Quote Originally Posted by gazan View Post
What's the current verdict? He's joint top scorer and.......what else? Is his goal tally sufficient to warrant his place in the team? I don't know I'm just putting it out there for people's opinions.
He doesn't achieve many knock downs, he can't hold the ball up, he can't beat a man with the ball at his feet. Or maybe I'm missing something.
Last season (well the start of it) he was a nuisance factor, rough-housing the opposition defence and unsettling them and generally causing havoc. This season, it seems, blowing on your opposite number is a cardable offence. This situation robs him of his main asset.
So has he become a luxury or, as mentioned earlier, are his goals enough? Is it a luxury to have 3 upfront when our midfield is a bit thin? Would we need to rejig the formation if he was dropped or would Nevitt just move in?
A question also needs to be asked of Long recently but that's surely another thread.
CBR adds height at both ends of the pitch. And his goals have contributed to our excellent start to the season. Last night our front three were well managed by the opposition and it is easy to criticise them for the lack of opportunities taken. Sometimes we have to give credit to the opposition and last night was one of those occasions. That said, CBR's work rate is not at the same level of Nev, Tracey or Long. It is a fine balance really as I suspect he is more of a goal threat than Nev.

Not sure what questions need to be asked of Long though.