Long - Time to go.

[Terminal Boardom]

On a brighter note, comparing last season with this.


After 18 Games



11 Reading 18 4 3 2 17 11 2 4 3 11 11 +06 25 2010-11

21 Reading 18 1 4 4 05 10 3 1 5 13 18 -10 17 2009-10


8 Points better off with a 16-goal better GD


Last season we missed the play-off by 7 points....

Don't let Royalee see this

[Snowball]

On a brighter note, comparing last season with this.


After 18 Games



11 Reading 18 4 3 2 17 11 2 4 3 11 11 +06 25 2010-11

21 Reading 18 1 4 4 05 10 3 1 5 13 18 -10 17 2009-10


8 Points better off with a 16-goal better GD


Last season we missed the play-off by 7 points....

Don't let Royalee see this

Pourquois?

[cmonurz]

Your admiration for Shane Long is matched only by Royalee's appreciation of Brendan Rodgers, put it that way.

[Ian Royal]

bah!

Surely you wouldn't want Long marking a man-mountain of a centreback because Mills/Pearce were on Deeney?

Edit: thinking about it, seeing as that was the first goal I reckon Long's been at fault for and Mills has been beaten on crosses and corners a fair few times, perhaps it's not such a bad idea to get Mills to mark someone who isn't that great in the air....

[Snowball]

Your admiration for Shane Long is matched only by Royalee's appreciation of Brendan Rodgers, put it that way.

Ah!

[Man Friday]

I'm a professional writer with 400 publications including five novels and a collection of prize-winning short stories. LESS is totally fine by me.

Can you link us to your novels on Amazon? If your novels are anything like your contributions on here they will be unputdownable.

[Millsy]

FFS.

Cannot believe this thread is still going!!!

Anyone who can take seriously someone who is trying to defend a striker who has only scored ONE proper goal all season has got to be super gullible. There is no debate to be had FFS.

Snowball, I hand it to you. You're the best fisherman in the history of HNA!

[Snowball]

FFS. Cannot believe this thread is still going!!! Anyone who can take seriously someone who is trying to defend a striker who has only scored ONE proper goal all season has got to be super gullible. There is no debate to be had FFS. Snowball, I hand it to you. You're the best fisherman in the history of HNA!

2WW I want a promise from you.

It's Wembley, 90th minute of the Play-Off Finals, 0-0. Long wins a penalty.

You want to refuse to take it?

Stop being silly, man. Long has a fine career-average for goals per minutes played
and only 5 of his 33 goals came from the spot. The Great God Doyle scored more
penalties than that. So did King Kitson. Because one person decided to highlight
"goals from open play" (and I couldn't give a flying monkey's oxf*rd whether a goal
is open play or not) the drongos around here have built it up into a big deal.

Divinity Doyle went until 4 minutes from time in his 12th league appearance before
finally scoring a league goal this season. SO WHAT?

That is a heck of a lot worse than Long this season.

But Doyle will probably get 5-10 by season's end and Long will get 10-15

You can't judge players over short passages of time or games. Most players go through
patches. Long has scored 1 goal in open play, scored three penalties, won another penalty
which produced a goal, and had three assists for goals. That's NINE goals from our 28
he had a DIRECT hand in. He also had a big hand in Gylfi's goal at Leicester, TEN, he won
the free-kick that led to McAnuff's goal at Burnley (ELEVEN) and got the player sent off
at Burnley, and we scored two more goals because of that.

ELEVEN goals out of 28.

[Royal With Cheese]

Just out of interest, how many penalties has Long missed?

[Snowball]

Just out of interest, how many penalties has Long missed?

I can remember one he put over the bar

[Millsy]

FFS. Cannot believe this thread is still going!!! Anyone who can take seriously someone who is trying to defend a striker who has only scored ONE proper goal all season has got to be super gullible. There is no debate to be had FFS. Snowball, I hand it to you. You're the best fisherman in the history of HNA!

2WW I want a promise from you.

It's Wembley, 90th minute of the Play-Off Finals, 0-0. Long wins a penalty.

You want to refuse to take it?

Stop being silly, man. Long has a fine career-average for goals per minutes played
and only 5 of his 33 goals came from the spot. The Great God Doyle scored more
penalties than that. So did King Kitson. Because one person decided to highlight
"goals from open play" (and I couldn't give a flying monkey's oxf*rd whether a goal
is open play or not) the drongos around here have built it up into a big deal.

Divinity Doyle went until 4 minutes from time in his 12th league appearance before
finally scoring a league goal this season. SO WHAT?

That is a heck of a lot worse than Long this season.

But Doyle will probably get 5-10 by season's end and Long will get 10-15

You can't judge players over short passages of time or games. Most players go through
patches. Long has scored 1 goal in open play, scored three penalties, won another penalty
which produced a goal, and had three assists for goals. That's NINE goals from our 28
he had a DIRECT hand in. He also had a big hand in Gylfi's goal at Leicester, TEN, he won
the free-kick that led to McAnuff's goal at Burnley (ELEVEN) and got the player sent off
at Burnley, and we scored two more goals because of that.

ELEVEN goals out of 28.

Classic!!!!

Not only the best fisherman on HNA but the best goalpost mover too. Your shoulders must be aching!

Shane "One goal all season" Long is a top championship goalscorer



Ok he's not but that's not important: he works hard, wins the ball and makes all the assists, without whom we won't get goals



Ok maybe not but anyway his job isn't that it's merely to "tire out the defenders" before real strikers come on



Erm, ok, he's none of those things really but, um... one day he might score an important penalty for us and *that* is his real raison d'etre.

