Call time on Pog

[Royal Ginger]

I don't think fitness is an issue with him, he never stops moving and rarely seems to tire. But i'll agree with the link up play issue. He's always far too deep digging it out of the midfield, which he's not bad at, but it's not what we need him to do. I also don't think he should be looking for the tap ins, that's what nippy little players like Cox are for. Looking at the quality of his medium range shots (the ones that leave the stadium when Blackman hits them)and the way he can hold the ball, I think his most dangerous place is two steps into the area.

Edit: I also hate it when he's defending stretched play, as it's a arse clenching two footed slide every time.

[Snowball]

Seems the answer is 4-5-1 with Pog in the M/F (i.e. in the deep ten role

Mackie up front for the pace (but not to bang long balls up to)

[3points]

put in a decent shift for 10 minutes as a left midfielder today as well!

[paddy20]

put in a decent shift for 10 minutes as a left midfielder today as well!

Worked hard again but only one shot on goal. Still 100% effort again full marks to him for that

[RoyalJack]

For a bloke that can't jump, head the ball and wouldn't be arsed today, I thought he did ok!!!!!

[Royal Rother]

He's got talent but I always get the impression with him that his first thought is to buy a free kick.

He's always looking for the leg to fall over - he's always looking / waiting for the push in the back which is why he rarely jumps properly.

Not a player I have any admiration or respect for.

[Esteban]

Pog is one of those strikers that is only as good as those who play with him and considering he plays up front on his own, in a side that doesn't create much or support him particularly well, 1 in 4 isn't too bad (by comparison, Forster's record was 1 in 3, in sides that finished I the playoffs twice and were promoted and included Cureton and Butler).

If Pog weren't such a high earner, which isn't his fault, he wouldn't get half as much stick as he does.

[Ian Royal]

Pog is one of those strikers that is only as good as those who play with him and considering he plays up front on his own, in a side that doesn't create much or support him particularly well, 1 in 4 isn't too bad (by comparison, Forster's record was 1 in 3, in sides that finished I the playoffs twice and were promoted and included Cureton and Butler).

If Pog weren't such a high earner, which isn't his fault, he wouldn't get half as much stick as he does.

He didn't have to sign for us on mega-bucks, he could have gone to PL established Fulham where he'd already settled in on still good wages.

I'd like to say we didn't just pluck a random massive wage figure out of the air to ask him to join us either and that it involved negotiation with him saying what it'd take... but you never know with that stupid Zingaravich tosser..

[Royal Rother]

The money he's paid has zero effect on my judgement of him.

[Snowball]

Pog is one of those strikers that is only as good as those who play with him and considering he plays up front on his own, in a side that doesn't create much or support him particularly well, 1 in 4 isn't too bad (by comparison, Forster's record was 1 in 3, in sides that finished I the playoffs twice and were promoted and included Cureton and Butler).

If Pog weren't such a high earner, which isn't his fault, he wouldn't get half as much stick as he does.

15 Goals in 59 Appearances = 4315 Mins

Overall, better than 1 in 4 appearances

A goal every 288 minutes

[Royal Rother]

How does that compare with our other strikers this season?

[Snowball]

How does that compare with our other strikers this season?

dunno

[Snowball]

League

33 apps 8 goals 4 assists 2205 minutes 0276 gls/min 0184 g+a/min Cox
23 apps 3 goals 3 assists 1190 minutes 0397 gls/min 0198 g+a/min Mackie
31 apps 3 goals 3 assists 1448 minutes 0483 gls/min 0242 g+a/min Blackman
21 apps 2 goals 2 assists 1088 minutes 0544 gls/min 0272 g+a/min Taylor
20 apps 3 goals 1 assists 1213 minutes 0404 gls/min 0303 g+a/min Pav
16 apps 0 goals 2 assists 1170 minutes XXXX gls/min 0885 g+a/min McLeary
22 apps 1 goals 0 assists 1498 minutes 1498 gls/min 1498 g+a/min HRK
04 apps 0 goals 0 assists 0174 minutes XXXX gls/min XXXX g+a/min Yakubu

[Royal Rother]

Thanks.

[Ian Royal]

How does that compare with our other strikers this season?

League only.

