Pogs Future

[Uke]

When does "lack service" become "never in the right place"?

[LightwaterRoyal]

Its hard to be in the right place for a long ball punted up the pitch in hope that it goes within 20 yards of him.
Under Adkins his quality will show.

[andrew1957]

If Pog stays I would fully expect him to be the focal point of our attack and if fit all season I will be very surprised if he does not score 20 league goals for us.

ALF might score 20 but most would be coming off the bench as he has not proved himself when he starts games and is not the sort of player to hold the ball up. So if we have to sell ALF to fund Pog's wages that would be a deal I would take.

Anyone who thinks Pog is rubbish really knows little about football. He has had no service this year in probably the toughest league in the world but his size and strength will be telling at the lower level.

I would love to see HRK playing the off the striker role feeding off Pog. I think HRK has the game for it and he is a proven golascorer (7 at PL level is not to be sniffed at). He too could notch up 15-20 at the lower level.

[Uke]

When do "size" and "strength" become "weight" and "turning circle of an oil tanker"?

[andrew1957]

When do "size" and "strength" become "weight" and "turning circle of an oil tanker"?

You are clearly watching a different player to most of us on here. Pog is quite mobile for a large guy but without service he has sometimes looked like a fish out of water. That will change at the lower level.

[Jano]

Said a long time ago that I'd be surprised if he left, just can't see anyone coming in for him. I'm still amazed at the differing views, the guy is quite obviously class, but seems to be an easy scapegoat. Yes he has been made to look clumsy and uncomfortable in the role that he has been asked to play, despite it being the complete opposite of what he is good at. He is not, and never has been a target man.

No one could fault his work rate and attitude, and you can clearly see how much improved he is since the system we play changed. He'll score an absolute hat full in the Champ.

[under the tin]

Nah, it seems to me that some are taking the bloke's reputation over what has actually been produced on the pitch.
The Steve Moran comparison is a very well made observation.

In the several decades that I have been following this club, I have seen many strikers.

Pog does not have the pace of a Nicky Forster.
He does not have the aerial prescence or ability of a Jimmy Quinn
He does not have the tricky feet of a Dean Horrix
He does not have the ability to hold the ball up of a Dave Kitson
He does not have the predatorial eye for a goal of a Trevor Senior

Ok, you can argue that these players are from a different era and level. Given.
I'm just trying to work out what this bloke, who is reputedly the highest paid player on the books, is supposed to be to justify that level of remuneration.

[Royalclapper]

Lolz at people saying he's class and he will come good once he drops down a division.

[YateleyRoyal]

Lolz at people saying he's class and he will come good once he drops down a division.

A good, reasoned argument there and a welcome contribution to the thread.

School's finished for the day, I assume?

[Jano]

Lolz at people saying he's class and he will come good once he drops down a division.

I think he's class no matter the division, it's more to do with the style the team is being asked to play and the role he's being asked to perform in that team. Under McDermott he was being asked to play an unfamiliar role, and one he was blatantly not suited to.

[Uke]

Lolz at people saying he's class and he will come good once he drops down a division.

I think he's class no matter the division, it's more to do with the style the team is being asked to play and the role he's being asked to perform in that team. Under McDermott he was being asked to play an unfamiliar role, and one he was blatantly not suited to.

So the other 10 on the pitch are the ones marching out of step?

[Jano]

Lolz at people saying he's class and he will come good once he drops down a division.

I think he's class no matter the division, it's more to do with the style the team is being asked to play and the role he's being asked to perform in that team. Under McDermott he was being asked to play an unfamiliar role, and one he was blatantly not suited to.

So the other 10 on the pitch are the ones marching out of step?

Just, what?! What on earth do the other 10 players have to do with Pog being asked to play a role he is so unsuited to its unreal? He has never and will never be a target man. That should have been obvious one or two games after he started being asked to play it, and if that was how McDermott wanted to play, Hunt should have replaced him.

[Uke]

More the fact that you want to bin a team that had been proven to play together to fit a player who can't play with the established team

Pog should FIFO - either on his own accord or by being sold

We build teams, not galacticos at RFC

[peterroyal76]

Nah, it seems to me that some are taking the bloke's reputation over what has actually been produced on the pitch.
The Steve Moran comparison is a very well made observation.

In the several decades that I have been following this club, I have seen many strikers.

Pog does not have the pace of a Nicky Forster.
He does not have the aerial prescence or ability of a Jimmy Quinn
He does not have the tricky feet of a Dean Horrix
He does not have the ability to hold the ball up of a Dave Kitson
He does not have the predatorial eye for a goal of a Trevor Senior

Ok, you can argue that these players are from a different era and level. Given.
I'm just trying to work out what this bloke, who is reputedly the highest paid player on the books, is supposed to be to justify that level of remuneration.

