Am I the only person who thinks Chris Martin is lazy?

[silver fox 0]

Every game I watch lately Chris Martin seems to put very little effort in.  I watch Grant Holt lose the ball, but he goes straight back in again to try and retrieve the situation.  Holt is always closing defenders down and does not give them a minutes peace.  On the other hand Martin strolls around and very rarely closes any defender down.  Whenever he loses the ball he just stands still and shrugs his shoulder, but never attempts to win it back, which I find very frustrating.  When he does try to get stuck in he invariably gives away a free kick in a dangerous position.

He can get away with this when he is putting the ball in the net, because there is no doubt he is a good finisher, but yesterday he had two clear cut chances to finish the game off, but failed both times.

Maybe Lambert should give him a rest and play Jackson alongside Holt and Wilbraham.

[Noseybonk 0]

[quote user="silver fox"]

Every game I watch lately Chris Martin seems to put very little effort in.  I watch Grant Holt lose the ball, but he goes straight back in again to try and retrieve the situation.  Holt is always closing defenders down and does not give them a minutes peace.  On the other hand Martin strolls around and very rarely closes any defender down.  Whenever he loses the ball he just stands still and shrugs his shoulder, but never attempts to win it back, which I find very frustrating.  When he does try to get stuck in he invariably gives away a free kick in a dangerous position.

He can get away with this when he is putting the ball in the net, because there is no doubt he is a good finisher, but yesterday he had two clear cut chances to finish the game off, but failed both times.

Maybe Lambert should give him a rest and play Jackson alongside Holt and Wilbraham.

[/quote]

 

 

Unbelievable.

 

 

 

[alysha 0]

Yeah I know what your saying, yesterday Chris Martin had a good first half but at times in the second he did appear lazy, either that or his fitness is lacking compared to the rest of the team, which I cant see being the case. Like you said he missed two great chances to finish the game off, but what annoyed me was when Paddy Kenny had to run out of his area to get the ball, but it was as near Martin as it was Kenny and Martin didn''t even attempt to get the ball, if had of done it would have left Kenny stranded with an open goal. However, I thought his link up play in general was good and he seemed to paly better in the hoolahan role instead of upfront, I wouldn''t drop him.

[TIL 1010 5,246]

[quote user="silver fox"]

Every game I watch lately Chris Martin seems to put very little effort in.  I watch Grant Holt lose the ball, but he goes straight back in again to try and retrieve the situation.  Holt is always closing defenders down and does not give them a minutes peace.  On the other hand Martin strolls around and very rarely closes any defender down.  Whenever he loses the ball he just stands still and shrugs his shoulder, but never attempts to win it back, which I find very frustrating.  When he does try to get stuck in he invariably gives away a free kick in a dangerous position.

He can get away with this when he is putting the ball in the net, because there is no doubt he is a good finisher, but yesterday he had two clear cut chances to finish the game off, but failed both times.

Maybe Lambert should give him a rest and play Jackson alongside Holt and Wilbraham.

[/quote]

I take it you wear Guinness bottle bottom glasses?

[ricardo 8,034]

[quote user="silver fox"]

Every game I watch lately Chris Martin seems to put very little effort in.  I watch Grant Holt lose the ball, but he goes straight back in again to try and retrieve the situation.  Holt is always closing defenders down and does not give them a minutes peace.  On the other hand Martin strolls around and very rarely closes any defender down.  Whenever he loses the ball he just stands still and shrugs his shoulder, but never attempts to win it back, which I find very frustrating.  When he does try to get stuck in he invariably gives away a free kick in a dangerous position.

He can get away with this when he is putting the ball in the net, because there is no doubt he is a good finisher, but yesterday he had two clear cut chances to finish the game off, but failed both times.

Maybe Lambert should give him a rest and play Jackson alongside Holt and Wilbraham.

[/quote]Obviously you slept through the entire match yesterday.

[GJL Mid-Norfolk Canary 2,035]

[quote user="silver fox"]

Every game I watch lately Chris Martin seems to put very little effort in.  I watch Grant Holt lose the ball, but he goes straight back in again to try and retrieve the situation.  Holt is always closing defenders down and does not give them a minutes peace.  On the other hand Martin strolls around and very rarely closes any defender down.  Whenever he loses the ball he just stands still and shrugs his shoulder, but never attempts to win it back, which I find very frustrating.  When he does try to get stuck in he invariably gives away a free kick in a dangerous position.