Murray - 18 (0), 8 goals, 1 assist in 1532 mins. = 1 goal every 192 mins (170 mins for goals + assists) 8.1 shots per goal
Cox - 26 (7), 8 goals, 4 assists in 2217 mins. = 277 mins (185 mins) 5.9
Mackie - 11 (12), 3 goals, 3 assists in 1186 mins. = 395 mins (198 mins) 8.7
Pogrebnyak - 13 (7), 3 goals, 1 assist in 1206 mins = 402 mins (301 mins) 8.3
Blackman - 14 (17), 3 goals, 0 assists in 1438 mins = 479 mins 14.3
Taylor - 13 (8), 2 goals, 1 assist in 1090 mins = 545 (363 mins) 7.5
HRK - 19 (3), 1 goal, 1 assist in 1510 mins = 1510 mins (755 mins) 32

http://www.whoscored.com/Teams/94/Show/England-Reading

Edit: Ooo, I can do a shots per goal comparison too.... Cox is looking pretty comparatively shit hot. Apart from the whole not having scored in a couple of months.

Mackie .............Cox................ Taylor
...........................Pog

anyone? Nah?

[Maguire]

Great shift from Pav today

[Ian Herring]

Occasionally Pog looks good.

Oft-times less so.

At his worst I use the nickname he made come out of my head for him of 'Colin Gordonov'.

[Dr_Hfuhruhurr]

There's way too much half heartedness on this thread. I think he's absolutely bloody awful.

"He put in a shift" - he doesnt really, because he does all the wrong things. Ive seen plenty of players whose main strength is continuously running after the ball like its got a bell in it, but none as cowardly or as conservative as him. He lives in a state of perpetual fear as if making a mistake will cause a tear in the Pogrebnyak fabric of time. Frankly, if he's going to pass the ball sideways or back to midfield for an entire season then we might as well not play him at all. A few shots a game or, wait for it, creating your own chances (no, really, I mean it) wouldnt go amiss. Someone mentioned his wages arent a problem - of course they are. This isnt financial jealousy, its the fact that there is a huge difference in teams whose biggest earner is their star player, and teams whose biggest earner is completely anonymous.

Fck him - I wouldnt even say we should call time on him - Id put a bullet in him and get the wages back on the life insurance.

[Snowball]

There's way too much half heartedness on this thread. I think he's absolutely bloody awful.

"He put in a shift" - he doesnt really, because he does all the wrong things. Ive seen plenty of players whose main strength is continuously running after the ball like its got a bell in it, but none as cowardly or as conservative as him. He lives in a state of perpetual fear as if making a mistake will cause a tear in the Pogrebnyak fabric of time. Frankly, if he's going to pass the ball sideways or back to midfield for an entire season then we might as well not play him at all. A few shots a game or, wait for it, creating your own chances (no, really, I mean it) wouldnt go amiss. Someone mentioned his wages arent a problem - of course they are. This isnt financial jealousy, its the fact that there is a huge difference in teams whose biggest earner is their star player, and teams whose biggest earner is completely anonymous.

Fck him - I wouldnt even say we should call time on him - Id put a bullet in him and get the wages back on the life insurance.

Don't shilly-shally; say what you REALLY think.

[SCIAG]

How does that compare with our other strikers this season?

League only.

Murray - 18 (0), 8 goals, 1 assist in 1532 mins. = 1 goal every 192 mins (170 mins for goals + assists) 8.1 shots per goal
Cox - 26 (7), 8 goals, 4 assists in 2217 mins. = 277 mins (185 mins) 5.9
Mackie - 11 (12), 3 goals, 3 assists in 1186 mins. = 395 mins (198 mins) 8.7
Pogrebnyak - 13 (7), 3 goals, 1 assist in 1206 mins = 402 mins (301 mins) 8.3
Blackman - 14 (17), 3 goals, 0 assists in 1438 mins = 479 mins 14.3
Taylor - 13 (8), 2 goals, 1 assist in 1090 mins = 545 (363 mins) 7.5
HRK - 19 (3), 1 goal, 1 assist in 1510 mins = 1510 mins (755 mins) 32

http://www.whoscored.com/Teams/94/Show/England-Reading

Edit: Ooo, I can do a shots per goal comparison too.... Cox is looking pretty comparatively shit hot. Apart from the whole not having scored in a couple of months.

Mackie .............Cox................ Taylor
...........................Pog

anyone? Nah?

Making the ridiculous assumption that you could extrapolate from those rates to provide an accurate goal total for a whole season, that's 15 goals for Cox, 10 for Pog, 7 or 8 for Taylor, and 10 or 11 for Mackie. Those are good totals, except for Pog's. By way of comparison, last year our wingers scored 17 goals and our strikers scored 30, counting Drenthe, Blackman and HRK all as wingers. If Murray somehow played every minute, we could expect 21 or 22 goals, which would make 36 from the strikers and 18 from the wingers, whew.

HRK's cup performances probably earn him a place, but Taylor and Mackie have both deserved more minutes.