Joe Gatting is not good enough

[Easy 10]

Give him time.

Jake has been around the first team now for 4 years and this is the first season he has shown the ability that he has. Revell was useless at Cambridge and dropped back down to non-league but now showing the ability he has.

I disagree Yorkie.
Robinson looked the absolute NUTS when he first broke into the team, and people on here were very excited about him (including me). He always looked a real prospect with his electrifying pace running at defenders. Sadly he went right off the boil for a couple of seasons, and seemed to lose all confidence. Happily that now seems to have been restored, and although he's having a bit of a lean spell now, he's still contributing and looking dangerous. With Robinson, there was never any doubt that he had oodles of abililty there, it was just always a case of bringing it out of him - which Wilkins has managed to do superbly in my opinion.

I'm just not convinced Gatting has that ability. That said, Wilkins obviously believes he has, and he clearly knows what he's doing with these youngsters, so who am I to question his judgement. But I'm just calling it as I've seen it so far, and so far, I've seen precious little from Gatting. Would love to be proved totally wrong though.

 

[Barnham Seagull]

Ok Mr Goldstone, Revell and Jake are two different types of players.

Well Revell maybe in fact quite similar, remeber that Cambridge released him when he was young as they did'nt think he was up to it. He went into non league and developed as a player, Im sure cambridge would'nt mind him now!

Robinson is a flair player who gets the crowd excited, and many people did'nt think he could score regulary at this level or deliver the end product at the end of a run (and still does'nt alot of the tome) but thats because he's young and learning.

If Gatting was 28 and performed like he does now for us I for one would question his place in our squad and why he was at our club. but he's not he's a kid. By all means have this conversation in 2 years time!

 

[vulture]

I think gatting is starting to look ok

 

[Jim in the West]

Afraid to say he looks remarkably like the next Chris McPhee to me.

Robinson has always had that blistering pace for running at defenders, and a heck of a shot on him when he gets hold of it. Cox has some craft and guile on the ball. What Revell lacks in skills he makes up for in sheer workrate. But I'm not really seeing what Gatting brings to the party.

He's not quick. He's not a particularly good finisher. He's not great at holding it up, and he doesn't put as much workrate in as I'd expect from a youngester being given his chance in the first team. I KNOW he's only young, and maybe its still too early to judge, but by now I'd like to have seen something in him that makes me think he could really make it. He just doesn't look anywhere near 1st team material to me yet.

On the one hand, I'll admit to writing Revell off after the appalling game at Bristol City - and then having to change my mind. On the other hand, I think, Easy 10, that you are spot on with this assessment of Gatting.

 

[goldstone]

Can we really afford to carry promising young players? It is disgraceful. Who ever heard of a successful youth system.

Incidentally, he has "offered something to the team" in the last few games, including two goals. He wasn't great today, but who was?

We're not carrying the other former youth team players. Fraser, Cox and Robinson deserve their places. Maybe they're not playing brilliantly just at the moment, but they have shown this season what they're capable of.

Gatting has shown us nothing much of anything. Two goals in recent games, I agree, but neither made any difference to the result and as I said in an earlier response someone playing instead of Joe could well have won us the game.

 

[Yorkie]

I disagree Yorkie.
Robinson looked the absolute NUTS when he first broke into the team, and people on here were very excited about him (including me). He always looked a real prospect with his electrifying pace running at defenders. Sadly he went right off the boil for a couple of seasons, and seemed to lose all confidence. Happily that now seems to have been restored, and although he's having a bit of a lean spell now, he's still contributing and looking dangerous. With Robinson, there was never any doubt that he had oodles of abililty there, it was just always a case of bringing it out of him - which Wilkins has managed to do superbly in my opinion.

I'm just not convinced Gatting has that ability. That said, Wilkins obviously believes he has, and he clearly knows what he's doing with these youngsters, so who am I to question his judgement. But I'm just calling it as I've seen it so far, and so far, I've seen precious little from Gatting. Would love to be proved totally wrong though.

From what I saw in the Youth FA cup last season when Gatting got the goals against Chelsea and at Blackburn (we were 2-1 down when he beat two defenders - not with pace but guile - and then got the winner in extra time) showed me that he has got the ability. He needs time. Pace isn't everything in a striker.

 

[The Large One]

We're not carrying the other former youth team players. Fraser, Cox and Robinson deserve their places. Maybe they're not playing brilliantly just at the moment, but they have shown this season what they're capable of.

Gatting has shown us nothing much of anything. Two goals in recent games, I agree, but neither made any difference to the result and as I said in an earlier response someone playing instead of Joe could well have won us the game.

I think you might look to the rest of the team for that answer...

You seem to be implying his goals have been irrelevant and worthless. Surely not.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Didn't go today, but how do you coach a slow player to be non-slow? The simple answer is you can't. Anytime I've seen Gatting play, he's never looked at all hungry for the ball. Just looks in a half-trance. Just won't do.

