shoots-down the theory that goals control who gets in, doesn't it?

http://actimindex.files.wordpress.com/2 ... p10065.gif


Shane is 98th


Ian Harte is RFC's highest player.
I'll repeat that.
Ian Harte is RFC's highest player.

61 Ian Harte
62 Jobi McAnuff
75 Adam Federici
83 Jimmy Kebe
98 Shane Long


Mills has just slipped out of the 100

So Wyc, whatchafinkofthat?

Long has played a lot of games and as we know if you play a lot of games you are more likely to feature in this. It was quite obviously his assist that moved him up this week.

Nice to see Kebe still quite a few places above him despite having made 5 less starts than Long, and Harte even higher still (3 less starts).

[Snowball]

Long has played a lot of games and as we know if you play a lot of games you are more likely to feature in this. It was quite obviously his assist that moved him up this week. Nice to see Kebe still quite a few places above him despite having made 5 less starts than Long, and Harte even higher still (3 less starts).

It doesn't worry me that other RFC players are doing well.

It's just nice to see a player who is being regularly trashed on this list
getting two Man of the Match Awards in internationals and making
The Actim Top 100 despite (according to too many moaners) not scoring
enough goals.

So they were wrong about Actim being goal-driven and have now gone quiet.
They loved it when Shane WASN'T in the Index, now...

[Wycombe Royal]

Long has played a lot of games and as we know if you play a lot of games you are more likely to feature in this. It was quite obviously his assist that moved him up this week. Nice to see Kebe still quite a few places above him despite having made 5 less starts than Long, and Harte even higher still (3 less starts).

It doesn't worry me that other RFC players are doing well.

It's just nice to see a player who is being regularly trashed on this list
getting two Man of the Match Awards in internationals and making
The Actim Top 100 despite (according to too many moaners) not scoring
enough goals.

So they were wrong about Actim being goal-driven and have now gone quiet.
They loved it when Shane WASN'T in the Index, now...

The actim index appears to be weighted in favour of attacking attributes, not just goal scoring. And I have never trashed Shane Long and neither does it worry me that other RFC players are doing well in this index. You asked me what I thought and I told you.

[Snowball]

Yes, Wyc. I know, Wyc.

[Shaka's Giant Hands]

sorry, mis-read their wiki entries

To be fair this explains a lot.

[roadrunner]

absolutely atrocious today. First touch was useless and his awareness was frustrating. You shouldn't be that easy to defend against. absolutely no threat at all.

[Harpers So Solid Crew]

you could do a BFG thread RR

[RoyalBlue]

Classic moment in today's first half where an obviously frustrated McDermott could clearly be seen demonstrating to Long how to control the ball with his first touch!

Not the natural goalscorer we so definitely need but still contributed an awful lot to the team again today. Certainly gives the defenders (sadly with the exception of the keeper!) a lot to think about.

[cmonurz]

2 goals from open play in 28 league games now. Thank god for that lucky hit at QPR.

1 goal from 34 attempts now this season (or 1 from 31 if those attempts include penalties).

[Snowball]

2 goals from open play in 28 league games now. Thank god for that lucky hit at QPR.

1 goal from 34 attempts now this season (or 1 from 31 if those attempts include penalties).

You were later than expected Gwathoppa.

See you in Sheffield.

[cmonurz]

Just saying.

[Svlad Cjelli]

I desperately want to support him, but it's getting harder and harder to justify him as the "main" striker.

Today there were two clear examples where his poor first-touch put the ball much too far in front of him and a clear chance at the end where he could have buried it from 2 yards out but unaccountably didn't.

So for me with his workrate he'd be perfect as the support striker, doing the running and creating the chances for that actual "main" goalscorer - but I'm afraid he just isn't that main goalscorer, and I doubt he ever will be.

[Ian Royal]

Thank Christ Kebe, seems to be back to fitness now. That means Church can stop being utterly wasted out on the wing and we can have a striker to bring on and replace one of Hunt or Long if things aren't going well enough.

Then, when Church has picked up a couple more goals from the bench we can go with him and Hunt as our best attacking combination.

[Northern Git]

A postman who does not deliver letters - fired
A trawlerman whoes not catch fish - fired
A milkman who does not deliver milk - fired
A striker who does not score goals .........................

[Wycombe Royal]

It was just another typical Shane Long performance. Lots of graft, lots of energy, lots of bustling, some poor first touches, some wayward passes, won a few headers and failed to take up dangerous positions in the penalty area. It was another 7 out 10 performance from him.

He is not a MAIN striker. He needs to be the support act.

[cmonurz]

The concern is that his shooting has been getting worse for a couple of seasons. Stats for league goals from shots:

2005/06 - 3 from 7 (just over 1 in 2)
2006/07 - 2 from 14 (1 in 7 - although in the Premier League, so perhaps not all that bad)
2007/08 - 3 from 15 attempts (Premier League again)
2008/09 - 9 from 30 (slightly over 1 in 3)
2009/10 - 5 from 38 (or 37 if the official site includes penalties as shots - just over 1 in 7)
2010/11 - 1 from 34 (or 31) attempts

What there is no doubt about is that Long's all round play has improved considerably over the last couple of years, but I'd have to agree with the other posters who say he simply cannot be our main striker, we can't rely on him to get us a goal. As well as Long is playing, I remain convinced, given the chances we are creating, it might be worth giving Church and Hunt a go, just to see if Church can get in the positions Long is failing to, or convert the chances Long is failing to.

What the stats above perhaps illustrate is that where fans first and foremost look for goals, or a goal threat, from their strikers, it perhaps isn't a surprise, from Long's form in front of goal during the last couple of seasons, that some are beginning to say 'ok, he's had long enough to improve this part of his game, and it's just not happening'.

[handbags_harris]

cmonurz, you are fast becoming as irritating as Snowball with the stats