Leon Best - not doing half bad is he?

IRISHSPORTSGUY

Football, eh? Before Andy Carroll and Shola Ameobi got injured, Best was 4th choice striker at Newcastle and set to leave the club on loan to the Championship. Fast forward 6 weeks and he now has 5 league goals in 7 starts.

A potential selection headache for Trap in the striking department, especially if Keane is out for Macedonia?

Degag

Yeah he deserves a chance although the last game i saw him play for Ireland (May not actually have been his last Irish game) he was atrocious.

Jordonvito

we dont need him, it would fit trap better to try stokes

Seaneh

He's a work horse, not much of a footballer, but would be good to have against scrappy teams.

lordgoat

Doing so well he gets his own thread. Maybe change the title to: Leon Best Appreciation Thread.

tallaghtmick

he deserves his chance just for looking like a superhero:pac:

roryc

Anytime I've seen him play he's been pretty sluggish. Not sure how he has scored so many, presume a lot have been either tap-in's/ headers etc

Insect Overlord

roryc wrote: »

Anytime I've seen him play he's been pretty sluggish. Not sure how he has scored so many, presume a lot have been either tap-in's/ headers etc

Ah, but sure they all count!

Neil3030

roryc wrote: »

Not sure how he has scored so many, presume a lot have been either tap-in's/ headers etc

Yeah, just like that waster Van Nistelrooy. Ridiculous criticism tbf.

Lando Griffin

Worth at least Euro 25 million now, Newcastle will find it hard to keep him in the summer.

roryc

Neil3030 wrote: »

Yeah, just like that waster Van Nistelrooy. Ridiculous criticism tbf.

How is it ridiculous criticism? I think RVN proved himself a little more than Leon Best, and was a lot quicker/ more skillful.

At least with players like Gibson etc you know they are capable of great play, any time I have seen Best I have not been impressed. I would have a few players ahead of him at Ireland.

But by all means prove me wrong.

That_Guy

Best has been brilliant ever since Pardew has given him the nod. He's imperious in the air. He wins 4 out of every 5 balls in the air. He's actually a decent finisher and is proving to be a right handful for defences.

If he played just behind Keane in the Ireland team, I reckon it'd work wonders.

Plus he's equal on goals alongside Rooney.

Neil3030

roryc wrote: »

How is it ridiculous criticism? I think RVN proved himself a little more than Leon Best, and was a lot quicker/ more skillful.

At least with players like Gibson etc you know they are capable of great play, any time I have seen Best I have not been impressed. I would have a few players ahead of him at Ireland.

But by all means prove me wrong.

If a striker scores goals, I don't think it should matter that he isn't graceful or aesthetically pleasing.

Yes, he hasn't proven himself yet, but if he goes on to maintain his goalscoring consistency his sluggishness, or the nature of how he gets his goals shouldn't matter one bit.

Dolph Starbeam

Delighted to see him banging in a few goals, i couldn't really care less what his style of play is to be honest, he seems do be causing defenders problems and thats good enough for me. There is a bit of competition for strikers now which is good to see, Doyle, Long, Best and Stokes are all playing good stuff this season.

roryc

Neil3030 wrote: »

If a striker scores goals, I don't think it should matter that he isn't graceful or aesthetically pleasing.

Yes, he hasn't proven himself yet, but if he goes on to maintain his goalscoring consistency his sluggishness, or the nature of how he gets his goals shouldn't matter one bit.

Totally agree. I couldn't care less how goals are scored especially for Ireland.

But there's a difference between a striker showing potential by coming into a good run of form and scoring some cracking goals at a young age, and a 24 year old who has just come up from Yeovil Town to score 5 goals in 8 games. He scored a hat-trick against a rubbish West Ham defence, an goal from three yards out against Arsenal and a decent header at Birmingham.

Im not saying he's a bad player because he hasn't scored absolute screamers, but nothing stands out about him other than the fact that he scored two goals in the last three games and a hat-trick against West Ham. It wouldn't surprise me if he didn't score for the rest of the season. He's been substituted in every game so far, but maybe now with Carroll gone he might get a chance to prove himself.


As I said before I hope I am proven wrong, god knows we need another decent striker, and as another poster said he could be ideal to play in behind Keane. He would need to keep up this run of form before being considered anything of a regular in the Irish team.

All in all, its always good to see Irish players getting gametime in the PL.

MrStuffins

Ireland's answer to Carlton Cole.

He'll be linked with Liverpool in the summer after a run of 4 games and 4 goals!

That_Guy

roryc wrote: »

Totally agree. I couldn't care less how goals are scored especially for Ireland.

But there's a difference between a striker showing potential by coming into a good run of form and scoring some cracking goals at a young age, and a 24 year old who has just come up from Yeovil Town to score 5 goals in 8 games. He scored a hat-trick against a rubbish West Ham defence, an goal from three yards out against Arsenal and a decent header at Birmingham.

Im not saying he's a bad player because he hasn't scored absolute screamers, but nothing stands out about him other than the fact that he scored two goals in the last three games and a hat-trick against West Ham. It wouldn't surprise me if he didn't score for the rest of the season. He's been substituted in every game so far, but maybe now with Carroll gone he might get a chance to prove himself.


