Sam Baldock is the key

[Grombleton]

Never got my head around this ancient concept of a striker's only job is to score goals. Sure they are more likely to than other positions but to judge a player on that alone is incredibly short sighted.

It's not the 1970's anymore, modern day footballers have to be more all-round players than just one position or attribute.

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

Never got my head around this ancient concept of a striker's only job is to score goals. Sure they are more likely to than other positions but to judge a player on that alone is incredibly short sighted.

It's not the 1970's anymore, modern day footballers have to be more all-round players than just one position or attribute.

The role has certainly changed, but I can't agree with the fact that their primary job is anything other than to put the ball in the net.

That will always be the case, as you say they should be in the best position to do so.

 

[bhanutz]

Can I answer that one? Buy a striker that does everything Sam does, but who also, and this is key, scores goals.

And his name is.............enlighten us

 

[bhanutz]

The problem with sam is that he cant kick the ball very hard. Thats why nearly all of his shots are saved. It sounds simple but its true

Let's hope you have had a few too many shandies...oh all the coaches that have ever worked with sam...its simple. .he can't kick the ball hard enough..

 

[ringmerseagulltoo]

Hopefully for the FA Cup game with Lua Lua

Am I the only one who doesn't care too much about the FA Cup this season? I would much rather lose the cup game, save those players and have them possibly slightly fitter and having avoided a possible injury in the cup match. The league is more important this season.

 

[Igzilla]

Am I the only one who doesn't care too much about the FA Cup this season? I would much rather lose the cup game, save those players and have them possibly slightly fitter and having avoided a possible injury in the cup match. The league is more important this season.

I agree. Focus on the league.

 

[kingstn seagull]

Sam Baldock is not the key. Sam Baldock is part of the problem, not the solution. = Last season's Hemed = anonymous and ineffectual. Why do we always ship out the decent strikers earlydoors for a quick buck and end up holding the duds for far too long?

Sam Baldock this season: 10 Wins 7 draws 0 Loss

Without Sam Baldock: 2 Win 4 Draws 3 Loss

Please continue to argue your point....

 

[DJ NOBO]

Let's hope you have had a few too many shandies...oh all the coaches that have ever worked with sam...its simple. .he can't kick the ball hard enough..��������

Watch him shoot. They are usually on target but saved . When under pressure he can't seem to just smash it . Not saying he's not got his strengths but His goal ratio is not very good , yet he has had plenty of chances . How do you explain it , if not technique ?

 

[sussex_guy2k2]

I think other injuries have had a far greater impact on your stat, plus the quality of the opposition played...

Possibly. As I said, it doesn't tell the whole story, but it still tells part of the story. Then again, people complain that we're not scoring enough and say that's why we're not top, yet 'Boro who are top have only scored 3 more than us, yet they've conceded half the goals we have. That stat suggests it's not the forwards that are/were the issue, but the defence. So I guess stats can be manipulated as they're needed... The stat about the amount of points with Baldock is, nonetheless, an interesting one.

 

[sussex_guy2k2]

PS: I do not hold that we should have a big target man we can lump the ball forward to when we cannot think of anything better to do. This football is to direct for my taste and I like a forward that causes probems by running into spaces and losing his marker and even going to the near post.

Hemed and Baldock seem both to fit this bill in style if not ability. Our approach play was very good against Hull but we could not put he ball in the net until Baldock miscued and Hemed netted.

Not forgetting that Baldock played deeper when creating the goal for Kayal at Huddersfield. Baldock had the pace to allude the Bristol City defence but that was League 1 standard. But he could not allude the PNE defence.10% extra acceleration and a dead eye for goal and Baldock could hack it. He hasn't showed the skills to make up for his lack of pace and height to me. Baldock is better than an average forward at challenging when he has lost the ball. On the wing he rivals Murphy in his effectiveness.

Anyrate it looks like we have got Baldock until 2018. Just like CMS, I really hopes he scores a hatrick and someone buys him.

An interesting few points, and quite a few I'd challenge. But the main one is your issue that he didn't score against Preston. Firstly, no one did, so damning him is to damn every other one of our players. Secondly, they played 3 at the back that day and sat incredibly deep, making the strengths that Baldock has almost obsolete. That was a game set up for Zamora and Hemed considering the amount of ball we had in wide areas and neither of them scored either, so it seems like a strange game to beat Baldock with.

 

[Ninja Elephant]

Sam Baldock is a Championship workhorse who'll score 5-10 goals a season, but he's a top League 1 goalscorer.

He isn't good enough, and needs replacing if we're serious about being Premier League on the pitch. There's no place for Baldock, or many others in the squad currently.

 

[boik]

The role has certainly changed, but I can't agree with the fact that their primary job is anything other than to put the ball in the net.

That will always be the case, as you say they should be in the best position to do so.

But why does it matter WHO scores. If a "striker" creates goals for others by moving defenders out of position, is that goal not as valuable as if he scores it himself?

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

But why does it matter WHO scores. If a "striker" creates goals for others by moving defenders out of position, is that goal not as valuable as if he scores it himself?