He can get away with this when he is putting the ball in the net, because there is no doubt he is a good finisher, but yesterday he had two clear cut chances to finish the game off, but failed both times.

Maybe Lambert should give him a rest and play Jackson alongside Holt and Wilbraham.

[/quote]

You may have been able to level that at him at certain stages of this season, but I find the timing of this post strange now. Yesterday, playing in that more withdrawn role he was closing down and winning challenges as much as anyone was in that midfield area.

Yes he missed a couple of sitters but he''s capable of creating his own chances out of nothing, which is something that Jackson certainly isn''t capable of doing.

[TIL 1010 5,246]

Who was it who created the opening and had the shot which was blocked before Russell Martin scored from the rebound?

[ca 1]

[quote user="silver fox"]

Every game I watch lately Chris Martin seems to put very little effort in.  I watch Grant Holt lose the ball, but he goes straight back in again to try and retrieve the situation.  Holt is always closing defenders down and does not give them a minutes peace.  On the other hand Martin strolls around and very rarely closes any defender down.  Whenever he loses the ball he just stands still and shrugs his shoulder, but never attempts to win it back, which I find very frustrating.  When he does try to get stuck in he invariably gives away a free kick in a dangerous position.

He can get away with this when he is putting the ball in the net, because there is no doubt he is a good finisher, but yesterday he had two clear cut chances to finish the game off, but failed both times.

Maybe Lambert should give him a rest and play Jackson alongside Holt and Wilbraham.

[/quote]

Try specsavers [:)]

[Kathy 823]

Yes.

[mrs miggins 0]

i don''t know if you saw the goal; but c. martin did excellent work beforehand to have a shot. the FLS is on iplayer now by the way!

[Nexus_Canary 1,206]

[quote user="silver fox"]

Every game I watch lately Chris Martin seems to put very little effort in.  I watch Grant Holt lose the ball, but he goes straight back in again to try and retrieve the situation.  Holt is always closing defenders down and does not give them a minutes peace.  On the other hand Martin strolls around and very rarely closes any defender down.  Whenever he loses the ball he just stands still and shrugs his shoulder, but never attempts to win it back, which I find very frustrating.  When he does try to get stuck in he invariably gives away a free kick in a dangerous position.

He can get away with this when he is putting the ball in the net, because there is no doubt he is a good finisher, but yesterday he had two clear cut chances to finish the game off, but failed both times.

Maybe Lambert should give him a rest and play Jackson alongside Holt and Wilbraham.

[/quote]Are you on drugs ?

[Woman in the Stands (WITS) 0]

Probably.

[Norfolkn Good 0]

He was better than usual yesterday as he was more involved due to his position.

Normally though he appears to be incredibly lazy - there were a couple of times in the Sheff U game when Wes ran past him to defend and then ran back past him to put pressure on their back 4.

He''s got the ability to be great but the only time he''s willing to fight are in the Beccles pubs or when trying to pick a "fight" on the pitch with plenty of team back up....shame really.

[Mister Chops 7]

[quote user="silver fox"]

Every game I watch lately Chris Martin seems to put very little effort in.  I watch Grant Holt lose the ball, but he goes straight back in again to try and retrieve the situation.  Holt is always closing defenders down and does not give them a minutes peace.  On the other hand Martin strolls around and very rarely closes any defender down.  Whenever he loses the ball he just stands still and shrugs his shoulder, but never attempts to win it back, which I find very frustrating.  When he does try to get stuck in he invariably gives away a free kick in a dangerous position.

He can get away with this when he is putting the ball in the net, because there is no doubt he is a good finisher, but yesterday he had two clear cut chances to finish the game off, but failed both times.

Maybe Lambert should give him a rest and play Jackson alongside Holt and Wilbraham.

[/quote]I do think he''s lazy, yes.  The only thing I disagree with in your post is playing Jackson alongside Holt and Wilbraham - anyone can see Jackson''s just a one-trick pony with a bit of pace.  But who else should we use up front?  Hoolahan is far too one-footed to be a professional footballer, Wilbraham is a League One trundler who won''t cut it at this level and Grant Holt needs three chances for every goal he scores, as well as bringing our football club into disrepute with his disgraceful diving antics.  You could try Oli Johnson but he''s a non league player who''s got lucky, we could recall Cody McDonald but I don''t like his hair and "Josh Dawkin" sounds a bit like "Stephen Hawking".  In fact, the longer I think about it, the more I realise that the only solution is to bring in Michael Owen on loan.

