Duffer

[Mally]

No for me but I read the question as asking whether he was the sort of player you'd want in your squad/team generally. At the moment with the current squad you would have to select him but I still hold out hope that once Grebis gets match fit and used to the new environment he'll be the better option to play alongside Yemi.

Our problem at the moment is that we don't create chances. Sure Duffer is usually pretty good at putting them away when he gets a clear cut chance but we need strikers who are going to stand up (literally) and be counted and go chasing and looking for the ball. Duffer doesen't do this. The most creative thing he does is win flick headers but half the time he does this by fouling the defender. Also how many times have you seen him lay a ball off to the wing 30 yards out and then stand there watching rather than bust a gut to get in the box?

[headless_pnub]

I voted yes. He is a lazy git, but he's the player I trust most to ripple the onion bag. I don't think any team in the world can afford to drop its top scorer.

For the record, here's my starting XI - in a strict 4-4-2 (obviously):

Turley

Anaclet Quinn Corcoran Brevitt

Pettifer Foster Hargeaves Burgess

Odubade Duffy

I think that would win a lot of games in this shite league.

Don't think i'd like to see Pettifer on the wing. He's our &quotworkhorse&quot (there's a football stereotype, but in this case it's true) and not only would we miss him in the middle, but i think he'd get lost out there. He likes to drift across the middle and on the wing he'd need to be much more ridged.
But that's a whole other disscussion.

[GodalmingYellow]

I voted yes. He is a lazy git, but he's the player I trust most to ripple the onion bag. I don't think any team in the world can afford to drop its top scorer.

For the record, here's my starting XI - in a strict 4-4-2 (obviously):

Turley

Anaclet Quinn Corcoran Brevitt

Pettifer Foster Hargeaves Burgess

Odubade Duffy

I think that would win a lot of games in this shite league.

Well if we're posting theoretical ine ups based on who is currently available:

Turley
Quinn Corcoran Gilchrist Gunn
Odubade Foster Pettifer Burgess
Duffy Grebis

Subs: Tardif Anaclet Rose Hargreaves Beechers

[Ancient Colin]

Is Gunn naturally left footed? Not sniping, genuinely asking ...

[Mally]

Is Gunn naturally left footed? Not sniping, genuinely asking ...

Yes, from what I've seen, he has 2 left feet

[GodalmingYellow]

Is Gunn naturally left footed? Not sniping, genuinely asking ...

Good question. I don't know but when I came up with the line up I asked myself would I rather have a keen up and coming full back with a bit of pace who may not be left footed, or a known old dodderer who keeps giving the ball away wo is left footed, and I settled with Gunn. Left back and left winger are the 2 positions United doesn't have properly filled.

[Boogie]

Ancient Colin

Basham? Basham???.......

Remind me, what was the form of the team when he was fit and playing at his limited best?

We need someone who can link the play and from what I saw he was establishing a good understanding with Burgess. Interesting that without Basham, Burgess looks poor.

I would put Yemi to start with Bash with Duffy on he bench. Tell Yemi to run himself out first half by which time he would have assisted a goal or won a penalty (Burgess to take). Duffy to come on surrounded by confident teammates in the second half to cement the win.

Tardif

Quinn Corcaran Gilchrist Brevett
Ancalet Petefer Foster Burgess
Yemi Basham

Subs: Turley, Johnson, Rose, Duffy, Grebis

[Kernow Yellow]

Remind me, what was the form of the team when he [Basham] was fit and playing at his limited best?

And remind me, who was scoring most of the goals during that run of form?

By all means play Basham with Duffy (I would if he were fit - with Yemi wide right and Eddie at RB).

But this lunatic talk of dropping the only player in the team who knows how to score goals must end now. Goals win games. Full stop.

Moreover, Duffy would score even more if we used genuine wide players who got balls into the box from good positions. That's the biggest issue in the team at the moment for me - not 'is our top scorer a bit lazy?'

[GodalmingYellow]

[quote=&quotKernow YellowMoreover, Duffy would score even more if we used genuine wide players who got balls into the box from good positions.[/quote]

As KY has re-started the tired debate from the other thread...

Therein lies the question. Would Duffer score significantly more goals if the team created more chances?

And shouldn't it be Duffer who contributes significantly to the making of those additional chances anyway? At present he rarely creates or even contributes to the creation of goals or any team play.

