Henry to Millwall

[Smoking Kills Dancing Doe]

They'll feel like we robbed them when they sell him.

[Plymouth_Royal]

You seem very sure of that. 2 games and 6 assists seem to doubt that for the time being.

[Hozza]

Especially so considering how poor the crossing from our current wingers has been this season

[Ian Royal]

Especially so considering how poor the crossing from our current wingers has been this season

There's not really anyone to aim for with just one striker up. Gylfi isn't really the sort to burst into the box to get his head on a cross often (nor are Howard, Tabb or Karacan) and McAnuff & Kebe seem to do more damage cutting inside or with pull backs.

[Smoking Kills Dancing Doe]

You seem very sure of that. 2 games and 6 assists seem to doubt that for the time being.

Was thinking more along the line of sell on clauses.

[Barry the bird boggler]

Having strikers that can score make him look good. Currently we have a load of Paul Braysons up front, once Hunty is fully fit though perhaps we might be improving the effectiveness of our wingers.

[cmonurz]

Having strikers that can score make him look good.

Talk about damning with faint praise.

They have strikers who can score only because he is in great form and doing exactly what a winger should do.

[Tony Le Mesmer]

If James Henry is still playing well in November i'll eat my hat.

We sold him because he couldnt get in the team. No point in him staying, he didnt seem to have the desire to work his way into the team. His career so far has been 1 or 2 good games, then drifts away.

We shall see.

[Ian Royal]

If James Henry is still playing well in November i'll eat my hat.

We sold him because he couldnt get in the team. No point in him staying, he didnt seem to have the desire to work his way into the team. His career so far has been 1 or 2 good games, then drifts away.

We shall see.

IMO we sold him because we use wingers in a different way.

He is a traditional whip in a good cross from wide winger. Whereas McAnuff & Kebe are pacey tricky wingers who go past players into the box. The latter fits rather a lot better with a mobile solitary striker than the former - no point putting a cross in to the six yard box if there are 3 defenders to one attacker.

[Hoop Blah]

By playing the way we do we also need wingers to chip in with a number of goals too, something that Henry is probably more equiped to do than McAnuff and Kebe.

His ability to pass and cross the ball effectively means that those midfielders joining the centre forward don't have to be diving in where it hurst quite so much because he's more accurate with where he can delivery the ball. That usually makes it a lot easier to make a run and get picked out.

His lack of that extra pace and trickery might've worked against him though, but at the same time, the fact he can keep and delivery the ball without needing to beat a man by bursting down the line gives those midfielder more time to join the attack.

[brendywendy]

His ability to pass and cross the ball effectively

always thought he had exactly the same issues with consistent end product as all our other wingers tbf

[Platypuss]

From the BBC highlights he could have had another four assists!

[Mr Angry]

Evening Standard had him down as London's Player of the Weekend.

[pea]

Good on him, let's hope everyone starts raving about him and we receive a million or two from our significant sell-on clause. Never got the chance to settle into a particular role at Reading which was unfortunate but it was a necessary sacrifice to make.

[Hoop Blah]

His ability to pass and cross the ball effectively

always thought he had exactly the same issues with consistent end product as all our other wingers tbf

Not a chance! All players will spoon the odd cross out of play of course, or misplace a pass, but Henry and McAnuff were our two most capable of consitently delivering quality.

I know we disagree on Kebe's quality, but to suggest that Henry comes close to Kebe's inabilty to deliver consistent quality into the box is a bit shocking!

[brendywendy]

talking nonsense

[Platypuss]

Watch the highlights Brendy - consistently accurate crossing right on the button. There are EIGHT examples, which is more than Kebe usually manages by Christmas.

[brendywendy]

so hes raised his game as he is worried he may not have the career he thought he would.
just a shame he almost never did it for us.

[Big Foot]

Watch the highlights Brendy - consistently accurate crossing right on the button. There are EIGHT examples, which is more than Kebe usually manages by Christmas.

Just watched that myself - fair play to him, he looks very full of confidence too

[Ian Royal]

so hes raised his game as he is worried he may not have the career he thought he would.
just a shame he almost never did it for us.

Kebe's crossing is consistently poor. It's just not what he does well. That doesn't make him a bad player.

I agree Hoop that Henry would be more likely to chip in than McAnuff, not sure I agree about Kebe. And I still don't think we have the players to make him a useful asset. None of our midfielders are really going to score many by header no matter how good the crosses. And we go back to the same problem of playing two upfront we have now but more so. Which two of Kebe, McAnuff & Sigurdsson do you leave out?

Henry will have a bright career, but we just aren't a match the way things have gone. Good luck to the lad, he stagnated a bit here, but has undeniable quality.