Not playing Defoe more is costing us

[colin fishwick]

VdV has 8 goals and 5 assists, that is not very good, especially considering he takes the corners and the free kicks.

Just on the stats Defoe would have contributed more, ergo we would have more goals and maybe more points. It is not that straightforward of course but, what else does VdV offer that Defoe does not and is it enough to keep the greater goals threat out?

Defensively Defoe is better, he chases down very hard, Bale got his break on goal yesterday because Defoe chased down a lost cause and got the ball to Bale

Can we really afford the luxury of omitting our most likely goal threat? The statistical evidence suggest not.

Opposing fans see Defoe as a danger man, he looks our most likely player to score, you can't afford to ignore that.

I am not sating he should play all the time, but for me , he is too far down the pecking order and it will/has cost us.

Has he fallen out with Harry?

 

[Spursalot]

VdV has 8 goals and 5 assists, that is not very good, especially considering he takes the corners and the free kicks.

Just on the stats Defoe would have contributed more ergo we would have more goals and maybe more points. It is not that straightforward of course but, what else does VdV offer that defoe does not and is it enough to kepp the greater goals threat out.

Defensively Defoe is better, he chases down very hard, Bale got his break on goal yesterday because Defoe chased down almost cause and got the ball to Bale

Can we really afford the luxury of omitting our most likely goal threat? The statistical evidence suggest not.

Opposing fans see Defoe as a danger man, he looks our most likely player to score, you can't afford to ignore that.

I am not sating he should play all the time, but for me , he is too far down the pecking order and it will/has cost us.

Has he fallen out with Harry?

Got to here, wasn't worth reading past it. Nice try though.

 

[Rossi22]

 

[colin fishwick]

Got to here, wasn't worth reading past it. Nice try though.

OK - lets put ut another way, is what he offers enough ? Is it more important than goals? He was largely anonymous against Sunderland for instance.

 

[Gilzeantoscore]

I think so. He's got to be worth more than 8 minutes at the end of a game. Sometimes I get the impression that there are some players whom Harry is afraid to upset (read VDV and Ade.) He doesnt seem too worrried about Defoe though. When the game is stretched at the end it makes perfect sense to bring him on, but he needs more time to make an impact.

 

[billyiddo]

i can't quite get my head around the way Defoe has been marginalized this season - i wouldn't necessarily play him every game but we should definitely be bringing him on a lot earlier than we have been.

 

[DHSF]

i can't quite get my head around the way Defoe has been marginalized this season - i wouldn't necessarily play him every game but we should definitely be bringing him on a lot earlier than we have been.

8 minutes yesterday when half an hour would have sufficed was ridiculous.

Yesterday was a game that was gonna be won from long range and Defoe is excellent at that

 

[Obi Yid Kenobi]

 

[Modric THFC]

OK - lets put ut another way, is what he offers enough ? Is it more important than goals? He was largely anonymous against Sunderland for instance.

Largely anonymous must mean 87 passes. He passed the ball more time that any other player on the pitch except Parker. And he didnt even play the full 90 minutes.
Defoe managed 0 passes in his 10 minutes on the pitch!

 

[Hootnow]

I think VDV is clearly the better player and is important for us in his contribution off the pitch as well but Defoe can have good reason to be angry with Redknapp for the way he's been managed this season imo. Coming on for 8 minutes yesterday was a bit of a tinkletake. And I imagine he'll be even angrier if he doesn't manage to go to the Euros, despite the state of English forwards being at a relative low point.

 

[suffolkspur]

I feel for Defoe. I can understand him not starting ahead of VDV and Ade in our first 11. However i dont understand why he hasnt seen more action especially when a number of times this season he has popped up with the goal needed to turn a draw into a win. I dont understand why for example Saha seems to have gone ahead of him in the pecking order and i dont get why as mentioned by a couple above he only got on with 8 minutes to go.

I think Harry left it to late yesterday to make changes needed to really open up the game for us but i guess he was concerned about chasing after the result to early and being caught on the break.

 

[diego_maradona]

I thought he should have got more time yesterday and also he may well have been able to provide the spark we needed. I can see him getting a start tomorrow.

 

[Danishfurniturelover]

I love defoe, i feel i have been very clear on this point recently.


As for whether he should start more yes i think he should, vdv is more creative but he is now not scoring enough and adebayor is not scoring enough so you need someone who will put the goals away.

Personally i think we should look to sell vdv in the summer if we can get in one of dembele or sessigon. I feel we then need Llorente and have defoe in there with a cheaper option like moses coming in as 4th choice.

Next season, Llorente, dembele, defoe and one of moses, fletcher or long.

Do not mind if we go for remy or giroud instead of Llorente but defoe is the only one i would keep for next season of our current strikers.

Think the only reason he has not put in a transfer request is because he assumes redknapp is going and he wants to see what happens next.

 

[DubaiSpur]

Next season, Llorente, dembele, defoe and one of moses, fletcher or long.

