But seriously what has happened to him, started so well and form has dropped dramatically? I know Charltonising of players is said in jest, however I think Igor needs the summer break more than any other player (except maybe Bikey) to recover and re-assess his season.
Got found out basically... Was an unknown quantity when he joined last summer, teams soon sussed him out and the way he plays. He hasn't shown he can find other ways or improve as of yet..
Really worried that he will prove not to be up to the job in the long run.
Big season for him next season (obviously) the best players get found out and teams adapt to them, they then have a lean spell and during that period or during the summer they adapt their game along with the coaching staff. Igor has had the problem of his achilles which may have sapped energy and confidence, so he has a lot to work on in the summer. I'd like to see Watt, Igor, KAG and a tough big centre forward with us next season up front.
Got found out basically... Was an unknown quantity when he joined last summer, teams soon sussed him out and the way he plays. He hasn't shown he can find other ways or improve as of yet..
This is so vague and cliché it means nothing!
Please can somebody tell me what "got found out" means?!?!
I'm wondering if he's as fit as he needs to be. Same with Watt. Neither played with the same energy as we had seen in previous games.
At their best they both do a lot of running but it does seem to show when they could do with a rest. It doesn't help that we can't rotate them, we give Church the odd start and appearance off the bench, and have played Eagles/Bulot up front, but they are the only 2 strikers we can give a run of games to and have a decent threat up front.
I don't think he's quite the 20+ goal a season player we hoped, but if we create chances for him he's good enough to get 10-15 a season.
I'm wondering if he's as fit as he needs to be. Same with Watt. Neither played with the same energy as we had seen in previous games.
At their best they both do a lot of running but it does seem to show when they could do with a rest. It doesn't help that we can't rotate them, we give Church the odd start and appearance off the bench, and have played Eagles/Bulot up front, but they are the only 2 strikers we can give a run of games to and have a decent threat up front.
I don't think he's quite the 20+ goal a season player we hoped, but if we create chances for him he's good enough to get 10-15 a season.
But then neither have played the number of games that JBG has, and he hasn't tailed off. Buyens has had a second wind, and Bulot has been decent since Christmas. Igor was really good at the start of the season, but has been pretty average since his injury, his recent goal scoring rates being Church or Leaburnesque
I personally believe that Igor will come back stronger next season. Let's not forget that he has only just turned 23!
Yes he had a cracking start to the season, which may have warped people's expectations of him, and yes defenders will have adapted to him. However let's not forget he played through injury for quiet a few games, and during a period where the whole team were rubbish. Either way for a young guys first season in the championship you cannot really grumble at his goal return.
Igor is a quality player. The way he started the season showed that. He has been carrying an acillies injury for sometime. I believe I read somewhere that the club felt he was suffering as a result of not having a mid-season break.
The injury has taken a yard of pace from him and seriously affected his work rate.
I have no doubt that when comes back after the summer he will be back to his best.
IMO the fact that he has continued to play with an injury hi-lights a deficiency in the squad and not him.
Can't believe the "he's been found out comment" what a load of crap.
He's what? 22? I'd say for his first season in a pretty demanding league he's done well.
His confidence would have taken a knock in our winless run. How many chances were we creating in that period?
We need to be keeping our better players and Igor is definitely one of them.
He is a penalty box player, or at least that is all he has been in the past 6 months or so. I remember at the start of the season he was picking the ball up deep, taking players on, even winning tackles.
He's a reasonable Championship striker, no more or less IMO.
work rate hasn't been the same, rumours he's got an achilles problem but it's being managed til he's rested at the end of the season. Was absoluely quality start of the season, would be great to see that energy return where he scared defences with his pace and pressing.
At the moment, he is a very instinctive striker. Gets ahead of his marker, comes alive in the box. Excellent technique with headers, first time volleys etc.
BUT, place him in a position where he is running in on goal, and he has to think about it, it often goes terribly wrong. (Last chance opportunity at home to Cardiff, anyone?) This is actually the area that Tony Watt excels at! So, if TW gets some time training with Igor, hopefully some of that will rub off on Igor...
Needed a rest when first injured, but Peeters wouldn't take him out of the team at the time, and the achilles problem has hampered him all season. Both him and Watt with a decent rest, and then a good pre season will be a right handful next season.
He'll be fine, got absolutely battered for half a season when he was our only decent striker and had the weight of the teams goals entirely on his shoulders. Great little player for this level, dangerous in the box, decent in the air and works hard. Not his fault gorgeous george didnt provide the necessary partnership. Cant see how anyone can write him off!
