Chrissy Martin's level

[paul moy 235]

I agree that Russell Martin has been playing well, but I think Spillane would have done a job. I''d be more worried about the left side with Stephen Smith as the jury is still out for me. I''m therefore hoping that Drury will be back for Cardiff.

[Lambo 0]

Again I don''t really understand the critism City fans are aiming at a player. Martin''s not really been given a chance to show his stuff this season due to Jackson and Holt striking up a decent partnership.

I don''t see the need to keep slating players the way we seem to be at the moment ie, Holt, Martin, Ruddy and Lappin. We''re 4th in the table, 6 points off top and a newly promoted team. Each player has played a part in that and while some arn''t quite hitting the dizzy heights of last season they''re all adjusting to a higher level of football and performing IMO to a decent standard hence our league position.

[Smudger 0]

[quote user="GJP"]

[quote user="Smudger"]So Chris Martin is good enough to score for fun at the top of League 1, but not good enough to keep us away from the lower regions of the Championship?  Do you really think that there is so much difference between the team halfway up the Championship and the top of League 1?[/quote]

So, presumably, by that logic, you would be happy to see Gary Doherty and Michael Nelson at the heart of defence? Correct?

They were plenty good enough to get us out of L1, infact Doherty was top 3 in POTS and in the League 1 Team of the Season but Chris Martin wasn''t.

 

[/quote]Not at all, but there were plenty on here trying to claim that we were missing the Doc after the Watford game and that Elliot Ward and Simeon Jackson were awful players wasn''t there Lappinitup??? [;)]

[YellowLittle1 0]

[quote user="26mjw"][quote user="Smudger"][quote user="GJP"][quote user="Smudger"][quote user="GJP"]

[quote user="a1canary"]He''s unlucky to be out of the team - he didn''t do a great deal to loose his place other than not be Simeon Jackson! Lambert just wanted to give Jackson a go. You certainly can''t judge him on his performances as sub where he has looked out of sorts and frustrated. [/quote]

I

He''s not unlucky to be out of the team and Lambert hasn''t "just wanted to give Jackson a go". Martin is out of the team because he just wasn''t doing the business, he wasn''t doing enough to justify keeping Jackson out of the team.

 

If Martin was playing really well and/or scoring goals then he''d still be in the team. He wasn''t and now he finds himself on the bench.

 

He hasn''t been woeful but he hasn''t been good enough.

[/quote]So Lambert paid what will eventually be over £1 million for a striker in Jackson to sit on the bench did he?I don''t think so!Chris Martin was better than Holt against Barnsley, Forest away and Preston away for starters.  He has sat warming the bench for many weeks and has had little chance to play alongside Simeon himself apart from the opening game of the season.Many fans would like to see Chris Martin spend some more time on the pitch alongside Simeon, so don''t be surprised to see these two possibly start in a few matches from Christmas onwards if Lambert chooses to sub Martin for Holt instead of for Jackson over the coming weeks.[/quote]

I would suggest, as I pretty much did in my previous post, that if Chris Martin was doing the business then he would be in the team. Paul Lambert would not leave out a player on a rich vein of form just for the sake of playing someone he''s paid a transfer fee for.

 

He bought Jackson to strengthen us as a squad (obviously) and it''d also indicate that he didn''t believe we had the necessary firepower upfront. Moreover, maybe he doubted whether either/both of Martin and Holt could cut the mustard at this level. Neither have made overly convincing starts to the season.

 

I''m amused by your last sentence... "many fans would like to see blah blah blah so don''t be surprised to see these two possibly start in a few matches".

What have the fans got to do with the team Paul Lambert picks? Surely you don''t think he comes on here and thinks "Smudger and a few others think Chris Martin is better than Grant Holt and should be in the team, what the hell have I been playing at? Thank God they''ve made me see sense".

[/quote]So you believe that he doesn''t know what is written on here or what is said in the stands etc?He might not care while we keep grinding out results, but all managers care when they are not getting results and pressure starts to build to one degree or another.  I think Lambert plays to the crowd to a degree and it frustrates me to see him dropping the likes of Korey and Chris Martin when for me there are much more obvious choices to give a seat on the bench.RE: Holt it is still probably a minority view about some wanting to see Martin given more time upfront with Jackson at Holty''s expense.  It is however a growing view on the terraces. as it was a much smaller minority suggesting such things lets say a month ago.I forgot though, because Lambert is a god and Holty is a god, instead of being mere mortals who make mistakes and don''t perform at times in the majority of City fans eyes, the rest of us really shouldn''t criticise should we?  Remind me of what actually got us relegated again.  Was it purely down to that awful bloke Roeder and Doncaster who so many people sang the praises of and protected initially on here and in the stands?[/quote]1. Do you think Lambert is the sort of person who bows to message boards or murmurings in the crowd? He sends the 11 people out he thinks will win that game - nothing more or less. 2. Don''t get so precious when people criticise Chris Martin''s form when you say stuff like this. C Martin has been poor for a number of games, he''s come on as a sub 3 times and been ineffective, against Hull he was diabolically bad and against Leicester he may as well have not been on the pitch. He''s got 1 league goal this season - less than Holt and Jackson. Accept that a player has been in bad form and that he needs to work his way back into the team. [/quote]

I accept he is a little off form, I just don''t like fans attitude to the fact he is off form. " He''s not good enough for this league" is not something I feel is constructive at all. Whilst still half of them in the same message say that Holt is.

