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Largey

Chris Martin

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Anyone surprised he has started two of our first three games? He played a very little part in the final few months of last season and some were questioning whether he would still be with us this season.

I''m suprised he started ahead of Morison against Chelsea, however I can only presume he is ahead of Jackson due to his height and strength. He hasn''t scored many of the last season and a bit, but as has always been said, he does link up well with the midfield, so much so that I thought he was being preferred in a more attacking midfielder role.

He has looked decent so far this season, a bit stronger and sharper than last season, however I was never fully confident when he went through on goal against Chelsea that he would beat Hilario. I think a goal will give him the confidence to find the net more often.

Thoughts?

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I''m not surprised at all, Lambert clearly rates him and, for all that is written and said about him, he is clearly a very good player. He has excellent vision and although he might not score many he does tend to play an instrumental part in our build up play, as can be seen by the number of assists he got last year before being injured.Last year the goals came from all over the team and I think Lambert expects that to continue, therefore I think his skill in the build up is valued highly.The only thing I would say is he seemed less than happy to have been substituted, as he walked off there was some head shaking and one does not need to be a lip reader to have seen that he did not ''f''in think it should have been him removed''...Lambert has put up with his off field antics but I cannot see him tolerating much in the way of dissension when he makes a decision.  I hope he continues to feature and I think he is a streaky player, I can see him scoring six in six and then not hitting the net for the rest of the season; having said that I think he will continue to improve and will become a formidable player with more experience.

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[quote user="Largey"]. I''m suprised he started ahead of Morison against Chelsea,  [/quote]

Given that Lambert has just spent a fair bit of money on Morison I thought he might have shown faith in him and put him in the starting line up. However, at the moment Martin appears to fit our system much better than Morison and he knows how to link-up with the likes of Holt and Hoolahan much better.

 

It will be interesting to see how Morison fits in to our system and how quickly and effectively he can adapt to it. I also think he would benefit from a goal (as would Chris Martin) and needs to sharpen up his game a bit.

 

I did think the Chelsea game highlighted our lack of pace upfront though. They were all over the place defensively and had we had someone upfront with decent pace then we could well have got much more from the game. Morison looks like he has a bit of pace when he''s in our stride but neither him nor Martin have killer pace. Will be interesting to see what Vaughan has got to offer.

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[quote user="GJP"]

[quote user="Largey"]. I''m suprised he started ahead of Morison against Chelsea,  [/quote]

Given that Lambert has just spent a fair bit of money on Morison I thought he might have shown faith in him and put him in the starting line up. However, at the moment Martin appears to fit our system much better than Morison and he knows how to link-up with the likes of Holt and Hoolahan much better.

 

It will be interesting to see how Morison fits in to our system and how quickly and effectively he can adapt to it. I also think he would benefit from a goal (as would Chris Martin) and needs to sharpen up his game a bit.

 

I did think the Chelsea game highlighted our lack of pace upfront though. They were all over the place defensively and had we had someone upfront with decent pace then we could well have got much more from the game. Morison looks like he has a bit of pace when he''s in our stride but neither him nor Martin have killer pace. Will be interesting to see what Vaughan has got to offer.

[/quote]Hopefully pace, when fit. It just doesn''t seem to work out for him. Hopefully though, we can sort him out like Zak Whitbread!

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[quote user="Sir Humphrey Appleby"]I''m not surprised at all, Lambert clearly rates him and, for all that is written and said about him, he is clearly a very good player. He has excellent vision and although he might not score many he does tend to play an instrumental part in our build up play, as can be seen by the number of assists he got last year before being injured.Last year the goals came from all over the team and I think Lambert expects that to continue, therefore I think his skill in the build up is valued highly.[/quote]Feel free to list his assists from last season. I know that I''m asking a lot, but it shouldn''t take you long seeing as he only actually has 2 assists to his name last year from 23 games.I am a Chris Martin fan, but it grates on me to see people splashing this line everywhere. Clearly somebody on here has said this at some stage, and everybody else has followed like sheeple because they think it sounds good.If you want to give anybody credit for assists in our team then give it to Grant Holt who with 14 assists came second in the Championship assist table. The fact that some people are criticising or doubting Holt after he finished 2nd in the assist table and 4th in the goal table last year in the Championship probably says it all. Last year our three top assist makers were Holt 14, Hoolahan 9, Fox 9. This year we have added Elliott Bennett who set up 17 for Brighton last year, third best in his division. In my opinion Lambert has Martin in the team because he believes in his finishing ability, not to create goals for anybody else, that has simply never been his strong point and neither has he ever really played that role for us.