[Harry 0]

No you''re not the only one that thinks Chris Martin is lazy, there are quite a few other idiots that sit behind me that would agree with you.

[Gingerpele 0]

If he''s giving free-kicks away in dangerous positions, he must be tracking back....hence not lazy!!

If he''s so lazy, why is he still playing? Why isn''t Jackson who apparently never stops running, and is wonderful playing?

[silver fox 0]

Grant Holt is in his early 30''s and Chris Martin is in his early 20''s, you tell me which one puts in 90 minutes worth of effort for the team?

[Woman in the Stands (WITS) 0]

[quote user="silver fox"]Grant Holt is in his early 30''s and Chris Martin is in his early 20''s, you tell me which one puts in 90 minutes worth of effort for the team?[/quote]As Grant Holt was born on 12/04/1981, I suggest you go back to school to practise your addition and subtraction calculations!

[Norfolk Mustard 106]

He''s a good player, but he''d be great if he won more aerial balls and closed down opponents quicker. Sir Alex tolerates nothing less at Man Utd!

Front players who care enough to retrieve the ball at the earliest opportunity set the standard for the rest of the team. It can help alleviate pressure on the midfielders - and depending on the oppositions pass - the defenders too. Grant Holt demonstrates this every single game. It''s an excellent leadership trait.

The contra-argument could be that Chris Martin is conserving energy pending a chance of being put through on goal; personally I''d like to see him take a leaf out of the Captain''s book and close players down. All decent players can improve - look at Russell Martin lately who is adding more and more to his game - just think what value Chris Martin would create for himself if he did similar things!

Dion Dublin has said of Chris Martin ''he can become anything he wants to be'' - I thoroughly agree, but deep-down I wonder how much he really wants to be a superstar?

It was his arrogance that first got him noticed in the Academy set-up; used properly that''s fine, but to keep progressing you do need the other bits too - like maximum effort when appropriate.

Even so, from the current squad I''d still have Chris Martin in my start line up.

PS: Another player who could benefit from ''closing-down'' coaching is Andrew Surman.

[Boyo 0]

I think the only reason people moan about Martin being lazy is because of Holt and some people need to understand that Grant Holt is an exception when it comes to strikers.  How many strikers do you see in any league in the world chase back to the heart of the defence and cover full backs when they have gone storming down the wing?  The only player I can think of who might do this is Wayne Rooney.  This is why Grant Holt is an exception and Chris Martin does not need to do all this but because Holt does it people think Martin should too.

 

I suppose at times during this season you could criticise Martin for his work ethic but the timing of this post is a bit strange.  I thought he played really well yesterday and tracked back a lot to help out the likes of Crofts dealing with Taarabt and I would like to see him played in that position again.

[ron obvious 1,711]

[quote user="Mister Chops"][quote user="silver fox"]

Every game I watch lately Chris Martin seems to put very little effort in.  I watch Grant Holt lose the ball, but he goes straight back in again to try and retrieve the situation.  Holt is always closing defenders down and does not give them a minutes peace.  On the other hand Martin strolls around and very rarely closes any defender down.  Whenever he loses the ball he just stands still and shrugs his shoulder, but never attempts to win it back, which I find very frustrating.  When he does try to get stuck in he invariably gives away a free kick in a dangerous position.

He can get away with this when he is putting the ball in the net, because there is no doubt he is a good finisher, but yesterday he had two clear cut chances to finish the game off, but failed both times.

Maybe Lambert should give him a rest and play Jackson alongside Holt and Wilbraham.

[/quote]I do think he''s lazy, yes.  The only thing I disagree with in your post is playing Jackson alongside Holt and Wilbraham - anyone can see Jackson''s just a one-trick pony with a bit of pace.  But who else should we use up front?  Hoolahan is far too one-footed to be a professional footballer, Wilbraham is a League One trundler who won''t cut it at this level and Grant Holt needs three chances for every goal he scores, as well as bringing our football club into disrepute with his disgraceful diving antics.  You could try Oli Johnson but he''s a non league player who''s got lucky, we could recall Cody McDonald but I don''t like his hair and "Josh Dawkin" sounds a bit like "Stephen Hawking".  In fact, the longer I think about it, the more I realise that the only solution is to bring in Michael Owen on loan.[/quote]Been watching a lot of Blackadder over Chrissie have we? Grin.