You've gone from the most effective goalpost mover HNA has ever seen, to the best fisherman HNA has ever seen to quite frankly one of the funniest posters HNA has ever seen. Any chance the books you wrote are on fishing, goal-moving and comedy?

I think you're great

[Snowball]

2WW, I made two points in that post.

First, a penalty is EXACTLY as good as a goal in open play. The record books merely show goals.

Second, Long has scored 4 goals and allowed Harte to score his fifth and been involved in 11 of our 28 goals

There is no goal-post movement involved here. Wearing down defenders etc is an extra part of his game

Shane's contribution is scoring goals (4)
Shane's contribution is winning penalties which he scores (3)
Shane's contribution is winning penalties which are scored by others (1)
Shane's contribution is direct, clear assists (3) (Pearce, Antonio, Hunt)
Shane's contribution is partial assists (eg Gyfli's goal at Leicester) (1)
Shane's contribution is winning free-kicks from which we score goals (at least 1)
Shane's contribution is getting opposition players sent off (at least 1)
Shane's contribution is getting opposition players yellow-carded (many)
Shane's contribution is wearing down defenders
Shane's contribution is taking defenders away to make space for others (Hunt)

[Scarface]

I don't care what stats you come up with, the simple fact is Long has missed a glorious chance to win each of the last 3 games, so effectively costing us 6 points. Although his all round game has improved he still has no composure in front of goal, highlighted Saturday when he just kicked it at the keepers body in panic.

[Snowball]

I don't care what stats you come up with, the simple fact is Long has missed a glorious chance to win each of the last 3 games, so effectively costing us 6 points. Although his all round game has improved he still has no composure in front of goal, highlighted Saturday when he just kicked it at the keepers body in panic.

We'll ignore the fact that Long MADE a goal, shall we?

And Church missed this game, exact same situation, thru, one on one, and Karacan missed an open goal.

And Church missed another sitter, again laid on a plate by Long, at home.

And Church set up by Long at Burnley, free shot 10-15 yards out shot straight at the keeper

It happens.

Now check Long's career goals per minutes played. It's close to Doyle's.

Runs happen, but maybe it's to do with the lack of chances MADE FOR Long.

Strange he can score 2 goals in 2 games and 29 minutes for Ireland, one in open play

[Wycombe Royal]

Runs happen, but maybe it's to do with the lack of chances MADE FOR Long.

I think it is more to do with Shane not taking up the right positions. THis is where instinct comes into it again. Jamie Cureton, Trevor Senior, Andy Cole, Alan Shearer, etc - -all these players had a strikers instinct and always seem to be in the right place at the right time. Shane doesn't have this and it isn't something that can be taught.

[Harpers So Solid Crew]

Most strikers just are, Long isn't which does not make him a bad player per se, but not a top scorer type.

Unless there are any stats to show a 25 goal season is due

[Snowball]

Runs happen, but maybe it's to do with the lack of chances MADE FOR Long.

I think it is more to do with Shane not taking up the right positions. THis is where instinct comes into it again. Jamie Cureton, Trevor Senior, Andy Cole, Alan Shearer, etc - -all these players had a strikers instinct and always seem to be in the right place at the right time. Shane doesn't have this and it isn't something that can be taught.

Fairy Nuff, but think on this.

How many chances go flying across the goal-mouth from a midfielder
or winger or another striker and there is nobody there?

It's not happening is it? Those chances are NOT being made.

[Wycombe Royal]

Runs happen, but maybe it's to do with the lack of chances MADE FOR Long.

I think it is more to do with Shane not taking up the right positions. THis is where instinct comes into it again. Jamie Cureton, Trevor Senior, Andy Cole, Alan Shearer, etc - -all these players had a strikers instinct and always seem to be in the right place at the right time. Shane doesn't have this and it isn't something that can be taught.

Fairy Nuff, but think on this.

How many chances go flying across the goal-mouth from a midfielder
or winger or another striker and there is nobody there?

It's not happening is it? Those chances are NOT being made.

When they have been put in they have been missed by the strikers. The ball alway seems to fall in the box away from Shane Long. I see it with my own eyes most matches. Also the wingers probably shy away from putting those types of balls in because when they do no-one is usually there. Shane can often be found outwide or still working his way in to the box, not in the box waiting for the loose ball.

Take Ian Harte's goal against Norwich or Simon Church's lucky deflection earlier in the season against Ipswich - when does Shane Long have those type of chances fall to him? The answer is he doesn't because he doesn't get in the right positions. It isn't just about him having those type of chances being made for him, he has to be in the position in order to HAVE them made for him. Other players get those chances but he doesn't. Maybe it is the way he is being asked to play but as a lone striker he SHOULD be getting those types of chances.

[brendywendy]

I don't care what stats you come up with, the simple fact is Long has missed a glorious chance to win each of the last 3 games, so effectively costing us 6 points. Although his all round game has improved he still has no composure in front of goal, highlighted Saturday when he just kicked it at the keepers body in panic.

cant do owt but agree here

im a big fan of long, think he has really upped his game, is pivotal to our points won so far, and will do very well in a two with hunt

but you cannot deny that he has had at least 1, glaring chance in each of the last three draws which should have been buried.

but then i guess nhunt and church probably have shown similar faults too.

i thgink well have a striker in by thursday, and if not in jan. and then we can stop all this gay whingeing

[Stranded]

I guess an easy question to ask, is who on here (and in the real world) actually has any confidence that when presented with a decent chance Long will score?