Scoring goals

[Superhoops]

Stephen Elliott scores again for Sunderland! Lets hope he stays fit for the Croatia game. He's hot and must be given a start.

For good measure, Graham Barrett gets one for Coventry. Alan Dunne for Millwall and David Connolly for Leicester.

Goal scorers! Just what we need:o :o

[eirebhoy]

Connolly got one for Leicester too.

Its great to see Elliott doing so well. Robbie got 11 goals in 45 games in his first season with Wolves, Elliott has got 7 in 15 already this season.

Its amazing that it takes injuries to other players for managers to spot/risk talent like this.

Just read on the BBC messageboard, a few Sunderland fans are trying to get this chant onto the terraces...to the tune of alan shearers illegitimate!!.....:

we got a player called stephen elliott

he scores goals just for the hell of it

he's got the habit and he can't get rid of it

Super Stephen Elliott.
:)

[thejollyrodger]

Connolly got one for Leicester too.

Please dont mention him !! ahh I cant stand connolly.


Great news about Elliot, he should defintely get a start in the next series of friendlies.

[zinedineontour]

Yeah ive seen Elliott twice for Sunderland this season and he really stands out. Doesnt do much of the **** stepover and crap that Robbie Does so is deffo an option for us. Was at the Sunderland Millwall game on sat and when it was announced he had failed a fitness test the fans were gutted. They really have taken to the kid

[thejollyrodger]

sounds like a good player but I have yet to see him.

Can you describe what type of player he is. Like goes he get the ball go straight at goal and try to shoot or is he a 6 yard box man, good in the air ? etc thanx

[eirebhoy]

Can you describe what type of player he is. Like goes he get the ball go straight at goal and try to shoot or is he a 6 yard box man, good in the air ? etc thanx
He's basically Robbie without the fancy shíte. Gets back deep when needed. He's probably better than Robbie in the air but thats neither here nor there as he wouldn't be winning many headers at his height.

[thejollyrodger]

Well if he is the same type of player as Robbie then I think Kerr should defintely give Elliott a start in keanes place and go with Morrison up front if he is that type of player at some point. Thats when morrison is available in the future.

I would like to see morrison continue that role that he has started to get good at but Keane gets a start EVERY time. A drop for one or two matches might not do Robbie any harm.

Elliot sounds promising, if he just sticks to keeping it simple and stop trying to do the impossible then we may we have a second decent striker. I couldnt see Robbie and Eliott player together somehow (maybe im wrong ).

[Colm55]

I too have yet to see him play but i'm not going to doubt any of the credentials you are all praising him with. Leaving International aside, do you reckon he could cut it in the premiership?? as we all are aware that the first division and the premiership are a class apart ! !, If so then Brian will surely have to take a look at him!

Getting back to the international side, i'll agree with all the above and say (without trying to repeat everyone) that he should deserve a place in the squad for the upcoming friendlies ! !

[Superhoops]

sounds like a good player but I have yet to see him.


I thought you were a real fan! If so, you would have seen him play for our U-21's and other under age teams.

He is the record goal scorer for the U-21's and has scored goals at every level he has played. No reason to think he can't do it at international or premiership level.

[drummerboy]

Brian Kerr knows all about Elliott. He had him when he was in charge of the Youth set up. The dilemma is when to blood him at international level. I think he'll definitely get a run against Croatia. The question then is whether to include him for the big games in March or allow him continue with the U21s.

[drinkfeckarse]

I don't think he's going to learn anything new now with the U/21's so lets get him blooded in the senior team.
While I don't want to get carried away with him yet, we should be getting him included all the time now in the senior squad. The likes of Robbie, Duff, Harte etc were all playing international football from a very early age and it can only be benificial to him to be surrounded with players of that calibre.

[thejollyrodger]

Its a crying shame that TV3 or RTE dont cover ANY of the U-21's matches, its bound to cost next to nothing and you could see up and coming talent. Its hard getting to the U-21 matches.

I dont think anyone thinks Elliot is the next Ronaldo (BR) but he should defintely get a start in the next friendly because (1) we have hardly anyone in depth in that position (2) Robbie Keane gets automatic starts EVERY game and he's bound to feel that he doesnt have to try to be included in the starting 11.

Keane has to start developing his limited game much the way duffer has developed his under murinho. He knows that the flicks, faints, dummies etc dont produce the goods and he is total muck one on one with the keeper.

Starting Elliot for a few games would kill a few birds with one stone IMO.

[Bowsy]

Leaving International aside, do you reckon he could cut it in the premiership?? as we all are aware that the first division and the premiership are a class apart ! !


Not sure about the stats but i reckon Elliott's record would compare favourably with the likes of Defoe when he was with West Ham at this level.
Elliott is a goalpoacher and that's what we need plus he's outgunned Connolly and Lee in the Championship so far this season. We've nothing to lose and everything to gain by playing him in the upcoming friendlies.

[Superhoops]

Its a crying shame that TV3 or RTE dont cover ANY of the U-21's matches, its bound to cost next to nothing and you could see up and coming talent.........Its hard getting to the U-21 matches.

Jesus, where do you live?

Tell that to Pat O'B, Lopez, Sylvo and all the other London troopers who attend U-21 games home and away, whether it be Berne, Troyes, Kilkenny or Galway.