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[quote user="GJP"]

[quote user="Largey"]. I''m suprised he started ahead of Morison against Chelsea,  [/quote]

Given that Lambert has just spent a fair bit of money on Morison I thought he might have shown faith in him and put him in the starting line up. However, at the moment Martin appears to fit our system much better than Morison and he knows how to link-up with the likes of Holt and Hoolahan much better.

It will be interesting to see how Morison fits in to our system and how quickly and effectively he can adapt to it. I also think he would benefit from a goal (as would Chris Martin) and needs to sharpen up his game a bit.

I did think the Chelsea game highlighted our lack of pace upfront though. They were all over the place defensively and had we had someone upfront with decent pace then we could well have got much more from the game. Morison looks like he has a bit of pace when he''s in our stride but neither him nor Martin have killer pace. Will be interesting to see what Vaughan has got to offer.

[/quote]The first goal of the season is the most important one for any striker, for any team, in any division. Grant Holt explained extremely well after the Chelsea game how scoring your first goal relieves a lot of pressure.It doesn''t matter whether you are Jamie Cureton playing for Orient or Wayne Rooney playing for Man United, last season is always forgotten and you are only as good as your last match.Morison, Jackson, Martin, Vaughan, Wilbraham, could all do with a goal. I feel happier now that Holt and Hoolahan have one.

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[quote user="LeJuge"][quote user="Sir Humphrey Appleby"]I''m not surprised at all, Lambert clearly rates him and, for all that is written and said about him, he is clearly a very good player. He has excellent vision and although he might not score many he does tend to play an instrumental part in our build up play, as can be seen by the number of assists he got last year before being injured.Last year the goals came from all over the team and I think Lambert expects that to continue, therefore I think his skill in the build up is valued highly.[/quote]Feel free to list his assists from last season. I know that I''m asking a lot, but it shouldn''t take you long seeing as he only actually has 2 assists to his name last year from 23 games.I am a Chris Martin fan, but it grates on me to see people splashing this line everywhere. Clearly somebody on here has said this at some stage, and everybody else has followed like sheeple because they think it sounds good.If you want to give anybody credit for assists in our team then give it to Grant Holt who with 14 assists came second in the Championship assist table. The fact that some people are criticising or doubting Holt after he finished 2nd in the assist table and 4th in the goal table last year in the Championship probably says it all. Last year our three top assist makers were Holt 14, Hoolahan 9, Fox 9. This year we have added Elliott Bennett who set up 17 for Brighton last year, third best in his division. In my opinion Lambert has Martin in the team because he believes in his finishing ability, not to create goals for anybody else, that has simply never been his strong point and neither has he ever really played that role for us. [/quote]I bow to your stat work but would say that watching the games from last year - that he played in - I was struck by his involvement in the build up play, as you have stated he didn''t play the final pass but I wouldn''t discount his contribution so readily. As to sheep - I would suggest people just appreciate his involvement in our play and they do not have the time to compile the stats, we rely on you for that.I don''t think he can be there for his finishing, Lambert is nothing if not ruthless and Chris has not ''finished'' for a while...

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[quote user="LeJuge"][quote user="Sir Humphrey Appleby"]I''m not surprised at all, Lambert clearly rates him and, for all that is written and said about him, he is clearly a very good player. He has excellent vision and although he might not score many he does tend to play an instrumental part in our build up play, as can be seen by the number of assists he got last year before being injured.Last year the goals came from all over the team and I think Lambert expects that to continue, therefore I think his skill in the build up is valued highly.[/quote]Feel free to list his assists from last season. I know that I''m asking a lot, but it shouldn''t take you long seeing as he only actually has 2 assists to his name last year from 23 games.I am a Chris Martin fan, but it grates on me to see people splashing this line everywhere. Clearly somebody on here has said this at some stage, and everybody else has followed like sheeple because they think it sounds good.If you want to give anybody credit for assists in our team then give it to Grant Holt who with 14 assists came second in the Championship assist table. The fact that some people are criticising or doubting Holt after he finished 2nd in the assist table and 4th in the goal table last year in the Championship probably says it all. Last year our three top assist makers were Holt 14, Hoolahan 9, Fox 9. This year we have added Elliott Bennett who set up 17 for Brighton last year, third best in his division. In my opinion Lambert has Martin in the team because he believes in his finishing ability, not to create goals for anybody else, that has simply never been his strong point and neither has he ever really played that role for us. [/quote]Couldn''t grasp why he took the corners... They were crap.