[Kernow Yellow]

As KY has re-started the tired debate from the other thread...

I think you'll find Dan started it

Anyway, you're right that we shouldn't get sidetracked by issues like that.

The point is that a significant minority of people that think we should drop our top scorer in favour of any non-scoring centre forward that comes into their head. It's crazy.

[Baboo]

[quote=&quotGodalmingYellow
And shouldn't it be Duffer who contributes significantly to the making of those additional chances anyway? At present he rarely creates or even contributes to the creation of goals or any team play.[/quote]

Does Robinson?
Does Grebis?

[GodalmingYellow]

[quote=&quotGodalmingYellow
And shouldn't it be Duffer who contributes significantly to the making of those additional chances anyway? At present he rarely creates or even contributes to the creation of goals or any team play.

Does Robinson?
Does Grebis?[/quote]

No they don't, but just because they're not good enough (I'm actually on the fence with Grebis at the moment - but not literally of course!) does that mean Duffer gets away with it too? The striker is an essential element in creating chances. The only one we have who does that is Yemi, but we need him wide right.

[Mally]

The back page of today's Oxford Mail has a story about Aldershot's manager, Terry Brown commenting on Duffy. Fairly innocuous stuff but he does say &quotI have to say that Robbie Duffy is a battering ram of a centre forward&quot and &quotTo be honest I find it ironic that a player that puts it about is the first to moan about a tough physical battle&quot

Duffy himself is quoted as saying &quotWe were going for a challenge and I fell to the ground&quot [Nothing new there then] &quotHe stamped on me twice and, as I was trying to get up, he put his thumb in my eye&quot

Reading between the lines I'd say that Terry Brown (like other managers and scouts) has worked out that Duffy gets physical in challenges and is renowned for making a meal of any defender dishing it back out. Based on this they put the biggest and ugliest defender on him and try to wind him up. Basically speaking if a defender gives him a hard time early on he'll spend the rest of the game falling over and moaning to the ref and not get on with the business of playing football.

My summary of Duffy is a player with a good finish and eye for goal but on the downside he's somebody who has a bad attitude and personality problem that means he isn't a team player and doesn't make the best of his ability. If Jim Smith could persuade him to ignore or evade defenders' close attention and button his mouth he'd become a better player who contributed far more to the team as a whole which would get a lot of the crowd off his back.

[Isaac]

My summary of Duffy is a player with a good finish and eye for goal but on the downside he's somebody who has a bad attitude and personality problem that means he isn't a team player and doesn't make the best of his ability. If Jim Smith could persuade him to ignore or evade defenders' close attention and button his mouth he'd become a better player who contributed far more to the team as a whole which would get a lot of the crowd off his back.

This is ridiculous - you watch him play football, read a couple of quotes in the paper and you presume to know he &quothas a bad attitude and a personality problem&quot.

As far as I can tell he's not keen on being kicked and poked in the eye, which is fair enough, how he's supposed to avoid this as the target man is beyond me (unless he disappears from the game entirely, which he does on occasions, and then he gets abuse). You're basically telling him to stand their and take a 90 minute kicking, or be accused of not trying or being mentally weak or something equally stupid.

I think it's got something to do with the refereeing giving him some protection. The tactic of kicking the oppositions most dangerous player is years old - it happens less higher up the leagues these days, but I don't think it's the fault of the player who is being kicked.

I don't think Duffy should be excused from disappearing or hiding during a game, but I fully understand if he wants be equally physical in return and complain regularly to the referee about his treatment. I can't see why anyone would disagree with that unless you expect OUFC to play as some idealised corinthian football team.

[Mally]

Yes after watching him play football for over 6 months I believe he's got a bad attitude and don't think I'm alone in this. I don't think that's a ridiculous conclusion.

I would have lost count (if I'd bothered to count in the first place) the number of times he's moaning to the ref with his back to play as the ball comes in from an Oxford throw or a corner. Plenty of Oxford fans can see this happening and other team's scouts can also see this and I would expect them to try and exploit this.

The point about him geting poked in the eye and kicked is that the more he complains about it the more opposition defenders will wind him up and carry on doing it.

Yes the tactic of kicking the oppositions best player is years old but the best professionals get up and get on with the game and channel their aggression into determination to punish them by scoring.