We're moving in the right direction as a team with a manager who seems to be able to motivate and is relatively tactically astute. When we have a squad of players capable then they can all be played to their strengths, including Igor.
We absolutely must sign at least 1 striker, preferably 2 along with a RB, CM or 2 and winger or two as well as replacements for sold or out of contract players to make the most out of what we've got. Skeleton of a playoff team is there already.
Needed a rest when first injured, but Peeters wouldn't take him out of the team at the time, and the achilles problem has hampered him all season. Both him and Watt with a decent rest, and then a good pre season will be a right handful next season.
This.
First season in a new country, starts well, gets injured and over played, often with no support.
hopefully, will come back stronger, fitter and wiser next year and with a better and deeper squad around him. Ditto Watt.
Drogba and Henry weren't instant hits when they move to England and took time to settle. (not comparing them as players, only as imports)
As well as the injuries I think he suffered from having a different partner up front every week. Partnered with George one game, Harriott the next, Bulot after that, then Church, with none of them playing particularly well alongside him. He prospered with Watt consistently alongside him until his lack of fitness caught up with him. Hopefully he and Watt can start the season fit and playing together consistently. Then I think we'll see some results
Got found out basically... Was an unknown quantity when he joined last summer, teams soon sussed him out and the way he plays. He hasn't shown he can find other ways or improve as of yet..
This is so vague and cliché it means nothing!
Please can somebody tell me what "got found out" means?!?!
The chanpionship and bottom half of prem is littered with strikers who were going to be the next best thing, the one to watch, but then never made it. David Nugent, Rob Earnshaw, Dexter Blackstock off the top of my head. It is full of players who had huge promise based on a very good first season where they terrified defences and scored many goals against teams who knew nothing about them. However, when the second season came around, teams had already played against them once, made mistakes, watched videos and figured out how to stop them, or 'found them out'. The mark of an exceptional player is one who can reinvent themselves or adapt to deal with this second season syndrome. Even to an extent Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen never lived up to their early promise as teams became accustomed to their styles. I appreciate some of my examples are dated, but I'm not as knowledgable as I once was.
Vetokele took the first few months by storm but then as he scored more and his name was banded about more, teams studied him and figured out how to stop him. He's not very tall so has no right to beat your average CB in the box. He's not particularly strong, is quite predictable with one on ones etc. Hes still young so hopefully can reinvent himself and adapt his style. But if he doesn't, he'll just go on the increasingly large 'never lived up to the hype' pile.
I agree with Clem's comments, if Igor is carrying an injury surely its better to completely rest him and get him in for a op asap if thats what he needs to fix it, rather than run the risk of making the injury even worse?
We need to look at bringing in a couple of strikers in the summer as a minimum, whether that be a loan or a free agent, you look at other teams such as Bournemouth for example, and they have a lot of depth and good quality strikers within their squad that score goals for fun. Competition for each other.
Callum Wilson (19 goals) Yann Kermorgant (14 goals) Brett Pitman (13 goals) Tokelo Rantie (2 goals) Kenwyne Jones (1 goal)
You look at us right now:
Igor Vetokele (11 goals) Tony Watt (4 goals) Simon Church (2 goals)
If we're going to look to push on for promotion next season we need a variety of strikers with different strengths, we've been crying out for a target man for the last couple of years! The other thing is you can't really expect Igor and Tony to play their best every game when the only man ready to take your place in the line-up is Simon Church, you need competition for places.
Trouble is though if you look at the likes of Ipswich Town: Darryl Murphy (24) .. Freddie Sears (8) .. David McGoldrick (7) it shows it can be done, i.e. I think if we want to go for promotion next season then we have to rely on the Play-Offs, reckon any team going for automatic will be too strong for us
He's knackered ; like Buyens, Bulot and Watt, they are not used to playing the high intensity games , particularly not 3 in 8 days. I'm convinced Igor will come back strongly next year, with a full pre season and with his Achilles having been looked at
As well as the injuries I think he suffered from having a different partner up front every week. Partnered with George one game, Harriott the next, Bulot after that, then Church, with none of them playing particularly well alongside him. He prospered with Watt consistently alongside him until his lack of fitness caught up with him. Hopefully he and Watt can start the season fit and playing together consistently. Then I think we'll see some results
I thought (but could be wrong) that he prospered with George actually... Look back at his goal scoring games before the injury then look at his record with Watt
Tucudean was a good foil for Vetolele, he created space and flicked the ball on well. If there's one criticism I have of Watt, it's that he holds onto the ball for too long at times
As well as the injuries I think he suffered from having a different partner up front every week. Partnered with George one game, Harriott the next, Bulot after that, then Church, with none of them playing particularly well alongside him. He prospered with Watt consistently alongside him until his lack of fitness caught up with him. Hopefully he and Watt can start the season fit and playing together consistently. Then I think we'll see some results
I thought (but could be wrong) that he prospered with George actually... Look back at his goal scoring games before the injury then look at his record with Watt
His problem has been fitness, he had lost his mojo before Watt came on the scene. A decent pre season and there's no reason why he can't get off to a flyer like this season and is able to keep it going if he stays injury free. A target man in place of Church would help his cause as well.
