Emmanuel Adebayor - Officially gone \o/

[Spursalot]

Kind of clutching at straws isn't it? He was poor in the other game against Lyon and Saudi Sportswashing Machine. Agreed were not creating as many chances as last season, but his movement isn't good enough right now, I don't see him making runs, except against Lyon, and when he does get a chance, he fluffs it.

Lets be honest, we all knew he would go to the ACN and score goals, then come back to England and dry up again didn't we lol?

No nobody knew it. People hoped it though.


Clutching at straws? Not really. Bar the sitter he missed against wham he has looked good in the last two games.

 

[Jordinho]

Kind of clutching at straws isn't it? He was poor in the other game against Lyon and Saudi Sportswashing Machine. Agreed were not creating as many chances as last season, but his movement isn't good enough right now, I don't see him making runs, except against Lyon, and when he does get a chance, he fluffs it.

Lets be honest, we all knew he would go to the ACN and score goals, then come back to England and dry up again didn't we lol?

I think a lot depends on what we as individuals look for in a player/team and what we're expecting might not be what the players are asked to do or what actually works best for them or the team.

Shots on goal:

This season:

Liverpool 19.9 pg
Tottenham 18.6 pg
Emirates Marketing Project 17.4 pg

Last season:

Emirates Marketing Project 19.4 pg
Tottenham 18.4 pg
Chelsea 17.7 pg

On target:

This season:

Tottenham 6.4 pg
Emirates Marketing Project 6.1 pg
Liverpool 5.8 pg

Last season:

Emirates Marketing Project 6.6 pg
Man Utd 6.4 pg
Arsenal 6.2 pg
Tottenham 6.1 pg

Offsides:

This season:

Fulham 1.5 pg
Tottenham 1.6 pg
Emirates Marketing Project, Saudi Sportswashing Machine, Stoke 1.9 pg

Last season:

Bolton 1.4 pg
Blackburn 1.5 pg
Stoke 1.6 pg
.
.
Emirates Marketing Project 2.2 pg
Tottenham 2.4 pg

What we see is a seemingly more elaborate passing game, but our average possession stats are down from 56.7 % to 52.5 %. Number of chances are pretty much the same, but with less offsides. How many of these shots were good goalscoring opportunities is not part of these stats, but from what I remember the quality of the chances we create are pretty similar to the last few seasons. We do seem to be doing less running down the wings to put crosses in at the moment. One could deduce that it's deliberate as we seem more likely to score from other types of chances.

 

[Jurgen the German]

No nobody knew it. People hoped it though.


Clutching at straws? Not really. Bar the sitter he missed against wham he has looked good in the last two games.

You said he looked good in two games. You can't be counting Monday as one of them surely? He looked good against Lyon away. In the home game, I'm sorry he did not play well. He looked up for it, but he didn't play well. So it's one game he's played well in and 3 minutes after we took the lead in stoppage time on Monday.

Do you think he's done enough to keep his place when Defoe comes back? Take whether you don't rate Defoe or not out of the equation. On performances, has he deserved it?

 

[Chirpy]

I think Adebayor absolutely deserves his spot in the team right now

I, as much as anyone, wanted us to bring in another striker during the window (as I have for the last 3 Jan windows) and feared that once again the decision not to invest in a striker would cost us CL football but I think in recent matches Ade has been showing signs he is returning to form and could play a vital role in our race for fourth.

He was decent against Lyon in France, their style of play and game plan made it very difficult for all our attacking players because they parked the bus were very physical and pressed us hard whilst looking to hit us on the break (something they could do even more once they had taken the lead) but Ade continued to work hard, make runs and put himself about.

His only real chance of the first half came from an excellent through ball from Holtby (ade was then wrongly ruled off side but he also was slow to react and beaten to the ball by the keeper)

Second half he came deep, went wide and got involved. He contributed to our link play and our ability to maintain possession and but for a bit of luck when Bale side footed wide his cross would have resulted in a match winning assist (he couldn't really do much more on the day given the lack of service and the way Lyon strangled our attacking play with their game plan)

As for Monday night, I thought he played very well actually. Terrible terrible miss with his open goal header but his movement was good as was his link and hold up play (not least when we ran down the clock after taking the lead) he also indirectly contributed to two of our three goals (his physical presence put their defender off balance which resulted in his clearance/pass going to Bale who ultimately scored and for the second goal his crazy air shot resulted in him landing on Collins who would otherwise have cleared the ball before Sig scored)

He also contributed in a similar fashion for the winning goal against Saudi Sportswashing Machine as his physical presence prevented the defender clearing the ball before Bale pounced on it and ran through to score.