Do the cognoscenti have to wait six months for the rest of NSC to catch up? Don't think so. Dwayne and THPP had Doug Loft bang to rights after ten minutes flat. Got stick for it at the time, but have been proven right. Same goes for Gatting. Just doesn't hack it. DO catch up

 

[Silent Bob]

Dwayne and THPP had Doug Loft bang to rights after ten minutes flat. Got stick for it at the time, but have been proven right. Same goes for Gatting. Just doesn't hack it. DO catch up

To be fair, dwayne tends to employ more of a scattergun policy.

 

[The Large One]

To be fair, dwayne tends to employ more of a scattergun policy.

Most of which tends to come back on him.

 

[Easy 10]

From what I saw in the Youth FA cup last season when Gatting got the goals against Chelsea and at Blackburn (we were 2-1 down when he beat two defenders - not with pace but guile - and then got the winner in extra time) showed me that he has got the ability. He needs time. Pace isn't everything in a striker.

True, pace certainly isn't everything. Which means if he's going to make it in the first team, he needs to make use of his other assets. I want to see him running his nuts off, chasing down defenders, really putting himself about, not giving them a second. Guts and determination. REAL desire.
I gather he's a very quiet lad off the pitch, and that seems to come across on the pitch as well. I wouldn't go as far to say he's not trying - but by the same token, I don't think he's exactly busting a gut either. Took his goal well against Carlisle, and got a pointless late deflected consolation against Yeovil. Other than that, I think he's been anonymous.

 

[Yorkie]

And Tom Hark just loves a good wind up eh?

 

[Easy 10]

On the one hand, I'll admit to writing Revell off after the appalling game at Bristol City - and then having to change my mind. On the other hand, I think, Easy 10, that you are spot on with this assessment of Gatting.

Lets hope we're BOTH proved wrong eh Jim. I'd love nothing more than for Gatting to come out and ram it down my throat.


Ahem.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

And Tom Hark just loves a good wind up eh?

Not a wind-up in the least. I just think Joe Gatting plays in a half-trance. He's not hungry for the ball and that is very worrying in a young player. Sorry, but the vibes are not good for the boy. Don't care how many he scored for the youth team.

 

[Yorkie]

I want to see him running his nuts off, chasing down defenders, really putting himself about, not giving them a second. Guts and determination. REAL desire.
- but by the same token, I don't think he's exactly busting a gut either.

Other than that, I think he's been anonymous.

I've edited your post but that could apply to any one of our players at the moment.

 

[Schrödinger's Toad]

I sort of agree with the work-rate comments; although he's doubtless putting in the effort, he could be so much more effective if he put himself about a bit more ... I wasn't a huge fan of him up-front, but something Virgo-esque is what he should be aiming for.

I think he's got talent, certainly, it'll just take a while.

 

[London Irish]

He's not quick. He's not a particularly good finisher. He's not great at holding it up, and he doesn't put as much workrate in as I'd expect from a youngester being given his chance in the first team.

I think you are half-right, he doesn't have pace and never will. You say no workrate, I say a better word is not enough movement, he must work on this part of his game very hard because it will be the thing that makes us for his lack of pace (see Sheringham, see Steve Howard).

You are wrong about the other stuff - he is decent on the ball and holds it up OK. He has a good track record as a finisher in the youth and Reserves, even this season he has 3 goals in the first team with not much game-time.

In the last few weeks, he has shown that he has the ability to hold the ball and turn away from defenders and get in scoring positions to shoot. That is a crucial strikers' gift and he has it. He made a very eye-catching contribution in the Yeovil and particulary in the Oldham away games - I think if you saw him at Boundary Park you would understand why Wilkins has persisted with him.

Against Carlisle he took his goal beautifully (again sign of a good finisher) but generally did not contribute enough. Not at B'muff today, perhaps that was the same.

But there are signs that he could develop into a good player for us if he works hard on his movement (this is not so much a workrate thing, more of a nous and intelligence thing).

He may not work out for us and he may indeed be another McPhee. But it is early days yet and I have seen enough to hope that we stick with him. Ideally though, we would be bringing in a more experienced striker to back up Revell and Robinson, and Gatting should be benefit from a loan spell at a decent level as the likes of Hammond and Robinson did before him.

 

[gollum]

I don't think Gatting is, or ever will be good enough to play at this level. He's slow, lethargic and doesn't have good control. Compare him with Revell - I know which one I would keep.

Sorry but that is bollocks!

He's very young, and is just starting to show the signs of what he may be able to offer in the FUTURE.

Able to hold up the ball, then get in the box, and a pretty good finisher.

He's a kid, dont blame him for being thrown in at he deep end, he's going to have a lot games where it looks like he's gone missing.

 

[gollum]

On second thoughts, perhaps you should change this thread title to "most of the players in the first team are not good enough".

 

[goldstone]

I think you are half-right, he doesn't have pace and never will. You say no workrate, I say a better word is not enough movement, he must work on this part of his game very hard because it will be the thing that makes us for his lack of pace (see Sheringham, see Steve Howard).... and Gatting should be benefit from a loan spell at a decent level as the likes of Hammond and Robinson did before him.

Exactly my point. We cannot afford to carry him along in the first team squad while we wait to see whether he develops into a decent striker. Send him out on loan ... Crawley surely would love him ... and if he does well we can bring him back.