The hard bit is getting off your a*se and putting yourself out.

[gustavo]

by that logic RTE shouldnt bother showing the senior matches because we could all just go to them.

[zinedineontour]

From having seen Elliott play both for Sunderland and Ireland he looks like a real prospect. Very similar to robbie without all the ****. He really needs a good run in the sunderland side before thinking full international. Maybe a run in a friendly would do him a world of good. Though when you think the likes of alan lee , gary docherty connolly and macken seem to be ahead of him in the pecking order we really do need him to come good.

[Stuttgart88]

Not sure about the stats but i reckon Elliott's record would compare favourably with the likes of Defoe when he was with West Ham at this level.
Elliott is a goalpoacher and that's what we need plus he's outgunned Connolly and Lee in the Championship so far this season. We've nothing to lose and everything to gain by playing him in the upcoming friendlies.

I agree with this and other comments above advocating Elliott's inclusion.

From what I've seen of him (3 games in the UAE, one U21 international and one full game for Sunderland) he has an instinctive eye for goal, a good touch and a good workrate. Eirebhoy's assessment of him seems spot on in my view, though he did score with one clinical header from a corner in the UAE. It was only half a chance and he abpolutely buried it just inside the post. Classic natural goalscoring.

FIFA even noted his natural ability to score goals in their post UAE tournament assessment and he almost made the tournament XI. Not bad for a guy playing for an unglamourous country who got knocked out in last 16.

What harm is there in trying him? At least when we need to call him up for a serious game he'll have his debut out of the way.

[Superhoops]

by that logic RTE shouldnt bother showing the senior matches because we could all just go to them.
Only someone from Sligo could come up with this way of thinking! Does your brain hurt?

My response to Jollyroger was not to his comment about showing games on TV but about it being 'hard to get to u-21 games'. What I think he really means is that it would be easier to watch them on TV. :rolleyes:

[thejollyrodger]

not all of us can get to see the U-21's, its nothing due to the lack to effort or will.

TV3 or RTE even TG4 (with english subtitles) should do a programme late at night on extended highlights of U-21 matches. by right they should show the full match. Its a disgrace !

[Stuttgart88]

Even SKY does it sometimes. Maybe they have the rights but only bother when Ingerland aren't playing?

[eirebhoy]

Jesus, where do you live?

Tell that to Pat O'B, Lopez, Sylvo and all the other London troopers who attend U-21 games home and away, whether it be Berne, Troyes, Kilkenny or Galway.

The hard bit is getting off your a*se and putting yourself out.
Jolly once complained that a match was not on RTE and he couldn't get to see the match. Fair enough if you couldn't get to the match but if you couldn't get to the local...well. :D

[Stuttgart88]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,2767-1314129,00.html

Here's an article by John O'Brien on the topic of goalscoring. Hard to disagree with any of it, except maybe his description of Elliott. You might all have seen it already but I've only just found it on the web.

Also, although failure to grab a hatful against the Faroes can pretty much be put down to Robbie's wastefulness, isn't it another example of how employing Duff upfront fails to reap dividends? He'd still have won that penno from his usual wide position and just having anyone else with an eye for goal alongside Robbie may have yielded more goals.

[Bowsy]

Don't think anything in the article could really be questioned apart from the Morrison-Elliott comparison. We all know Robbie isn't an out and out striker. Clinton is but lacks the quality and clinical finishing of a natural goal scorer. Hopefully Elliott, Best (if and when he decides) and even younger lads like Stokes can provide that.

[thejollyrodger]

I agree with a lot of that article, it would be hard not to. Robbie will score lots more goals but isnt developing himself. Thank god there are some strikers on the radar screen. Elliot has to start next month and mc geady should get a run at some stage over the two games as well.

[zinedineontour]

Why are people pushing mc geady into international football already ? how many times has he played for celtic ? played maybe 60minutes in the last month? not ideal for an international game. We have a tendency in Ireland to jump on these kids the minute they on the bench for a premier team . People were even talking about willo flood in the squad. Hes barely getting into man city let him develop there first

[thejollyrodger]

Because its Ireland. We dont have strength in depth for a lot of the key positions and we have nothing to loose in the friendlies.

If a player comes along that looks like he will be capable at senior international level then I think he should defintely get on at some point in friendlies to show that they can do.

Mc Geady should get 20-25 minutes at the end of one of the friendlies to show what he can do.

Miller should get the chance to play in the center of the park for one of the friendlies.

Elliot should start, by right up front. It's throwing him in at the deep end but its only a striker and he can't do any worse than Robbie : P (joke).

As for Wilo Flood, not as much word about him recently but maybe he should look about giving him a run around as well.

Kerr needs serious options for 2005 and the likes of Doherty Connolly dont cut it so Kerr really needs to find new players.

[eirebhoy]

Why are people pushing mc geady into international football already ? how many times has he played for celtic ? played maybe 60minutes in the last month? not ideal for an international game. We have a tendency in Ireland to jump on these kids the minute they on the bench for a premier team . People were even talking about willo flood in the squad. Hes barely getting into man city let him develop there first
I wouldn't be a fan of it in most cases either but that 18 year old that scored for Switzerland in Euro 2004 and also scored a hatrick against the Faroe's couldn't/can't even make the bench for his club.