I think there seems to be a bit of a Holt camp and a Martin Camp, which pretty unnecessary as they are playing in the same team, and also completely different types of players. I hope Martin can bounce back and get his season sorted, I just think Norwich fans are regularly unfair towards him for the fact he doesn''t work as hard as Holt.

[Salopian 1]

He lacks pace and is not particularly good with his head. He compensates to some extent by being hard working and a good provider for others, but this is what Holt is doing.

I suspect that when Martin "fills out" he will become even more like Holt - hard to knock off the ball, but lacking in pace.

All in all, I think that he is a fairly average Championship striker, who may score 8-10 goals in a full season.

[Jim Smith 2,314]

For me he started the season fine albeit his goalscoring return was not quite what you would hope. Against Forest he was by all accounts outstanding. Since then his performance levels have dropped but he has been playing with a major cloud over his head due to the off the pitch shenanigans and this has also coincided with Jackson finding a bit of form. I think Lambert wanted to play jackson and Holt together for a few games with half an eye on what might happen if Martin is not available for a few weeks. Jackson has taken his chance and Lambert has, as he tends to do, stuck with the man in form.

I think Martin is a talented player. he tried a number of things on saturday which very nearly came off but its just not happening for him at present. However, once he gets the court case out of the way and can concentrate properly on his football again I think he will be fine.

 

[Chunky Norwich 0]

I think the biggest difference between Martin and Holt/Jackson is that Martin''s strength he brings to the team (i.e. finishing and goal-scoring) are heavily dependent on form and confidence; Holt''s physical presence and Jackson''s pace will always be there, no matter where their confidence is.

I thought Jackson looked shocking against Watford but he''s bided his time and come in to the team. Martin''s not been terrible this season, just snatching at chances where last year you would have bet your mortgage on him scoring. Hull at home stands out to me

[king canary 7,580]

For me Martin is just not an impact player. Coming off the bench is not his ideal role and certainly not for only 15 minutes. He likes to make clever runs inbetween defenders but wont ever skin someone for pace. However the Watford game made it seem that he and Jackson dont work at a pair.

[paul moy 235]

[quote user="king canary"]For me Martin is just not an impact player. Coming off the bench is not his ideal role and certainly not for only 15 minutes. He likes to make clever runs inbetween defenders but wont ever skin someone for pace. However the Watford game made it seem that he and Jackson dont work at a pair.
[/quote]

I couldn''t agree more and this is one major reason that he will struggle to get back into the team, as he simply does not impress as a substitute. Only an injury to Jackson will give him that opening to start a game IMO.  

[Norfolk Mustard 94]

Picture Chris Martin lining up in the Championship AGAINST Norwich - how many would be comfortable with that scenario I wonder?

Not too many of us I should imagine!

There would be no shortage of offers for Chris Martin if we ever made him available - we should value him more.

[Smudger 0]

[quote user="Norfolk Mustard"]Picture Chris Martin lining up in the Championship AGAINST Norwich - how many would be comfortable with that scenario I wonder?

Not too many of us I should imagine!

There would be no shortage of offers for Chris Martin if we ever made him available - we should value him more.[/quote]I said exactly the same thing as this.  I think every team in the Championship and a few in the lower half of the Premiership would love to have Chris Martin as part of their squads.

[GJP 79]

[quote user="Smudger"][quote user="Norfolk Mustard"]Picture Chris Martin lining up in the Championship AGAINST Norwich - how many would be comfortable with that scenario I wonder? Not too many of us I should imagine! There would be no shortage of offers for Chris Martin if we ever made him available - we should value him more.[/quote]

I said exactly the same thing as this.  I think every team in the Championship and a few in the lower half of the Premiership would love to have Chris Martin as part of their squads.
[/quote]

Sure about that?

 

Teams in the bottom half of the Premier League:

Everton, Birmingham, Stoke, Blackpool, Wigan, Fulham, Blackburn, Liverpool, Wolves and West Ham

Not sure which of them I could see being interested in a 21 year old striker (almost 22) yet to prove he can score goals on a regular basis in the Championship and is currently warming the bench.

 

(good on you for your charity run btw)

[grantroederdisaster 0]

Chris Martin is not in the team becuase messrs Holt and Jackson are better than him end of!

 

Chris M is on his day a good striker who can strike a ball good but hes limited at this level cause he hasn''t got pace and isn''t a targetman.

 

I like the bloke cause he has done a good job for the club and remains a good squad player but thats all he is I''m afraid.

 

Those saying that loads of Championship clubs and even a few lower Premiership clubs would be fighting it out to sign him are living in dreamland!

In reality I suspect that a few Championship clubs and a lot of League 1 clubs would be serious about signing him!

 

I suspect his career level will be lower Championship/good League 1 standard?

[paul moy 235]

Funny also how Martin''s form inevitably tails off after he signs a new contract. It happened after he came into the side in 2006/7 and did well, signed his contract and then came back overweight for pre-season and was dropped by Grant, and packed off to Luton by Roeder. Then last year he played well until he signed yet another contract and his goalscoring form tailed off in the second part of the season. No doubt his form will pick up as his next renewal appears on the horizon.