Barnes to Rescue

[Super Steve Earle]

I presume some of the duckheads on this thread are the same ones who persisted in saying Kuipers couldn't kick till the day he left. In other words stick to a point of view in the face of all evidence. Barnes was the real MoM yesterday. Why criticise him for winning fouls in important areas? Surely that's a good thing. Why criticise him for scoring all but one of our penalties. We only scored half of them last season. Funny how Barnes is the outlet Vicente usually finds. Stupid Vicente should try a little harder and find some other player in a good position. Why does Barnes' first touch have to be 100% every match when no-one else has to reach that standard? As Gus rightly says, if fans can't see what Barnes brings to the team, they know nothing about football and certainly aren't watching.

 

[SittingbourneSeagull]

Clinical finisher, today was another example, albeit an easy one to put away. Add me to the list of people who don't have a clue why he gets so much stick. Very good player, still young, too.

I agree it was an easy chance, but he is superb at finding space in the area and yesterdays goal highlighted that perfectly. I think he is at his best when he does not have too much time to think about the finish.

 

[fcportaloo]

Oh for sure a decent squad player but harsh reality: Aim is promotion to premiership, need a better foward than Barnes

Let's buy one with the money from CMS moving on

 

[El Presidente]

Oh for sure a decent squad player but harsh reality: Aim is promotion to premiership, need a better foward than Barnes

What exactly do you expect for £60,000?

 

[Super Steve Earle]

If he stops diving and works on his first touch, he will become a good Championship player. At the moment, I think he is a lower end Championship forward.

Ninja, you're normally on the mark, but you might watch him a just little closer next year. He doesn't dive. He goes down when he's fouled and sometimes when he thinks he is. It's the modern game and he has won endless free kicks in excellent positions to break up moves in a defensive role or win them in the area around 10 yards outside the opposition box. His first touch fails him about one time in five, but it's improving and more noticeable because he's involved in so much of our play from box to box. Take a look at the tables. He's already a higher end Championship forward and top scorer with his club.

 

[Super Steve Earle]

I agree it was an easy chance, but he is superb at finding space in the area and yesterdays goal highlighted that perfectly. I think he is at his best when he does not have too much time to think about the finish.

If that was an easy chance I'm a Spaniard! The keeper was well positioned and he had two defenders closing. Had he taken another touch, there's no way he would have scored. It looked easy because he's a class finisher who skillfully put the ball in the only gap available.

 

[bhamex1901]

If that was an easy chance I'm a Spaniard! The keeper was well positioned and he had two defenders closing. Had he taken another touch, there's no way he would have scored. It looked easy because he's a class finisher who skillfully put the ball in the only gap available.

Come on! It really wasn't a hard chance. A professional should be expected to score those almost every time.

 

[JBizzle]

Come on! It really wasn't a hard chance. A professional should be expected to score those almost every time.

So why do we let off CMS when he misses these easy chances so often? After all, he only cost 60 times more cash than Barnes.

 

[GingerBeerMan]

Ninja, you're normally on the mark, but you might watch him a just little closer next year. He doesn't dive.

He's a dirty player and an unsporting player too. He ends up on the floor more times than he completes a dribble. He does over exaggerate any contact at all to end up on the floor.

 

[Meade's Ball]

Come on! It really wasn't a hard chance. A professional should be expected to score those almost every time.

You didn't watch Liverpool play today or in almost all games this season?

 

[LadySeagull]

He does over exaggerate any contact at all to end up on the floor.

So does Vicente and we all laugh!

 

[Acker79]

Watching the goal on the football league show I noticed it was Barnes who played the ball through to Calderon initially, then got into position to score the goal. Great link up, move the play forward. His part in the goal was more than just the finish.


Yeah,the finish looked easy, but finishing is rarely easy. There's this idea that getting into position to score is "the hard part", if that were the case, why do people get into position to score yet fail to actually score so often? Putting the ball in the net is the hardest part of football. It may look easy, but a scuff, a bounce, lean back too far, an unlucky deflection, good defensive work, great goal keeping, too much power, not enough power, so on and so on, any number of things can stop what should be 'an easy goal' being one.

 

[Ninja Elephant]

Ninja, you're normally on the mark, but you might watch him a just little closer next year. He doesn't dive. He goes down when he's fouled and sometimes when he thinks he is. It's the modern game and he has won endless free kicks in excellent positions to break up moves in a defensive role or win them in the area around 10 yards outside the opposition box. His first touch fails him about one time in five, but it's improving and more noticeable because he's involved in so much of our play from box to box. Take a look at the tables. He's already a higher end Championship forward and top scorer with his club.

We don't agree I'm afraid. I understand what he's trying to do, and that it is naive to think there's no value to it. But I don't like it. On saturday, there was one specific example I can think of where he got the ball on the left wing, in front of the East where I sit, and he had 2 players on him. I was nudged by the guy next to me who said, "He'll dive here in a minute" and sure enough, he very cleverly worked the ball between the two players and then fell over between them. No foul was given, because no foul occured. He would have kept posession of the ball, I think, and been charging through the middle. Instead, he tried to buy the free-kick. Clever play if it had worked, but even if it had I would have opposed it. Call me naive, the cap does fit, but I don't enjoy seeing it and for me, it's tainted my whole opinion of Barnes. Which is a shame, because he SHOULD be a crowd favourite. He's a young chap who joined us in mid-table League 1 and now just a couple of years later he's banged in 20 in League 1 and is our top scorer on 14 in the Championship and works extremely hard for the team. But for one reason or another, he seems fairly unlikable.