Comments
But seriously what has happened to him, started so well and form has dropped dramatically? I know Charltonising of players is said in jest, however I think Igor needs the summer break more than any other player (except maybe Bikey) to recover and re-assess his season.
Please can somebody tell me what "got found out" means?!?!
At their best they both do a lot of running but it does seem to show when they could do with a rest. It doesn't help that we can't rotate them, we give Church the odd start and appearance off the bench, and have played Eagles/Bulot up front, but they are the only 2 strikers we can give a run of games to and have a decent threat up front.
I don't think he's quite the 20+ goal a season player we hoped, but if we create chances for him he's good enough to get 10-15 a season.
Yes he had a cracking start to the season, which may have warped people's expectations of him, and yes defenders will have adapted to him. However let's not forget he played through injury for quiet a few games, and during a period where the whole team were rubbish. Either way for a young guys first season in the championship you cannot really grumble at his goal return.
I wouldn't count him out just yet!
The injury has taken a yard of pace from him and seriously affected his work rate.
I have no doubt that when comes back after the summer he will be back to his best.
IMO the fact that he has continued to play with an injury hi-lights a deficiency in the squad and not him.
Can't believe the "he's been found out comment" what a load of crap.
He's what? 22? I'd say for his first season in a pretty demanding league he's done well.
His confidence would have taken a knock in our winless run. How many chances were we creating in that period?
We need to be keeping our better players and Igor is definitely one of them.
He's a reasonable Championship striker, no more or less IMO.
At the moment, he is a very instinctive striker. Gets ahead of his marker, comes alive in the box. Excellent technique with headers, first time volleys etc.
BUT, place him in a position where he is running in on goal, and he has to think about it, it often goes terribly wrong. (Last chance opportunity at home to Cardiff, anyone?) This is actually the area that Tony Watt excels at! So, if TW gets some time training with Igor, hopefully some of that will rub off on Igor...
We're moving in the right direction as a team with a manager who seems to be able to motivate and is relatively tactically astute. When we have a squad of players capable then they can all be played to their strengths, including Igor.
We absolutely must sign at least 1 striker, preferably 2 along with a RB, CM or 2 and winger or two as well as replacements for sold or out of contract players to make the most out of what we've got. Skeleton of a playoff team is there already.
First season in a new country, starts well, gets injured and over played, often with no support.
hopefully, will come back stronger, fitter and wiser next year and with a better and deeper squad around him. Ditto Watt.
Drogba and Henry weren't instant hits when they move to England and took time to settle. (not comparing them as players, only as imports)
Luzon still needs to work out how to get the most out of him. Most of the passes he has to deal with seem to be at throat height!
Vetokele took the first few months by storm but then as he scored more and his name was banded about more, teams studied him and figured out how to stop him. He's not very tall so has no right to beat your average CB in the box. He's not particularly strong, is quite predictable with one on ones etc. Hes still young so hopefully can reinvent himself and adapt his style. But if he doesn't, he'll just go on the increasingly large 'never lived up to the hype' pile.
Callum Wilson (19 goals) Yann Kermorgant (14 goals) Brett Pitman (13 goals) Tokelo Rantie (2 goals) Kenwyne Jones (1 goal)
You look at us right now:
Igor Vetokele (11 goals) Tony Watt (4 goals) Simon Church (2 goals)
If we're going to look to push on for promotion next season we need a variety of strikers with different strengths, we've been crying out for a target man for the last couple of years! The other thing is you can't really expect Igor and Tony to play their best every game when the only man ready to take your place in the line-up is Simon Church, you need competition for places.