PSF Thread - Hereford v Torquay

Fonda · Post by **Fonda** » 28 Jul 2013, 19:19

Rickie Lambert scored all his pens for Southampton I think? He's probably missed his share previously though?

As for Bodin, at no point did I criticise him for missing that penalty - my whole point here is that even the best, miss them. If he is the best penalty taker in the squad, then he should keep taking them, obviously. I merely thought it strange that a player who really didn't deliver last season, seems to have been treated very favourably this summer. Like a favourite son.

Post by **Gulliball** » 28 Jul 2013, 19:35

That's not really true though is it.

He was the only other player than Howe to take a penalty for us last season. Nor have we signed a regular penalty taker since Howe left, so you would expect him to be the current taker.

A squad number can only be given to a player who has signed for the club. The players in the summer get roughly 1-20 and later signings 20-30. The fact that he is number 10, is presumably because he asked for it. Had he wanted 8, 11, 46 or 89 he could have moved to those. In reality his squad number is meaningless, although I know you place a greater significance on them.

There is no evidence that he has asked for a central role, or that Knill is going to play him centrally. He has played on the wing, and in the hole in pre-season, largely because we still haven't signed our first choice striker so are short of forwards.

A bit flimsy to say he has been treated well based on this.

Post by **Dave** » 28 Jul 2013, 19:41

Taking this back to penalties, found this, it would appear that supermario may have missed 2 spot kicks, even tough he was 16 at the time....http://football-italia.net/32470/i-save ... li-penalty

Fonda · Post by **Fonda** » 28 Jul 2013, 19:45

As I said, if he's our best penalty taker then fine. The shirt number - as we discussed previously, I have no idea why we felt the need to distribute numbers when the squad was so far from completion. When discussing contracts with strikers, it's not outrageous to think they might express an interest in wearing a strikers number (9 or 10) - it might very well not be a deal breaker, but why not leave it open on the off chance? Why the need to give one of those shirts to a winger? As for the central role, it was stated previously by one of those ITK (either Supergulls or Roadrunner I think), that he had indeed requested that move. And I believe he's spent time in pre-season there. If he starts the season in the form we know he's capable of, we'll all be happy. But if he carries on where he left off last season, he's inviting even more pressure/criticism.

Post by **Gulliball** » 28 Jul 2013, 20:04

Well we had to issue our squad numbers at some stage. The season starts in 6 days and we are missing 2 or 3 players that we hope will be here by the end of the summer. You're acting as if we have done something unusual or wrong, when in fact all clubs issue squad numbers during pre-season, because players have labelled kit, the shop wants to sell name and numbered kits etc etc. We have been after numerous strikers this summer, and still don't know who we will sign. Maybe we will sign a player next week who wants to wear 25. It's a pretty simple concept in football that squad numbers are assigned in the summer and then players after this take their pick from the remaining choices. Any free agent who signs for a side in August is not going to demand to be number 10.

Billy was under pressure last season because he cost £70k and had a great loan spell here previously, and people were expecting him to be our best player. People didn't see he was number 15 and have low expectations. Niall Thompson is number 15 this year, is a similar age, but will not be under the same pressure. Next season Bodin will be under pressure for the same reasons he was 12 months ago, not because he is now number 10 or takes a penalty.

Fonda · Post by **Fonda** » 28 Jul 2013, 20:12

There is no reason to issue squad numbers until the League ask for them - which will probably be some time this week. The kits haven't been available to buy until this week, so where was the rush about selling 'name and numbered' kits? Billy is under pressure because we spent a lot of money on him and expectancy was high. He didn't perform last season, so if anything the pressure will be even greater at the start of this - especially if he has now chosen the position he wants to play in.

Post by **Gulliball** » 28 Jul 2013, 20:32

Well Alan Knill picks the side, where Bodin plays will not his decision unless he signs somewhere as player-manager, this isn't schoolboy football.

