Shane Long

[who are ya?]

He hasn't done much by the sounds of it though.

[readingbedding]

People at the match said that he played well.
Expect to see him starting against Charlton.

[Fezza]

In fairness it sounded like he was quite dangerous today. I hope he comes good.

[Millsy]

Snowball, as the foremost Lita fan and Long criticiser I humbly can say you (or statistical analysis) has proven me wrong. Lita came into the starting line up (to be fair even I wasn't calling for that i was just calling for him as an option but hey ho) and we had a goal drought. He's dropped, Long resumes his supersub bench position and we get results.

What I want to know is, though, WTF has Noel Hunt done wrong????????

[IMAMATEOFJOVSKY]

Snowball, as the foremost Lita fan and Long criticiser I humbly can say you (or statistical analysis) has proven me wrong. Lita came into the starting line up (to be fair even I wasn't calling for that i was just calling for him as an option but hey ho) and we had a goal drought. He's dropped, Long resumes his supersub bench position and we get results.

What I want to know is, though, WTF has Noel Hunt done wrong????????

Nothing - its just that he looks too like Wayne Rooney!

[Ian Royal]

Can we wait for a little more than 1 sub appearance with goal and a start where we draw before we start praising Long as the saviour of our season please?

Lets not try and lay all the blame on single players either. Since B'ham, barring Watford and prior to Wednesday, we had scored 3 goals in 9 games (1 an o.g.). Lita starting in less than half of them (4).

Doyle 698 minutes 0 goals
Hunt 323 minutes 0 goals
Lita 314 minutes 0 goals
Long 157 Minutes 1 goal

None of our strikers exactly covering themselves in glory there are they... Add in Watford the cup and the last 2 games?

Doyle 954 minutes 2 goals (477 minutes / goal)
Hunt 477 minutes 1 goal
Lita 404 minutes 1 goal
Long 349 minutes 2 goals.

So that would seem to show Long and Lita have the best minutes per goal ratio at the moment and should be our two starting strikers. Of course that's if you just go by pure minutes per goal since our barren and poor spell can be argued to have begun. Yet clearly, Hunt and Doyle are our most potent strike force and best two strikers. Amazing what you can show with a few numbers isn't it.

[Dirk Gently]

Sod the statistics - Shane was excellent today. Chased down everything and made several lost causes - one in particular just before half-time especially springs to mind. It looked like the ball was going out, and he ran 40 yards, stopped it on the touchline and crossed it to Doyle where it was a superb chance - cleared off the line.

[Blue Blood]

Sod the statistics - Shane was excellent today. Chased down everything and made several lost causes - one in particular just before half-time especially springs to mind. It looked like the ball was going out, and he ran 40 yards, stopped it on the touchline and crossed it to Doyle where it was a superb chance - cleared off the line.

But this is typical Shane Long play and I have never understood the criticism he has endured. Good player in my opinion, at this level at least.

[Snowball]

He was excellent today, seemed to have stepped up all round

[The whole year inn]

So after all these years Long may finally come good..

lets hope so, the managemnet obviously have faith in him

[Rex]

Plenty of endeavour and support for the team today. He fought for the ball and pushed the Argyle defence. He just needs to now put his scoring boots back on and get consistent on that front.

[Archie's penalty]

Great to hear he had a good game today (yesterday). Hope he gets a couple against Charlton to drive us to victory.

[Ian Royal]

Sod the statistics - Shane was excellent today. Chased down everything and made several lost causes - one in particular just before half-time especially springs to mind. It looked like the ball was going out, and he ran 40 yards, stopped it on the touchline and crossed it to Doyle where it was a superb chance - cleared off the line.

Didn't say he wasn't, just saying not to get too carried away and canonise him on the back of a goal off the bench and 1 start. By all means if he keeps it up over the next 2 - 3 games, scoring goals and we start racking up the points again, then fill your boots.

I'll sing his praises from the rooftops myself if that happens.

[OLLIE KEARNS]

Snowball, as the foremost Lita fan and Long criticiser I humbly can say you (or statistical analysis) has proven me wrong. Lita came into the starting line up (to be fair even I wasn't calling for that i was just calling for him as an option but hey ho) and we had a goal drought. He's dropped, Long resumes his supersub bench position and we get results.

What I want to know is, though, WTF has Noel Hunt done wrong????????

I think there are two things with NHunt. Firstly, his great strength is getting in the end of crosses. With our wide players being shut out regularly the crosses have dried up putting the focus on other elements of his game which aren't so strong. He isn't especially quick and doesn't take people on so all he really has to offer is hard work running the channels, something that he can be relied on to provide. Secondly, and here's where the hard work comes in, I think he's been looking a bit leggy in recent weeks and can understand SCC going with some fresh legs. Playing 46 games in this league is a much greater burden compared to playing in the SPL so it's not a total surprise if he is in need of freshening up.
Whilst it's good to see Shane performing well I remain concerned that we didn't sign a striker in the window. I think Leroy coming back probably prevented that from happening and it could be our downfall. My view of needing another striker was posted during the window so it's not a post goal drought opinion either.
A proven striker coming into the squad would have provided options as well as momentun within the squad. Anyway, we are where we are so let's hope that Shane can step up to the plate !