He might not have been playing to the best of his ability like last season and its very easy to get frustrated by misses like the header on Monday or the rebound from Defoe's excellent shot against QPR that he should have buried without given Ceaser a chance. But he has been steadily improving in my opinion and his work rate and physical presence and not least his hold up/link up play have been contributing to our good form (plus I believe he will continue to improve and begin contributing more directly again, especially if our general creativity can improve as in did on Monday)

I don't think there should be even a question of dropping him for Defoe on Defoe's return, Defoe was in poor scoring form too before his injury and he offers next to nothing else so all things being equal Ade starts for the things beyond goal scoring he has to offer. Defoe will take time to regain match fitness anyway so he should start on the bench and if needed come on to make an impact as a sub (against a tired defense his style of play would cause problems)

 

[Pirate55]

As I have been saying all along Ade has been sh1t all season. He is playing like a player who is feeling "underpaid". You all know the sort at work. Those who just work 9-5 and are out the door on the stroke of five. While at work they just go through the motions. No desire to put in anything extra and no commitment whatsoever. Even on £80 or £100k per week, in my view Ade sees himself as "underpaid"!. He therefore is just going throught the motions until he can get another bonanza payday - or stiff us for another so called "loyalty bonus" like he did to City.

He has shorchanged us all season. He has the ideal opportunity to start paying us all back in the games to come - and in particular against the Arse.

Lets all hope he takes the opportunity.

 

[Spursalot]

You said he looked good in two games. You can't be counting Monday as one of them surely? He looked good against Lyon away. In the home game, I'm sorry he did not play well. He looked up for it, but he didn't play well. So it's one game he's played well in and 3 minutes after we took the lead in stoppage time on Monday.

Do you think he's done enough to keep his place when Defoe comes back? Take whether you don't rate Defoe or not out of the equation. On performances, has he deserved it?

I can be counting monday. He put in the effort, ran around and held up the ball. If he doesn't snatch at the header and scores then everyone thinks it's all rosy. That miss aside he played well.

How do i take whether or not i rate Defoe out of the equation? That would be stupid. Whether or not he keeps his place is based on the other people who can play in his position.

I would keep Adebayor in. The signs are good in my view, plus we play Arsenal next which he should be fired up for. I think someone needs to get in his ear and point out that we could overtake City. He seems to want to prove himself against his former teams.

We need a player up top who can hold the ball up. If we had another one then sure, I could see us playing them instead. We don't.

 

[Jurgen the German]

I can be counting monday. He put in the effort, ran around and held up the ball. If he doesn't snatch at the header and scores then everyone thinks it's all rosy. That miss aside he played well.

How do i take whether or not i rate Defoe out of the equation? That would be stupid. Whether or not he keeps his place is based on the other people who can play in his position.

I would keep Adebayor in. The signs are good in my view, plus we play Arsenal next which he should be fired up for. I think someone needs to get in his ear and point out that we could overtake City. He seems to want to prove himself against his former teams.

We need a player up top who can hold the ball up. If we had another one then sure, I could see us playing them instead. We don't.

So you're saying Ade should keep his place regardless of how badly he plays and regardless if he scores 0 goals because you rate him higher than Defoe. Now that is stupid. As much as I don't rate Ade, if he goes on to score in the next two games, he should keep his place.

Now Defoe might not have great hold up skills, but he's offered us far more in terms of goals and his overall output than Adebayor has.

We'll have to disagree on Monday night, those two howlers aside, I think he played about a 6/10.

 

[Spursalot]

So you're saying Ade should keep his place regardless of how badly he plays and regardless if he scores 0 goals because you rate him higher than Defoe. Now that is stupid. As much as I don't rate Ade, if he goes on to score in the next two games, he should keep his place.

Now Defoe might not have great hold up skills, but he's offered us far more in terms of goals and his overall output than Adebayor has.

We'll have to disagree on Monday night, those two howlers aside, I think he played about a 6/10.

No. I am saying it would be silly to try and decide whether or not to keep Ade in the side without being able to use my opinion of Defoe.


Defoe's overall game has not improved greatly. If he does not score, he offers zero and recently he has not been scoring.


Adebayor has been showing signs that he is improving, i would rather pick the player who shows signs of improving over the one whos all round game is lacking.


You say we should rate them on goals alone? In Defoe's last five appearances for us has he scored? I do not believe so.


It's a choice between two players who have not been scoring. When that is taken into account the choice is a simple one.

 

[clevelandspur]

As I have been saying all along Ade has been sh1t all season. He is playing like a player who is feeling "underpaid". You all know the sort at work. Those who just work 9-5 and are out the door on the stroke of five. While at work they just go through the motions. No desire to put in anything extra and no commitment whatsoever. Even on £80 or £100k per week, in my view Ade sees himself as "underpaid"!. He therefore is just going throught the motions until he can get another bonanza payday - or stiff us for another so called "loyalty bonus" like he did to City.

He has shorchanged us all season. He has the ideal opportunity to start paying us all back in the games to come - and in particular against the Arse.

Lets all hope he takes the opportunity.

I agree tired of hearing well he is trying and putting himself about fudge that he is a striker and needs to score goals! He never looks like scoring these days we badly need Defoe back.

Could you imagine the stick Pav would get if he had this type of season? and for the record he never has had a scoring patch remotely close to how poor Ade's has been

 

[braineclipse]

So you're saying Ade should keep his place regardless of how badly he plays and regardless if he scores 0 goals because you rate him higher than Defoe. Now that is stupid. As much as I don't rate Ade, if he goes on to score in the next two games, he should keep his place.

