Once and for all - Harrold

[Southend_Lady]

i actually completely forgot he came on at northampton, right at the end he did actually do a pretty good run and then a pretty decent shot. you do tend to forget the good things matty does.

Granted, but no end product with this doesnt help us.
Its like JCR, I used to rave about him and thought that he was brilliant and TBF his skills were pretty impressive, but after a while I could see that as good as his little runs and trickery were, he just wasnt giving the team with what he was supposed to which was to get crosses in and supply to the strikers. Its the same with Matty. He may have some good little attributes and I wont say that he doesnt contribute anything at all but he isnt supplying us with whats stated on the tin of a striker - to score goals.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Granted, but no end product with this doesnt help us.
Its like JCR, I used to rave about him and thought that he was brilliant and TBF his skills were pretty impressive, but after a while I could see that as good as his little runs and trickery were, he just wasnt giving the team with what he was supposed to which was to get crosses in and supply to the strikers. Its the same with Matty. He may have some good little attributes and I wont say that he doesnt contribute anything at all but he isnt supplying us with whats stated on the tin of a striker - to score goals.

JCR and Harrold is a good comparison actually. JCR looked good to the casual observer but did very little, whilst Harrold appears to offer very little to the casual observer but actually helps the team immensely. JCR, despite his pace, slowed down play, but Harrold, despite his lack of pace, speeds up our play and gets us moving with his link play.

 

[A Century United]

Granted, but no end product with this doesnt help us.
Its like JCR, I used to rave about him and thought that he was brilliant and TBF his skills were pretty impressive, but after a while I could see that as good as his little runs and trickery were, he just wasnt giving the team with what he was supposed to which was to get crosses in and supply to the strikers. Its the same with Matty. He may have some good little attributes and I wont say that he doesnt contribute anything at all but he isnt supplying us with whats stated on the tin of a striker - to score goals.

Simple. Don't call him a striker, it's such a straightjacket of a word. Tilson plays him as a forward, not a striker. As far as Tilly and Brush are concerned, they play a system of football where all 10 outfield players are strikers when and if the opportunity arises. We are joint fourth highest scorers in league one at the moment, and third in the table. Matt Harrold has done everything that has been asked of him. To call for his head on the basis of one statistic is, in my opinion, to completely misunderstand what he brings to the team, or how T&B like their team to play.

 

[Ipshrimp]

Well, seeing as I can't get to the Forest game, I'll vote on this instead. The answer has to be yes because out of the options we currently have at the club he has looked the most effective. He was very good against Gillingham and if he played like that all season, he'd be an asset. Were you not there, Southend Lady? Nonetheless, some goals would come in handy...

I'd go along with others, though - why isn't Foran getting his turn? Tilly said forwards would only stay in the team if they scored goals - give the Foran a crack of the whip, I say.

 

[Murkey_Mouse]

Not sure what I think of him yet, he now been given a chance agasint Forest tonight, if City Ground & agasint a club of Forest dont make him raise his games, then maybe Southend Lady is right. Long as he give 100% I take that.

Come on Matt prove her wrong, starting Forest!

 

[mattytheshrimper]

not a bad start.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Southend have scored in every game Matt Harrold has started since boxing day last year.

 

[J]

Southend have scored in every game Matt Harrold has started since boxing day last year.

Ok.. so how many games is that? and how many games has he scored in for us... (first team fixtures of course yorky)

 

[mattytheshrimper]

really??????????? bloody hell

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Ok.. so how many games is that? and how many games has he scored in for us... (first team fixtures of course yorky)

I don't care who scores the goals as long as we score. I think we are a better team with him in it, and the stats seem to suggest that we score goals with him in the team.

 

[J]

I don't care who scores the goals as long as we score. I think we are a better team with him in it, and the stats seem to suggest that we score goals with him in the team.

stats stats stats... it's not all stats yorky... It's how the team play, and the team are not better with him, or hooper... I really want to see macca have a chance. Or Foran...