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[quote user="Sir Humphrey Appleby"]

Last year the goals came from all over the team and I think Lambert expects that to continue, therefore I think his skill in the build up is valued highly.

[/quote]

Agree with this. Football is a team game and the team has been our main strength under Paul Lambert. Halfway through last season we were in the top six and one of the three highest scorers in the Championship and yet loads of posters on here were complaining about how many goals our strikers had scored. If the strikers are pulling defenders out of position to enable others to score they are doing their job just as much as scoring themselves. Even if this isn''t recorded as an assist.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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i think its because he compliments holt better than any other striker we''ve tried so far (dunno on vaughan). holt is clearly our number 1 striker, and martin brings the best out of him. he allows him to drag play wide, and threaten the main defender, whilst also linking play with midfield and offering a solid threat towards goal.i believe lambert sees morrison as the best alternative to martin, in this shape. at least until vaughan becomes available

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I''m not surprised, - he has the talent but at times has lacked the commitment, but now the Premiership seems to have awakened the latter.

Admittedly he didn''t score many goals last season, but he hit the woodwork more than any other player, possibly. He was out injured when Jackson had his run, otherwise he might have finished more or less equal with him.

One of his great qualities is his close control and footwork in the penalty area and his ability to make short passes to colleagues when under pressure. Only Hooly has the former ability.

On Saturday he demonstrated his ability to hold and move the ball despite close attention from the Chelsea defence, and then to pass it to colleagues in better positions.

We tend to describe him as lacking pace, but he is deceptively fast and difficult to shake off the ball.

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He was subbed off to make way for Rudd after Ruddys red card. I didn''t read it as he was angry at being subbed. More so angry at the red card situation.

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I almost forgot about Vaughan - he tweeeted yesterday that he is close to fitness.

Having said I almost forgot, I think he would be first choice for Lambert alongside Holt as he combines power AND pace.

Martin has really impressed me in his first two games, and Morison impressed me against Wigan so a pecking order is difficult to establish

They are all playing for one place as Holt has proved what a quality player he is against Stoke and Chelsea.

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[quote user="AndyCanary"]He was subbed off to make way for Rudd after Ruddys red card. I didn''t read it as he was angry at being subbed. More so angry at the red card situation.
[/quote]

It could also be a shop window for Martin, I did hear Birmingham city were interested in him

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[quote user="Sir Humphrey Appleby"] The only thing I would say is he seemed less than happy to have been substituted, as he walked off there was some head shaking and one does not need to be a lip reader to have seen that he did not ''f''in think it should have been him removed''...Lambert has put up with his off field antics but I cannot see him tolerating much in the way of dissension when he makes a decision. 

[/quote]

He knows that if you have a man sent off (especially a goalie or defender) then it is usually one of the strikers that get withdrawn. We all know that Holt would not get subbed so the logical choice would be Martin. Knowing that perhaps he was just angry with the entire situation, after all it was the third match in a row where the ref had penalised us.

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Lambert has said it last season - martin is our best and most natural finisher.

His contribution last year was with great through balls, long range shots and his ability to link with our more exquisite players, hoolahan, surman and lansbury.

He will be a better player in this league as we now have two pacey wingers who will grasp any clever through ball, he has a low centre of gravity and hence can hold the ball in the final third and turn.

He can take free kicks, one thing we hope pilko can get going.

I think he does have a part ot play, but if he doesn''t score while starting there will be the need for him to warrant his starting place with assists. Because Vaughan and Morison are right to say that they deserve a chance if we are struggling for goals. I def. want to see us being more potent infront of goal.