We are not going to sign a striker before the opening day of the season, a day on which Billy Bodin needs to have a squad number. There is no reason why we would make one of our own players wait 2 months for a squad number because we are still after a player who plays in the position that might possibly want the number the the original player wants. My god, this is a ridiculous discussion we are having.

The point about kits was general. Most sides manage to get their kit on sale earlier than we do, but even with us they are here now, and the open day today was a good chance for the club to sell kits to families visiting. The training kit has been in use for over a month.

In reality, a squad number is meaningless. Some players have their favourites, some positions are tradionally matched with a number (although this changes over time) and others don't care at all. Billy Bodin is a first team Torquay player, being number 10 isn't massively unusual. Telling him he can't be number 10 because you might sign someone who might want that number would be farcical.

Can we leave it there please, half an hour of my weekend is already too much time to devote to discussion of squad numbers.

Fonda · Post by **Fonda** » 28 Jul 2013, 20:39

You can stop posting whenever you're ready Chris, I'm not asking you to respond. I happen to think shirt numbers mean something - you don't. So the fact you've wasted time talking about them really isn't my fault - I consider it a conversation worth having.

You're right, we probably won't have a striker in by Saturday as it turns out, so Bodin would likely have ended up with the number 10 even if we had waited until now to distribute the numbers. But surely the intention was to have another striker in before now? And who said anything about telling Bodin he couldn't have number 10? My suggestion was, there was no point allocating squad numbers at all until about now. He didn't need to be told anything.

Respond at your leisure, or not. I'm not fussed either way. But don't respond and then tell me not to.

supergulls · Post by **supergulls** » 28 Jul 2013, 21:16

The reason squad numbers are given out early is a really simple one, when all the players came back they all need to be issued their kit which all has squad numbers on them. Everything is numbered from coats to water bottles and bags so everyone knows what belongs to who. As you can imagine if everyone is wearing the same and it's not numbered things will get lost and mixed up.

Fonda · Post by **Fonda** » 28 Jul 2013, 21:35

Which is fine. But there is no advantage to them being the same as matchday numbers surely? I'm pretty sure many clubs have separate training kit. I know I've seen clips of the Man Utd squad training, and their training numbers are completely different to their actual squad numbers.

supergulls · Post by **supergulls** » 28 Jul 2013, 21:54

I'm not aware of that Fonda although I'm not saying it hasn't happened, but I would say this is exception to the rule, normally in most football teams their squad numbers are the numbers the players normally train in.

Post by **Gulliball** » 28 Jul 2013, 22:23

Fondz, there is nothing really I can add without repeating things, and it was dull enough (for me at least) the first time around. I didn't agree that Bodin moving from 15 to 10 added any extra pressure, or being number 10 implies he will play centrally or has been treated favourably. Very happy to agree to disagree and leave it there.

Fonda · Post by **Fonda** » 28 Jul 2013, 22:26

No worries Chris. No amount of bickering here will change the decision, so yeah, lets leave it there!

GazTheGull · Post by **GazTheGull** » 28 Jul 2013, 22:26

If Nico is on the pitch (hopefully not), why cant he take pens? He'll probably do a Lampard and blast it so hard that even if the keeper goes the right way, he wont be able to save it

Gullscorer · Post by **Gullscorer** » 28 Jul 2013, 22:36

Fonda wrote:I'll take that as an admission that your initial statement was in fact, nonsensical. I'm almost certain there isn't a player in the world, including the very best ones, who don't have missed penalties in their history. Pele, Maradona, Cruyff, Best, Messi, Ronaldo, even Le Tissier. You name them, they've all missed them.

My initial post made perfect sense and I suggest you read it again. We're not actually disagreeing. If you still think we are, then either we're intellectually incompatible, or we're speaking different languages known as English, or one of us should see a psychiatrist and the other should read more Aristotle. One of us has his wires crossed and it isn't me, so there..!!

:na:

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