Duffer

Anything yellow and blue

Is Robert Duffy worth a place in the starting XI?

Yes
16
76%
No
5
24%
 
Total votes: 21

Isaac
Dashing young thing
Posts: 625
Joined: Thu May 18, 2006 9:32 am

Re:

Post by Isaac »

&quotMally&quot wrote: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.
He certainly does more than his fair share of moaning, but I can't remember him having his back turned for a throw in or free kick - the speed at which we take our throw ins and free kicks (i.e very slowly) makes me think this is unlikely. And I've been watching him all season too.

I still think blaming Duffy for his reaction to being poked in the eye (which is outlawed in rugby, even, since it can blind) and kicked rather than having some sympathy is very very strange. It's like blaming the bullied kid for being bullied - shut up and get on with it, it's your fault.

He's far from the ideal striker, I'm not pretending he is, his reactions during games aren't always good either, but I'm not sure it's the big personality/attitude problem you make it out to be.
Baboo
Grumpy old git
Posts: 3539
Joined: Thu May 11, 2006 5:31 pm

Re:

Post by Baboo »

&quotMally&quot wrote: My summary of Duffy is a player with a good finish and eye for goal
Yes, but when that eye has had a good poking it is not too clever at being able to see where the goal is.

I really don't think that Duffy is a physical player (that is not to say he has not got a few nasty niggles in him), in fact that would be one of my criticisms of the way we play at the moment. If bigger brutes like Robinson were putting it about up front Duffer just might have less attention paid to him and more time to get on with what he has done best - scoring goals.

As for being poked in the eye and stamped on that is blatant cheating and should be up to the referee, his assistants and the 4th official to spot and stamp (pun intended) out. To suggest it should be accepted as part of the game is doing no one any favours. I'm glad that bloke from Barrow got a prison sentence. Hardness, within the laws of the game fair enough but thuggery belongs nowhere near a football pitch. It also detracts from decent football being played.
Mally
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Location: Thame

Post by Mally »

I'm not suggesting that being poked in the eye is something he should ignore and shrug off but am suggesting that if he did get poked in the eye part of the reason may be that he is being targetted by defenders in this way because they know he can be wound up.

On the turning his back issue I've seen it a number of times and it also means he's positioned next to the referee rather than where he shold be in the heart of the box.
Ancient Colin
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Location: Nowhere near Treviso

Post by Ancient Colin »

I believe the term from social psychology for all this is &quotconfirmation bias&quot. I certainly have it re: Bash, others seem to have it re: Duffer. 96% of supporters have it for refereeing decisions and offsides (I speak as the official arbiter of offsides at the OM end in SSU). The confirmation bias on Jim Smith's abilities is fading rapidly. Recognition is the first step to a more rigorous analysis. Except when it comes to Basham, of course ...

My Basham issues stem from the Scott-Basham era when collective confirmation bias deemed that the former was always at fault when an objective reading would have pinned the blame on Mr Wonderland.
Myles Francis
Mid-life Crisis
Posts: 927
Joined: Thu May 11, 2006 3:17 pm

Re:

Post by Myles Francis »

&quotMally&quot wrote:I'm not suggesting that being poked in the eye is something he should ignore and shrug off but am suggesting that if he did get poked in the eye part of the reason may be that he is being targetted by defenders in this way because they know he can be wound up.
As it's nearly a week ago, my memory is hazy. But didn't the two of them end up on the floor in the first place because Duffy effectively rugby-tackled Day?
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