Only just become aware that Yann had leuekemia at the age of 14 and was out of football for 4 years because of it (courtesy of Wikipedia).
Been watching Charlton for more years than I care to admit but Yann is, without doubt, one of the most technically gifted strikers I've ever seen at The Valley. Yesterday's performance simply confirmed what he is capable of - absolutely different level.
Saw some of his goals in France on You Tube and all I can say is, 'take a bow, son!'.
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I wont lie, at first I never saw him as that talented - maybe even limited in some ways; "he can head the ball and do a few fancy flick-ons..". After spending some more time watching him though, I realised that some of his real skill is precisely down to the fact that he doesn't seem to spend ages on the ball. His flick-ons are immense, he's dominant in the air, he can finish pretty cleanly.. oh, and he's 150% warrior.
I remember hearing that at Leicester (A) they tried to Boo him but he simply didn't have the ball long enough for it to really have an effect; he seems to get it, move it on and come to collect it again. A nice style of play - and compliments players like Fuller and Harriott that make their whole game out of the fact that they move with the ball, they take players on and so on..
To top it all off - he even seems able to come back and defend when needed. Top notch. I think we really missed him when he was out - he provides a lot more than is immediately visible in my opnion.
What the French think!
Check out Yann Kermogant Overhead Kick on You Tube (not sure how to cut and paste the link) but that shows what he can do!
Ironically, I've seen CAFC a few times playing 4-5-1 with Yann nodding on to nobody from goal kicks! Mustn't be negative, though, this end of season has been really special.
Although, against Wycombe last year he had an overhead kick from miles out that was denied by the goal post... IIRC BWP then put it in the back of the net, but if it had just been inches to the side...
Kermorgant ... He contributed so much to the club. A holy man.
I was at Charlton Stadium last Tuesday during the game against Leicester and I really fell in love with this club, great atmosphere, a great fighting spirit and mood, in addition to that they have smart fans I took more pleasure in seeing this game only to see Arsenal U21 - U21 Bolton, Chelsea - Reading and Tottenham -. WBA This is a more beautiful place on the heights of London.
Really don't want to lose him
With his weaker foot as well!
Let's enjoy it as long as we can.
Btw, I was a huge fan of Andy Hunt (spoke to him on his Belize blog some years back).
Andy was another fine header of a ball - his timing, like Yann's made the header often look effortless.
It's testament to Powell's man management that he has helped Yann maximise his special talents. Even taking out the infamous penalty, it does not seem that Yann did anything particularly stand-out while he was there. I guess the flashes of talent must have been there for Powell to want to bring him to us, but none the less Leicester weren't that bothered about losing him.
It just seemed destined to work here though, with pretty much his first touch being a goal. Now he is scoring goals, play-making, working his knackers off, leaving defenders battered and bruised and all while putting in at least a 7 or 8 out of 10 performance pretty much every week.
It sounds ridiculous to compare a Championship player to one of the best players to ever play in England, but calling him our Cantona is not as outlandish as it sounds. He really is a talismanic player and I think the fact he has saved his best form of the season for the last few of weeks has had as much to do with our strong finish as Hughes did. I think he could do a job in the Premier League, albeit probably with a reduced goals return.
Imagine how good he could have been if he hadn't spent the first part of his career playing catch-up for the time lost as a teenager.
Yann, je t'aime.