[lobstercatcher2 0]

ffs we are 3rd in the league and all some of you do is moan about our players,why don''t you just shut the fu@k up and enjoy.........this is the kind of shitty thread that stopped me posting on here

[Canary_on_the Trent 0]

Like a certain Mr Berbatov? Mustard

[Mook 0]

Am I the only person that thinks it''s typically ENGLISH that we''re all here debating whether he runs far enough??? Not the timing of his runs, the quality of his touch, the inventiveness of his play, his spotting of through balls, his link up play or his knowledge of his teammates positions around him. I''m not saying he''s brilliant at all of these things, but can''t we talk about ACTUAL FOOTBALL SKILL for once????? We need a combination of players: tryers & talents, workers & creators, etc.Do you think the Spanish sit around complaining that Torres doesn''t chase back enough? Or the Dutch sit around worrying about Sneijder''s work rate? Drives me round the bend, seriously.

[noivoc 0]

Good grief this site really does have some of the thickest football fans ever....

[Phillip J Fry 0]

I agree with Mook and Boyo. Holt is the exception, not the rule when it comes to strikers and the closing down/dropping back, comparing anyone to Holt is very unfair. To try and make a fairer statement compare him to Jackson. When those two are compared the difference isn''t very large is it?Again Franz Beckenbauer would have a field day when it comes to English fans. Spaniards and almost every other European nation would rather judge a player based on his contribution to the game rather than his work rate. Here''s a news flash if mindless running and trying your damndest made you a good player than the premier leagues favourite player would be Andy Hughes!Anyway the entire point of this is blantantly stupid, so many people inside the club look at Chris Martin and decide that what you percieve as weaknesses either don''t exist or are minor enough that he''s more valuable in the team than out of it.

[alysha 0]

On a side note, when I have watched Norwich away this season, C.Martin appears to have much better game, not that he was poor yesterday mind

[silver fox 0]

[quote user="lobstercatcher2"]ffs we are 3rd in the league and all some of you do is moan about our players,why don''t you just shut the fu@k up and enjoy.........this is the kind of shitty thread that stopped me posting on here[/quote]  One of the reasons I stopped posting is that people like you cannot reply to a simple post without having to swear.  If you read my post properly and engaged your brain before replying you would see that I agree that Chris Martin can score goals, my question was do people think he is lazy?  I would love to sit next to you at a match and see whether you ever moan about any player, that is assuming you actually go to matches.

[silver fox 0]

[quote user="Gareth"]I agree with Mook and Boyo. Holt is the exception, not the rule when it comes to strikers and the closing down/dropping back, comparing anyone to Holt is very unfair. To try and make a fairer statement compare him to Jackson. When those two are compared the difference isn''t very large is it?

Again Franz Beckenbauer would have a field day when it comes to English fans. Spaniards and almost every other European nation would rather judge a player based on his contribution to the game rather than his work rate. Here''s a news flash if mindless running and trying your damndest made you a good player than the premier leagues favourite player would be Andy Hughes!

Anyway the entire point of this is blantantly stupid, so many people inside the club look at Chris Martin and decide that what you percieve as weaknesses either don''t exist or are minor enough that he''s more valuable in the team than out of it.
[/quote] Or maybe Lambert is sticking with him until he gets a replacement.

[silver fox 0]

[quote user="Mook"]Am I the only person that thinks it''s typically ENGLISH that we''re all here debating whether he runs far enough???

Not the timing of his runs, the quality of his touch, the inventiveness of his play, his spotting of through balls, his link up play or his knowledge of his teammates positions around him. I''m not saying he''s brilliant at all of these things, but can''t we talk about ACTUAL FOOTBALL SKILL for once????? We need a combination of players: tryers & talents, workers & creators, etc.

Do you think the Spanish sit around complaining that Torres doesn''t chase back enough? Or the Dutch sit around worrying about Sneijder''s work rate? Drives me round the bend, seriously.
[/quote]  I get just as frustrated when I see a player who is clearly talented, but at times just doesn''t seem prepared to put in that little bit of effort.   Grant Holt and Iwan Roberts before him set a perfect example to any youngster starting the game of what 100% commitment to the team is all about.  Do you think that Argentina and Man City supporters care that Tevez chases every last cause?