But never doubted his ability, this is the league where he can show off his skills, if he played all season there would be alot of interest from premiership teams.

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Expect to get bitten back at but.....C.Martin is garbage IMO. Don''t know how he gets in the team, people say about his link up play etc, but what we need is goalscorers. Yes he scored a few in League 1, but he is not Prem quality FFS!

Keep starting with him and we will only be heading one way!!

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I am delighted Chris Martin has been given the chance this season, i''ve always liked him as a player. Last season he wasn''t at his best goal scoring wise, but often showed how good he is at link up play etc, he also wins the ball in the air a bit (actually tries to win headers, rather than the foul like Holty does in 95% of the time) and can hold the ball up, and it appears he''s putting in a bit more effort chasing the ball down which is good.

I was very surprised to see him starting against Stoke, and even more surprised to see him starting against Chelsea, but he has put in two decent performances and i think we will see him in or near the starting line up quite a bit this season. Pete_norw, why on earth would you play Martin in two Prem games just to advertise his ability? If we wanted to sell him, he would have gone by now.

I think i read a comment, about spending money on Morrison so you''d expect him to be starting (something along those lines), that''s not a correct assumption in my view, we got promoted with out spending millions, but then we had a fair bit to spend this summer, but that money was on the whole spent on fairly young players, who have the ability to fit into the team immediately. But they weren''t all signed to go straight into the team, its going to be about the strength of the squad, and if Morrison has to sit on the bench, or Pilkington/Bennett have to sit on the nech and wait for when there needed, thats what happens its nothing to do with how much money was spent on them, its about what system, what players etc are right on the day.

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[quote user="Mervmeister"]Expect to get bitten back at but.....C.Martin is garbage IMO. Don''t know how he gets in the team, people say about his link up play etc, but what we need is goalscorers. Yes he scored a few in League 1, but he is not Prem quality FFS!

Keep starting with him and we will only be heading one way!![/quote]

We did fine with only one goal scoring striker up until Jackson hit form last season, and even quite a few of Holts goals were late on in the season. You seem to be living in the past when 90% of goals were scored by strikers.

And surely, Paul Lambert the man who has successfully taken this team up twice, using Chris Martin for 60 odd games in the process should have your faith. Personally i may question some of his decisions/signings etc, but i''m more than happy to give anything he does a chance, because of what he has already done..

Chris Martin has played two good games against a very strong team in Stoke, and a team who could potentially win the league. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE can people give up on this whole Martin is crap thing, he isn''t get over it.

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[quote user="LeJuge"]

I am a Chris Martin fan, but it grates on me to see people splashing this line everywhere. Clearly somebody on here has said this at some stage, and everybody else has followed like sheeple because they think it sounds good.or us. [/quote]No your not......   http://services.pinkun.com/FORUMS/PINKUN/CS/forums/2392252/ShowPost.aspx

Anyways, I have harped on about Martin far to much and unlike the false profesional here I stick to my guns or admit Im wrong.Here I will stick to my guns.As for only 2 assists last year, watch how many times Martin actually created the move to score the ball rather than having the penultimate touch / pass.Maritns link up and passing is second to none. I think Lambert is trying to change Martin''s role a bit and as suggested we may see him dropping into the hole a bit and becoming a playmaker.Hopefully the little outburst  following his substitution was down to match frustration and not continued on the touchline or the Beccles Beast may well find himself benched I admit !!

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mervmeister, I agree greatly with your post in regard that we have no time to waste in this premier league. We need to be scoring and a threat with both our strikers. That does ultimately mean a scoring threat and I believe that martin has a role if not a main role as our starting frontline striker.

I beleive Morison and Vaughan will have an impact this season and believe martin will find himself battling with hoolahoops for that role behind forwards in some games.

I like what martin offers and believe if we play him with good fast wingers we can have that pace behind the back four.

But I also am of the school of thought that we do not have time to wait for those to come into form. We need results quick and that means everyone proving why they are in the first 11.

I do look at newcastle last year struggling with forwards after carroll left in january. There was a not a threat and Nolan, Barton et al made up for the strikers who misfired.

We need our strikers on fire, I believe Martin brings much to our game, but I am looking forward to our strikers making a statement on the scoring sheet and giving lambert a selection nightmare

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