Originally Posted by Mapperleypie
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Bartlett was a much better player than Jonathan Forte, hence why he reached a higher level. As with many lighting quick players (e.g. Franz Carr), Kevin Bartlett's end product didn't always fully exploit the phenomenal opportunities his pace provided, but he still created chaos for many defences and opened up chances for others, not to mention winning lots of penalties.
I think Jonathan Forte was and is overrated by Notts fans on the basis of a couple of standout performances in previous loan spells. He's a very average winger and a half decent striker, but his career record shows he hasn't scored the number of goals his reputation perhaps suggests, and he hasn't settled anywhere for long. At League Two level he's a decent player to have, and seems to play best as a supersub, but he isn't the kind of player who will take us forward in the longer term, indeed his best days are probably behind him.
I get frustrated with Forte's lack of aggression as well, especially when we're defending a lead and hoping the strikers will chase down defenders and stop them building attacks. He reminds me of Jamie Forrester, in that he will run towards the opponent as if he's going to close down and challenge him, but then stops a few yards short and does nothing, effectively chickening out but trying to con people into thinking they're doing the job. At the other end of the scale was Luke Rodgers, who despite his diminutive size would charge at an opponent, kick them, tackle them and generally drive them to distraction. Paul Dickov was the same type, great team players with a nasty streak who contributed a lot even when they weren't scoring.
