Brighton (Home) Friday 20th 8pm (match thread)

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  • FlorinRaducliousFlorinRaduclious
    edited October 2017
    Also even though I like his tenacity in the box and I think he's a good striker, I feel some of our supporters overate him. He is almost halfway through his fourth full season with us, and has scored only 17 league goals.


    Edit: this is referring to Sakho!
  • brookingsironsbrookingsirons
    what makes thing's even more worrying is Carroll is yet to score a goal this
    season as a life long fan i don't see how we are ever going to the so called next level
    with this striker problem happening every season .
  • FlorinRaducliousFlorinRaduclious
    Brookings my last post was about Sakho, didn't notice you'd posted after my previous efforts! While Carroll is far from perfect he for me offers a different option. Out of the two I would keep him over Sakho personally. Carroll has scored 30 premier league goals for us since joining. Also gets far more assists than Sakho; Carroll 17 in all comps, Sakho 4.
  • HamstewHamstew
    No Martinez? Good grief!
  • OldCastleSwiftOldCastleSwift
    I'm going to wait until tomorrow before going fully apoplectic because SB did say 'probably wouldn't be', which suggests there's still a chance he may be, but I'm not holding my breath.

    If he isn't included, I honestly don't know what else Martinez has to do and how many strikers have to be unavailable for him to get a chance.
  • FlorinRaducliousFlorinRaduclious
    Deserves a spot on the bench for me too Hamstew, he's apparently got 23 goals in 26 games now for the U23s. ;clap

    However, as OCS said, Slav stated in his press conference:
    “Martinez is showing good form. He’s been with us a couple of times, in pre-season, and is improving a lot, but we have enough options so he will probably not be in the squad.”
    Looks like he won't be included this time around. However I must add that even though I think he deserves a spot on the bench due to his exploits and if we are winning I'd love to see him get 20 minutes, when I saw him play with the first team pre season he didn't look 'premier league level' ready. It was just one game though so hard to really judge.
  • HamstewHamstew
    If we are without Carroll Sackho and Hernandez. Not having him at least on the bench would be cray cray imo.

    Let's just wait and see I guess.
  • MrsGreyMrsGrey
    Pics on the club site of training this evening show Chicarito there.
  • TwistandShoutTwistandShout
    If Martinez isn't in the squad tomorrow, will he ever be?

    23 goals in 26 games
    Hat-trick on Sunday

    ;puzzled
  • MrsGreyMrsGrey
    I'd suggest he will be in the squad when his all-round game is better than the other forwards who are ahead of him at the moment.

    Scoring goals in an U23 game isn't a sign that you are good enough for the PL. Or even the Championship ... see 'Ashley Fletcher'.
  • YeoldhammerYeoldhammer
    his all around game is better than Ayew up front i reckon
  • LukerzLukerz
    Just shows how badly Andy Carroll let the side down last week.

    Chicharito may now have to play through pain and with a degree of risk as a result.
  • HamstewHamstew
    Mrs Grey I think you are right but I think it was more the case of all the unavailable strikers we might have had and the fear of Ayew getting put up top. Thankfully it seems Hernandez is ok ;ok
  • MrsGreyMrsGrey
    Lukerz said:



    Chicharito may now have to play through pain and with a degree of risk as a result.



    His scan was completely clear.

    He won't play unless he feels OK after training today.

    Both statements by the manager.

  • LukerzLukerz
    They said that about Antonio against Spurs.
  • MrsGreyMrsGrey
    So you think he's lying?

  • LukerzLukerz
    Not lying.

    Just wrong. They have a history of passing a player fit to play who then doesn’t make it past HT.
  • MrsGreyMrsGrey
    edited October 2017
    Once?

    It's not really a history, though, is it.

    When every matchday 18 players are passed fit and very few succumb to a previous problem.

    What do you think is the answer? They have a scan which shows no problems... the player says he feels fine. Not play him... because he might get injured? We'd never put out a tteam.
  • thornburyironthornburyiron
    I don't know why all the fuss about a scan. The likes of you and I can't get a scan or an investigation whenever we want but a PL club especially with their direct links to private hospital facilities can have whatever they like when they like.
    The scan showed no problem so there shouldn't be one. Would be different if he'd said my leg hurts but I can still play so no need to look at it.
  • baracks_a_hammerbaracks_a_hammer
    It should be known by now that Sakho will be pretty effective when fit and on it, but an injury will likely be just round the corner

    So just as he is fit and in form, he is not started. When lack of availability of others means he may get his chance, he gets injured

    The law according to Slav
  • HamstewHamstew
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  • OldCastleSwiftOldCastleSwift
    MrsGrey said:

    I'd suggest he will be in the squad when his all-round game is better than the other forwards who are ahead of him at the moment.

    Scoring goals in an U23 game isn't a sign that you are good enough for the PL. Or even the Championship ... see 'Ashley Fletcher'.

    That's fair enough when he's competing with Carroll, Sakho and Hernandez. But with two of those out I can't think of a better time to include him in the squad. I mean, we're likely to only have Ayew as a forward on the bench; why not give Martinez a place too? Who else have we got as an option up front.

    Bilic does seem reluctant to give him a chance, and it may be that he doesn't think he's good enough, but how will anyone ever know if he's good enough for the PL of he's not given an opportunity to play?
  • McHammerMcHammer
    Some times and briefly form can better than ability. Look at Mike Smalls scoring run for us and he wasnt great.
  • LukerzLukerz
    edited October 2017
    If he’s not good enough for the PL he shouldn’t be here.
  • ASLEFshruggedASLEFshrugged
    Apart from his brilliant run in the PL2 Martinez scored two goals against Coventry who were bottom of League 2 at the time and failed to score against Swindon when they were 4th in League 2.

    How good he'd be against Premier League opposition is unknown.

    So.....

    Hart
    Zab Fonte Reid Cress
    Kouyate Obiang
    Antonio Lanzini Arnie
    Hernandez

    And subs from Adrian, Arthur, Byram, Oggy, Noble, Rice, Fernandes, Ayew and Haksabanovic
  • YeoldhammerYeoldhammer
    Won't have to worry about Sakho end v of this season his contract is up. I doubt he will get a new one if he can't stay fit for the season. Carroll probably in the same boat for the following year.
  • Putney_HammerPutney_Hammer
    So is little p playing tonight or not need to know for fantasy football purposes!
  • MrsGreyMrsGrey
    OldCastleSwift said:





    Bilic does seem reluctant to give him a chance, and it may be that he doesn't think he's good enough, but how will anyone ever know if he's good enough for the PL of he's not given an opportunity to play?

    I just don't buy this argument, OCS. (I know it has been made many times before, in respect of a host of different players, and so lots of people evidently take this view. But not me ;ok )



  • OldCastleSwiftOldCastleSwift
    Fair enough Mrs G, but how would you determine whether a player is good enough? ;hmm I'm not advocating that he should be starting week in, week out, but where we have two strikers missing, and at home to Brighton, I don't think a place on the bench is a big risk.

    Should we play well, find ourselves a couple of goals up with ten minutes to play, put the lad on and see what he can do. If not, he stays put.
  • ASLEFshruggedASLEFshrugged
    edited October 2017
    Lawro's gone for 2-0 to us, the bookies fancy 1-0 so I've got a good feeling about tonight.

    Unfortunately I'll be on train 061 from 7:05pm until 10:12pm so I'll miss most of it; fingers crossed the train gets cancelled......
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