 

[mattytheshrimper]

i like stats. very interesting

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

stats stats stats... it's not all stats yorky... It's how the team play, and the team are not better with him, or hooper... I really want to see macca have a chance. Or Foran...

I agree entirely that there is much more to it than stats. I was responding to the stat that Harrold hasn't scored a league goal for a year, by pointing out that we've scored in every game he's started for 10 months.

I think Harrold has played well this season. I also think he did really well when he came on as sub last season (don't think he did much when he started last season, but that isn't that surprising considering his age and experience). But that doesn't wash with a lot of people who think he's a striker and he isn't contributing unless he's scoring goals.

I want to see Harrold and Clarke given an extended run together. I think Foran is best utilised as an impact player from the bench, I have doubts over his stamina and I think his style doesn't especially suit us and would be more effective in short bursts than over 90 minutes. I like what I've seen of McDonald, but I'd use him from the bench as well, like Harrold last season.

As I've stated time after time, I'm far more concerned about our defence than our forwards.

 

[Sean 2]

I thought our defence looked great with Richards down the middle,then when it was changed we looked dodgy again.

 

[mattytheshrimper]

the poll still looks very close.

 

[sufcintheprem]

By the way, here's 4 of the absolute best strikers we've seen in the Premiership and they've all assisted more than they scored so, no, you aren't simply judged as a striker by the goals you score. At least, not by some of the best minds in the game.

(all Premiership only)

Dennis Bergkamp - 87 goals, 147 assists
Gianfranco Zola - 59, 89
Paolo Di Canio - 68, 87
Eric Cantona - 70, 81

Anyone know how many Harrold has assisted?

This poll is pretty ridiculous and pretty boring really. Do any other fans knock their players when they're third?

I know we don't generally like using stats on here but Harrold has 3 goals in 21 league games (not sure why we're discounting league cup goals but fair enough). Hooper has 1 in 8, Foran has 1 in 9, MacDonald has 0 in 2 and Clarke a paltry 7 in 10 starts.

What does that tell us? Even statistically, Harrold is the second best goalscorer at the club so where are the corresponding posts about the rest of our strikers that don't, in all honesty, offer nearly as much as target men?

Do any of them have the presence of mind, as Harrold did, to back header to McCormack for the equaliser against Doncaster? Have any of them had a loanee take the ball off them unceremoniously to deny them their first goal of the season?

He played ten minutes against Northampton, five against Carlisle and 0 against Walsall, by the way. I'm really struggling to understand what prompted this poll.

 

[ashingdon shrimper]

harrold has played his socks off this season, he runs for everything, i wish he could head a ball, a little bit of luck and you never no he might start scoring, i still think he is a player for the future it is time for foran and charlie especially as we are now going to lose leon for a few games. as for hooper i have never been impresed. barrett has a higher scoring ratio than both harrold and hooper.

 

[Southminster_Shrimper]

Hes done much better in some games since Clarke arrived but you never get the feeling he is going to win a header or score. Unfortunately as a tall centre forward those qualities are sort of required!

If he continues to improve then maybe there is hope but I think he should be doing more with his heading ability and composure in front of goal.

When hes in with a sniff of a goal its like someone has chucked him a hand grenade with the pin missing. Paaaaaannnnnnnnnnnniiiiiiiiiiiiiiccc

 

[ARSE!!]

harrold has improved and his work rate is 2nd to none and a this rate i think in 2008/9 season he should score a goal or 2

 

[CC51DAS]

It looked a whole lot better up front last night ( at least till Leon went ) with Harry up front instead of Hooper, despite the ref being 'on his back' . That said he is not a player who is ever going to scare opposing defences sh1tless and cause panic .

Can't fault his workrate but overall he is unlikely to develop into an outstanding player at this level or the one above . Nonetheless he does not deserve to constantly find himself the target of critisim on here

BTW I predicted 30 goals for him this season ( but I did say 15 of them in pre-season :rolleyes: )