Now Defoe might not have great hold up skills, but he's offered us far more in terms of goals and his overall output than Adebayor has.

We'll have to disagree on Monday night, those two howlers aside, I think he played about a 6/10.

So if he had scored his sitter it would have been a solid enough performance, or even good?

 

[clevelandspur]

I can't believe some of you thought Ade was good on Monday? I can't remember him doing much of anything useful

 

[Jurgen the German]

So if he had scored his sitter it would have been a solid enough performance, or even good?

No but you know how it works, if a player scores a goal, people give him a higher rating.

 

[braineclipse]

No but you know how it works, if a player scores a goal, people give him a higher rating.

6/10 doesn't qualify for "solid enough"?

Most players get higher ratings when they score. It's just that strikers tend to score more than other players I think. Although as strikers often are less involved than midfielders they do end up depending on goals for their ratings, at least some of them.

 

[Jurgen the German]

No. I am saying it would be silly to try and decide whether or not to keep Ade in the side without being able to use my opinion of Defoe.


Defoe's overall game has not improved greatly. If he does not score, he offers zero and recently he has not been scoring.


Adebayor has been showing signs that he is improving, i would rather pick the player who shows signs of improving over the one whos all round game is lacking.


You say we should rate them on goals alone? In Defoe's last five appearances for us has he scored? I do not believe so.


It's a choice between two players who have not been scoring. When that is taken into account the choice is a simple one.

No but if one player has scored double figures this season and the other has 3 in 24, is that not a factor?

You say he's improving, well not a lot to improve on was there? He's had a shocker this season.

I'd rather have a player that scores occasionally and offers little else than a player who sometimes is a handful and is a liability at other times and probably won't score for the rest of the season if I had to put money of it.

At the end of the day, his confidence in front of goal is shot and I don't see him getting it back this season.

 

[Spursalot]

No but if one player has scored double figures this season and the other has 3 in 24, is that not a factor?

You say he's improving, well not a lot to improve on was there? He's had a shocker this season.

I'd rather have a player that scores occasionally and offers little else than a player who sometimes is a handful and is a liability at other times and probably won't score for the rest of the season if I had to put money of it.

At the end of the day, his confidence in front of goal is shot and I don't see him getting it back this season.

He has scored double figures yes. However you are crazy if you think his current form is better than Adebayors.


I'd rather have the player who is a handful, and opens up the space for other players, than the player who shoots from impossible angles and wastes possession. Each to his own i guess.

 

[Jurgen the German]

6/10 doesn't qualify for "solid enough"?

Most players get higher ratings when they score. It's just that strikers tend to score more than other players I think. Although as strikers often are less involved than midfielders they do end up depending on goals for their ratings, at least some of them.

Well your definition of a 6/10 is clearly different to mine. 6/10 is average in my eyes.

Do you think he deserves to keep his place when Defoe comes back?

 

[Jurgen the German]

He has scored double figures yes. However you are crazy if you think his current form is better than Adebayors.


I'd rather have the player who is a handful, and opens up the space for other players, than the player who shoots from impossible angles and wastes possession. Each to his own i guess.

Both have been poor lately, but I don't see why Adebayor deserves to keep his place in the team. You say he's a handful, not lately he isn't. He couldn't trap a lump of cement at the moment.

This is Levy's fault more than anyone else. I can't honestly believe AVB would turn down a chance to sign a striker.

 

[Spursalot]

Both have been poor lately, but I don't see why Adebayor deserves to keep his place in the team. You say he's a handful, not lately he isn't. He couldn't trap a lump of cement at the moment.

This is Levy's fault more than anyone else. I can't honestly believe AVB would turn down a chance to sign a striker.

Not a handful?

Bale's first goal against Wham is partly due to him being a handful.



'turn down a chance to sign a striker' is worded badly. You make it sound like the was an obvious choice out there that we was being thrown at us and we said no.



In all honestly i'd stick Bale up front before i'd want Defoe up there. He played further forward than Ade on monday anyway.

 

[parklane1]

Not being awkward for the sake of of mate, but I guarantee you that if you knew/saw the regular away support you would absolutely hear the majority of them saying that on telly his work isn't seen properly. No-one denies he needs to score, no-one denies he needs to score and that his confidence is low, but he is doing a lot of work up there...I've been to a few away games this season (distance prevents me from going to all of them!) and my mates go home and away every week.

There are quite a lot of armchair critics around, who assume that because they can not see the work done off the ball ( and off their TV screen) then it is not happening.

 

[Jurgen the German]

Not a handful?

Bale's first goal against Wham is partly due to him being a handful.



'turn down a chance to sign a striker' is worded badly. You make it sound like the was an obvious choice out there that we was being thrown at us and we said no.



In all honestly i'd stick Bale up front before i'd want Defoe up there. He played further forward than Ade on monday anyway.

Trying to go for the ball, that's the least I expect from a striker, fudge that, I expect it from any footballer when ball is 5 yards away. Their defender made a mistake and touched the ball straight to Bale, don't see how you can give credit to Ade for that one.