It doesn't but I think the stats speak for themselves. However, if you are in the best position and cannot score, how can you warrant a place in the team.

If I employed a builder I wouldn't expect them to do the gardening.

 

[R. Slicker]

Sam Baldock this season: 10 Wins 7 draws 0 Loss

Without Sam Baldock: 2 Win 4 Draws 3 Loss

Please continue to argue your point....

And here you have it!
If you are that successful with a striker, no matter how many goals he does or does not score, why would you be complaining?
He must be doing something right.

 

[Brighton Mod]

His goal output isn't the best, that's for sure. But his movement and pace stretch teams in the way neither Zamora or Hemed do, opening up space for our midfielders and wide players, particularly when those wide players are inverted wide men who want to drift inside.

Is he the best striker in the division? No, he isn't. Does he have a valuable role to play if we're going to persist with a 442 set up? He absolutely does, particularly with Wilson still finding his feet.

He is not the key, compare is stats to Zamora in terms of goals per game and even salary per goal. I read constantly on here about our strikers who work hard and have good movement off the ball, well that's part of what they are paid to do, but what is the outcome of this hard work? We want a striker who scores goals, I don't care if he doesn't work hard, does move well off the ball, I'm looking for him to score goals, Baldock doesn't score goals and we didn't score any more goals with him in the team than now. Sorry but I don't rate him, if the thinking is that we replace Wilson with him when he comes back then we will struggle.

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

And here you have it!
If you are that successful with a striker, no matter how many goals he does or does not score, why would you be complaining?
He must be doing something right.

Don't suppose you have last seasons stats to balance the picture a bit more?

I'm certainly not anti-Baldock, but if we are to be a genuine contender then we need a prolific forward, be it him or Hemed or someone else, it just happens that this thread is about him.

 

[sussex_guy2k2]

He is not the key, compare is stats to Zamora in terms of goals per game and even salary per goal. I read constantly on here about our strikers who work hard and have good movement off the ball, well that's part of what they are paid to do, but what is the outcome of this hard work? We want a striker who scores goals, I don't care if he doesn't work hard, does move well off the ball, I'm looking for him to score goals, Baldock doesn't score goals and we didn't score any more goals with him in the team than now. Sorry but I don't rate him, if the thinking is that we replace Wilson with him when he comes back then we will struggle.

It's like you've not read a single thing I've written when you've replied. You're totally welcome to not rate him. I don't rate Hemed. It's not like I've even said Baldock's the bestest ever ever ever in the world. I'm just saying that he has a role to play, particularly in the 442 system that Hughton favours.

Personally I'd be starting Wilson and Zamora every game given a chance, but that isn't always possible, nor is it what this thread is about. It's about whether Baldock has a key role in how we play. Take Wilson out of the equation and Baldock most certainly does as we don't own another striker with his attributes who fits into the system that Hughton wants to play.

I said in another post the amount of points we have with and without him, which suggests that even if we aren't scoring many more with him in the team, we are at least a better functioning, more successful unit - you are right though, in the games he's played, we've scored 22 of our 31 goals (16 games with against 8 without him), meaning we haven't scored loads more with him than without him.

So is he key? No, he probably isn't as he doesn't yet, and may never, score loads of goals in the Championship. But does he have an important role in how the side sets up, particularly if Wilson gets recalled? I would argue he does due to what attributes he brings to the system, considering how much more his style gets out of those around him, and considering the stats which suggest that we're a much more effective side with him in it than without him.

 

[Brighton Mod]

It's like you've not read a single thing I've written when you've replied. You're totally welcome to not rate him. I don't rate Hemed. It's not like I've even said Baldock's the bestest ever ever ever in the world. I'm just saying that he has a role to play, particularly in the 442 system that Hughton favours.

Personally I'd be starting Wilson and Zamora every game given a chance, but that isn't always possible, nor is it what this thread is about. It's about whether Baldock has a key role in how we play. Take Wilson out of the equation and Baldock most certainly does as we don't own another striker with his attributes who fits into the system that Hughton wants to play.

I said in another post the amount of points we have with and without him, which suggests that even if we aren't scoring many more with him in the team, we are at least a better functioning, more successful unit - you are right though, in the games he's played, we've scored 22 of our 31 goals (16 games with against 8 without him), meaning we haven't scored loads more with him than without him.

So is he key? No, he probably isn't as he doesn't yet, and may never, score loads of goals in the Championship. But does he have an important role in how the side sets up, particularly if Wilson gets recalled? I would argue he does due to what attributes he brings to the system, considering how much more his style gets out of those around him, and considering the stats which suggest that we're a much more effective side with him in it than without him.

In response to the thread, I just need to confirm that in my opinion he is not the key.

 

[ditchy]

Sorry, will repeat my last post for the hard of thinking: thought this was a thread about Baldock being the key?

(happy to keep doing this in a Groundhog Day stylee til it finally sinks in with you )

The key is he gives us pace. As has been stated on numerous occasions on this thread .

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

Baldocks running esp off the ball and first time control is excellent. Sadly he cant ****ing finish.