Shane Long

[Yard of Pace]

Is that typical Shane Long? Very good player, difficult to defend against and scorer of a reasonable amount of goals but not as many as he should be scoring?

Sounds about right to me, unfortunately. If top hurlers could earn the same amount of €€ as soccer players I think he'd have chosen the hurling. He still moves like a hurler, to my eyes.....the runs he makes...

[DeLorean]

He still moves like a hurler, to my eyes.....the runs he makes...

It's a wonder he doesn't get caught offside more.

[Noelys Guitar]

Overall play excellent. Peno was all down to his own good play. But he then missed a chance he should have buried (skyed it not unlike his chance against Sweden). Had another good chance not long after and completely missed the ball (possibly sun in his eyes but still a poor effort). Subbed soon after. He needs to be more clinical to be considered a really top player. Still our best forward IMO.

[Grafter]

Anyone see Long goal versus Saints yesterday... did he mean to play it through keeper or was it a hit and hope as I felt?
Don't think he's a natural finisher and will struggle once his pace inevitably goes in the next 3 or 4 years...
A poor man's Craig Bellamy? Too harsh?

[Olé Olé]

Anyone see Long goal versus Saints yesterday... did he mean to play it through keeper or was it a hit and hope as I felt?
Don't think he's a natural finisher and will struggle once his pace inevitably goes in the next 3 or 4 years...
A poor man's Craig Bellamy? Too harsh?

He scored 23 goals in the Championship in 2010-2011. I presume he finished them.

[Stuttgart88]

Anyone see Long goal versus Saints yesterday... did he mean to play it through keeper or was it a hit and hope as I felt? i'd agree, I thought it was a poor enough effort that was lucky to go in.

He may have scored 23 in 2010-2011 but I feel he leaves a few too any chances out there to be considered a top quality goal scorer. Sure, there's more to his game and he's a beast to play against but he's far from clinical.

[Crosby87]

I agree Stutts. He lacks that last degree of finishing or whatever. If him and James McC could get that last touch we would be in better shape.
The odds are long he will ever be a consistent scorer for us I feel like.

[nigel-harps1954]

His finishing could do with a bit of work, but there's no doubting that this guy is one of the most technically gifted players in that whole West Brom squad.

[tricky_colour]

Anyone see Long goal versus Saints yesterday... did he mean to play it through keeper or was it a hit and hope as I felt?
Don't think he's a natural finisher and will struggle once his pace inevitably goes in the next 3 or 4 years...
A poor man's Craig Bellamy? Too harsh?



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZUiR9tGGUM

Hard to say really. He is not left footed is he? Hence I expect he was concentrating on hitting the target, at least that gives you chance.
He also got a man sent off, went down like a sack of spud :)

[Charlie Darwin]

It looked like a good finish to me. He could have hit it to the keeper's left but it would have been a very tight angle.

[geysir]

He scored therefore it was a good finish.

Did he not hit it to the keeper's left?

[Olé Olé]

That was an excellent run. He went from being between the 2 defenders to cutting behind one and across and linked up beautifully with Lukaku. I'll agree his finishing isn't always excellent but he can finish. It's a matter of time till he become somewhat more clinical, I feel.

[paul_oshea]

I imagine his left foot is a lot quicker. He looked to be really awkward hitting that. I think that goal is a trademark of his style of play though, he loves to run down the channels - behind and across the defender, cos it makes it very difficult for the striker to judge the player and the ball at the same time - good to see him actually scoring from this piece of play for once.

[Charlie Darwin]

He scored therefore it was a good finish.

Did he not hit it to the keeper's left?
Under his legs.

[Crosby87]

Long turns down Shalke, Hoffenheim, Sevilla:
http://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/395722/Shane-Long-ready-to-snub-Schalke-and-Hoffenheim-to-stay-at-Hawthorns

Note: this link is not worth clicking on but i provide it anyway in the interest of not censoring.

[BonnieShels]

Schalke!!!!

[geysir]

:)

Seville would be interesting.

[Charlie Darwin]

If he really did snub Schalke he's an idiot. I doubt it's true though.

edit: good god I'm using tabloid language. If he really did turn down Schalke..

[BonnieShels]

If he really did snub Schalke he's an idiot. I doubt it's true though.

I would sincerely doubt that he would snub Schalke. I'll ask his dad later over a pint.*


*I will not do this.

[Bungle]

The only reason I would imagine he would turn down going to Schalke or Seville is that he has a young family and is settled where he is. If he turned down both clubs for football reasons, then he's made an error I would say.

[paul_oshea]

Or he knows of someone else potentially interested. I thought Shane only has a girlfriend? Has he sprogs and all.

Footballers have kids and get married so young. I suppose if you have so much time on your hands and nothing else to do..

[Crosby87]

wow i really can't spell. apologeees.

[tricky_colour]

Just scored for Brom unfortunately I missed it.
Wigan really need to get something out of the match preferably a win or they are in in trouble.

Wigan equalise 1-1

[SkStu]

It was a nice goal. They broke down the right, squared with pace and he passed it home while on the slide. Looked good.