As you say all of these had different attributes, but they all had one thing in common....if they had all the attributes you least neither would have EVER played for Reading.

[mumbo-jumbo]

I think he is the single biggest problem for the club regarding the playing staff. Yes, people can say he has lacked service etc, but there is no getting away from the fact that he has been a huge disappointment. He is a striker for God's sake, and a very expensive one at that. He is clumsy, lacks a killer instinct, seems isolated in the team, both emotionally and physically, lacks intuition as to where he needs to be and often misses, if not 'sitters'', then at least chances that he should be finishing. How do you off load someone like him who clearly would prefer to play in the prem, but is just not good enough. McCarthy and ALF will either be sold for good money or will stay and be very, very useful next year. I can see neither outcome for the Pog. I really hope we move him on wherever, for whatever we can get for him, and spend his not inconsiderable wages on a 'hungrier' team player.

[Mid Sussex Royal]

Nah, it seems to me that some are taking the bloke's reputation over what has actually been produced on the pitch.
The Steve Moran comparison is a very well made observation.

In the several decades that I have been following this club, I have seen many strikers.

Pog does not have the pace of a Nicky Forster.
He does not have the aerial prescence or ability of a Jimmy Quinn
He does not have the tricky feet of a Dean Horrix
He does not have the ability to hold the ball up of a Dave Kitson
He does not have the predatorial eye for a goal of a Trevor Senior

Ok, you can argue that these players are from a different era and level. Given.
I'm just trying to work out what this bloke, who is reputedly the highest paid player on the books, is supposed to be to justify that level of remuneration.

As you say all of these had different attributes, but they all had one thing in common....if they had all the attributes you least neither would have EVER played for Reading.

Hard to make comparisons as out of those only Forster and Kitson did it for us at championship level - Senior and Horrix were successful third/forth tier strikers, and Quinn didn't pull up any trees in the championship - not for us anyway.

[TBM]

Pogrebnyak is a quality footballer who has lacked service and still managed to put in positive performances.

thread/

Can't be end of thread as that ^^ doesn't answer anything about his future.....

[under the tin]

Nah, it seems to me that some are taking the bloke's reputation over what has actually been produced on the pitch.
The Steve Moran comparison is a very well made observation.

In the several decades that I have been following this club, I have seen many strikers.

Pog does not have the pace of a Nicky Forster.
He does not have the aerial prescence or ability of a Jimmy Quinn
He does not have the tricky feet of a Dean Horrix
He does not have the ability to hold the ball up of a Dave Kitson
He does not have the predatorial eye for a goal of a Trevor Senior

Ok, you can argue that these players are from a different era and level. Given.
I'm just trying to work out what this bloke, who is reputedly the highest paid player on the books, is supposed to be to justify that level of remuneration.

As you say all of these had different attributes, but they all had one thing in common....if they had all the attributes you least neither would have EVER played for Reading.

Hard to make comparisons as out of those only Forster and Kitson did it for us at championship level - Senior and Horrix were successful third/forth tier strikers, and Quinn didn't pull up any trees in the championship - not for us anyway.

TBF I did qualify these comparisons in my original post.
Upon reflection, though, I think that I should have worded it "Has not shown" instead of "does not have".
For all that, having shown very little of what is listed above so far, I just can't work out how some reckon this guy will suddenly turn into a goal machine. I just can't see it.

[M Brook]

Nah, it seems to me that some are taking the bloke's reputation over what has actually been produced on the pitch.
The Steve Moran comparison is a very well made observation.

In the several decades that I have been following this club, I have seen many strikers.

Pog does not have the pace of a Nicky Forster.
He does not have the aerial prescence or ability of a Jimmy Quinn
He does not have the tricky feet of a Dean Horrix
He does not have the ability to hold the ball up of a Dave Kitson
He does not have the predatorial eye for a goal of a Trevor Senior

Ok, you can argue that these players are from a different era and level. Given.
I'm just trying to work out what this bloke, who is reputedly the highest paid player on the books, is supposed to be to justify that level of remuneration.

Not so sure about some of those comparisons. He is more than a competent dribbler of the ball and moves and keeps it as well as DH and DK and he also has the eye for goal that TS certainly had in his prime. If he stays, he will be a huge asset. There is no doubt he has been a disappointment this season but then who hasn't? I hope he stays.

[winchester_royal]

When do "size" and "strength" become "weight" and "turning circle of an oil tanker"?

Presumably when it becomes true.