None of those (except maybe fletcher or long) would be happy with a place on the bench. Llorente would demand a start- we'd have to give him one. Assuming we only play one striker to begin with, where does that leave dembele/defoe? (Sure, you can say that Dembele would play in VdV's position, but then VdV would be on the bench. He wouldn't like that. And even assuming that, due to his injuries/lack of fitness, Dembele would get quite a few games, that still leaves Defoe in the same position as he's in now- third choice striker)

 

[Jurgen the German]

I think Redknapp has finally realised that Defoe isn't good enough. Must be hard for him to admit because he's always been a huge fan of Defoe. Defoe's strength is getting his shot off quickly with power, but he is too limited in my opinion and has too many weaknesses to be a starter every week for us. He's never going to score a header, is offside far too often and makes poor decisions when in situations where we could potentially score, i.e. he'll shoot rather than pass to a teammate placed in a better position. Defoe's better when he comes off the bench and has a point to prove. I saw a stat about him scoring more goals off the bench than any player in prem history.

I know VDV has his fitness problems, but he's a superior player to Defoe, I don't think it's even close.

Our main problem is Adebayor for all his good holdup play and movement is not a natural finisher. I believe we won't be able to challenge the top 2 unless we fix this.

 

[Lily White]

Why is it that when a player is on the bench or not even in the squad posters on this board see them as the saviour (Defoe, GDS, Bentley, Kranjcar etc). Then they get to play and everyone moans that they are crap. Then they get put on the bench and we have a bad run and suddenly they are talked about as saviours again. Do people forget how they played before? By the way I'm not saying these players are crap but there is good reason why they are on the bench. Defoe scores goals but is limited in other areas and certainly doesn't offer what VDV does.

 

[colin fishwick]

I think Redknapp has finally realised that Defoe isn't good enough. Must be hard for him to admit because he's always been a huge fan of Defoe. Defoe's strength is getting his shot off quickly with power, but he is too limited in my opinion and has too many weaknesses to be a starter every week for us. He's never going to score a header, is offside far too often and makes poor decisions when in situations where we could potentially score, i.e. he'll shoot rather than pass to a teammate placed in a better position. Defoe's better when he comes off the bench and has a point to prove. I saw a stat about him scoring more goals off the bench than any player in prem history.

I know VDV has his fitness problems, but he's a superior player to Defoe, I don't think it's even close.

Our main problem is Adebayor for all his good holdup play and movement is not a natural finisher. I believe we won't be able to challenge the top 2 unless we fix this.

Some or all of it may be true, for me only some, but -

We have been off form for a while , have gone to chasing the title to a scrap with Chelsea and Saudi Sportswashing Machine for 4th at present we are about the 10 the best team in the country on current form.

So something is wrong.

VdV has just not done enough - I would rather have a player who is " not good enough " , but who scores and looks more dangerous.

For me , I just feel Defoe always looks dangerous I don't get that feeling of expectation when VdV has the ball.

 

[Danishfurniturelover]

None of those (except maybe fletcher or long) would be happy with a place on the bench. Llorente would demand a start- we'd have to give him one. Assuming we only play one striker to begin with, where does that leave dembele/defoe? (Sure, you can say that Dembele would play in VdV's position, but then VdV would be on the bench. He wouldn't like that. And even assuming that, due to his injuries/lack of fitness, Dembele would get quite a few games, that still leaves Defoe in the same position as he's in now- third choice striker)

I do not think i was clear about what i was saying.

I would sell VDV and i would not try and sign ade. My first choice would be 1 Llorente, 2 Dembele, 3 Defoe, 4 Fletcher. defoe would get games with a manager who actually knows how to rotate a squad, one of my biggest gripes about redknapp.

 

[colin fishwick]

Why is it that when a player is on the bench or not even in the squad posters on this board see them as the saviour (Defoe, GDS, Bentley, Kranjcar etc). Then they get to play and everyone moans that they are crap. Then they get put on the bench and we have a bad run and suddenly they are talked about as saviours again. Do people forget how they played before? By the way I'm not saying these players are crap but there is good reason why they are on the bench. Defoe scores goals but is limited in other areas and certainly doesn't offer what VDV does.

Because we are short of goals and Defoe is our top scorer on a mins per goal ratio.

 

[Jurgen the German]

Some or all of it may be true, for me only some, but -

We are have been off form for a while , have gone to chasing the title to a scrap with Chelsea and Saudi Sportswashing Machine for 4th at present we are about the 10 the best team in the country on current form.

So something is wrong.

VdV has just not done enough - I would rather have a player who is " not good enough " , but who scores and looks more dangerous.

For me , I just feel Defoe always looks dangerous I don't get that feeling of expectation when VdV has the ball.

VDV has chipped in with two important goals in the last few matches, plus his set pieces have improved dramatically since the Stoke game. I was actually surprised Defoe didn't get more of a run against Sunderland. Adebayor is always going to start as VDV and Defoe can't play together so it's either start VDV or Defoe.