I'm not one of these people who like to criticise our players during the match, I rarely do. But I'll be honest, Barnes' non-footballing antics frustrated me on saturday. Which is why I got a half ironic slap on the back when Barnes then scored, for I have his name and number on my shirt.

 

[GingerBeerMan]

one specific example I can think of where he got the ball on the left wing, in front of the East where I sit, and he had 2 players on him. I was nudged by the guy next to me who said, "He'll dive here in a minute" and sure enough, he very cleverly worked the ball between the two players and then fell over between them.

Funnily enough I remember this exact incident and said the same thing to my buddy a few seconds before he went down.

As for Vicente diving, he does do it sometimes (inexcusable) but 80% of the other times he is cynically fouled to stop him weaving his magic.

 

[Rugrat]

We don't agree I'm afraid. I understand what he's trying to do, and that it is naive to think there's no value to it. But I don't like it. On saturday, there was one specific example I can think of where he got the ball on the left wing, in front of the East where I sit, and he had 2 players on him. I was nudged by the guy next to me who said, "He'll dive here in a minute" and sure enough, he very cleverly worked the ball between the two players and then fell over between them. No foul was given, because no foul occured. He would have kept posession of the ball, I think, and been charging through the middle. Instead, he tried to buy the free-kick. Clever play if it had worked, but even if it had I would have opposed it. Call me naive, the cap does fit, but I don't enjoy seeing it and for me, it's tainted my whole opinion of Barnes. Which is a shame, because he SHOULD be a crowd favourite. He's a young chap who joined us in mid-table League 1 and now just a couple of years later he's banged in 20 in League 1 and is our top scorer on 14 in the Championship and works extremely hard for the team. But for one reason or another, he seems fairly unlikable.

I'm not one of these people who like to criticise our players during the match, I rarely do. But I'll be honest, Barnes' non-footballing antics frustrated me on saturday. Which is why I got a half ironic slap on the back when Barnes then scored, for I have his name and number on my shirt.

I really wish he'd stop (some of) the acting and constant getting in face of ref's .... I think Gus should sort this and disappointed he hasn't

Otherwise all positive from me

 

[JBizzle]

Funnily enough I remember this exact incident and said the same thing to my buddy a few seconds before he went down.

As for Vicente diving, he does do it sometimes (inexcusable) but 80% of the other times he is cynically fouled to stop him weaving his magic.

Doesn't mean its not a foul though. Its an unfortunate certainty in modern football that in many cases contact is a foul. Put simply, if Barnes is "diving" and you can all see it so clearly, why is it so rare for referees to wave play on? Why is Barnes never booked for persistent diving?

Odd though, I remember the same incident and I say to the chap next to me "they'll foul him in a minute". Sure enough, they did!

Its not a pretty part of football but it is there and Barnes is no different to many other footballers in this country in his conduct, its just another weak stick our fans like to beat him with.

 

[Mo Gosfield]

The first thing I always judge a footballer by is his first touch. The ability to control a ball quickly, to remain in close control of the ball and then find a team-mate with accuracy and correct weight of pass.
A good pro should be able to carry this out on the majority of occasions, under pressure or not.
BHA play a style that relies on a lot of possession. This means that you need forward players that are comfortable and strong on the ball. that can play with their backs to goal, not get knocked off the ball easily or have it knicked away from them. They must be able to hold the ball and then find the supporting player.
If the forward player cannot do this, a lot of moves will break down. The opposition will win back possession quickly and you will immediately be under pressure again.
Now, can any BHA fan out there, honestly say that either CMS or Ashley Barnes can carry this out successfully ( on the majority of occasions )
We all know they can't. They both have poor first touches and a lot of our moves break down because of this. But this is all glossed over because of their @so called ' work-rate ' They both have to work their socks off because of the times they give the ball away in th e first place.
Barnes can finish but there are too many weaknesses in his game to allow him to develop any further. If his first touch isn't there at 22, it ain't gonna be there at 25.

 

[NickBHAFC18]

Never jumped off my seat so hard when Barnes put the ball in the net on Saturday.

 

[Albumen]

I presume some of the duckheads on this thread are the same ones who persisted in saying Kuipers couldn't kick till the day he left. In other words stick to a point of view in the face of all evidence. Barnes was the real MoM yesterday. Why criticise him for winning fouls in important areas? Surely that's a good thing. Why criticise him for scoring all but one of our penalties. We only scored half of them last season. Funny how Barnes is the outlet Vicente usually finds. Stupid Vicente should try a little harder and find some other player in a good position. Why does Barnes' first touch have to be 100% every match when no-one else has to reach that standard? As Gus rightly says, if fans can't see what Barnes brings to the team, they know nothing about football and certainly aren't watching.

BOOM. Good post.

 

[Mellotron]

I presume some of the duckheads on this thread are the same ones who persisted in saying Kuipers couldn't kick till the day he left. In other words stick to a point of view in the face of all evidence. Barnes was the real MoM yesterday. Why criticise him for winning fouls in important areas? Surely that's a good thing. Why criticise him for scoring all but one of our penalties. We only scored half of them last season. Funny how Barnes is the outlet Vicente usually finds. Stupid Vicente should try a little harder and find some other player in a good position. Why does Barnes' first touch have to be 100% every match when no-one else has to reach that standard? As Gus rightly says, if fans can't see what Barnes brings to the team, they know nothing about football and certainly aren't watching.

Best post in the thread by SOME way.