As I said before I hope I am proven wrong, god knows we need another decent striker, and as another poster said he could be ideal to play in behind Keane. He would need to keep up this run of form before being considered anything of a regular in the Irish team.

All in all, its always good to see Irish players getting gametime in the PL.

Have you even watched him this year bar the goals you see him score. He's an absolute handful. He has an exceptional leap and can hold the ball up quite well.

Has a few decent knock downs too for oncoming strikers to latch onto.

roryc

Nope, I haven't watched him a huge amount, maybe 3 full games plus his goals. Not sure what it was about him, but he just look like anything special. Holding the ball up was actually one of the things I thought he didn't do well...

I doubt anyone here (bar perhaps some Newcastle fans) has watched enough of Best to formulate a decent opinion on him. How many games have you seen him play?

That_Guy

roryc wrote: »

Nope, I haven't watched him a huge amount, maybe 3 full games plus his goals. Not sure what it was about him, but he just look like anything special. Holding the ball up was actually one of the things I thought he didn't do well...

I doubt anyone here (bar perhaps some Newcastle fans) has watched enough of Best to formulate a decent opinion on him. How many games have you seen him play?

I've seen him play for ourselves in the Championship for Coventry and ourselves.

I've seen him every time he has played for us in the top flight this season. Has done exceptionally well.

Filling the role of Carroll/Ameobi quite well imo.

The_Kew_Tour

roryc wrote: »

Anytime I've seen him play he's been pretty sluggish. Not sure how he has scored so many, presume a lot have been either tap-in's/ headers etc

I rather a striker be on the end of tap in then to be nowhere seen and its cleared by a defender.

Best's tap end is worth the same as Rooneys wonder goal.

cremeegg

the best is yet to come

Mars Bar

cremeegg wrote: »

the best is yet to come

ba-dum-tish!

roryc

The_Kew_Tour wrote: »

I rather a striker be on the end of tap in then to be nowhere seen and its cleared by a defender.

Best's tap end is worth the same as Rooneys wonder goal.

I've already agreed with this, a goals a goal. What Im saying is I haven't seen anything that would make me think he's anything special just because he's had a small run of good form and banged in a few goals. If any of these goals had been spectacular it would make all the difference, and would warrant judging him based on a small amount of games.

However, as none of the goals were all that special and I haven't seen him play enough, I can't really form an opinion. That_Guy has obv seen him play a bit more than I have, and perhaps has seen a glimmer of something that could be improved upon.

You can't really compare him yet with the likes of Andy Carroll, who is almost three years younger, and has proven himself over the course of the season.

As I have said numerous times now, I hope Im proved wrong for the sake of Irish team selection, but I've no problem sticking to my original point.

That_Guy

roryc wrote: »

I've already agreed with this, a goals a goal.

Yes it is but then you say this:

.If any of these goals had been spectacular it would make all the difference, and would warrant judging him based on a small amount of games.

But you just said a goal is a goal which would mean that every goal is equal regardless of how it is scored.

However, as none of the goals were all that special and I haven't seen him play enough, I can't really form an opinion.

You can't form an opinion.... yet you seem to think that he's not that good because he hasn't scored wonder goals.

You can't really compare him yet with the likes of Andy Carroll, who is almost three years younger, and has proven himself over the course of the season.

You can compare him yes as he has had to fill those boots and has done it well. He puts himself about, is a handful for defenders and scores goals... pretty much what Carroll did for us. He's not scored that many because he hasn't started as much as Carroll did.

Also he's mint don't ya know?

roryc

Haha who would get the printed on a jersey...

Think your missing my point a bit... a goals a goal and every goal is equal. But had two of Best's goals been absolute crackers, or at least goals where he had to show some extreme pace, skill etc, it would show talent that scoring tap-ins etc doesn't. I'm not saying all his goals were bad, but none would exactly make the highlight reel...

Also, I never said he wasn't good. Im pretty sure he's better than me (still waiting on that call from Fergie). What I am saying, and have said from my first post, is that I haven't seen him do anything that any other 'rated' Premiership striker hasn't done.

For example, from what I've seen from Odemwingie he is a fantastic new arrival in the PL. Quick, good skill and a great finisher. Things which could be seen in practically every game he has played.


The main point I'm trying to put across is that its hard to form an opinion on a player if you've only seen him play a few games, even if he bangs in a hat-trick. However, if in those games you see him score a goal which took a lot of pace/skill etc, then its easier to form a more favourable opinion of him.

To put it into perspective, I didn't rate Berbatov or Elmander until this season either

dreamers75

Mark! wrote: »

There is a bit of competition for strikers now which is good to see, Doyle, Long, Best and Stokes are all playing good stuff this season.

Theres not really tho theres Doyle and Keane and if one of them isnt fit well someone else might get in. In Trap we trust!

tim_holsters

Best is a decent player but he'll never be banging them in for a top six side though, so for a team like Ireland he's more than adequate.

IRISHSPORTSGUY

..........make that 6 in 9 starts.

eagle eye

I've been very impressed by him anytime I seen him, a kind of Kevin Doyle but a better finisher but doesn't have the 90 minute Doyle engine.