[Ian Royal]

The striker concern was exactly one I had during the window with Leroy back. After seeing him against Wolves and Watford I thought it might come off, but he's failed to capitalise and start scoring and is rightly not starting at the moment.

Fair comments on Hunt and Long seems to be taking his chance this time. As you say we really could have done with a striker coming in with confidence and a proven goalscoring record though. Could have lifted the whole team and we could have been top by now.

[Woodcote Royal]

Snowball, as the foremost Lita fan and Long criticiser I humbly can say you (or statistical analysis) has proven me wrong. Lita came into the starting line up (to be fair even I wasn't calling for that i was just calling for him as an option but hey ho) and we had a goal drought. He's dropped, Long resumes his supersub bench position and we get results.

What I want to know is, though, WTF has Noel Hunt done wrong????????

I think there are two things with NHunt. Firstly, his great strength is getting in the end of crosses. With our wide players being shut out regularly the crosses have dried up putting the focus on other elements of his game which aren't so strong. He isn't especially quick and doesn't take people on so all he really has to offer is hard work running the channels, something that he can be relied on to provide. Secondly, and here's where the hard work comes in, I think he's been looking a bit leggy in recent weeks and can understand SCC going with some fresh legs. Playing 46 games in this league is a much greater burden compared to playing in the SPL so it's not a total surprise if he is in need of freshening up.
Whilst it's good to see Shane performing well I remain concerned that we didn't sign a striker in the window. I think Leroy coming back probably prevented that from happening and it could be our downfall. My view of needing another striker was posted during the window so it's not a post goal drought opinion either.
A proven striker coming into the squad would have provided options as well as momentun within the squad. Anyway, we are where we are so let's hope that Shane can step up to the plate !

Totally agree but see the failure to sign a striker in the window as inexcusable as not replacing Shorey for a year after he ceased to be interested in playing for us, and having to play Hunt at left back until Armstrong arrived.

Having raked in millions whilst spending sweet FA, we could easily have afforded another striker and one more in the Kitson mould to give us the variation we clearly need. This was far more important than ending up with one or two front men kicking their heals for the remainder of the season and I blame Steve Coppell, the lover of small squads, rather than any tightfistedness from our Chairman.

If we don't go up, I believe, as with last season's relegation, that the vital errors made will all have been completely avoidable.

[Rawlie19]

Snowball, as the foremost Lita fan and Long criticiser I humbly can say you (or statistical analysis) has proven me wrong. Lita came into the starting line up (to be fair even I wasn't calling for that i was just calling for him as an option but hey ho) and we had a goal drought. He's dropped, Long resumes his supersub bench position and we get results.

What I want to know is, though, WTF has Noel Hunt done wrong????????

The only thing Noel did wrong was not score whereas Shane Long did on Tuesday. And cleared off the line at the end. Coppell felt he had to reward him. While it's not something I would have done, and not being a huge Long fan (love him as supersub, hate him as starter) I thought yesterday he played really well adn won't get dropped for Tuesday's game.

Noel was about to come on when Kebe scored and after that goal had to sit back down for Harper to come on. Who do we think was going to make way for Noel? I would have taken Kebe off personally, although Matejovsky was having an appalling game.

[Ian Royal]

Surely you can see it might have been hard to pursuade JM to cough up for a striker whilst Doyle, Long, Hunt, Lita, Mooney and Church were all on the books though.

Getting rid of Lita or maybe Long was likely to be the only way we could really have legitimately signed a striker good enough.

[Woodcote Royal]

No, I don't accept it for a second.

It's Coppell's "I'm happy with what I've got" and "I wouldn't swap my squad for any other in this league" mentality that has continually led to weaknesses in our squad.

Does anyone really believe that, had our manager wanted some competition for Shorey last season, that the Chairman would have turned him down?

It's well documented that there was money on the table that Coppell chose not to spend and look how much Armstrong cost when he finally arrived

Coppell has also gone on record as saying that the Chairman has never turned him down.

Coppell apologists are too prone to blame the Chairman in this respect when all the evidence points to the contrary.

[Ian Royal]

No, I don't accept it for a second.

It's Coppell's "I'm happy with what I've got" and "I wouldn't swap my squad for any other in this league" mentality that has continually led to weaknesses in our squad.

Does anyone really believe that, had our manager wanted some competition for Shorey last season, that the Chairman would have turned him down?

It's well documented that there was money on the table that Coppell chose not to spend and look how much Armstrong cost when he finally arrived

Coppell has also gone on record as saying that the Chairman has never turned him down.

Coppell apologists are too prone to blame the Chairman in this respect when all the evidence points to the contrary.

Not bringing in an alternative to Shorey (no back up) has nothing to do with not bringing in a striker in January when we already had 6 (SIX) on the books.