[tricky_colour]

Well looks like Wigan will win. Norwich lost.
Gonna be a lot of teams down the bottom looking over their shoulders now.

[Crosby87]

Hate to break some hearts on here but Shane Long is off the market as he joins McGeady and Noel Hunt as some of the many Irish players who seemed to marry this past weekend. No word on if Long invited Cox to the nuptials.
http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTTZPVHxs2_FP33uZWs9tvmv9RBv0IMn Ni9blXqO6-yTlV8o3d_

[Charlie Darwin]

I think the only heart that's been broken is yours, Crosby. You do love those photographs of male athletes.

[Grafter]

As a wedding gift, I would have lent Shane a razor blade if I'd known he was stuck? Same applies to Aiden McGeady....
Stubbles on their wedding days, shocking!!!!!:silly:

[tricky_colour]

Hate to break some hearts on here but Shane Long is off the market as he joins McGeady and Noel Hunt as some of the many Irish players who seemed to marry this past weekend. No word on if Long invited Cox to the nuptials.
http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTTZPVHxs2_FP33uZWs9tvmv9RBv0IMn Ni9blXqO6-yTlV8o3d_

Never thought McGeady would marry Noel, I always thought he only had eyes for Stephen.

[Crosby87]

Long geeked up about playing with Anelka.
http://www.irishmirror.ie/sport/soccer/soccer-news/shane-long-looks-forward-playing-2129109

[boovidge]

Long in talks with Hull according to Sky

[Olé Olé]

I don't like the sound of that. It could cause his career pattern to resemble that of Kevin Doyle further, given that Hull are very likely to be demoted.

[SwanVsDalton]

That's a terrible move if it goes through.

[back of the net]

Long in talks with Hull according to Sky

Saw that myself. Still picking my jaw up off the floor.

Such an awful move for such a talented player.

Very disappointed if this happens

[Olé Olé]

The more I think of it the more it smacks of Doyle moving to Wolves that time. And look how that impacted his career trajectory.

[DannyInvincible]

He has left the Ireland camp to discuss matters, according to ExtraTime.ie.

[dr_peepee]

Everton in for him now too..

[DannyInvincible]

Everton in for him now too..

Oh, maybe he's left the camp for Liverpool?... ExtraTime.ie hadn't confirmed his current whereabouts.

[back of the net]

Everton in for him now too..

Where u hear that from ?

[Olé Olé]

Everton in for him now too..

Now that would be more like it.

[DannyInvincible]

He's Hull-bound, according to the updates on BBC. Where did the Everton talk originate?

[Olé Olé]

Someone in Everton must have had a brainwave and said to themselves 'what are those guys smoking over at the Hawthorns?' when they saw a £5m bid come in for Anichebe. Hence, the interest in taking Long off them.

[geysir]

Saw that myself. Still picking my jaw up off the floor.

Such an awful move for such a talented player.

Very disappointed if this happens
Hull have a good team and it's not as if WBA are anything special.
If this move goes through, it has a good chance of being a smart move for Shane.

[back of the net]

Hull have a good team and it's not as if WBA are anything special.
If this move goes through, it has a good chance of being a smart move for Shane.


But my dissappointment is more due to the fact that long is at the stage in his career where he needs to get a move to teams bigger thsn the hulls or wbas.


He is a fans favourite at albion due to some fantastic petformances.


Also wba are a solid premiership club, hull most certainly are not.

And IMO clarke is a better coach than Bruce

[geysir]

WBA are what is called a yoyo club, not a solid premier league team and probably due a relegation soon.
Bruce, despite looking the worse for wear, is proving himself with Hull as better than his critics make him out to be.
Shane is a £5m or £6m striker, that's his worth, he's good to go for a team on a budget in the lower echelons of the epl.

[Stuttgart88]

We all like Long but he needs to up his strike rate both for club and country to be rated anything more than a decent enough striker. Ok, so there's more to his game and he can be a beast to play against but in his position he's judged on goals and his output is about that of a yo you club right now.

Also, players make he club, not the other way around. If he went to Hull and scored goals they'd establish themselves in the EPL. If he didn't score goals they could go down. The level he plays at isn't independent of how well he pays.

[Paddy Garcia]

Deal done for £5m - as geyser suggested!

[back of the net]

We all like Long but he needs to up his strike rate both for club and country to be rated anything more than a decent enough striker. Ok, so there's more to his game and he can be a beast to play against but in his position he's judged on goals and his output is about that of a yo you club right now.

Also, players make he club, not the other way around. If he went to Hull and scored goals they'd establish themselves in the EPL. If he dint score goals they could go down. The level he plays at isn't independent of how well he pays.



I think long is a confidence player....for that too happen he needs faith shown on him by his manager

I do agree with u and geysir on the strike rate, but technically he offers more than just goals and I think he has shown that regularly with wba which makes a hull move even more disappointing

[EAFC_rdfl]

so he is still at WBA right? very strange goings on last night with Long. He has a bit of competition for a starting spot now anyway

[Charlie Darwin]

Hull would have been a good move for Long - Hull are a creative team who lack a good striker whereas WBA look lost. Lower Premier League is probably his level.